Posts by in the greenroom

May 28

A Chat with Alisa Palmer, Director of Body Politic by Nick Green

by Ryan Quinn

We sat down with Alisa Palmer, multiple award winner and current Artistic Director of the National Theatre School, to discuss her latest director project, Body Politic, a lemonTree creations workshop.

Body Politic re-imagines the story of The Body Politic, Canada’s most important queer publications, exploring its unique beginning, its community successes, its legal challenges and its eventual demise. This project is a commission of lemonTree creations and is currently in residency at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre.

Ryan Quinn: So, I’m here with Alisa Palmer, director of Body Politic, which will be doing its workshop presentation this Thursday May 30th, Friday May 31st and Saturday June 1st at 8pm. Would you like to tell me a little bit about the show?

Alisa Palmer: Yeah, certainly. This is a workshop exploration of a script by Nick Green. It takes place in one evening, and it’s an encounter between a young gay man and an older gay man. It is a significant night for one of the characters, and because of the nature of their conversation, and what they talk about, this man’s past comes to the fore. He was an activist and writer on The Body Politic, and his history and experiences with the magazine are fully brought to life throughout the evening. He has to do a lot of self-examination, a lot of self-exploration. In it, we, the audience, experience the trajectory of that incredible magazine, and that collective, and the fervor of a certain time in Toronto history.

RQ: It sounds like a conversation between the past and the present, bridging that gap.

AP: Yes, and then it launches straight into the future, I think. It definitely puts some questions out there.

RQ: I’m not sure if you were involved with the show at this point, but there was a reading of it…

AP: There was, yes, and I directed that reading. We had just a couple of days to get the actors together and work on it. It was much more modest. It was so invaluable, though, because since that meeting, Nick has gone away and really dug into how to bring the past more into contact with the present so that the play isn’t exclusively dedicated to only telling the story of the Body Politic, but rather about looking into what is still alive and what is missing in our communities and our psyches in terms of all this kind of discussion and the freedom of expression, and the challenges to our own assumptions about what is right and wrong in the world.

RQ: And this isn’t only a workshop for the script at this point, but I hear that you’re workshopping the design as well, with the two going hand-in-hand.

AP: Yes. This week we’ve been focusing on the actors and the script, and next week we move into the theatre, and there will be a sort of prototype of the set. A slice of what the set might be, some ingredients that may be in the design, projections, lighting… just a tasting menu of it all. That way, we can explore how the past and the present are interacting with each other through these design elements that support the story.

RQ: And this is going up…

AP: At the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse at U of T. What we’re going to do, then, is we’re going to spend a lot of time exploring the production elements and how the play works with all of these lights and sounds and so on. We’re going to read the script for the audience, so they’ll hear the whole story, and then we’ll show them a few highlights of things that are exciting to us as to how the story is going to be told three-dimensionally.

RQ: It also must be a look at where the show can go from here.

AP: It’s a really great opportunity for all of the artists involved to get to know the world of the play and Nick’s imagination; and for Nick to also experience how things can be communicated to the audience and captured in the human body, with the presence of the actors, and the design elements. There are so many opportunities, so nobody has to do all of the heavy lifting alone. It’s kind of a reflection of how The Body Politic was created, you know? We are that much more effective at communicating if we share the wealth of our talents.

RQ: So you have the history of the real Body Politic resonating in the show, going back and forth into a conversation with the entire genderqueer community.

AP: Yep, it’s all on the go. This is the end of week one, so if there’s smoke coming out of my ears, it’s because we’ve been dealing with all of these interacting and intersecting themes and ways of working.

RQ: And you’re having a two-week rehearsal process?

AP: It’s about eight days of being able to work with actors and design elements, in total. Then we’re presenting it for three nights, but every evening will be slightly different because we’ll learn from the night before and maybe adjust our goals, or what we’re playing with.

RQ: Even though it’s every bit as stressful to mount a workshop production, there must be more of a freedom to explore the material and process that’s sometimes not there.

AP: What I love about readings is that there’s no pretence that it’s finished. So actors are listening to the audience in a way that is much freer than when they have to do the marathon of a whole show. I think there’s a kind of spontaneity and a really live communication that is quite unique when you have your script in hand. It doesn’t even have to pretend to be perfect. It’s just alive. Very, very alive.

RQ: Any kind of pretence that it’s not a conversation is gone.

AP: Right, so I’m relishing the audience coming and seeing what it’s like each night and hearing what their responses are because it’s informing what aspects are hitting home with people, and what things are questions and ambiguities that are valuable to maintain. Provocation. In the true spirit of The Body Politic, provocation and moral ambiguity; which are really good ingredients of any project.

RQ: What are you hoping people take home from this? Conversation and debate?

AP: I think that the most challenging questions that The Body Politic brought forth into the world are “how do we work together, and listen to each other, and care for each other even through our differences?” That doesn’t mean, to me, “how do we let anything happen without moral grounding?” Not everything is okay, not everything is equally acceptable or valuable. Certain behaviours are more threatening than others, but how do we negotiate our lives together and maintain and appreciate the differences amongst us? Loving each other, knowing that we’re not going to agree. The goal is to come away having encouraged awareness of that in people. That is my question about how to live well. So if the project engenders some of that discussion or debate or awareness in people, that’s great.

RQ: It sounds like you’re wanting people to make the effort to go out and help instead of assuming that not making the effort to hurt is the same as helping.

AP: Oh yeah, engagement.

RQ: Engagement.

AP: Exactly. There are things in The Body Politic that are contentious and disagreeable and fabulous, as in human behaviour. But I think you’re hitting onto something that’s incredibly important, to remember how valuable engagement is, to really get in there and participate and express yourself, and listen as much as expressing yourself, which is a two way street. This play is a dialogue between two people but that is infused with many, many more voices.

