Podcasts about dora mavor moore award

In this 1555th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike chats with Dora Mavor Moore Award and Chalmers Award winning actor, director, choreographer, playwright and teacher Joel Greenberg about his decades of theatre direction and his recent pivot to podcasting with Life in Stages. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada, and RecycleMyElectronics.ca. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com

This week on Finding Your Bliss, Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by legendary and award-winning musical theatre actress, singer, dancer and composer Louise Pitre! Receiving a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in the smash hit "Mamma Mia!" was a highlight for Louise Pitre, Canada

Join host Phil Rickaby as he talks with the playwright of Sweeter, Alicia Richardson and Assistant Director Amaka Umeh who enlighten us on the creative process behind the play. Set in 1887 Florida, this magical and surreal tale of a talking mango tree and a 7-year-old black girl tackles themes of black womanhood and growing up black. The origins of Sweeter trace back to an ambitious exercise where Alicia penned seven plays in seven days, with many forming the foundation for her other work, Articulation. We also talk about Amaka's journey to joining the production as assistant director, and the thrill and challenge of bringing a theatre production to life. From a short piece to a full-scale production, the evolution of a play is indeed a labor of love. The value of versatility and embracing multiple passions in the theatre world are also discussed. Our conversation takes an intriguing turn as we explore the art of creating distinct character voices in a new play, and the significance of representation and diversity in theatre. Hear how theatre provides a platform for young children of colour to explore their identities and see themselves represented on stage. Finally, Alicia and Amaka share their journeys in the theatre world. Amaka shares her passion for movement, and Alicia, her interest in voice training and dialect coaching. They also discuss the importance of storytelling and representation in the theatre world, especially for Black individuals. Hear about the Alicia and Amaka's early encounters with theatre, the power of storytelling in shaping our identities, and the role of education in promoting diversity and inclusivity in theatre. Bio Alicia Richardson is an African-American actor/writer and voice coach originally from Boynton Beach, Florida. She came to Canada for the affordable tuition, then she got health care and figured…why fight it? Now she's a Permanent Resident livin' that sweet (but sometimes sour) artist's life in Toronto. Her body of work spans television, film, theatre, and voice-over. Alicia is PUMPED to have the world premiere of her Theatre for Young Audiences play, Sweeter, a co-pro from Cahoots Theatre and Roseneath Theatre slated for production in December 2023 in Toronto. Instagram: @leesheelovesyou Amaka Umeh is an award-winning English theatre performing artist of Nigerian descent who enjoys puns, sweets, and adventures. A graduate of the Musical Theatre Performance Program at the Randolph Academy for Performing Arts, she explores the provocative, liberatory, and transformative powers of investigating truth through imagination and pretense while wrestling with the limitations of the spoken word as a vehicle for communication and understanding. Their work has been generously recognized with a Dora Mavor Moore Award, a Toronto Theatre Critics Association Award, and two MyEntertainmentWorld Critics' Pick Award nominations. Instagram: @yesamaka Tickets and Info for Sweeter: https://www.cahoots.ca/production/sweeter Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

BONUS EPISODE!Audiences around the world know actor Rebecca Caine for originating the role of "Cosette" in Les Miserables and as one of the most iconic "Christine Daes" of Phantom of the Opera.   But what many don't know about Rebecca is that she has her own harrowing "Stage Combat" story.  Something that happened to her in the theatre industry almost thirty years ago.For the first time in a podcast interview, Rebecca is "claiming her story" and discussing with Sean Hayden what really happened to her in 1990s in this very special bonus episode.Content warning:  contains strong language.Rebecca Caine is best known for creating the role of Cosette in the original production of Les Miserables at The Royal Shakespeare Company and in London's West End where she made her debut as Laurie in Oklahoma! And subsequently played the role of Christine with the original company of the Phantom of the Opera, a role she originated at the Canadian Premiere in Toronto. She made her North American operatic debut at the Canadian Opera Company as Lulu, going on to sing a variety of roles there and winning the Dora Mavor Moore Award in the title role of The Cunning Little Vixen. She has gone on to appear in opera, musicals and plays internationally and enjoys an extensive recital and cabaret career, which has taken her to every province and territory in Canada except Quebec, The Yukon and Nunavut.Sean Hayden is the CEO of Haywood Productions, LLC.  As a professional actor, Sean has appeared in two Broadway national tours and in plays and musicals in theaters across the country.    He is a proud union member of Actors' Equity Association.  As a mental health advocate, Sean has provided thought leadership on how employers can better support the mental health of their employees.  His op-ed on “Men and Mental Health” appeared in The Economic Times.   Sean resides in New York City and upstate New York with his husband, a screenwriter.   Edited by Andrew Linn and Alex Griffith.Podcast icon designed by Fran Pinter-Parrott.Produced by Haywood Productions, LLC.

SummerWorks Performance Festival is a curated festival of theatre, dance, music, live art and interdisciplinary forms, widely recognized as one of the most important platforms for launching new work in Canada.  summerworks.ca Twitter: @SummerWorksTO Instagram: @summerworksto Michael Caldwell (he/him) is a choreographer, performer, curator, artistic director, producer, and arts advocate, based in Tkaronto, Canada. 
 Garnering critical acclaim, his choreography has been commissioned/presented throughout Canada at major festivals, in traditional venues and in site-responsive and community-engaged contexts. Michael's most recent choreographic work responds to the 'site' in as many ways as can be conceived, and subverts traditional modes of viewing. He recently premiered ‘Two x 30' - a large-scale performance/sound work as part of ArtworxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art, and is currently working on two collaborative multidisciplinary performance projects. Caldwell is a two-time K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation Artist Award finalist. 
 Michael has performed/collaborated with over 55 of Canada's esteemed performance creators/companies, working internationally and performing across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. His performances have earned him two (2) Dora Mavor Moore Awards for outstanding performance in dance. 

 Currently, Michael serves as Artistic Director at SummerWorks in Tkaronto, and as Programming Advisor for Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia. Most recently, as Creative Director: Programming at Generator, he led the reimagination of the overall governance structure of the organization, moving towards a co-leadership framework. Previously, Michael played a pivotal role in the growth and development of Fall for Dance North, serving as Executive Producer for eight years. He has also previously guided projects with CanAsian Dance, Dusk Dances, Older & Reckless, and Kaeja d'Dance's ‘Porch View Dances'. In addition, he acts as a consultant with various arts organizations and as a mentor to many emerging artists/curators in the Tkaronto arts community.

 With a bachelor's degree in film/art history from Syracuse University in upstate New York, and professional dance training at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Michael now serves as President of the Board of Directors at The CanDance Network Instagram: @mahkemahke Born and raised in Tkaronto, Morgan Norwich (she/her) is an arts administrator, creator and producer, who brings to SummerWorks over ten years of experience in non-profit theatre, with a specific focus on performing arts festivals and partnership building. For four years, Norwich served as Operations & Partnerships Coordinator at Theatre Alberta, where she managed membership data and ongoing partnerships. During this time, she also participated in a multi-phase adaptive change and capacity-building program led by EmcArts in the U.S. to help address complex challenges and transform their practices. In addition to her most recent role as Development Manager at Toronto Fringe, Morgan has worked with The Rhubarb Festival and SummerWorks in a variety of roles over the years. For ten years, she and playwright Johnnie Walker created and produced new works as Nobody's Business Theatre. Their most notable project, Redheaded Stepchild, appeared at SummerWorks Festival in 2010. Written and performed by Johnnie and directed by Morgan, the show toured festivals across North America, and was published in 2016 by Playwrights Canada Press. Morgan continues to perform as a founding member of BoylesqueTO, Canada's premiere “Boylesque” troupe, where she emcees under the stage name Balonia Wry. Instagram: @morgannorwich Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Nicholas Eddie is a performer and theatre creator based in Toronto, Ontario. Productions that Nicholas has been a part of have been nominated for a total of 12 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and have won 5 including Best Production and Best New Play in the Indie Theatre Category. Selected theatre credits include, Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theatre Rusticle), Clown (Italian Mime Suicide, Bad New Days), Storyteller (The Monkey Queen, Red Snow Collective), Timothy (Freda and Jem's Best of the Week, Summerworks Festival). Nicholas has worked with Bad Hats Theatre in their new play development program to develop a new musical, Amelia, exploring the life of Amelia Earhart. linktr.ee/duhdumduhdum Instagram: @duhdumduhdumproductions Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

Do you get frustrated when the creative process isn't going as planned? Do you get impatient when another artist is not going in the same direction as you hoped?  Patience isn't easy, it requires constant effort and awareness to shift our mindset to remind ourselves that everyone has a different creative approach to art.  Musician/Actor/Singer Jamie McRoberts will remind us in this week's episode that our minds are unique and work differently than everyone else's. Everyone has their own magic or something that they're good at, that's why we can't expect everyone to be in the same page every single time. Even if someone's creative process is different, we all have the same goal which is to provide the best art we could give at that moment. Follow Cue TO Cue! I: @thisischelseajohnson F: @thisischelseajohnson In this episode: How the pandemic allowed Jamie to discover other passions outside of her artistic identity. In order to stay grounded in the ups and downs of the creative lifestyle, Jamie tries to remember that she has so many things outside of the artistic world that matter. Be who you are because you are interesting, you have a story to tell, stop being what people are telling you they think of you because they're coming from the outside in and that's not who people are. Artists are storytellers and community leaders, we can tell stories anywhere and that is why we've survived for so long; people need to hear about other people going through similar things and having that connection. A little about Jamie: Jamie McRoberts is a singer, actor, dancer and musician from Oakville, Ontario. She is a classically trained pianist and vocalist having completed her Grade 8 Royal Conservatory for Voice and her Grade 10 Royal Conservatory for Piano. She has been training as an actor/performer since the age of 5 and as a professional performer has not only performed Canada wide, but has performed Internationally. She graduated George Brown Theatre School's Classical Theatre Conservatory Program and was immediately launched into a professional career predominantly as musical theatre performer. She has received awards and accolades along the way such as the Second City Comedy Award from her theatre school, A Dora Mavor Moore Award as part of the ensemble of The Wizard of Oz at Young People's Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, and has received several nominations for her work on stage. Some of her favourite credits include Rock of Ages at Stage West Calgary, All Shook Up at Stage West Mississauga, The Baker's Wife with Talk Is Free Theatre performed at the iconic Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, April Fools at the Segal Center in Montreal where she was able to put her musician skills to work as an actor/musician and her performance in For Both Resting and Breeding which was performed in Adelaide, Australia. She is currently in Maggie, a new Canadian Musical created and co-written by Johnny Reid and Matt Murray. She recently decided to dive back into her musician roots, and try her hand at song writing and has found the missing piece to her puzzle. Follow Jamie! Online: Jamie McRoberts Album: COA Productions Facebook: @JamieMcRoberts Instagram: @jamiemcroberts77

