On this episode, another presentation of The Bellows, a monthly informal discussion about theatre production that is presented by Pip Bradford, Kevin Hutson, and Christopher Ross. This time, our crew met at The Central bar in Toronto and discussed The Beer Economy; the informal barter system that everyone in Canadian theater, both professional and amateur alike will be familiar with. This was recorded on September 16th, 2016 and featured panalist Jiv Parasram, Maya Rabinovitch, Julia Nish-Lapidus, and Christopher Ross. The panel was moderated by Pip Bradford.
Bios
Pip Bradford
Pip Bradford has been working in theatre exclusively since she quit the porn store back in ’07, and she has hated writing bios the whole time. She has production managed for companies around Ontario including Why Not Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, The Theatre Centre, The Lower Ossington Theatre, FADO Performance Art, and Stand-Up Dance, and worked in innumerable capacities for countless others. When Pip isn’t production managing or teaching production management to the young, she makes interactive art pieces with Rebecca Vandevelde for Art Is Hard Productions, including the upcoming Blanket Fort at the Theatre Centre in January 2017. In the spare time left over from her spare time, Pip is one of the hosts of The Bellows, a monthly production artist mixer that fosters community amongst production peeps in Toronto.
Julia Nish-Lapidus
Julia is an actor, producer, director, as well as a Co-Founder and Artistic Producer of Shakespeare BASH'd, where she has produced all of the company's sold-out productions. She has worked as the Managing Director of Common Boots Theatre (formerly Theatre Columbus) and is now part of the team at The Theatre Centre, as the Box Office & Front of House Manager. She 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.
Jivesh Parasram
Jivesh Parasram is an award winning multi-disciplinary artist of Indo-Caribbean descent. He is the Founding Artistic Producer of Pandemic Theatre, a core member of “The Wrecking Ball,” and serves as Theatre Passe Muraille’s Associate Artistic Producer. With Pandemic and Theatre Lab he co-founded the Collective Studio and Event Space. Jiv also works as a facilitator and community activator. He is currently completing a fellowship as part of the 2016 cohort of Cultural Leaders Lab (Toronto Arts Council/Banff Centre). Further professional service engagements include the Ad Hoc Assembly, the Theatre Committee for the Toronto Arts Council, The Tom Hendry Awards, and Theatre Ontario. Jiv's worked in varied capacities in the theatre community, often simultaneously. These include roles as: director, dramaturge, playwright/creator, producer, performer, technician, stage manager, designer, and production manager.
Maya Rabinovitch
Maya Rabinovitch is a director, dramaturg and producer. Select directing credits include Unintentionally Depressing Children’s Tales (SummerWorks/Vidiofag), Transfusions (SummerWorks/AMY Project), Fantastic Extravagance (Toronto Fringe), 18 Twitching Cheerleaders (Edmonton Fringe), Zero Visibility (AMY Project/SummerWorks), I Will Not Hatch! (Berkeley Street Theatre), Double Double (Toronto Fringe), and nisha ahuja’s A World of Bananas (Hysteria Festival). Maya’s company, the Steady State Theatre Project, focuses on creative methods for new play development. Maya’s first libretto was presented by Essential Opera in Toronto and at the Open Ears Festival in Kitchener, as well as Halifax. Maya sat on Factory Theatre’s Board of Directors from 2006-2012.
Christopher Ross
Christopher Ross has extensive experience as a technician, stage manager, and production manager. he has worked in most of Toronto’s independent theatres, and has been a venue technician for the Fringe Festival, the Next Stage Theatre Festival, and the Summerworks performance festival. he is currently the head technician of the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace.