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Episode 460."Warrior"Actor: Chelsea Muirhead.Chelsea Muir portrays Yan Mi in the Max Original "Warrior". Chelsea was so much fun to speak with. She's refreshingly honest, funny, kind and a wonderful actor to boot.Chelsea Muirhead is a Filipino-Scottish actor from Toronto. After discovering her love of acting in high school, performing as Columbia in "Rocky Horror picture show", Chelsea soon found herself diving into her passion and attending the Ryerson Theatre School (now known as the Ryerson School of Performance). It was here at Ryerson were Chelsea trained for 4 years studying acting for both film and theatre. Whilst in her studies in theatre school Chelsea has stared in several plays such as Regan in Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear", to more comedic contemporary rolls, such as Loretta in George F. Walker's "Featuring Loretta" to name a few. On top of being an accomplished theatre actress, Chelsea has broken into the film industry with gusto. Upon graduating the highly renowned school of performance in 2016 Chelsea has had tremendous commercial success on the circuit, including landing her first break out roll as Jill in the horror/ thriller "Spare parts" directed by Andrew Hunt.https://linktr.ee/mondaymorningcritic#warrior #karate #kungfu #mma #brucelee #truestory #hbomax #max #fyp #podcast #interview #ufc #tbt #throwbackthursday
There are so many titles associated to our guest speaker today! We have with us Howard Davis who aka HAUI, who is a diverse multidisciplinary entrepreneur of many artistic trades, including performing, directing, design & visual arts. Howard J. Davis performs professionally in Film & Television and Theatre. A graduate Ryerson Theatre School of University in Toronto in 2014, he has acted with companies such as the Shaw Festival of Canada, Native Earth Performing Arts, Cahoots Theatre, Paper Canoe Projects, Factory Theatre, Neptune Theatre as well as in film and television. In the summer of 2020, he was slated to design the world premiere of Anne Marie MacDonald's play Hamlet 911 at the Stratford Festival of Canada. His work as a filmmaker emphasizes how the past can inform our current sociopolitical climate to build a practice in telling stories of his heritage, marginalized cultures, and original modern works that bridge classical, theatrical, and historical context to contemporary cinema and stage. In this episode, HOWI takes us through his journey of being ‘Mixed' and how it inspired him to create this incredible film called Mixed up. 2020 wasn't an easy year – not for me, not for you but for some people wonderful things came out of it because they got into their creative potential and inner voice. His feature-length film debut entitled MIXEDUP explores the isolation of being BIPOC and LGBTQ+ and demands that we celebrate what is unique about each of us. The film was co-produced with trans producer/filmmaker Jack Fox and premiered November 2020 on OUTtv and OUTtvGO network television and at Image+Nation LGBTQueer Film Festival. Howard is part of Wildseed Black Arts Residency in association with Black Lives Matter Toronto - a 20-month paid residency and space for interdisciplinary collaboration through arts and activism. In 2019, He was the recipient of ByBlack's People's Choice Award for Best Director. In 2020 he was nominated for a Montreal English Theatre Award for Outstanding Contribution to Theatre. From being queer, to an artist – his life story has been pretty interesting. We discuss about his work that revolves around race, gender, orientation and how he beautifully brings it up in his movie MixedUp. He talks about his struggle of coming out and the support that he received from his family and friends. As an artist, his life journey has shaped his perspective as an Actor, Film maker, and Director. I am so delighted to have Howard on my show who takes us through the nuances of his queerness and mixed heritage. There's so much that we discover and learn about Howi in this episode. Tune in to the entire episode to know more about creativity, queerness, happiness, black joy and his film MixedUp (ps - please check out his film - it's incredible) To know more about Howard Davis Social handles are @hauidavis / @mixed_upfilm Website: www.haui.ca --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thehappinessproject/message
HAUI is a multi-disciplinary entrepreneur of many artistic trades including performance, directing, design & visual arts. He was born in the United Kingdom to mixed Caribbean, Taino/Arawak and European heritage. Howard is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School. To date has worked at the Stratford Festival as an assistant director as part of the inaugural bud’s program (part of the Michael Langham Director’s Workshop Presentation) He has worked at Canada’s Shaw Festival as an actor and designer, National Arts Centre as an assistant director, directing/design intern at the Grand Theatre; Montreal’s Black Theatre Workshop, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company and Neptune Theatre as a designer, and performed with Native Earth Performing Arts, Cahoots Theatre, Paper Canoe Projects, and Factory Theatre. His work as a filmmaker emphasizes history and how it can inform our current sociopolitical climate. He hopes to continue building a practice in telling stories of his heritage, marginalized cultures not at the forefront of history and modern original works with an emphasis on bridging classical, theatrical and historical context to contemporary cinema and stage. www.howardjdavis.com Twitter: @hauidavis Instagram: @hauidavis Support Stageworthy: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/stageworthy/2d0d1cdd-7ea5-480f-99ce-acaa7f0f6448
This week we chat with Bria McLaughlin about weird auditions, seeing Lizzo in concert, and her Dora-nominated performance in School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play. Bria is a Queer, Caribbean actor currently studying to be a writer/producer for television. She’s a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School and has performed across Canada. You can find them on Instagram @ briatho . . Follow us on Instagram @ realpeople.notactors . . Dylan Evans and Bailey Green are settlers on Treaty 13 territory in Tkaronto: where there are trees standing in the water. These lands and waterways are the traditional and unceded territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, the Anishinaabe, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We encourage our listeners to act to protect the land and water for the next seven generations.