Britta Johnson a Canadian-American composer, lyricist and writer currently based in Toronto. Her musical Life After (for which she penned book, music and lyrics) premiered at Canadian Stage winning six Dora Mavor Moore Awards before opening at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. Her other writing credits include: With her sister Anika Johnson: Dr. Silver: A Celebration of Life, Brantwood, Jacob Two-Two, Trap Door. With Sara Farb: Kelly v. Kelly, Reframed. With Katherine Cullen: Stupidhead! She was the librettist for choreographer Robert Binet's adaptation of The Kreutzer Sonata with Ballet Moscow and was recently named one of fifty women to watch by the Broadway Women's Fund of America. She has a degree in music composition from the University of Toronto. Sara Farb is a Toronto-born actor & writer whose credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Light, Master and Margarita: A New Musical Adaption, Fun Home and Romeo and Juliet to name just a few of her credits. Kelly v. Kelly is a Musical Stage Company production in association with Canadian Stage that was inspired by true events from 1915 in New York, KELLY v. KELLY reveals the story of a mother and daughter divided by passion, money and what it means to be a woman at a time of huge societal change. When a 19-year-old heiress becomes tangled in an affair with a seductive tango dancer, her distraught mother has her arrested and charged with incorrigibility, sparking a court case that scandalizes the nation. It runs in Toronto from May 26 to June 18, 2023. https://www.canadianstage.com/show/kelly-v-kelly

This week on Finding Your Bliss, Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by Chris Thornborrow, an award-winning composer for film, theatre, and the concert stage. His work has been described as

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

In part two of this special two-part episode of the Courage My Friends podcast ‘Mouth Open, Story Jump Out: The Power and Purpose of Storytelling in These Times,' we continue our conversation with storyteller, actor, playwright and filmmaker, Rhoma Spencer; storyteller and teacher, Lynn Torrie; and storyteller, teacher and founder of Queers in Your Ears, Rico Rodriguez. Speaking to the origins of Carnival and the meaning of stories for the formerly colonized and enslaved, Spencer reflects: “Stories [are] indeed a part of resistance. These are stories that my mother talked about. Some she would've experienced and some that would've been passed on to her..These are stories that was told to me. Carnival as manifested through the post-emancipated African was a form of resistance. When we were emancipated in 1834, we took to the streets to celebrate our emancipation, and we did so by mimicking our colonizer.”  According to Torrie, stories are a vehicle to deal with even the most sensitive of subjects: “What I find is sensitive topics like addiction, people have strong opinions about them. And sometimes when you approach them directly, people shut down, it's hard to listen; either because they've been personally touched by the issue or because they have strong opinions about how the issue should be dealt with … Sometimes if you approach something in the context of a story, it's easier to listen to than if you speak to the issue directly. A story gives people room to listen to the feelings and perspectives of the characters involved rather than getting stuck on one side or the other of an issue.” Reflecting on the need to be included in stories and storytelling communities, Rodriguez says: “When we grew up as queers, we're sitting around the table and the stories that are being told are stories that are gonna shape our lives sometimes, even if they're fairy tales, personal stories. Stories that are told at Thanksgiving or big family events or family reunions. Stories are being told around the table, they're not queer affirming … And I think that's what led me to tell more of my personal stories, especially with Queers in Your Ears, is that I wanted to create that dinner table for queers where they came and listened and they got affirmed.” About the storytellers Rico Rodriguez is a storyteller and a teacher who specializes in Latinx tales and writing and telling personal and fictional stories that are infused with equity and social change themes. He founded “Queers in Your Ears” a 2SLGBTQI storytelling event. Rico has facilitated workshops on the art of storytelling in educational settings and community and health promotion agencies. He has told in schools, theatres, libraries, festivals, pubs and conferences as well as on CBC Radio in Canada and on National Public Radio in the U.S. His story credits include: Do The Best You Can In the Place Where You Are And Be Kind, Your Value Does Not Decrease Based On Someone's Inability To See Your Worth, When A Flower Doesn't Bloom, You Do Not Fix The Flower, You Fix The Environment In Which The Flower Can Grow. Rhoma Spencer is an actor, playwright, docu/filmmaker, director and comedian. When not doing all of the above she can be seen at her Sweethand Delights turning a random pot of gastronomic pleasures. Critically acclaimed by the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and NOW Magazine, her works include: Biomyth Mono Digiplay and Login Password Logout ( Aluna Theatre, Caminos Festiva, 2021). Her film, My Execution will be Televised recently won the Impact Award at the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival and her film, A Pile of Dirt will premiere at the Regent Park Film Festival in December. Rhoma can be seen in the award-winning Canadian film, Scarborough. Lynn Torrie is a Toronto storyteller with a passion for traditional folk tales and Canadian history.  Her original adaptations have been performed at the Toronto Storytelling Festival, The Word on the Street, StoryFusion Cabaret, the Ottawa Signature Series and Guelph's Tea 'n Tales. She is a member of the York storytelling Guild and a regular host at both Storytelling Toronto's Storytent and 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling. She designed and taught over 100 workshops to teachers and educational assistants with the Toronto District School Board and is currently the project co-ordinator for Storytellers of Canada's workshop series and teaches “The Art of Storytelling” at Toronto Metropolitan University, Continuing Education. Since COVID 19, Lynn has travelled the virtual world, hosting, teaching and telling on Zoom. Teagan de Laronde is Métis and a citizen of Red Sky Métis Independent Nation. A graduate of the University of Toronto Teagan was president of the Indigenous Studies Student Union, co-founder/VP for 'BIPOC in Politics', and serves on various committees focused on Truth and Reconciliation including the Victoria College (Re)Conciliation; The Truth is not Fully yet Told". She is currently a project manager with UofT's Department of Religion on the "Relations on the Land" project.  In August 2022, she worked with the City of Toronto and Indigenous partners to Decolonize Museums. Teagan works as a First Story Storyteller, a community-based project that researches, preserves, and shares Indigenous history and perspectives within what is now known as ‘Toronto.' An avid jigger (dancer) and beader, Teagan's work can be viewed at @birchbeadwork on Instagram.  Richardo Keens-Douglas M.B.E is an award winning actor, playwright, author, storyteller and proud Grenadian-Canadian. From drama, dance, and comedy, to musical theatre, storytelling, and directing, Richardo also hosted national radio storytelling show Cloud 9 and Sunday Arts Entertainment on CBC television in Canada and was the host of the television hit Who Wants to be A Millionaire Caribbean. He has appeared on a variety of stages in North America and the Caribbean, including Stratford, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, TWP, and Theatre Fountainhead in Canada. His play The Nutmeg Princess won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical of 1999. In 2003, Richardo was inducted into the Caribbean Hall of Fame for Excellence in Theatre. Dan Yashinsky is a storyteller, writer, and community animator.  His books include Suddenly They Heard Footsteps - Storytelling for the Twenty-first Century, and Swimming with Chaucer - A Storyteller's Logbook. In 1999 he received the Jane Jacobs Prize for his work with storytelling in the community.  His pandemic project was to record 16 folktales with his donkey Eysele. You can see them on Youtube by searching for The Storyteller's Ass. Info: www.tellery.com. Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute.  Image: Rico Rodriguez, Rhoma Spencer, Lynn Torrie, Teagan de Laronde, Richardo Keens-Douglas, Dan Yashinsky (photo by Jacob Zavitz),  / Used with Permission Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (voice of Tommy Douglas); Kenneth Okoro, Liz Campos Rico, Tsz Wing Chau (Street Voices)  Courage My Friends Podcast Organizing Committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu.  Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca Special Thanks to: Debra Baptiste (Executive Director, Storytelling Toronto), Audrey Rochette (Director, Indigenous Initiatives, George Brown College) Host: Resh Budhu