RQ: And there is a talkback after all three performances?

AP: Yes, lemonTree creations is so great. They are organizing some discussions that are focused around certain topics and certain activists that are with us today, as well as certain aspects dealing with the themes of the play. There will be a discussion about more than the art.

RQ: Getting the discussion started so that once people leave, they have that grounding.

AP: Yes! I really want people to know about this. We all know that in the arts now, it’s extremely important to remember how much people want these stories and want art. That notion of engagement you were taking about is how we are living in the arts. We all know it to be true that people want to engage in the arts. Some people in the higher echelons of the government may have their doubts, but we know. We just have to tell ourselves that.

RQ: I do find that recently we’ve started getting rid of this notion that passivity is implicit support, and I think that our arts are what are creating that drive, so shows like this are incredibly important.

AP: It’s really exciting. I feel like the opportunity to work with lemonTree creations reminds me about how much growth there is in the arts. It’s really incredible because up in the upper echelons of the economic circles, they see that the audiences are dwindling, but, in fact, in this environment, working with lemonTree, there is so much going on that is so powerful. There is real direct contact with audiences that is really alive, culturally. It’s fantastic. It’s so inspiring to me. I’m at the head of the National Theatre School now, I just started, so for me to be on the ground with these indie companies with young artists, I know exactly what I’m training people for. There’s a huge set of opportunities for young artists that we are all creating together.

RQ: A lot of times, this is the really gutsy, painful stuff.

AP: Yeah, it’s really fun! (laughs)

RQ: Yeah, there’s nothing more fun than emotional pain!

AP: Oh exactly! In a safe environment, when we’re all sharing it together, it’s fantastic. Distribute the load.

RQ: Catharsis!

AP: Right!

RQ: Well, thank you very much for talking!

AP: No problem, it’s been a pleasure!

BODY POLITIC by NICK GREEN

Who: lemonTree creations
When: MAY 30, MAY 31, JUNE 1, 2013 @ 8 pm
Where: Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, 79 St George St #302 Toronto, ON (Just south of Harbord St, on the east side of St. George Street)
Tickets: $15 (Youth Group Discounts Available – $5 each for groups of 10 or more!)
Buy tickets online at http://www.bodypolitic.bpt.me or call 1-800-838-3006

May 25

Toronto’s Favourite Cost-Effective Rehearsal Spaces

by Ryan Quinn & Hallie Seline

We asked Toronto theatre artists what their favourite cost-effective rehearsal spaces were, just before we kick-off the Summer Theatre season!

The Box

The Box is a large, multipurpose rehearsal space located at 103-89 Niagara Street that often holds open movement classes and other events. It’s a 600 square foot space with beautiful exposed-brick walls (we love that stuff) that also includes a greenroom, kitchen, and bathroom.
http://www.theboxtoronto.com

Collective Studio (Theatre Lab and Pandemic Theatre)

Collective Studio is run by Theatre Lab and Pandemic Theatre, and is located near Lansdowne station. It is a newly-renovated 500 square foot adaptable studio for things like rehearsals, readings and workshops!
http://theatrelab.ca/space/

The Creation Lab (The Toronto Fringe Festival)

The Fringe Festival Creation Lab, located in The Annex, consists of two studio spaces: one is 1000 square feet, the other is 550. What makes this space different is that there is the possibility of subsidized rentals for those companies and projects who qualify for it! They also offer monthly “little lunchtime office concerts” and an expansion of the Fringe Festival “Tent Talks” year-round (perhaps something to drop into while you’re rehearsing!)
http://fringetoronto.com/c-lab/

FuGEN Theatre

FuGEN Theatre at 157 Carlton Street is a 430 square foot studio space equipped with dance floors and mirrors, which could be very useful for those of you working on physical theatre or perhaps for those who just like to watch themselves act… It also has free Wi-Fi, a stereo system, air conditioning and a full kitchen.
http://fu-gen.org/about-us/fu-gen-rental-space/

lemonTree Creations

The lemonTree Creations Studio is a large space that regularly holds classes for those looking to hone their craft. They will also soon be instituting a residency program, which is a great opportunity for dedicated artists to have a regular rehearsal home. This space also comes equipped with a kitchenette and Wi-Fi.
http://www.lemontreecreations.ca/#

Theatrix Loft (Near Dupont and Dufferin)

For those doing much grander projects (with grander budgets), the Theatrix Loft near Dupont and Dufferin has 3000 square feet of space including gallery lighting and art display bars for events like art openings and festival/fundraiser nights.
http://www.theatrixcostumehouse.com/theatrix_loft.html

Theatre Passe Muraille Rehearsal Hall

Located at 54 Wolesley Street on the third floor (Suite 202). The Theatre Passe Muraille rehearsal hall is ideal for small rehearsal projects, table work, or even for an audition location. Provides plenty of natural light with two 6′x6′ west-facing windows during the daytime and is equipped with chairs, tables and access to a small kitchenette and washrooms.
http://www.passemuraille.on.ca/rentals/the-rehearsal-hall/

The Magic Oven (Danforth Area – Coming soon!)

Stay posted for more information on this upcoming multi-disciplinary performance space. (Images not available)

MAJORspace

MAJORspace, in the Triangle Lofts near Queen and Dovercourt, is a 400 square foot studio space with Wi-Fi, a stereo system, and moveable track lights. Another great feature is the piano, making this a great space for any type of musical theatre rehearsal or event. It is also equipped with a kitchenette, tables, and chairs.
http://www.cheshireunicorn.com/majorspace/
(Images not available)

**Are we missing your favourite Toronto Cost-Effective Rehearsal Space?
E-mail us at inthegreenroom.ca@gmail.com and we will add it to our list!**

May 22

Artist Profile – Sophia Fabiilli – Assistant Producer of One Little Goat Theatre Company’s “The Charge of the Expormidable Moose” Shares her TOP TEN THINGS She’s Learned About Producing

What does an indie assistant producer do? How was it been transitioning from acting to life on “the other side of the table”? Sophia shares her Top Ten Lessons on Producing thus far.