Scott Miller is a partner in DWD Theatre Design and Consulting based in Vancouver BC. He and I speak about our beginnings in Toronto theatre as classmates at Ryerson Theatre School and proceed to a fascinating conversation about designing your theatre. While this is a program about theatre design, we rarely speak about the actual design of our spaces and all the work that goes into them. Scott spoke to me at his office in Vancouver, BC in December 2018, and this is the first of the series of interviews based on the my trip to the west coast in December.
Kevin Fraser has been at the Stratford festival for 30 years and designed the lighting for over 500 productions since graduating from Ryerson Theatre School in the late 1970’s. He invited me to his home in Stratford Ontario in August of 2018 and we spoke about his early career and beginnings in Toronto at the Adelaide Court and the Tarragon Theatre and his move into the large festivals including Stratford and Drayton. Find examples of his work here: www.kevinfraserlighting.com.
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
JULIA NISH-LAPIDUS Julia is an actor, director, and producer, as well as a Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Shakespeare BASH'd, where she has produced all of the company's productions. She has worked as the Managing Director of Common Boots Theatre and is now part of the team at The Theatre Centre. For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed The Comedy of Errors, and assistant directed The Changeling. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Volpone (staged reading).Selected Additional Credits: Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen and This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall). Julia is a member of the Advisory Board for the Canadian Stage GYM program and a graduate of the joint acting program at UofT and Sheridan College.JAMES WALLIS James has been a Shakespeare fan all his life, having performed with Resurgence Theatre Company as a teenager and again as a professional later in his career.After graduating from Ryerson Theatre School, James jumped right into the big bad world of commercial work and film & television acting. He has been seen in a number of national commercials, including spots for Boston Pizza, Honda, and Expedia. Also, he has appeared on The Jon Dore Show, XIII: The Series and in a number of feature films including: And Now A Word From Our Sponsors and The Movie Out Here.In 2010, James co-founded Shakespeare BASH’d with his wife, Julia. For the company, James has directed staged readings of Romeo and Juliet (2010), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), Edward II (2015), and Volpone (2017), as well as the full productions of Romeo & Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Twelfth Night. He played Petruchio in the company's Best of Fringe winning production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2012 and the remount in 2015, and played Benedick in their sold-out production of Much Ado About Nothing in the 2013 Toronto Fringe. In addition, here are some of James’ selected theatre credits: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Shakespeare’s Magic, and The Taming of the Shrew (Theatre by the Bay), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre, US Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Paradise by the River (Shadowpath Theatre).James just completed his second season at the Stratford Festival as part of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing. There he has assistant directed Macbeth, Bunny, and Romeo and Juliet.Shakespeare BASH'd presents Richard III by William ShakespeareFebruary 6-11, 2018 at the Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton St)Shakespeare's epic drama about a powerful villain manipulating his way to the crown is given a barroom staging by Shakespeare BASH'd. You don't want to miss this bare-bones, visceral, and all too relevant production.Tickets on sale now at www.shakespearebashd.com $20 online $25 at the door (pending availability)SHOWTIMES: Tuesday, February 6 - 7:30pm Wednesday, February 7 - 7:30pm Thursday, February 8 - 7:30pm Friday, February 9 - 7:30pm Saturday, February 10 - 2:00pm Saturday, February 10 - 7:30pm Sunday, February 11 - 2:00pmDirected by Julia Nish-LapidusFeaturing: Cosette Derome, Jade Douris, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, Suzette McCanny, Shalyn McFaul, Drew O’Hara, Trevor Pease, Catherine Rainville, James Wallis, Kelly Wong, Joseph ZitaAssociate Director: Megan Miles Stage Manager: Christopher Brackett Fight Director: Nate Bitton Movement Coach: Brad Cook Marketing Design: Kyle PurcellWebsite: www.shakespearebashd.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareBASHd/ Twitter: @ShakesBASHd Instagram: @ShakesBASHdStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod
Choreographer Alysa Pires has created works for Ballet Jorgen, Citie Ballet (Edmonton, AB), Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, Cadence Ballet, Ryerson University, Dancestreams Youth Dance Company, Victoria Academy of Ballet, McMaster Dance Company, Helix Dance Theatre, the Parahumans, Kalos Collective, and her own company Alysa Pires Dance Projects. Her work in theatre includes choreography for ten musicals, a series of world premiere plays by Judith Thompson (CAN), Velina Hasu Houston (USA) and Timberlake Wertenbaker (UK) that toured through Greece (The Women and War Project) and the first workshop of a new commission for the Los Angeles Opera. In July 2014, Alysa represented Canada and performed as part of the Tin Forest Theatre Festival in Glasgow, Scotland in celebration of the Commonwealth Games. Her work ...keeping in mind they may be behind you was reimagined for the 2014 Emerging Artist Intensive in Toronto. Alysa was the sole North American and the only female selected from a pool of international applicants as one of four choreographers to participate in DanceEast's ChoreoLab in Ipswich, UK in April of 2013, where she developed “i am vertical.” The work recently received its Canadian premiere at the dance:made in Canada Festival in Toronto. She is the Heliconian Club of Toronto’s 2015-2016 Dancer-in-Residence. Alysa is an Honours BFA graduate of Ryerson Theatre School. Look for a full-length work from Alysa Pires Dance Projects at the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival. For more information go to www.alysapires.comAlysa Pires Dance Projects is a Toronto based contemporary dance company. Founded in 2015 as a home for choreographer Alysa Pires, APDP aims to utilize the extreme physical ability of the dancers while maintaining their humanity so that the audience can see their own trials and tribulations expressed through a heightened but relatable physical language. Through highly dynamic physicality and tender intimacy, Alysa Pires makes contemporary dance works that aim to transcend their abstraction and connect to an audience beyond dedicated dance lovers. For more information, visitwww.alysapires.com/APDP or follow us on Instagram @alysapiresdanceprojects. INSTAGRAM - @alysapiresdanceprojects TWITTER - @alysapires FACEBOOK - www.facebook.com/alysapiresdance FUND WHAT YOU CAN - bit.ly/APDPFringeStageworthy:http://www.stageworthypodcast.com Twitter @stageworthyPod Facebook: http://facebook.com/stageworthyPod
In this episode, I interview my old mentor Sholem Dolgoy about his history and career. We met at Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto, Ontario, where he is the head of the production program. Sholem, like many senior designers in Canada, entered the profession through the school of hard knocks and has risen to be a leading designer and educator in Canada. In this chat we talk about his successes and failures in the 1970's and 80's and his awakening in terms of the use of colour, learning from lighting design greats like Nicholas Cernovitch and Thomas Skelton.
An ancient curse that puts a whole new spin on the horror genre, DEAD BEFORE DAWN slashed onto Blu-ray Disc, DVD and Digital Download October 1 from Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and Wango Films. Casper Galloway (Devon Bostick) and his college friends visit an occult shop run by Casper's grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) and accidentally unleash an evil curse, causing people to kill themselves and turn in to Zombie Demons, aka "Zemons." Armed with a slew of homemade weapons and a Winnebago, the college kids race through the night, killing Zemons and fighting time while frantically searching for a way to reverse the curse within 24 hours. As the Zemon army starts to overpower the team, Casper finds himself with no choice but to face his fears and become the unlikeliest of heroes. Shot entirely in live-action stereoscopic 3D, the feature marks director APRIL MULLEN -- who also co-stars -- as the first and youngest female to direct a film of this kind. April was brought up in the city of wonder Niagara Falls. She left to study at Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto where she received a B.F.A. Honors. She skipped over to the United Kingdom to further her training at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Drama. Writer and co-star Tim Doiron and Mullen have made three films together via their Wango Films.