In the fourth, two-part, episode of the Courage My Friends podcast, series III, we are joined by six Canadian storytellers In this special, and very storied, two-part episode of the Courage My Friends podcast Mouth Open, Story Jump Out: The Power and Purpose of Storytelling in These Times, we are very pleased to welcome six Canadian storytellers. In part one, we begin our conversation with First Story storyteller, Teagan de Laronde; actor, author, and storyteller. Richardo Keens-Douglas; and community animator, author and co-founder of Storytelling Toronto, Dan Yashinsky.  Within her story within a story, storyteller, de Laronde says: “In Toronto, like many places, there are many stories of the land; in the land, based on the land. I think one of the biggest misconceptions about Toronto is that there are no Indigenous stories. We tend to see urban places as non-Indigenous spaces.Toronto though is a city, is an urban space because of Indigenous design. It was a meeting place, a council ground, a shared space, and it still is.” Before launching into the story of La Diablesse, storyteller Keens-Douglas describes storytelling as: “connecting through the soul. Storytelling for me is a passing on. It's a sharing of yourself. It's a sharing of where you came from. It's a sharing of a history. It's a sharing of knowledge. And when I connect with my audience, when I tell my stories, I want them to go through the process with me.” Prefacing the story of the tortoise and the leopard, Yashinsky says,“Stories have a way of crossing borders. They don't really respect political frontiers. They slip through all the barricades and they end up being subversive because of that. They're deep and they're personal. and they live by word of mouth. And every attempt to control them has failed. So I've always thought about that, storytellers are the enemies of all champions of control.” About the storytellers Teagan de Laronde is Métis and a citizen of Red Sky Métis Independent Nation. A graduate of the University of Toronto Teagan was president of the Indigenous Studies Student Union, co-founder/VP for 'BIPOC in Politics', and serves on various committees focused on Truth and Reconciliation including the Victoria College (Re)Conciliation; The Truth is not Fully yet Told". She is currently a project manager with UofT's Department of Religion on the "Relations on the Land" project.  In August 2022, she worked with the City of Toronto and Indigenous partners to Decolonize Museums. Teagan works as a First Story Storyteller, a community-based project that researches, preserves, and shares Indigenous history and perspectives within what is now known as ‘Toronto.' An avid jigger (dancer) and beader, Teagan's work can be viewed at @birchbeadwork on Instagram.  Richardo Keens-Douglas M.B.E is an award winning actor, playwright, author, storyteller and proud Grenadian-Canadian. From drama, dance, and comedy, to musical theatre, storytelling, and directing, Richardo also hosted national radio storytelling show Cloud 9 and Sunday Arts Entertainment on CBC television in Canada and was the host of the television hit Who Wants to be A Millionaire Caribbean. He has appeared on a variety of stages in North America and the Caribbean, including Stratford, Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, TWP, and Theatre Fountainhead in Canada. His play The Nutmeg Princess won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Musical of 1999. In 2003, Richardo was inducted into the Caribbean Hall of Fame for Excellence in Theatre. Dan Yashinsky is a storyteller, writer, and community animator.  His books include Suddenly They Heard Footsteps - Storytelling for the Twenty-first Century, and Swimming with Chaucer - A Storyteller's Logbook. In 1999 he received the Jane Jacobs Prize for his work with storytelling in the community.  His pandemic project was to record 16 folktales with his donkey Eysele. You can see them on Youtube by searching for The Storyteller's Ass. Info: www.tellery.com. Rico Rodriguez is a storyteller and a teacher who specializes in Latinx tales and writing and telling personal and fictional stories that are infused with equity and social change themes. He founded “Queers in Your Ears” a 2SLGBTQI storytelling event. Rico has facilitated workshops on the art of storytelling in educational settings and community and health promotion agencies. He has told in schools, theatres, libraries, festivals, pubs and conferences as well as on CBC radio in Canada and on National Public Radio in the U.S. His story credits include: "Do The Best You Can In the Place Where You Are And Be Kind", "Your Value Does Not Decrease Based On Someone's Inability To See Your Worth", "When A Flower Doesn't Bloom, You Do Not Fix The Flower, You Fix The Environment In Which The Flower Can Grow" Rhoma Spencer is an actor, playwright, docu/filmmaker, director and comedian. When not doing all of the above she can be seen at her Sweethand Delights turning a random pot of gastronomic pleasures. Critically acclaimed by the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and NOW Magazine, her works include: Biomyth Mono Digiplay and Login Password Logout ( Aluna Theatre, Caminos Festiva, 2021). Her film, My Execution will be Televised recently won the Impact Award at the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival and her film, A Pile of Dirt will premiere at the Regent Park Film Festival in December. Rhoma can be seen in the award-winning Canadian film, Scarborough. Lynn Torrie is a Toronto storyteller with a passion for traditional folk tales and Canadian history.  Her original adaptations have been performed at the Toronto Storytelling Festival, The Word on the Street, StoryFusion Cabaret, the Ottawa Signature Series and Guelph's Tea 'n Tales. She is a member of the York storytelling Guild and a regular host at both Storytelling Toronto's Storytent and 1001 Friday Nights of Storytelling. She designed and taught over 100 workshops to teachers and educational assistants with the Toronto District School Board and is currently the project co-ordinator for Storytellers of Canada's workshop series and teaches “The Art of Storytelling” at Toronto Metropolitan University, Continuing Education. Since COVID 19, Lynn has travelled the virtual world, hosting, teaching and telling on Zoom. Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute.  Image: Teagan de Laronde, Richardo Keens-Douglas, Dan Yashinsky (photo by Jacob Zavitz), Rico Rodriguez, Rhoma Spencer, Lynn Torrie  / Used with Permission Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (voice of Tommy Douglas); Kenneth Okoro, Liz Campos Rico, Tsz Wing Chau (Street Voices)  Courage My Friends Podcast Organizing Committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu.  Produced by: Resh Budhu, Tommy Douglas Institute and Breanne Doyle, rabble.ca Host: Resh Budhu

Today on Too Opinionated we speak with actor Tony Ofori!  His first big break came when he was cast in the popular American superhero television series Supergirl (The CW) as Miles. Since then, Tony has appeared in several major film and television productions including The Boys (Amazon Prime), Coroner (Netflix), American Gods (Starz), Song & Story: Amazing Grace (OWN Network), and A Royal Queens Christmas. Tony's recent theatrical productions include Actually (Obsidian Theatre), Copy That (Tarragon Theatre) and Pipeline (Soulpepper Theatre). Branching out, Tony has also voiced animated shows, audiobooks and national events which include the 2018 Winter Olympics, Let's Go Luna and DeRo and My Life. Coming up next, Tony will recur as Malcolm in the highly anticipated third season of the hit children's mystery television series Ghostwriter set to make its premiere on Apple TV+ on October 21st. Most recently, he was nominated for the prestigious 2022 Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role for Soulpepper Theatre Company's production of American playwright Dominique Morisseau's play, Pipeline. Other future projects include playing Canada's very first Black Track and Field Olympian and legend John Armstrong Howard on the upcoming season of the mystery drama series Murdoch Mysteries (CBC). He will also be back on stage and in rehearsal for an adaptation of Ann-Marie MacDonald's book Fall on Your Knees with Canadian Stage in November. Understanding the importance of giving back, Tony currently sits on the board for Black Scholar Dollars, a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve Black post-secondary students in the Greater Toronto Area, eliminating educational and economic injustice, one student at a time. Want to watch: YouTube Meisterkhan Pod (Please Subscribe)

Our Guest today is Marcia Johnson. Marcia is an actor, playwright, dramaturge and librettist. She was born in Jamaica and has lived in Toronto since the age of six. She became a WGC member when her 90-minute Fringe, play Perfect on Paper was commissioned for Sunday Showcase on CBC Radio in 2003. She played the lead in both the stage and radio versions. Perfect on Paper was a silver medalist in the New York Festivals. Other radio dramas include Wifely Duty, The Revival Meeting and Say Ginger Ale (a WGC Screenwriting award finalist.) Other accomplishments include the world premiere of Serving Elizabeth, in which she also acted, at Western Canada Theatre in February 2020. It was a co-production with Thousand Islands Playhouse whose production was postponed to October 2021. It had a production under a canopy at Stratford Festival and at Belfry Theatre. The play is published by Scirocco Drama. Marcia has participated in playwrights' units at Thousand Islands Playhouse, Obsidian Theatre Company, Theatre Passe Muraille as well as Ontario Arts Council Playwright's Residencies at Blyth Festival and Roseneath Theatre. The short opera My Mother's Ring for which she wrote the libretto with composer Stephen A. Taylor was nominated for a 2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award in Toronto. Their second collaboration, Paradises Lost, based on the Ursula K. Le Guin novella had excerpted concert performances at Reed College (Third Angle Ensemble) in Portland, Oregon and at The Gershwin Hotel in New York. Paradises Lost had its premiere at University of Illinois and a concert performance for Musical Works in Concert during the SummerWorks Festival. Marcia Johnson works with several organizations to support members of the theatre community including: Got Your Back Canada where she is a core member. She sits on the Women Playwrights International senior advisory board; is a CASA founding member, a mentorship program pairing mid-career female South African playwrights; and Ergo Arts Pink Fest (selection committee, dramaturg, actor), a festival featuring the works of female, trans and non-binary playwrights. She is also a member of ARCA (Artists for Real Climate Action) finding creative ways help combat the climate crisis. Our discussion focused on her process and voice as a playwright and the importance of being empathetic to all her characters and how they bring value to her personal development.