Sophia Fabiilli is a Toronto-based actor and budding theatre producer. This spring she had the opportunity to work with One Little Goat Theatre Company, assistant producing their current production of ‘The Charge of the Expormidable Moose’ (on stage NOW at the Tarragon Theatre Extra Space until May 26^th).

Read our latest Artist Profile here!

May 2

A Chat with Alex Johnson. The Playwright Project A Year Later: Sam Shepard May 1-7th

by Ryan Quinn

Q: Here with the brilliant Alex Johnson. The Playwright Project kicked off last night to a great start. Tell me a little bit about what you’re doing with the project this year.

A: It’s the exact same format as last year with a different playwright and several different venues. We wanted to rebrand as The Playwright Project and move away from being a Tennessee Williams festival. We never had any interest in being a Tennessee Williams festival; it’s more the format, the community-mindedness, and the artistic collaboration that we were interested in. So, we rebranded as The Playwright Project and went with Sam Shepard for a number of reasons. I guess the first and most important one was that we’re all absolutely in love with him. He’s exciting, he’s a little filthy, you know, “the sacred and the profane”. There’s great music in his plays, huge amounts of live music, that awesome, bluesy, folksy stuff. There’s all that sweaty, New-York-in-the-60’s experimental theatre, but there’s also some really down-to-Earth and conventional work. So, there’s a huge variety. Also, they’re plays our generation can really sink their teeth into. They’re restless and young and urban. So, it seemed like a good fit for the people we were working with.

Q: And who are you working with this year?

A: So, we’ve got Heart in Hand Productions, who actually just did a Sam Shepard play. They did Cowboy Mouth at the Cameron House, which is also a venue that we are working in this year. Those girls are great and they were very keen to re-enter the world of Shepard and investigate a different play with us. They’re also this great team of babes doing a really masculine Shepard play, so I’m really excited about that. They’re doing Fool for Love. Peter Pasyk from Surface/Underground will be joining us, doing When the World Was Green. He was just chosen to be the 2013/14 Urjo Kareda Resident at Tarragon Theatre, so that’s amazing. Theatre Brouhaha and Red One Theatre Collective are both back on the project; they were with us last year as well. We’ll actually be working in Red One’s new venue, The Storefront Theatre, which those boys are also running. We’ve also got Alec Toller, who is more known for being a filmmaker. He’s got a film coming out called Play, that Kelly McCormack was in, and it’s about theatre. He’s doing Angel City which is very cool because it’s really film noir and cinematic, so I’m really curious to see how this filmmaker meets this live filmic piece. Natasha Greenblatt and Pomme Grenade Productions, who just did The Peacemaker at Next Stage, which was a huge hit. She will actually be doing Cowboy Mouth. Lastly, and this is really exciting, Alex McCooeye has adapted a Sam Shepard short story called Saving Fats into a play. Alex and I actually worked on his adaptation of a Poe short story about a year ago with the incredible Greg Kramer who sadly passed away a couple weeks ago. Alex is a really great writer with an amazing eye for adaptation, so I’m really excited he’s taking this adventure on. Jeremiah Sparks is in it, so, yeah, it’s going to be great.

Q: Are you doing it in the same venues as last year?

A: Yeah, so we are back in the Curzon in Leslieville. I was in there the other day and since we were in there last year, it’s been revamped into this amazingly Sam Shepard-like space. It’s the coolest. There are these white embossed animal heads on the walls, and it’s all…country. It’s so cool. It’s so cool. I walked in and I was just like “Why? This is so perfect. This is touched by God”. We’re also back in the Magic Oven. The interesting thing about that space is that once the Project is done for this year (although we’re already vamping up for next year), I’m partnering up with Tony at the Magic Oven to turn that downstairs space into an actual year-round, multi-disciplinary performance space. Tony has built a full kitchen and bar in the back, so it’s going to be fully operational by the fall. I will be managing and programming everything in that space. I mean, there’s not a lot like that out there on the Danforth. You have the Fraser Rehearsal Studios, the Danforth Music Hall, you’ve got the Red Sandcastle, but it’s significantly more south. We’re really going to try to engage with the Danforth community and be a new place where culture can happen. It’s really exciting. We have not confirmed a name for the space yet. We jokingly call it The Tragic Oven.

Q: That sounds horrible, haha. That’s a horrible name.

A: I know! We’re just going to program Greek tragedies. So, yeah, we’re back there. I think everything else is new. We’re at the Storefront; we’re at the Cameron House…oh! The Cameron House is partnering with us this year to be the post-show hub every night. So at the Cameron House every night at 10pm, Cameron House records and our director of music Gaby Grice have co-curated a whole line-up of Shepard-y music in that bluesy, folksy, rock and roll cowboy vein. So, every night at 10pm, a whole different lineup of Shepard-y music at the Cameron House. So, that’s going to be a blast. We’re also in some other great spaces, the May Café in Little Portugal, Lazy Daisy’s in The Beach, Annette Studios in The Junction. I’m really excited about the venues.

Q: Now, sometimes you call it a project, and sometimes a festival. It also kind of seems to walk a line close to being a repertory season. Where is that line?