'I look for stories that are not there just to educate people. If I tell a really good story and it happens to be about the global crisis, about global warming and about the effects on community, if I get your heart, then you're gonna go forward and look at other things, you're gonna start doing some research. It's like, I wanna look at and so to me, I always tell people, tell a really good story and get them on your side, and then they'll go and do their own work. As opposed to like, these are the seven things that are happening in the world right now, due to global warming. When people feel that they, they immediately start going to their shopping list or the things that they're gonna do, or if they feel they're being lectured but if you tell them a really good story, they're gonna be engaged in the story they're gonna, their heart's gonna be in, they'll have a nice little cry or they'll get angry and they'll, they'll walk outta that theatre and they will feel empowered to do something or maybe empowered to read something or to reach out to an MP and say, I gotta do something.'eith Barker is from the Métis Nation of Ontario and is artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts in Tkaronto. He is the winner of the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Playwrights Guild's Carol Bolt Award for best new play. He received a Saskatchewan and Area Theatre Award for Excellence in Playwriting for his play, The Hours That Remain, as well as a Yukon Arts Award for Best Art for Social Change.He's a kind, generous and thoughtful person. I met Keith while we were both working at the Canada Council in the mid 2010's. We reconnected at the National Arts Centre's 2019 Summit on Theatre and Climate Change presented at The Banff Centre. Our conversation touched upon indigenous theatre, the impact of telling a good story and the impact of placing artists in spaces with community members, telling their stories and talking about the crisis ands includes excerpts from e92 santee smith - about SKéN:NEN and interconnectedness and e44 bilodeau - the arts are good at changing culture. There were many memorable moments in our conversation. This quote in particular resonated with me: To me, artists being right in on the conversation, being present and actually pushing the agenda is absolutely the thing we need to be. That's where we need to be. Too many politicians and policy and all that stuff. You're watching that stuff fail right now and to put artists in spaces with community members, telling their stories and talking about the crisis… that's happening and engaging people, that's the power of theatre and that's the power of art. That, to me, is the thing that's gonna push people to make changes or to start talking or to enter into dialogue. Because right now we have a left and a right that isn't gonna speak. They don't like each other. They don't like their politics, but you get them in a room together and they actually break bread and start having food. They realize that both their kids go to the same school. They both drive the same car. They both love hockey. You know, if we start finding those connections through art, then they they're gonna engage. And it doesn't matter if it's an indigenous artist telling that story or you know, another, IBPOC person or anybody else. If you're telling a good story, people are gonna be engaged and, and it'll compel you to wanna do something.I also have a special treat for you in the last 5 minutes of this episode. You'll hear near the end of my conversation with Keith that I accepted to produce a radio version of his APOLOGY, MY play which was commissioned by the 2021 Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA) project. You'll hear my son Riel playing a political advisor and my wife Sabrina Mathews playing the Prime Minister of Canada. Big thanks to Riel and Sabrina for this powerful reading of the play and big thanks to Keith and Climate Change Theatre Action for permission to produce this amazing play that anticipates a future we can still avoid.Note: Here is the APOLOGY, MY play by Keith Barker, performed by Riel Schryer and Sabrina Mathews as a stand alone audio file:This is one of 6 episodes recorded during the Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference Fall 2021 | Art in the Time of Healing: The Importance of IBPOC Arts in Planetary Renewal event from December 8 to 10, 2021 in Toronto.The others are:episode 90 is a conversation with dance artist, choreographer, director and embodiment facilitator Shannon Litzenberger and reading her State of Emergence: Why We Need Artists Right Now essayepisode 92 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Santee Smith from the National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change panelepisode 93 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Anthony Garoufalis-Auger from the National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change panelepisode 94 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Devon Hardy from the National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change panelepisode 95 is my conversation with CPAMO Executive Director Charles Smith and artistic programmer Kevin Ormsby from a keynote address including excerpts from their conversation about the Living in the Skin I am In: Experiential Learnings, Approaches and Considerations Towards Anti-Black Racism in the Arts publicationLinks mentioned in this episode:https://nac-cna.ca/en/cycle/climatechangehttps://www.conscient.ca/podcast/e44-bilodeau/Script of APOLOGY, MY by Keith Barker(published with permission of the author) This play came out of exchanges I've had with my uncle over the years. He is a fervent climate change denier who believes it is a hoax drummed up by lefty pinkos. This play is me writing out my disillusion by imagining a revelation about the climate crisis through the eyes of a Prime Minister who finds himself (or herself) on the wrong side of history.I'm sorry. I truly am.You can't say that.Why not?You're making it personal. Don't do that.It's an apology.You need to think bigger picture here.Fine…On behalf of the country--The country, the people, whatever you want to call them, are not the ones who aresorry, the government is.…On behalf of the party--Whoa whoa whoa, it's not one party's fault, it's every party's fault. Got it?(Prime Minister sighs)Mr. Speaker I stand before you today to offer an official apology.There you go.The denial of climate change is a sad and regrettable chapter in our history.I like the chapters – That was a sad chapter. This? This is a new chapter.In the last hundred-and-fifty years populations were introduced to widespreadelectrification, internal combustion engines, the car, and the airplane.Sweet. Keep it in the past, stay away from the future.This massive shift to fossil fuels exponentially increased material prosperity andmeasures of well-being. But we were wrong.We're never wrong.It was a mistake.Mistakes are just as bad as being wrong. Neither will get you votes.It was regrettable.Mm, better.We are past the tipping point of climate change. Now we must deal with the fullconsequences of government failure.Way too negative.Now we must deal with the consequences of inaction… and a multi-generational cultureof denial to maintain the status quo.Cut the last part.I think we need it.And I think we don't. Keep going.…Unprecedented warming cycles have melted the ice caps, causing the mass extinctionof species. The acidification of the oceans has destroyed the majority of marine andmammal food chains. The occurrence of extreme weather events has vastly increased assea levels continue to rise.You can't say all that.People already know this.Then why are we saying it again?Because it's true.Truth is overrated.Then why am I even giving this speech?Because, politically it's a smart move if we do it right. It also makes you look like aPrime Minister--I am the Prime MinisterYeah, well, you know what I mean.I don't think I do.Listen, don't focus on the small stuff. You need to ignore your instincts. Whateverfeels right, is wrong. You won't win this if you repeat mistakes.Don't put this all on me.Says the guy who stood up in the House of Commons and denied the existence ofclimate change on the same day scientists announced the Arctic Circle was ice-free.They did that on purpose to make me look bad.What, melt the Arctic Circle?You know what I mean.I don't think I do.You really think you can fix this?What do you think?You always answer a question with a question?Only the dumb ones.Right…Where were we?Somewhere between mass extinction and extreme weather conditions.…Today, we recognize the denial of climate change was wrongNot wrong but -Regrettable.Beauty.I've already said regrettable...Yeah, and you're going to say it a hundred more times so get used to it.…The fossil fuel industry actively misled the public and is largely to blame for theinaction on climate change with capitalism being the driving force.Don't say the C word.Why not?You can't be seen placing the blame on industry.Just over a hundred companies are responsible for 71% of all the Global GreenhouseGas Emissions.That is debatable.Not if we're using science it's not.Wow, and where was this guy a few years ago?I am trying to make up for my past mistakes.And that my friend is how you kill your political career.I need to say this.No, you don't. You're talking to the base. Card carrying members. They voted for youbecause of your ideology. You can't just bait and switch these folks. Do that and youcan kiss the election goodbye.You're right. Thank you for that.For what?It didn't really hit me until you said my words back to me.What'd I say? Sorry, I've said a lot.Mass extinction.Oh come on. I'm just trying to get you re-elected here.This isn't about politics anymore.Everything is about politics.Sorry, but I need to do this.Let me do my job here. I'm a fixer, it's what I'm paid to do. Fix things. And if you want this fixed Mr. Prime Minister, then you need to start listening to me pronto. Do.  Not. Apologize. These altruistic feelings are fleeting. Trust me. You think you've found some clarity, but you haven't. And when those feelings pass, and they will pass, you will regret having made a decision in a moment of weakness. You understand me?Perfectly. I think you need to go.You're making a big mistake.Maybe, maybe not.Let me help you.No, I think you've helped enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a speech to write.Last chance… Really? Fine, it's your funeral… You know what? I wasn't going vote foryou anyways.Aww, you broke your own rule.And what is that?Don't make it personal.END *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Life Coach and Bliss Expert Judy Librach is joined by Canadian Theatrical legend Charlotte Moore. A musical theatre veteran and national treasure, Charlotte Moore is part of one of the greatest musical theatre families in the country. She is the daughter of Mavor Moore, who, of course was a member of the Order of Canada and won a Governor General's award, and Mavor Moore really helped establish professional theatre in Canada. Charlotte

My guests today are Irene Sankoff & David Hein – the dynamic writing team and married couple that created the giant international smash hit musical Come From Away. Five productions of Come From Away have recently reopened around the world: Broadway, Toronto, London, Sydney and on tour across America. A live filmed version of the show is also streaming on Apple TV+. Irene and David won the 2019 Olivier Award and were nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award and the 2017 Tony Award for their book and score for Come From Away, with the show itself winning the 2019 Olivier Award for Best Musical, three 2017 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, four Helen Hayes Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical. David and Irene were also the recipients of the 2017 Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards for Best Book. A live filmed version of Come From Away is now streaming on Apple TV+. Their first show, My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding (based on David's mother's true story) was produced by Mirvish Productions in Toronto and played and won Best Musical awards across North America, with Sankoff and Hein performing in most productions. They are currently working on projects with Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix. Irene and David are the recipients of the Good Neighbour Award from the Four Freedoms Park Conservancy and the Meritorious Service Cross of Canada. They are proud members of the Dramatists Guild, Writer's Guild East and ASCAP. @sankoffandhein In this conversation we explore the how Come From Away fits into the history of the Broadway musical – which musical theater writers from the past influenced Irene and David, and what classic shows inspired them. And we will look back at their first musical which has the memorable title: My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding. But first I wanted to find out how they got started down this path in the first place.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have two segments today!  Part one... we talk to Brennan Suen, the LGBTQ program director at Media Matters, about his article that shows Facebook to be a haven for right-wing anti-trans propaganda.  He has been a vibrant part of Media Matters since July 2015. He has a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, and he formerly interned at the Human Rights Campaign and SKDKnickerbocker. In part two of our show, we talk to playwight Daniel MacIvor about the newest productions of his plays The Soldier Dreams and Never Swim Alone.  These productions mark Open Fist Theatre Company returning to live, in-person performances at Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles.  The Soldier Dreams is a darkly funny and moving play --As David lies in a virus-induced coma, his lover, Richard, plays host to David's family members, each of whom feel they had the most special connection. In the slyly witty and unexpectedly suspenseful Never Swim Alone, two men, Frank and Bill are locked in a ruthless competition of one-upmanship. Daniel's plays have been seen across Canada and abroad. He has twice won the Dora Mavor Moore Award, is a Chalmers Award laureate, and in 2006 won the Governor General's Award for his collection of five plays, I Still Love You, which includes The Soldier Dreams. He was a recipient of the Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, Canada's largest annual theater award. Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members.  With co-host Brody Levesque

We have two segments today!  Part one... we talk to Brennan Suen, the LGBTQ program director at Media Matters, about his article that shows Facebook to be a haven for right-wing anti-trans propaganda.  He has been a vibrant part of Media Matters since July 2015. He has a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, and he formerly interned at the Human Rights Campaign and SKDKnickerbocker. In part two of our show, we talk to playwight Daniel MacIvor about the newest productions of his plays The Soldier Dreams and Never Swim Alone.  These productions mark Open Fist Theatre Company returning to live, in-person performances at Atwater Village Theatre in Los Angeles.  The Soldier Dreams is a darkly funny and moving play --As David lies in a virus-induced coma, his lover, Richard, plays host to David's family members, each of whom feel they had the most special connection. In the slyly witty and unexpectedly suspenseful Never Swim Alone, two men, Frank and Bill are locked in a ruthless competition of one-upmanship. Daniel's plays have been seen across Canada and abroad. He has twice won the Dora Mavor Moore Award, is a Chalmers Award laureate, and in 2006 won the Governor General's Award for his collection of five plays, I Still Love You, which includes The Soldier Dreams. He was a recipient of the Elinore & Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre, Canada's largest annual theater award. Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members.  With co-host Brody Levesque

Maev Beaty and Debashis Sinha joined Stageworthy host, Phil Rickaby to talk about Necessary Angel's upcoming audio production of Roland Schimmelpfennig's play The Great Fire. Maev Beaty is a critically-acclaimed actor, writer and voice-over artist. She has originated roles in 23 Canadian premieres (Hannah Bunny, Kate Hennig's The Last Wife, Michael Healey's Proud and The Front Page, Judith Thompson's Palace of the End, Sharon Pollock's Angel's Trumpet); co-writing and starring in award-winning theatre (Secret Life of a Mother, Montparnasse, Dance of the Red Skirts); performing in ensembles of epic theatre endeavours (Sheep No Wool/Outside the March/Convergence's Passion Play, Nightwood's Penelopiad, Volcano's Another Africa, TheatreFront'sThe Mill); and interpreting lead classic roles across the country and over five seasons at the Stratford Festival (The Front Page, King Lear, She Stoops to Conquer, School for Scandal). She is a Toronto Theatre Critics' Award winner, three-time Dora Award winner and twelve-time Dora nominee in both performance and writing, referred to as “the excellent Maev Beaty” by the New York Times. Her film debut (Mouthpiece) was a Special Presentations Opening Film at 2019 TIFF. maevbeaty.com Instagram: @maevbeaty Twitter: @maevbeaty Debashis Sinha's creative output spans a broad range of genres and media, from solo audiovisual performance projects on the concert stage to the interior spaces between two headphones. Driven by a deep commitment to the primacy of sound, Sinha has developed his creative voice by weaving together his own experience as a 2nd generation south Asian Canadian, his training with master drummers from various world music traditions, a love of electronic and electroacoustic music and technology, and a desire to transcend the traditional expectations of how these streams might intersect and interact. debsinha.com Twitter: @sinhadeb Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/debsinha Necessary Angel Theatre Company is one of English Canada's most vital original creation and touring organizations. The company has a history of innovation and risk taking and engages theatre artists from a variety of disciplines in the creation of new work. An influential and original presence on the national and international theatre scene for over 40 years, the company has produced more than 60 productions, including 30 world premieres and 11 North American premieres. Work created by Necessary Angel has been nominated for and has won Governor General's Awards for Drama, Chalmers Awards for Outstanding New Play, and numerous Dora Mavor Moore Awards. www.necessaryangel.com Twitter: @necessaryangel The Great Fire: https://www.necessaryangel.com/the-great-fire

On this repeat episode of Finding Your Bliss, Judy Librach is joined by one of Canada

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee sits down with me to talk about his fatherhood journey. We have an open conversation about having kids, loss and how each kid is different. Paul talks about how he and his wife balance each other out when it comes to parenting. We then go into his fantastic acting career. Paul shares how he was typecast as an Asian actor, but that changed when he worked on Kim's Convenience. We also talk about how Dave Filoni approached him to be in The Mandalorian. Next we geek out about Star Wars and other things we collect. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five.  About Paul Sun-Hyung Lee  Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is an award-winning actor, writer, comedian and dad. Winner of a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role, the Toronto Theatre Critics Award for Best Actor, and nominated for both ACTRA  and Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Performance, Paul continues to pursue excellence both onstage and onscreen. He and his wife, Anna are blessed with two children.  Follow Paul on Twitter at @bitterasiandude and on Instagram at @angryappa. Learn More About Codecademy  Codecademy's goal was to give anyone in the world the ability to learn the skills they'd need to succeed in the 21st century. They have set out to create a new, interactive way of learning. Codecademy does this by making it engaging, flexible, and accessible for as many people as possible. Since then, they have helped millions of people worldwide unlock modern technical skills and reach their full potential through code. At Codecademy, they are committed to empowering all people, regardless of where they are in their coding journeys, to continue to learn, grow, and make an impact on the world around them. For more info go to codecademy.com.  About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast  The Art of Fatherhood Podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. Please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Natasha Powell is a powerful creator who takes the joy of being a dancer and teacher to heart. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge of social dance and the origins of jazz dance in its most authentic form. Joining Natasha in the episode is Monique Lund to chat with us about her incredible jewelry line, Minnie by Monique Lund. Natasha Powell is the founder, choreographer, and artistic director of Holla Jazz in Toronto. She is known for bringing her soulful approach to movement which transcends genre, and can be felt through her dancing, choreography and teaching. Through Holla Jazz she created the award-winning show Floor’d - a full-length production presenting historical jazz dances in a new light. Floor’d was nominated for 4 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and named one of the top 10 dance shows of the recent decade by NOW Magazine. Natasha is also a contributing member for the film Uprooted: The Journey of Jazz Dance. The film is a cinematic exploration of this jazz dance paying homage to it’s lineage, celebrating its many re-interpretations, and inspiring the dancer of tomorrow to keep this art form alive. Monique Lund is a Canadian musical theatre icon who launched Minnie by Monique Lund in 2020. Monique creates statement earrings and other accessories with leather and metals in a mix of shapes and designs. She loves the juxtaposition of earthy, genuine leather with glossy or distressed metals. Monique has a signature sense of style and you know a pair of Minnie earrings when you see them, no doubt about it!Come hang with us and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky.

On this episode of Finding Your Bliss, Judy Librach is joined by one of Canada's most acclaimed and sought-after leading ladies. Cynthia Dale is a true and veritable 'triple sensation', garnering rave reviews as an award-winning actor, singer, and dancer onstage and on screen. Cynthia began working in television as a young child, performing with Tommy Hunter and Wayne and Shuster and in many CBC variety specials. At the age of eight, she played the role of the young Emily Carr in a musical special about the life of the Canadian painter. Her film and television credits include eight fabulous seasons as Olivia Novak on the highly popular "Street Legal". Other credits include "Moonstruck", "The Boy in Blue", "Heavenly Bodies", just to name a few. As well, Cynthia was a judge for two seasons on "Triple Sensations". She also starred in and co-produced for CBC, the musical film "Christmas Dreams". She spent 12 seasons with the Stratford Festival; and her credits are so impressive. Some of her credits include: Charlotte Malcolm in "A Little Night Music", Fosca in "Passion", Red Queen in "Alice Through The Looking Glass", Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific", Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls", one of her all time favourites

David Warrack was born in Calgary, and first performed on the radio when he was five. It’s pretty much been non-stop since then. He has a commanding presence in every facet of the arts/entertainment industry. ​David has a varied career as a Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Vocalist, Lyricist, Librettist, Arranger, Orchestrator, Music Director, Director, Satirist, Comedian, Actor, Poet, Producer, Impresario, Bon Vivant, and Hockey Coach – he has truly done it all! And judging by his project board, “he’s only just begun”. ​As a writer, he has had 66 shows produced professionally and he has been Musical Director for over two hundred productions across North America, including Shenandoah starring John Cullum on Broadway. ​He won a Dora Mavor Moore Award in Toronto for his production of Toronto, Toronto, and for outstanding Music Direction on the production of Closer Than Ever.

Diplômé de l'École nationale de théâtre, Etienne Boucher se lance rapidement dans un rythme effréné de créations dès sa sortie de l'institution en 1999. S'intéressant au théâtre, mais s'immisçant au côté de la danse, de la comédie musicale, de l'opéra et du cirque, sachant interagir avec les univers dramatiques et chorégraphiques rencontrés, réinventant constamment sa syntaxe lumineuse, le concepteur crée, dès ses tous débuts, des propositions remarquées. L'unicité de son travail n'échappe pas à la vigilance de ses pairs et de la critique, voire à celle des jeunes qui, à deux reprises, lui décernent le prix du public étudiant du Théâtre Denise-Pelletier pour les éclairages (L'homme de la Mancha), 2004-2005; Britannicus, 2005-2006). De même, il récolte une ribambelle de nominations à la soirée des Masques. Et en 2007 il accomplit un doublé, l'Académie québécoise du théâtre lui décerne le Masque de la conception des éclairages pour Du vent entre les dents mis en scène de Martin Faucher (Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui, 2007) ainsi que pour la Dame aux Camélias, mise en scène de Robert Bellefeuille (TNM, 2006). Une importante collaboration s’amorce en 2003 avec le metteur en scène Robert Lepage où émerge des projets de théâtre, d’opéra et de ballet. Tous des projets qui l’amèneront à travailler à l’international. Dès le début il met en lumière La Celestina qui sera présenté en tournée en Espagne. The Rake’s Progress sera sa première incursion à l’opéra. Production qui fera le tour du monde en passant par le Covent Garden de Londres et la Scala de Milan.Son plus important projet sera sans contesté la conception des éclairages de la tétralogie de Wagner Der Ring des Nibelungen au Metropolitan Opera de New York. Un gigantesque projet qui s’étalonne sur presque 6 ans de travail. En 2011 avec la présentation du premier épisode de la Tétralogie de Wagner L’Or du Rhin et Totem (Cirque du Soleil) observés par le magazine LDI, on lui décerne le Redden Awards for Excellence in Lighting. Le metteur en scène de Québec lui confiera la conception des éclairages de Frame by Frame avec The National Ballet of Canada soit une première aventure dans le domaine du ballet pour les deux complices. Le ballet sur l’artiste visuel Norman McLaren lui méritera le Dora Mavor Moore Awards 2019 pour sa conception lumineuse.Crédit photo: Alexandre BoucherSoutenez ce podcast http://supporter.acast.com/lueur. Voir Acast.com/privacy pour les informations sur la vie privée et l'opt-out.

Jasmine Chen is a Chinese-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto and Vancouver. Jasmine was born in T’karonto (the place in the water where the trees are standing), where from an early age she was immersed in arts based education. An alumni of the Claude Watson Arts Program, Jasmine studied Music, Art, Dance and Theatre for nine years. She majored as a dancer for four years, training and competing in ballet, jazz and modern. In high school she majored in Theatre, where she was president of the Arts Council. Her time spent in extracurricular shows and performances led her to continue her post-secondary training in the Theatre Performance: Acting Program at Ryerson University, graduating with a BFA. Jasmine has worked extensively as a performer in Theatre and Film/TV. She is a director, performer, educator, movement coach, community facilitator, and producer. Jasmine has engaged with audiences across Canada in repertory festivals, independent theatres, site-specific spaces, regional theatres and outdoor venues. She has worked with leaders in film, opera, music, theatre, and media, such as: Atom Egoyan, Aria Umezawa, Lido Pimienta, Hawksley Workman, Ins Choi, and Amanda Parris. She has taught at Studio 58 Langara College, McGill Schulich School of Music, the Paprika Festival, Festival Players Academy, Canadian Stage, Cahoots Theatre, and the Children’s Peace Theatre. Jasmine is the recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Award for Female Directors, the Stratford Festival Jean Gascon Award, a Toronto Harold Award, and is a Dora Mavor Moore Award nominee. www.msjasminechen.com Instagram: @hausofchen Support Stageworthy: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

The digital age is transforming how readers and audiences interpret and consume literary fiction. Ann Cleeves, Anosh Irani, Emma Donoghue, and Devyani Saltzman discuss the creative collaborations that enable the movement from script to screen and how text-driven narratives get transformed into dynamic scripts and immersive moving images. Bestselling author Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series has been dramatized onscreen as Vera and the Jimmy Perez novels as the series Shetland. Celebrated novelist and playwright Anosh Irani’s one-man show, Buffoon, won the 2020 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, and his latest book is titled Translated from the Gibberish: Seven Stories and One Half Truth. Award-winning author Emma Donoghue’s book Room has been adapted into a movie and a play. Writer and curator Devyani Saltzman latest book is Shooting Water: A Memoir of Second Chances, Family, and Filmmaking. She is currently the Director of Public Programming at the Art Gallery of Ontario. This episode is the audio version of a live online session at #JLFToronto2020.