A: It’s so funny that you bring that up. We were just talking about this last night, actually, that the language that we use needs to be paid close attention to because the end result is festival-like but the process is not. The process is much more collaborative and about the seven companies as well as the administrative body supporting each other as opposed to them working independently of us until show time like you would for Fringe or Summerworks. So, the process is much more, as our initial vision from last year stated, about creating a tighter-knit community of artists who work toward one communal goal together. In that regard, I don’t think you could call us a festival.
I like what you said about thinking of it almost as a repertory season. It’s like a really fast, really intense repertory season that goes down. If I can find a more succinct way of phrasing that, I might steal it from you for next year. I actively avoided calling it a festival last year, but the language sort of just became easier to use. People understood more what the end result was, what May 1-7 would be. But, yeah, I think I want to go back next year, for 2014, and re-examine what we call ourselves.

Q: Do you feel like the community has gotten more tight-knit since the festival last year?

A: Yeah, I mean, I don’t think we’ve changed the theatre scene. I think what Playwright Project has served to do is broaden many of our artists’ connections and resources. They now know, in some cases, almost a hundred new people that they can access in the community and that they can share with. The thing is, though, everybody works differently. Everyone has their own process. Some are more about reaching out and bringing people into the fold, and some people are much more isolated. One is not better than the other. Some people work better in isolated think-tanks, and some work better with an “it takes a village” mentality. So, I wouldn’t qualify the festival as being some giant community. What I know it is, is an opportunity to access things that you wouldn’t be able to access otherwise. And you’ve got a really strong support system under you. So, like, the Playwright Project team and I are here to handle the things that could take away from your artistic focus and clarity of vision. We are here to enable you to do what you want to do.
But, in the bigger picture of things, is the Toronto community getting tighter? Yeah. I think it is. I think I see things changing and I see the grassroots stuff growing and I see people reaching out more.

Q: What have you learned since last year that’s been implemented this year?

A: It’s so funny. We were talking last night about how at the end of last year we went “Oh alright, we know what to do now. We know now. We get it now. We got it”. And now it’s coming up to the end of the rehearsal period and I’m like “Oh wait. I still don’t know anything”. What have I learned? I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned that people want to help. People want you to call them up and present them with an idea and a way they can get involved. I’ve also learned a lot of practical things. I’ve learned how to rent a van and how to hang a piece of black fabric. I’ve learned a lot about Equity and the new agreement and the festival waiver.
I have learned that it is very important, whether you’re an arts institution, or an organization, or a collective, or an individual artist, every project and every endeavour needs to have a personality. It needs to know what it is and have a clarity of what it’s doing. When our logo started going into development and our amazing graphic designer Lisanne Binhammer was sending us sheets of proposals, picking it was remarkably hard because we didn’t yet have that seed of exactly as an organization, what our personality was. As the logos started to come in, I started to see it. Started to visually see what we look like on paper, and it helped us to better understand what we are. We’re this scrappy, spirited group of young people, and trying to fight it and become something more polished is not helpful. I was at the Shakespeare in the Ruff gala and they know so well who they are as an organization. They have such a specific sense of humour and how they put themselves out into the world is so clear. I’m becoming more and more aware of how important that is. I mean, I guess, in simple words: branding. The importance of branding. You can’t engage people if you don’t know who you are. You can’t get them on your team if you don’t know who that team is.

Q: Looking into the future, in five years, where would you like to see the project?

A: There are a lot of internal things I would like to see change. Just in terms of, you know, office space. Things that would make the daily practical work easier. I think much of our personality is that every year, we’re going to be different. Last year was Tennessee Williams, and this year is Sam Shepard and there are cowboy hats everywhere and the music at the Cameron House. If it’s Ibsen (and it won’t be, but hypothetically), if it’s Ibsen, the personality of that week in May will be entirely different. Instead of having music at the Cameron House, we might have…sad Norwegian poetry nights. Every year there will be a different flavour to what we do.

Q: An atmosphere?

A: An atmosphere, yeah! And secondary programming will arise from that, and different people we can work with will arise from that. Different things these neighbourhoods can engage with and see that they wouldn’t normally. I want to be surprising people five years down the road with what we do. I don’t want to sit still too long. As I said, we’re already in talks for next year, and it will be surprising. I can tell you right now, the format will not be changing, but some things will be and it’ll surprise you. You’ll like it.

The Playwright Project: Sam Shepard runs May 1st-7th
For show listings check out our complete Toronto Theatre Listings page.

For exact venue schedule and ticket purchase go to The Playwright Project’s website!

Apr 4

We want YOU!

Hey nifty peeps! Like the cut of our jib? Want to join the fun? Check out our latest Job Posting for Writers/Contributors for our In the Greenroom team! We want YOU! Read more on our Job Board.

Apr 2

Artists Profile: Britta Johnson – She’s Funny, She’s Sharp & She’s Pushing Boundaries with Musical Theatre Big-Wigs in “Life After”

by: Hallie Seline

Britta Johnson – Three-time Playwright in Residence with the Paprika Festival featuring her piece “Life After” – A New Musical to be shown at the Paprika Festival Fundraiser April 5^th in the Tarragon Theatre Back Space.

HS: If you could describe yourself in five words, what would they be?

BJ: This is a hard question.
Whoops, that was five words.
So was that. My god.
And that. I can’t stop.
“Does not follow directions well.”
There. I did it.

HS: Tell me a little bit about your piece being featured as part of the Paprika Festival Fundraiser this Friday, April 5th.

BJ: “Life After” was born during my time as a playwright-in-residence with Paprika last year. I presented just a few plot sketches and songs in last year’s festival and had the amazing opportunity to return to it this year and let it grow into a more fully realized piece of theatre. The draft is still far from completion but it’s certainly at a point where I am ready to hear it and let an audience help me decide what the next step should be.