Stage Whispers - Episode 006 - Release date: November 2020 Show Notes Mariposa Arts Theatre/Orillia Opera House The Christmas Tree by Norm Foster | MAT Theatre Aurora Youth Program & One Voice Project Theatre Aurora - Community Theatre in Aurora, Ontario The Curtain Club Theatre (Richmond Hill) Online Theatre Series Huronia Players (Midland) Chesterfield Theatre Huronia Players - Home Theatre Orangeville A Christmas Carol - Reading Drayton Entertainment (Various) We'll Meet Again: A Virtual Variety Show Episode 4 Theatre by the Bay (Barrie) Professional Workshop Series: Erin Shields - December 12th www.theatrebythebay.com/workshops Shadowpath Theatre (York Region) “Apartmental” Project ShadowpathTheatre on Strikingly Enhanced Online Play Readings with Newmarket Public Library https://calendar.newmarketpl.ca/default/Detail/2020-12-03-1900-Shadowpath-Theatre-Classical-Play-Reading-Club-Flo Talk is Free Theatre (Barrie) Something Bubbled, Something Blue video Something Bubbled Something Blue - Grand Acts of Theatre | Envolées théâtrales Free Theatre for the Next Three Years! TALK IS FREE THEATRE LIVES UP TO ITS NAME AND OFFERS FREE ADMISSION FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS You Like Me, You Really Really Like Me by Nancy Chapple Smokler The 2020 Tony Awards https://www.tonyawards.com The 2020 Olivier Awards https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/ Dora Mavor Moore Awards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_Mavor_Moore_Award The Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards https://www.jessieawards.com The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards https://www.sterlingawards.com The Betty Mitchell Awards https://www.bettymitchellawards.com Governor General's Performing Arts Awards https://ggpaa.ca/home.aspx?lang=en-CA Prix Siminovitch Prize https://siminovitchprize.com Our Tony's Contest link can be found on our Facebook Page at @stagewhisperspodcast; on our Instagram page @stagewhisperpodcast; or you can email us at stagewhisperspodcast@gmail.com to receive the contest form. Freesound - Freesound Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. All sound effects in this feature were downloaded from Freesound and do not require attribution.

رضا مقدس، هرجا که حرف موسیقی و هنر بوده، نام او هم درخشیده، تهیه کننده، نوازنده گیتار بیس، پیانو و سه تار و موسس اولین استودیوی دیجیتال در ایران به نام بم آهنگ که آلبوم زرتشت به آهنگسازی بابک امینی و خوانندگی گوگوش، جزو اولین آثار ضبط شده در آن استودیو هست Legendary Reza Moghaddas is a Toronto-based record producer, sound engineer, and musician who started to play piano at age 8 before picking up the bass guitar. Through his teenage years he was involved with both Western classical and Persian traditional music but by age 18 turned his efforts to jazz, fusion, and world music. When Reza moved to Canada in 2005 he brought his renowned Tehran-based Bamahang Studios with him and has since been a key member of Toronto’s vibrant music scene. He’s worked as the lead technician at many of Toronto’s major events and venues including Tirgan Festival, Harbourfront Centre, the Aga Khan Museum, and many more, and with internationally-renowned artists including Zakir Hussain, Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Angelique Kidjo, Tory Lanez, Kayhan Kalhor, Wally Bardou and more. In addition to writing scores and designing sound for over 50 film and theatre projects he worked with directors such as Bahram Beizaei, Helena Waldmann, and Soheil Parsa and nominated for Dora Mavor Moore Awards for outstanding sound-design and composition for “Homeland” directed by Setareh Delzendeh. He has, over the last nearly three decades produced, recorded, and mixed over 1200 albums and singles. He is currently venue manager at the Small World Centre, a cultural hub, venue, and studio space. #پادکست #طبقه۱۶ ------ Bazaar Project by Reza Moghaddas https://rezamoghaddas.bandcamp.com/album/bazaar-project Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rezamogh/Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/rezamoghaddas/Twitter https://twitter.com/rez_mogh ------ About the Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tabaghe_16/Telegram: https://t.me/tabaghe16Spotify https://spoti.fi/2CiyRoHEverywhere else https://anchor.fm/soheil-alavi

On this special three part series of the Radio ECMA Podcast we discuss the importance of Orange Shirt Day, indigenous culture and music within Atlantic Canada. September 30th has been declared Orange Shirt Day annually, in recognition of the harm the residential school system did to children's sense of self-esteem and well being, and as an affirmation of our commitment to ensure that everyone around us matters. Host Chris Batstone is joined by Trevor Sanipass, Indigenous Liaison as they interview artists. Also in this special series Cheryl Copage-Gehue, Indigenous Community Engagement Advisor for HRM and Manager of Protocol & Culture for the North American Indigenous Games talks with Trevor and Chris about her knowledge of this important day and Indigenous culture.For more information on Orange Shirt Day visit:https://www.orangeshirtday.orghttps://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/blogs/post/orange-shirt-day-honouring-indigenous-residential-school-survivors/https://www.aptn.caThank you to our episode sponsor the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) for their continued support of Indigenous artists and the East Coast Music Association. ----About Deantha Edmunds Canada's first and only Inuk professional classical singer and recording artist, Deantha Edmunds, has performed on stages across the world. A proud resident of Newfoundland and Labrador, Edmunds is a laureate of the prestigious Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards.Edmunds' solo EP, “My Beautiful Home” was nominated for the 2020 East Coast Music Award ‘Indigenous Artist of the Year.' It features three beloved songs from Newfoundland and Labrador that marry her identity as an Inuk with her training and passion for classical music.In February 2020, Edmunds performed at the Arctic Inspirations Prize 2020 award ceremony in Ottawa where she debuted an original song with string quartet. She was also a featured cultural performer at the Northern Lights 2020 conference and showcase.2019 operatic performances included the world premiere of “Shanawdithit” with Tapestry and Opera on the Avalon in Toronto and St. John's, and the Indigenous (Cree and Sami) double-bill “Two Odysseys” in Toronto with Soundstreams, Signal Theatre and The Sámi National Theatre Beaivváš. Both of these operas were nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble at the Dora Mavor Moore Awards 2020, and the ensemble for “Two Odysseys” won the award.https://www.facebook.com/InukSoprano/https://www.instagram.com/inuksoprano/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHn4zGHU58XnULFrOKyuxlQhttps://deantha.ca

Anosh Irani, author of "Translated from the Gibberish: Seven Stories and One Half Truth" and "The Parcel", in conversation with jaipur Bytes host Lakshya Datta, recorded live at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2020 on Jan 27. Anosh Irani’s novel, The Parcel, was a finalist for the 2016 Governor General’s Literary Award. It was longlisted for the 2017 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and is currently on the 2018 Dublin Literary Award longlist. His play, Bombay Black, won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards and his nonfiction has been published in Granta and The New York Times.

Has anyone ever affected your ability to believe in yourself as an artist? Singer/Actor Charlotte Moore is joining the conversation on Cue To Cue today to share how people influenced her confidence as a performer and the battles she faced to overcome self-doubt. She will help us reevaluate how we speak to ourselves and how it impacts our self-assurance.   In this episode:  Practicing gratitude when things don't turn up as planned Impact of having positive conversations with ourselves How Social Media affects your castability Importance of saving in an artist's life   A little about Charlotte:   Daughter of Mavor Moore (Order of Canada, Governor General's Award), grand-daughter of Dora Mavor Moore (after whom Toronto's annual Theatre Awards are named), and one of Canada's most dynamic performers, Charlotte has been on the scene for over thirty-five years, mostly in her first love, musical theatre. A recipient of the 1990 Dora Mavor Moore Award, (also known at Charlotte's house as a "Granny"), for her work in The Rocky Horror Show, Charlotte has had the great good fortune of working across the country with some pretty amazing people. Most recently she appeared as Marilla in Anne of Green Gables at The Charlottetown Festival.  She has twice appeared in Gypsy – once as "Louise", and once as "Rose" – eighteen years apart. She also managed the same trick with "Lucy" in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. She played "Fantine" in Les Miserables across the country opposite Craig Shulman, and her favourite role to date is definitely as the sole woman in Stan Rogers - A Matter of Heart. She spent a season in Robin Phillips' Grand Theatre Company , and three wonderful seasons at the Shaw Festival, culminating in the unforgettable Jackie Maxwell production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along. Charlotte has also done a lot more shows you'd recognize, but her real passion are the ones you probably won't – the Canadian shows that she has had the pleasure of being in. Shows by Leslie Arden, Jim Betts, Cathy Elliott, Joey Miller, and a whole host of other folks – a lot of whom are represented on her CD, "Friends of Mine". It features fifteen songs from shows past and present, only one of which had been recorded before. For more information, check out the Music page.  For Charlotte's current résumé, visit The Talent House.

Michael Spence is Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua and an award-winning, long-standing member of Theatre Gargantua’s creative team. He has been involved in all of TG’s productions, appearing in all major Cycles and writing or designing for many of the company’s noted works. His script for The Exit Room was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, and he won the award twice for Outstanding Set Designs. He has received a total of ten Dora nominations for his work with the company, winning four.Michael is a recipient of a Harold Award, a distinguished honour for members of the Toronto independent theatre community. He is also an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter. He directed the first SideStream Cycle, Shrapnel, which represented his directorial debut with the company.The Wager Inspired by true events, The Wager is award-winning Theatre Gargantua’s bold and irreverent investigation into the strange things that people believe. Climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, creationists, in-your-face-fact-defying-politicians, and yes, flat-earthers; beliefs held by a surprising number of intelligent humans, beliefs that not only defy logic, but could be threatening our existence on the planet. Now more than ever, the stakes could not be higher.theatregargantua.ca Twitter: @TGargantua Instagram: TheatreGargantua Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheatreGargantua Tickets: https://theatregargantua.ca/the-wager/

Michael J Gellman now resides in Ontario Canada and is Artistic Director of The Process Theatre. He teaches at Loyalist College as well as Master Workshops for Second City International and Artistic New Directions NYC. He is an alumnus of the Second City mainstage and was a resident director for Second City in Canada and the USA for 25 years. He was Artistic Director of the Second City Toronto where his shows were nominated for 7 Dora Mavor Moore Awards including twice for Outstanding Direction, nominated for Best Director for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, and won a Chalmers Award for Best Director. He is a senior faculty and founding member of the Second City Training Center where he was a Program Head and also Director of the NY training Center. Michael was an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago teaching Acting For Directors in the Film Directing department and designed and taught Improvisation and Acting III for the Comedy Studies department. In addition to Second City and Columbia College he has taught and designed classes and workshops in directing, acting and improvisation since 1976 at such notable institutions as: Actors Centre London, The Audition Centre, Victory Gardens Training Centre, Act One Conservatory and Loyola Law School as well as master workshops for hundreds of Universities, festivals, theatre companies and improv groups around the world. He is credited with originating “Long Form” Improvisation and his book “Process: An Improvisers Journey” (Northwestern University Press) co-authored with Mary Scruggs is a summary of his workshops on improvisational training.

Michael Ross Albert is the author of several plays including Miss (FringeNYC; Unit 102 Actors Company); The Farmers Lit the Fields on Fire (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome (FringeNYC, published by Applause in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015); and Karenin’s Anna (Toronto Fringe Festival, “Outstanding New Play,” — NOW Magazine), as well as the 2018 Toronto Fringe hit, Anywhere.Along with the Storefront Theatre, Michael produced the sold-out world premiere production of his play Tough Jews in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market. The production was nominated for 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production.His play Starfishes opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at Dance New Amsterdam and is included in Best American Short Plays 2010-2011. It has since been performed across the United States and Canada.Michael received an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Michael is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.The Huns The morning after a break-in at a tech company, three co-workers assemble for a conference call to discuss the burglary. What starts as a civilized, professional meeting swiftly devolves into a brutal showdown that puts everyone's careers-- and their hopes for future happiness-- in jeopardy.STREETCAR CROWSNEST: GULOIEN THEATRE 345 Carlaw Ave.Friday July 5, 9:30pm Saturday July 6, 6:15pm Sunday July 7, 8:30pm Tuesday July 9, 7:30pm Thursday July 11, 5:30pm Friday July 12, 10:15pm Sunday July 14, 4:00pmInstagram:OneFourOneCollectiveTwitter:@OneFourOneCoFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/onefourone/Tickets:https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/huns

Mark Brownell is a Toronto-based playwright and co-artistic director of the Pea Green Theatre Group with his wife, Sue Miner.He is the author of a number of plays, including Monsieur D'Eon is a Woman, which was nominated for a Governor General's Award. His libretto for the opera Iron Road won a Dora Mavor Moore Award and he was nominated for a Dora for his 2006 play, Medici Slot Machine.Three Men on a Bike From the company that brought you the award-winning Toronto Fringe smash hit Three Men in a Boat. Based upon the further writings of Victorian author Jerome K. Jerome. Pea Green Theatre Group proudly presents Three Men on a Bike! (Being the further adventures of three Victorian gentlemen as they embark upon a disastrous bicycling trip to the continent.) Not to be missed!Three Men on a Bike Tarragon Theatre Mainspace Thu 4th Jul 6:15 pm Sat 6th Jul 10:00 pm Mon 8th Jul 8:45 Wed 10th Jul 5:45 pm Sat 13th Jul 8:00 pm Sun 14th Jul 2:00 pmDirected By: Sue Miner Adapted for the Stage By: Mark Brownell Featuring: Matt Pilipiak, Victor Pokinko and David DiFrancesco Period Costumes By: Nina Okens Period Music By: J. Rigzin Tutepeagreentheatre.comTwitter:@Montmorency3MenTickets:https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/three-men-bike

We are going for round two with actor, Tony Nappo on Cue To Cue! I loved having the opportunity to dig a little deeper and get caught up with Tony since our first conversation Click Here for first episode.   Tony has been up to a lot in the past couple years with his hit column Nappoholics in Intermission Magazine, the success of Bad Blood (now streaming on Netflix), to traveling shoots in Italy and Budapest for his most recent projects. Although all of these accomplishments are wonderful, and I am sincerely happy for Tony’s success, those of you who are regular listeners know that is the thing I am least interested in. I want to know YOU! Who are you “in the work”. Let’s talk about things that will challenge one another to grow and raise the bar for ourselves in our craft and as humans sharing this earth. Tony does exactly that today by sharing his heart, what he is moving towards, his past mistakes, and he does it all with a mouth like a trucker and I loved every minute it!   In this episode: Tony opens up about being an addict and how he is personally working on taking his recovery to the next level. the nature of vulnerability, ego, and acting. How traveling internationally to shoot as an actor in his recent shoots to Italy and Hungary were vastly different experiences and how you need to learn to roll with it. What advice he would give to actors just starting out. How his column, Nappoholics, in Intermission magazine came to be and how he curates his material how he deals with conflict now vs. ten years ago Tony Nappo was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario. He went on to study acting in New York at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is a theatrical staple in Toronto and has worked in many high profile Hollywood films including Born to be Blue, Saw 2, Four brothers, Land of the Dead and Murder at 1600. He has appeared in endless independent films including The Go-Getters, From the Vine Came the Grape, Samanthology, This Beautiful City, Beat Down, Stag , You Might As Well Live, and The Rainbow Kid. He voices the lead character, Jimmy Falcone, on the hit animated series Fugget About It and has appeared in over a hundred episodes of television including Netflix's upcoming Northern Rescue, Bad Blood, Titans, In Contempt, Save Me, The Christmas Chronicles, Kim"s Convenience, Baroness Von Sketch, Disney"s Zombies, Private Eyes, Carter, Shoot The Messenger, Remedy, Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, Breakout Kings, Killjoys, Saving Hope and DaVinci's Inquest. He has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, a Broadway World Award, and two times for The Actra Award and twice again for The Dora Mavor Moore Award. Follow Tony! Instagram: @nappo.tony Twitter: @realtonynappo  

Michael Ross Albert is the author of several plays including Miss (FringeNYC; Unit 102 Actors Company); The Farmers Lit the Fields on Fire (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome (FringeNYC, published by Applause in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015); and Karenin’s Anna (Toronto Fringe Festival, “Outstanding New Play,” — NOW Magazine).Along with the Storefront Theatre, Michael produced the sold-out world premiere production of his play Tough Jews in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market. The production was nominated for 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production.His play Starfishes opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at Dance New Amsterdam and is included in Best American Short Plays 2010-2011. It has since been performed across the United States and Canada.Michael received an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Michael is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.Michael is the playwright of two shows in the 2018 Toronto Fringe: Anywhere and The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome.

Episode #86 Sitting down with David Warrack was a real treat for me. David strikes me as someone who has, over time, become even more passionate about the arts and living a creative lifestyle. He has not become jaded or bitter about certain projects not going the way he wanted or maybe not even being produced at all. He has figured out a way to adapt and go with the flow of change in the industry through his career as an artist. David is a real champion of the artist. Your success is his success and he strives to create that kind of supportive environment wherever he goes by creating and producing new work, cheering on his colleagues, and most of all listening to the thoughts and feelings of others until they feel understood. The last thing he said to me before we parted was, “I am only an email away” and after spending time with him, I knew he meant it. Sometimes it’s what people say that impacts me the most and sometimes it's the impact of who they are that leaves the biggest impression. With David, it was both. In this episode, we discuss what changes he would like to see happen in the entertainment industry, why he believes every artist should explore writing on some level, what was the biggest takeaway from his lunch with Leonard Bernstein and so much more!   About David: Conductor, Pianist, Organist, Composer, Lyricist, Book-Writer, Musical Director, Orchestrator, Arranger, Singer, Vocal Coach, Music Producer, Producer (theatre, television, recordings), Guest Lecturer, Teacher Toured for fifteen years with Maureen Forrester, starting with the Vancouver Symphony at EXPO 86 (CD), 5 years with Jeff Hyslop (CD), and 8 years with Michael Burgess, in each case as Musical Director/Accompanist/Conductor.  In 2013, enjoyed a 19 concert cross Canada tour with Rebecca Caine and Michael Burgess.  2010 – 2015:  conductor of the Rose Orchestra in Brampton.   Starting in 2017 – touring with the quartet of Rebecca Caine, Ben Heppner, Gary Relyea, and Jean Stillwell. Musical Director of over 200 shows for stage or television, including SHENANDOAH on Broadway, 9 of Ross Petty’s Pantomimes at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre, the cross Canada tour of JACQUES  BREL …, the Vancouver production of UNFORGETTABLE, seven consecutive years at the Elora Festival, and all of the CBC’s DuMAURIER SEARCH FOR STARS.   Founding Conductor of the Canada Pops Orchestra. Credited as writer or co-writer of 79 professionally produced musicals, including some of the longest running shows in Toronto’s Theatre History (FLICKS, SWEET REASON, THE VAUDEVILLIANS, TEASE FOR TWO).  ROB ROY opened at the Edinburgh Festival (Scotland) in 2006 to rave reviews, and was recorded in 2007. More recently, THE THREE DAVIDS (the music of David Shire, David Frishberg, and David Warrack) premiered in 2013.  A SNOW WHITE CHRISTMAS, written with Norm Foster, premiered at Theatre Collingwood in 2014. The Oratorio ABRAHAM premiered in Toronto in 2015 with Richard Margison in the starring role, along with a cast of 6, plus the Bach Children’s Choir and the Elmer Iseler Singers.   Current: SHE’S NO LADY in workshop; CATWALK optioned as a film. Beginning with the 1972 radio special of the Charlottetown Festival’s BALLADE (orchestrator, conductor), over 40 years as a studio musician.  Recent: THE SECOND TIME AROUND (film). Huge body of choral and instrumental work. Created role of Jack Ayre in THE DUMBELLS at the Charlottetown Festival.  Shared the stage over the years with iconic performers, including Ronnie Hawkins, Don Harron, Len Cariou (most recently at 2013 Stratford Music Festival), Sheila McCarthy, Marilyn Lightstone, Sheila Brand, Brent Carver, Louise Pitre, Juan Chioran, George Masswohl, Mary Pitt, Thom Allison, Ma Anne Dionisio, Cynthia Dale, and Amanda Martinez.  Recently performed with the Bravura Baritones. Playing for Blues/Gospel Diva Jackie Richardson in October and November.  THE UNIVERSE IS DANCING (one man show) in October (Guelph, then the Jazz Bistro in Toronto).  CD release Hugh’s Room. In December.Christmas/Hanukkah show with Theresa Tova. 1980: produced TORONTO TORONTO, which ran for three years, followed by 2 years of TORONTO TORONTO 2. 1981: He had six shows running simultaneously in Toronto and he produced the award-winning CBC television superspecial  ALL FOR ONE. 1981 – 1983, he produced the Dora Mavor Moore Award shows for Toronto theatre, the only three years they were ever televised. He has won three Doras: producing TORONTO TORONTO, producing ON TAP, and music directing CLOSER THAN EVER. Starting in 1985, he was a regular guest on Peter Gzowski’s MORNINGSIDE (CBC radio) singing his trademark satirical songs, and creating songs spontaneously. Organist/Choir Director at Hillcrest Christian Church since 2006. Part of three man artistic team (along with Michael James and Kevin McCormick) who created SONGS OF THE CITY for United Way Toronto (now United Way Toronto/York Region) in 2015, a theatrical event originally presented at the Jane Mallet Theatre, which matches up three United Way speakers who have been “rescued” by a United Way sponsored organization with a three composers who each write a song about his or her experience. These songs are then performed during the evening, along with other selections which celebrate the renewal of the human spirit.  A second SOTC took place this past spring, and a third is happening in April, 2017, moving into the 1,000-seat Wintergarden Theatre.  A version took place last year in Fredericton, New Brunswick , and one is being planned for Halifax, Nova Scotia early in 2017.  Created as a Donor Appreciation Event, SONGS OF THE CITY has had a huge impact already in terms of increased pledges to support the remarkable work of United Way in the community. While the ongoing involvement in the various segments of the arts community has not allowed David the time to contribute to the education of up and coming artists that he might have preferred, he has maintained a presence in developing students to become professional artists.  For 20 years, he has been on the faculty of the Avenue Road Arts School. He participated in the BMI Music Theatre Workshops in New York and Toronto, originally conceived by Lehman Engel.  When BMI no longer supported the Toronto workshops, Mr. Warrack kept them going on his own initiative. He has taught part-time at the Randolph Academy and the Ryerson Theatre School, and given numerous guest lectures at Sheridan College (now University).  For many years he was on the advisory board of Humber College, and he is currently on the advisory board of the Toronto Film School. He is also an honorary member of IATSE. David is married to Lona Davis, a celebrated musician in her own right, and they are blessed with three children – Gordon (Jessica), Cayleigh (Patrick) and Levi, as well as four grandchildren: Alexis, Grayson, Griffin, and Neave, all three years old or younger! Connect with David! www.davidwarrack.ca e:dwarrack@rogers.com      Chelsea thisischelseajohnson.com Facebook: @thisischelseajohnson Instagram: @thisischelseajohnson Twitter: @thisischelseaj  