The story begins at the funeral of a man named Frank Carter, a celebrity self-help author whose car smashed into a truck just as his book was becoming a smash hit. The protagonist is his 16-year-old daughter, Alice, who finds herself running into some questions about the very nature of her relationship with a man who meant so much to so many but seemed like a stranger to her. The show hopes to examine some questions about life and death, celebrity and fame and coming of age. At its core, it really is a comedy (even though it talks about death an awful lot) and it features ten brand new songs.

HS: Any hints as to whom these Canadian Musical Theatre “big wigs” are who will be performing?

BJ: Well, the cat’s out of the bag! The names are on the facebook event. So I won’t just hint. I’ll tell you.

I am very pleased to announce that the reading will feature Sheila McCarthy, Trish Lindstrom, Steven Gallagher, Kelly Holiff, Laura Jean Elligsen and my incredible older sister, Anika Johnson. I can’t really believe I get to work with these people (except my sister. She had to say yes. Saying no would have been really bad form. But I’m still very excited she is involved). I have been doing some breathing exercises to ensure that I don’t pass out when I first meet the cast.

HS: How did you get started with the Paprika festival?

BJ: I was in my first year of university and found myself really craving opportunities to create my own work and connect with other people doing the same. I really took for granted how many platforms you are given for your writing in high school and how many resources you have access to just by virtue of the fact that that they all exist in the same building. Suddenly I was spending my days sitting in lectures about pre-renaissance chant music and trying to figure out how the hell to use an oven while neglecting my writing and composing, two activities that were central features to my lifestyle back in my hometown. I finally decided to seek out some programs that would help to give me the structure I needed to get writing again, found Paprika online, applied for the Creator’s Unit and never looked back. Paprika has since connected me with my now dearest friends and collaborators and has given me the chance to work with some of the most inspiring theatre professionals in the city (not to mention the fact that there are sometimes snacks at the training days, which comes in handy because I still don’t totally know how to work my oven.)

HS: What has been the most notable experience or realization that you have gained from your involvement with the Paprika Festival?

BJ: That’s so hard to answer. I have had a countless number of hugely valuable experiences during my time with this festival. Perhaps the most important thing that I have realized is that the self-doubt never goes away and that’s ok. What I mean is that I often paralyze myself with self-intimidation. “Who do you think you are?”, “Your ideas are stupid”, “Why do you write musicals? You should be in an indie band or something if you ever expect to get dates” are all thoughts that often play on loop in my head and keep me from doing anything productive, even though I know deep down that creating is a valuable way to spend time whatever the outcome may be. Through my Paprika mentorships, I have realized that there is no amount of success that will make these thoughts go away. I have worked with Leslie Arden and Reza Jacobs, two of the most incredible theatre composers in the city who struggle with the same challenges. They both have explained to me that the trick is not to expect yourself to rise above these thoughts altogether but to learn to work with them and not give them too much power. They rarely reflect the actual quality of the work and even if they do, it was worthwhile to do the work anyways. The fact that the Paprika Festival focuses on process over product is something that has totally transformed how I go about creating. My goal is no longer to create something totally amazing. My goal is to challenge myself, to find the bravery to share my ideas even when they aren’t polished, to push my own boundaries even when it scares me and to dare to be dreadful.

HS: What is the strongest advice you have ever gotten as an artist and how has it affected you and your work?

BJ: Other than the afore mentioned valuable advice about feeling the fear and doing it anyways, I have learned a whole lot about process from working with Reza Jacobs on “Life After”. Reza has consistently encouraged me to just keep churning out new material and to not get stuck trying to perfect what has already been created. “Life After” has been the first show I have ever written for which I didn’t have a plot pre-conceived when I began. I applied for Paprika last year without a clue about what to write. (I honestly don’t know why they let me in. They asked me about my ideas in the interview and I was just like “Dunno. We’ll see.” And for some reason they had faith in me. Weird.) Reza always pushes me to just keep writing. If I have a thought, write it. If I have a question, write about it. Don’t get too stuck looking at what I have and trying to sculpt it into anything before it is ready. This process has been so freeing and organic and I think the concepts in the show are more complex because I gave them the time to be fully realized without stressing about what the show “needed to be.” The draft that has resulted is at times a little chaotic but ultimately more interesting.

HS: If you could choose one artists/musician/playwright to work with in the future who would it be and why?

BJ: Steven Sondheim. No question. He is the reason I tried writing musicals in the first place. He completely transformed everything about what I thought was possible in a piece of theatre. I have to hurry up and find out where he lives though. He’s getting old.

Also Tina Fey and Victor Borge (who is no longer alive but I didn’t think we were going for realistic situations here.) I could keep going… Shakespeare, Debussy, Carol Burnett. I guess you only asked for one. Sondheim tops the list.

HS: At In the Greenroom we like to discover how artists find inspiration, especially in their downtime. Where do you look to find creative inspiration?

BJ: All kinds of places! I have an incredible community of artists around me (some of whom I live with) and daily I am inspired and challenged simply by spending time and sharing my ideas with them. More specifically, when I am stuck writing a song I usually play music that I love, try to figure out why I love it and proceed to imitate it. It’s usually just a jumping off point and the music grows into being my own voice. But sometimes it doesn’t. I won’t tell you the parts of this show that are direct imitation but they are certainly there.

HS: What is your favourite place in Toronto and why?

BJ: That’s a hard one. Is it lame to say my apartment? I have amazing roommates, nice lamps and a good movie collection. Beyond that, Kensington Market (because I am very indie), the Island, Honest Ed’s, Future Bakery, Flip Toss and Thai (No. I can’t get into food places. I’ll never stop. There are so many food places I could say.) I love so many places. I love this city.

HS: What are you passionate/jazzed about these days?

BJ: So many things! I don’t know how to answer this…. Here are some things that I like… I’m really digging a Schubert piece I’m playing on piano right now. I just discovered the show “Portlandia” which I think may be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I’m obsessed with my friends. Honestly, I hang out with the most interesting and talented people. I have been so inspired by the other work I have seen in the Paprika Festival so far. The other two playwrights-in-residence, Jennie Egerdie and Sabrina White, are unbelievable. Remember those names. These two women are something special. I also just rediscovered Justin Timberlake’s “Futuresex/Lovesounds” and it’s taken over my life in a pretty extreme way. I’m just excited about this city and the people I know in it. A lot of really exciting work is happening. This was a poorly organized answer.

HS: It’s fantastic. Any plans for the near future?

BJ: In the immediate future, I have to figure out a way to finish off my school year without skipping town. I take procrastination to a whole new level, which makes this time of year a particular kind of hell.
Beyond that, I have a few writing projects on the back burner that I hope to invest some serious time in this summer. I will likely go visit my mom in Ireland (she moved to Ireland. How cool is that?), teach some piano lessons and keep on working on this show because it is far from completion. Honestly, I feel like I’m just getting started.
I also probably need a haircut pretty soon.

HS: What can people hope to expect from “Life After”?

BJ: I hope that people will laugh. I hope the story will ring true with the audience. I hope it will pose some interesting questions and look at loss and grief in a new and refreshing way. I hope that the music will heighten the story-telling in a way that is enchanting and entertaining. It’s hard to know what to expect. The piece is very much still in-process right now and I’m not even sure what features will be the most striking when I hear it read out loud. I look forward to learning as much as possible from having an audience in the room. I know for certain that the audience will bear witness to some dazzling performances. The cast I get to work with is world class. I also know for certain that it will make my mother cry so I will walk away feeling like I did something right. Saying that, I think my mother’s just deeply proud I kept up with piano practice and wear sensible shoes so the tears may not have to do with the writing. We’ll see.

Tickets for “Life After”, The Paprika Festival Fundraiser – $20 includes show, pre/post show receptions & talk-back.

For tickets go to the Tarragon Theatre website, call the Box office: 416-531-1827, or get them in person.

The 12 Annual Paprika Festival runs March 27th – April 6th at the Tarragon Theatre Extra Space.
For complete show descriptions & a detailed calendar of their productions and events check out the Paprika Festival website: paprikafestival.com

Shows have been selling out so catch them while you can!

Mar 31

A Few Words with Mitchell Cushman – The 2013 Paprika Festival

Ryan Quinn: So, I’m here with Mitchell Cushman! The 2013 Paprika Festival is well underway. We’ve been hearing some exciting things about the new work being presented and expansive programming this year. Would you like to tell me a bit about the festival as a whole and what your role as Director of Artistic Programs means for the process?

Mitchell Cushman: Sure. The Paprika Festival is currently in its twelfth year of operations. I was actually in the second year as a participant, when the festival was a much smaller thing. Back then, there were just three programs going on, there was no mentorship, no auxiliary. Most of the aspects that make Paprika what it is now have come along in the past four or five years under the artistic production of Rob Kempson. He’s in his fourth and final year with the festival. He’s really expanded Paprika, so as opposed to it being a festival that happens once a year, there’s also eight months of programming leading up to it. There are now seven productions, which function at a distance from the festival. We select them all but then they rehearse on their own. It’s also a juried festival. We collect applications from high school and university students for shows, pick the ones we’re most excited about, and then offer mentor support, pairing each group with a professional artist who works with them over the year. Finally we give them a great place to present their pieces, the Tarragon extra space.

Aside from that, we also offer two weekly programs; the Creators’ Unit and the Resident Company. Those are both groups that people apply to as individuals, we then create ensembles through those applications, then we pair them up with professional mentors as directors and facilitators.

We have a playwright-in-residence program, whose individual plays will culminate in readings during the festival. We’re also offering mini-mentorships, which is kind of a junior version of that. We also have an Olde Spice program for people over 21. Our cutoff age for Paprika is usually 21, but this is more of an alumni program for people who’ve worked with us previously, and now we’re supporting their later work.

There’s also one more program that’s new this year called the Advisory Board, that’s a steering committee of people between the ages of 14 and 25 who are interested in producing. They’ve been involved with the production of the festival. They’re running our studio cabaret late night series, so every night after the festival, there is some fantastic late-night programming courtesy of the advisory board.

R: So the festival seems to really help young artists trying to break into any aspect of production.

M: Absolutely. I think that’s the exciting way the festival has expanded, by really offering mentorship opportunities to people in every area, as you say. I think the festival really stands out because all of our productions are application-based and juried, so as much as it is a training program, we truly believe in the excellence we’re putting forward on stage as well. We look at it as “What’s the highest quality work we can present?”.

R: How does the experience change, then, when working with young people as opposed to working with people who’ve been in the theatre a longer time?

M: I think you get surprised more often. I mean, the fact that they’re fresh and new, and yet we’re blown away by the work they do. Especially this year, I think it’s the strongest year for Paprika. Everyone is coming from these places…I really feel like there are some strong new voices at work. There’s a fantastic piece being presented called This Play is Like, and on the surface it’s a play about a peanut allergy, but it’s really about how people can be allergic to their environments. It has a whole narrative shadow puppet show that compliments the main story. It’s one of the things that really blew me away when we were looking at all of the works this year.

R: As you mentioned before, the festival is expanding and adding new programs every year, gaining notoriety. Ideally, in ten years, what would the festival look like?

M: There are things that we’re doing in a small way now, that if we had the resources, we’d love to do in a bigger way for the future. Last year we hosted a school, where some of the productions went to schools and actually played for them, which was a perfect fit because they were playing to their peers. We’d love to do that in a bigger way and go to more schools. We’d also love to increase our outreach. Most of our participants hear about us through their schools but there are more and more who don’t. We’ve also talked about the idea of reaching out to other cities. For the first time this year, we have a group from out of the city, from Ottawa, who have been commuting in from there, if you can believe that! So, we love the idea of Paprika festivals in other places in Ontario, or even further, that we could partner with.