This year Jacquie P. Thomas celebrates her 25th Season as the Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua, which she founded in 1992. In addition to her role as founder and Artistic Director, Jacquie has served Gargantua as an actor, director, producer, composer, choreographer, dramaturge and writer, earning 10 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations for her artistic contributions to the company. Her most recent directorial projects include the upcoming November 2017 presentation of Reflector as well as Avaricious, The Sacrifice Zone and Imprints, among others. Other selected credits include the Ossetynski Actors Lab in Los Angeles, Roy Hart Theatre in France, The National Theatre of Greece and the Gardzienice Theatre Association of Poland.Under her leadership, Theatre Gargantua has earned over 30 Dora nominations and awards for categories including Outstanding New Play, Direction, Sound Design, Set Design and Lighting Design. She has also directed and led an 11-city tour of Phantom Limb across the UK, a headlining tour of Raging Dreams: into the Visceral to the Portland Oregon Performance Festival, and the transfer of e-Dentity to the Royal Alexandra Theatre as part of the Mirvish Theatre subscription season.Jacquie was awarded a Harold Award for contributions to Toronto’s independent theatre community, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for contributions to Canadian culture and community.http://theatregargantua.ca/ Twitter: @TGargantua Instagram: TheatreGargantua Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheatreGargantuaStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Nigel Shawn Williams is a four-time Dora Mavor Moore Award-winner as both actor and director. His theatre credits include The Merchant of Venice for Bard on the Beach this past summer, five seasons at Stratford Festival, four seasons at Shaw Festival, as well as performances in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver. Nigel is also heavily involved in new play development and mentoring young and emerging artists through the difficult transition from training schools to professional life.Nigel is the director of Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre's world premiere of Amanda Parris’ OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME.Set before the rise of Black Lives Matter, OTHER SIDE OF THEGAME is a time-spanning work that tells the story of silenced Black women who organize communities, protect loved ones, battle institutions, and live each day by a ride-or-die philosophy. This first-time partnership between Cahoots and Obsidian also marks the professional playwriting debut for Amanda Parris. Inspired by interviews conducted with individuals in Toronto and Halifax, OTHER SIDE OF THEGAME gives voice to Black women who support their men, their families and communities, even in the face of dire consequences. Set in Toronto, straddling modern day and the 1970s Black civil rights movement, the play is evocative and lyrical in its presentation of a population under siege.@nswnigelOther Side of the Gamehttp://www.cahoots.ca/https://www.obsidiantheatre.com/ Tickets: http://www.nativeearth.ca/otherside/Stageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Michael Ross Albert is the author of several plays including Miss (FringeNYC; upcoming: Unit 102 Actors Company); The Farmers Lit the Fields on Fire (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); The Grass is Greenest at the Houston Astrodome (FringeNYC, published by Applause in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015); and Karenin’s Anna (Toronto Fringe Festival, “Outstanding New Play,” -- NOW Magazine).Along with the Storefront Theatre, Michael produced the sold-out world premiere production of his play Tough Jews in the heart of Toronto’s Kensington Market. The production was nominated for 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Production.His play Starfishes opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at Dance New Amsterdam and is included in Best American Short Plays 2010-2011. It has since been performed across the United States and Canada.Michael received an MFA in Playwriting from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Michael is an associate member of the Dramatists Guild of America, and a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada.

Eric Woolfe is an actor, playwright, puppeteer and magician, and the Artistic Director of Eldritch Theatre, a Toronto theatre company specializing in horror plays using puppetry, live actors, and parlour magic.His work for Eldritch Theatre includes The Haunted Medicine Show, Madhouse Variations, The Babysitter, The Strange & Eerie Memoirs of Billy Wuthergloom, Dear, Grendelmaus, and Sideshow of the Damned. Some of his other credits include The Comedy of Errors (Humber River Shakespeare), The Last Christmas Turkey (Touchmark Theatre), Rocket & the Queen of Dreams (Roseneath Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (Canstage), Timon in Disney's The Lion King.Eric Woolfe has been nominated for over a dozen Dora Mavor Moore Awards as both an actor and playwright. He is a three time nominee for the prestigious KM Hunter Memorial Award. The World Encyclopaedia of Puppetry lists him as one of Canada’s exciting new wave of notable puppeteers.His non-creepy writing credits include Step Right Up!, and Twas, for Theatre Orangeville, Pomeranski Rex for The Toronto Fringe and the film scripts Momento Mori, Hungry Dead Things, and Blackwood Hotel.Twitter: @ericwoolfehttp://www.eldritchtheatre.ca/ Twitter: @eldritchtheatre Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eldritchtheatreStageworthy: http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Instagram: stageworthypod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

Bruce is best known for his four featured roles on Broadway, his 12 seasons in leading roles at the Stratford Festival and his Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning performances at Buddies in Bad Times, the world's largest and longest running LGBTQ theatre. His career at the Stratford Festival began as an ensemble member in HMS Pinafore and he went on to receive rave reviews as a leading man. We talk about that professional transformation and how Bruce transcended personal struggles to achieve a life changing transformation too.

Richard Beaune has performed in every province and territory across Canada in both official languages over a 30 year career. His work as actor and director has garnered rave reviews and several awards, including a Dora Mavor Moore Award and a Canadian Comedy Award, and has been seen in Canada’s largest theatres, including the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, as well as the smallest indie theatres and found spaces. Stylistically, his work has ranged from Shakespeare (29 professional productions and counting) to new works of physical theatre and all stops in between, but always carries a trademark sensibility that he credits to his clown’s heart. A dedicated theatre educator, he has taught at Ryerson University’s Act II Studio, York University and George Brown College, as well as countless workshops. Richard is perhaps best known as the founding Artistic Director of Keystone Theatre, a company that creates new plays in the style of silent film which has been recognized across Canada for its unique and carefully crafted work. He is now returning to a company that he previously founded, Simple Truth Theatre, a company dedicated to plays that focus primarily on the art of acting, regardless of style.Website: http://www.richardbeaune.comStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.comTwitter @stageworthyPodFacebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod

An anxious government clerk meets a strange lookalike who is daring, romantic, and brash – a success at everything the clerk fumbles. Is it really his double, or could he just be paranoid? An ingenious Molotov cocktail comedy filled with laughter, obsession, and original live music, this Dora Mavor Moore Award-winning dark satire features the dazzling prose of Dostoëvsky, over-the-top physical comedy, and outrageously entertaining performances by a brilliant cast of three. An outlandish riff on the eternal search for personal identity and social status, The Double will make you cringe with compassion…as you double over with laughter.

Michelle Ramsay, a Toronto-based lighting designer, agreed to be my guinea pig for episode one of the podcast. This is the first of two 30 min sessions we taped. Here is Michelle's bio (updated March 18 2014)Michelle is a lighting designer for dance and theatre based in Toronto.Companies she has designed with include: Modern Times, Cahoots Theatre Company, Blue Ceiling Dance, fu-Gen, The Theatre Centre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Stand Up Dance, New Harlem, Shaw Festival, Human Cargo, Theatre Rusticle, National Arts Centre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Mirvish Productions, Theatre Passe Muraille and Tarragon Theatre. She has received several Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a SATAward, and in 2008 she received the Pauline McGibbon Award.The beginning has a few rough audio spots, with some "peakyness" but I should be able to iron out the problems in the future.In the interview we refer to "Wonderland" and failed to give any context. Canada's Wonderland is an amusement park north of Toronto, ON, and was a training ground for many young technicians just out of school. Other things we glanced over: The Shaw FestivalTheatre Smith GilmoreTheatre ColumbusTheatre KingstonRedManual Lighting Boards

Louise has been nominated for a Tony Award and is the winner of four Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Louise talks about growing up as the daughter of an accountant, the highschool music teacher that changed her life, being discovered by Don Fleckser at Western University Canada and what it's like auditioning for the world-renowned director Gary Griffin.

Tanja Jacobs is a well known actress, director, teacher and coach. She has worked in the professional theatre since 1981, and performed at most major theatres in Canada. She has been nominated for ten Dora Mavor Moore Awards and has won twice. As a director, her credits include 1002 Nights, Johann's Cabinet of Wonders, Goddess, and Mid-Life Crisis. On television, besides her role as federal employee SM3 Sexsmith on Power Play, Jacobs has guest starred on many Canadian shows including Ready or Not and Street Legal. Film credits include Trial by Jury and Loser. She recently finished a run at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa as Winnie in Samuel Beckett's Happy Days directed by Leah Cherniak. Happy Days, written in 1961, observes determined human optimism in the face of a universe without meaning. Winnie, Beckett's "hopeful futilitarian" is buried up to her waist in the earth, woken and summoned to bed each day by the same disembodied bell. "Throughout the days she performs a series of carefully observed rituals all related to the contents of a worn old black purse. She combs her hair, applies lipstick, painstakingly examines a toothbrush, toys with a nail file, a tube of toothpaste and a revolver, all the while chattering at her inattentive companion, Willie. Hopeless yet hopeful, bleak yet funny, Happy Days is Beckett's "testament to the resourcefulness of the human spirit" Tanja and I talk here about playing Winnie, the difficulty of working at cliff's edge without a narrative, talking, doing nothing, and the need for communication and attention, loneliness, mid-life marriages, revolvers, supportive fellow actors, the quality of attachment and mirroring, the imperative to carry on, suffering and the avoidance of and surrendering to pain in front of an audience, revisiting moments of terror and fright and aloneness and the agony of doing this as someone who has been abandoned; the unbearable parts of being human, and how the use of simple descriptives can generate profound distilled moments, poems of events. To start off with I quote V.S. Pritchett on Beckett. Read the quote here.