R: That sounds amazing. Well, thanks so much for your time and break a leg with this last week of Paprika!

M: Thanks!

For tickets go to the Tarragon Theatre website. Shows have been selling out so catch them while you can!

Mar 13

Ryan Recommends: Death and the King’s Horseman

Wole Soyinka – Death and the King’s Horseman

In this examination of Nigerian colonialism and what follows it, a man meant to sacrifice himself for the passing of a great king is interrupted by British forces who seek to save his life without knowing the symbolic nature of the death. This beautifully written piece is relevant to both the ever present climate of “colony-vs-colonized” unrest in Canada; and to the continuing Westernization of media and history. In that sense, it reminded me a lot of another great work from Nigeria, Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. In this piece as well, we have not only a hero doomed to tragedy, but an entire way of life and a culture doomed to tragedy because of the dominating force of Western influence. What I find most interesting, though, is that neither of these works is interested in specifically choosing a side. Neither explicitly tells us that the entrance of the Western people is a force for good or bad, simply that it puts into motion a paradigm shift that is very alienating for the Nigerian people.

The dialogue is quite difficult, repetitive and ritualistic at the beginning, but this transforms into a very easy-to-understand drama that can provoke a great discussion. It is almost as if the play itself is forced to adapt to colonization, as its form turns from a sort of dance ceremony into nearly becoming a conventional well-made play. However, I believe something is lost in that transformation. We move from lyricism to plot. We move from forces to characters. We move from summoning to staging. Both of these halves of the play have their own merits and worth, but in the midst of one, I found myself yearning for the other. To me, that means the show has really done its job. Incredibly highly recommended, and I’d love to see a staging of it.

Casting: 3F, 9M plus singers and dancers

Feb 27

Strong Shows in Small Spaces – Rarely Pure Theatre Opens The Pillowman

I sat down with Ryan Quinn and David DiFrancesco, director and actor of Rarely Pure Theatre’s The Pillowman running from Wednesday February 27^th to Sunday March 3^rd at the Propeller Gallery. Over hot chocolate and croissants, we talk about the show, get to know these gentlemen, discuss the benefit of strong shows in small spaces and explore the challenges and benefits when working with those you know so well. We even get a little playlist to listen to before the show!

The Pillowman – Trailer

Hallie Seline: Tell me a little bit about Rarely Pure Theatre and something that we might not know about the company?

David DiFrancesco: Rarely Pure Theatre was started around last January by a group of people from the University of Windsor. Essentially, its function is to be a hub that artists can come to when they want to put on work and Rarely Pure will help them do it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be people we have worked with either. When someone has an idea for a show they can just throw it at us and we’ll work on all of the ins and outs to help put it on.

Ryan Quinn: This is our second production with Rarely Pure Theatre and as for something you might not know, we are now doing a dinner theatre in Erin Ontario!

HS: Tell me about that.

DD: We are going up to Erin Ontario, which is just outside of Brampton to do two performances of The Pillowman before our Toronto run. It’s going to be a dinner theatre feel at an inn location. It’s a small town that doesn’t get a lot of theatre, so they are very excited to have us up there and if all goes well, it may be something that we can continue doing with Rarely Pure.

RQ: Yeah, and I think what’s interesting is that with a lot of dinner theatre, the dinner becomes part of the theatre, whereas this is going to be more like you sit down for dinner then after you see a show. It will definitely be interesting to gauge the reactions of our dinner theatre audience who may think they are coming for a certain kind of theatre and will be getting, I believe, something quite different and a little more hard-hitting and real.

DD: The Pillowman has some dark themes to say the least.

RQ: Oh yeah. Reading The Pillowman, at times, still makes me feel uncomfortable but I believe at its heart, it has a very beautiful story. That’s what captures me every time. I read it, I get caught up in it, I feel disgusted with what the characters do and with what they say, but at the end it’s rewarding and actually kind of heartwarming.

HS: What is one thing that we might not know about you?

DD: Well, this is Ryan’s first full directorial show that he’s taking up all on his own, which is really exciting.

RQ: Last year I had the chance to work with Lee Wilson, assistant directing on The Merry Wives of Windsor up at Theatre By The Bay. This year I really wanted to do some of my own work and then maybe go back to assistant directing and hopefully continue to go back and forth to really develop both skills at once.

This has been a really big undertaking but it has been incredibly rewarding so far.

RQ: I’ve also started doing a little bit of stand-up comedy.

HS: Oh, that’s fun! And what about you, David?

DD: I’ve got nothing…

We all have a good chuckle about that.

HS: We’ll leave David as a Man of Mystery. So, why The Pillowman?

RQ: It’s a show we’ve been talking about doing since we were in second-year University. It came up in Scene Study and all of us were completely taken by it. The aspect that I still love about The Pillowman is how it still surprises me. I go through the script and I write things down like ‘Ok, I know the show is about this, and trying to talk about this,’ and then I read it again and I can come out with something completely different. It is a show that poses a lot of questions and doesn’t necessarily assert answers.

DD: Because it has been such a fantasy project for us, we never thought that it was actually going to happen. One of our main actors, Davydd Cook (who plays Tupolski), moved to Greece and we just figured it was never going to happen with just the few of us but he sent us a message saying he’d be back for the Christmas holidays and a few months after so we jumped at the opportunity. We just decided that it was now or never.

HS: What has been the most interesting or the most challenging aspect about working on this play as an actor, for you David, and as a director, Ryan?

DD: I think for me, the most challenging aspect has been finding my character Michal’s mentality. Because the character is slow, having severe mental damage from being beaten by his parents for several years, it has been interesting and a challenge trying to get into his mindset, figuring out where his thoughts are coming from and really attempting to speak through the truth of the character.

RQ: For me, it has been working with people who I know so well and their processes, which I also know so well, and still making sure they challenge each other. It can be tempting to say that something is good enough or to say ‘that’s what I thought you would bring to the table’. I needed to make sure that we kept the rehearsal process fresh and challenging in hopes of achieving the best from everyone involved. And they’re so good at that, leaving the years of experience that they have with each other at the door, getting in the space and really trying to affect one another. For something that I thought would be a bigger challenge, it has turned out to be a great benefit in many ways. We can regroup quicker and dive into the material, working relationships a lot more smoothly without the reserve there is at times when actors are meeting for the first time.

DD: I think that is the most exciting part about it too. Getting to work with these guys on our own project. We’ve never gotten to work just the five of us outside of school on something we were all really passionate about. It’s great.

HS: What should people hope to expect when coming to see The Pillowman?

RQ: Well, it’s at the Propeller Gallery (Queen Street West & Ossington), which is a small, intimate space and it is a very emotionally and physically violent play, so I think that audiences can expect to be taken for quite the ride and really feel the heart of this story. Some of the best shows that I have seen in Toronto have been in small, intimate spaces with shows that pull the audience in and make them feel complicit. I think that’s really what we’re going to do with this show – make the audience question what they’re watching, question why they’re enjoying it and question the nature of violence in theatre or in art.

DD: We have commissioned a couple of artists who have devised paintings for our play and they will be showcased around the gallery for the week, as it still needs to function as a gallery space. I think with all of the elements that we’ve employed, from the actors, to the projections we’ll be utilizing throughout the show, to the images showcased in the gallery, it will make for a very overwhelming show, to say the least.

HS: If someone from the audience could have a playlist to listen to before coming to see The Pillowman, what would you recommend they include on it?

RQ: This is the best question.

Gustav Holst – The Planets Suite.

It’s just a very emotional and god-like suite. It is very intense but also very gentle at times

Aphex Twin – “Selected Ambient Works 85-92”.

This is a really great album of ambient music, which is also very slow and droning.

Set Fire to Flames – “Sings Reign Rebuilder & Telegraphs in Negative”, “Mouths Trapped in Static”

They are a group of improvisational musicians from Montreal who locked themselves in a house and starved themselves until they could write an entire album. It is the most raw, human thing I have ever heard because they just wanted to get it out there and to get out of the house, while still working to make something they could be proud of. It’s a little sadistic but it really made me think of the play.

Finally, there’s a great album by The Mountain Goats called “The Sunset Tree” or there’s a stripped-down acoustic version called “Come, Come to the Sunset Tree”, and it comes out of the lead singer’s experiences as an abused child. What I love about the album is how optimistic, child-like and full of wonder it is but always with that underlying darkness.

DD: For me, there is a song by The Tallest Man on Earth called “Kids on the Run”.

It’s about just looking back on life and not really being able to move forward, which is a lot of what my character deals with in the show.

HS: Now a little word association, for fun.

HS: Story-telling:

DD: The Pillowman
RQ: Danger

HS: Toronto:

DD: Crazy
RQ: Community

HS: Theatre:

DD: Awesome
RQ: Danger

HS: Pillow:

DD: Comfort
RQ: Smother

HS: Emerging Artist:

DD: Rarely Pure
RQ: Rarely Pure

HS: Favourite Spot in Toronto:

DD: The Stockyards (St. Clair Avenue West & Christie)
RQ: The Distillery District (Just south of Parliament & Front)

HS: Any last words?

DD: The seats for the show are very limited because we’re in a small art gallery and we can only fit approximately forty people, so there’s the possibility that there won’t be tickets available at the door. Advanced tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.com. Search The Pillowman. Other than that, I’m just very excited for this show and we can’t wait to put it out there for you all.

RQ: Yeah, I’m really excited about the show. Every single person that we are working with in design, illustration, music, lighting, is so talented and so ‘on-the-ball’ with this piece. It really blows me away how beautiful the show has become and how much everyone has been able to contribute to our final product. We can’t wait for people to see it.

The Pillowman opens tonight until Sunday March 3^rd.

Breakdown: Katurian the writer stays in and writes stories. That’s it. Brilliant but often grotesque tales, shaped by a twisted childhood experiment conducted by his own parents towards his brother, Michal, heard through the cracks in the wall separating the siblings. Now Katurian has been blindfolded and taken out of his home to face questioning at the hands of two brutal detectives, representatives of an ominous totalitarian state. His stories have put them on the trail of a serial child killer, and several lives hang in the balance as Katurian wrestles with his responsibilities to (and for) his art. Martin McDonagh’s play is a harrowing and blackly funny meditation on the tricky power of words to shape the world.

Where: Propeller Gallery (984 Queen W)
When: Wednesday, February 27^th to Sunday March 3^rdTime: 8pm
Tickets: $10 and can be bought online here:

http://www.ticketbreak.com/Pages/Search.aspx?search=rarely+pure+theatre

For more on Rarely Pure Theatre:
http://rarelypuretheatre.com/

https://www.facebook.com/RarelyPureTheatre

Feb 19

Getting to Know You with Gab and Chad: Hannah Moscovitch

Gab and Chad sit down with one of Canada’s most prominent playwrights, Hannah Moscovitch. Click here for Hannah’s insights on the Toronto theatre scene.

Hannah Moscovitch’s mini festival runs at the Tarragon Theatre from February 14th – March 24th. For more info, go to: http://www.tarragontheatre.com.