Interviews

#13 Sholem Dolgoy /  by Michael Kruse

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 while learning from great lighting designers like Nicholas Cernovitch and Thomas Skelton.

Episode #13 Sholem Dolgoy
Michael Kruse

#12 Jim Plaxton Part 2 /  by Michael Kruse

Show Notes

This is the second half of my chat with Toronto-based production designer Jim Plaxton, and we cover his introduction of cardboard into theatre design in Toronto through Michael Hollingsworth's Strawberry Fields, his monumental work on Videocaberet's History of the Village of Small Huts and his retirement from theatre.

One small correction, it appears as if there was a small confusion regarding the first time use of cardboard by Jim.  It is not very clear in the interview, but Jim speaks about a 40' (actually 36') cardboard bridge he had designed in 1981 for Picnic in the Drift by Tanya Mars and Rina Fraticelli which, according to Scenography in Canada, consisted of cardboard glued together to a thickness of 6" and supported by two vertical truss towers.  The bridge supported both artists and furniture during the production.  The drawbridge, designed in 1973 for Hollingsworth's first play, Strawberry Fields, had been his first foray into the use of cardboard.

Links

Strawberry Fields, Michael Hollingsworth

Bill Lane

Cardboard Scenary

Videocaberet

Michael Hollingsworth

The Hummer Sisters run for Mayor in 1982

History of the Village of Small Huts

BeamStop

Astrid Jansen

Shadowland

Native Earth Performing Arts

The Global Village Theatre

Elizabeth Swerdlow (nee Szathmary) 

Robert Swerdlow

Michelle DuBarry played in Facade (gay caberet/ drag troupe at The Global Village Theatre)

Associated Designers of Canada

Nothing Sacred

Jim Plaxton Part 2
Michael Kruse




#11 Jim Plaxton Part 1 /  by Michael Kruse

This episode features Toronto based designer Jim Plaxton.  Jim's 30 year career oversaw the start of many important Toronto theatre companies, including Toronto Workshop Productions, Theatre Passe Muraille as well as the start of Toronto Dance Theatre.  In this first half we speak about Jim's early career in architecture and his transition first to film and then to dance and live performance.  We also speak about his influence on the renovations of Theatre Passe Muraille in 1982-3 and his stint there as its co-artistic director with Layne Coleman and Clark Rogers.

Moody and Moore Architects

Wartime Housing by Wimpey

Cinecity Theatre and Film Canada

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

Willem Poolman

Lorne Michaels

Film Co-ops

LIFT

Toronto Dance Theatre

Peter Rendazzo

David Earle

Patricia Beatty

Toronto Workshop Productions

Gérard Pelletier

School of Toronto Dance Theatre

Theatre Passe Muraille

O.D on Paradise

Hrant Alianak

I Love You Baby Blue and Paul Thompson

Baby Blue II

Lucky Strike

The Blues

Layne Coleman

Clarke Rogers - could find nothing - please send links!

Crackwalker and Judith Thompson

Episode #11 Jim Plaxton Part 1
Michael Kruse

#8 Allan Stichbury Part 2 /  by Michael Kruse

 

This is the second half of my conversation with production designer Allan Stichbury via Skype from his home in Victoria B.C..  Among other things we discuss how he builds a relationship with a director, his approach to education, and his experiences as a designer in Thailand.  We also discuss his involvement with the Prague Quadrennial and the Associated Designers of Canada. The audio is a bit better on this one, but still low quality - it will be fixed for future episodes.

University of Alberta Theatre Dept.

Dennis Garnhum

The Wars by Timothy Findley

Theatre Calgary

Scott Killian - Sound Designer

Chulalongkorn University

Ramakien - Thai Ramayana story 

Prague Quadrennial 2015

The Banff Centre for the Arts

UVic - Bangkok University Exchange

Associated Designers of Canada

Michael Kruse Episode #8 Allan Stichbury Part 2

#7 Allan Stichbury Part 1 /  by Michael Kruse

Allan Stichbury is a set/costume/lighting designer based in Victoria, British Columbia.  An alumni of the conservatory program at the University of Alberta, Allan spoke to me about his early years in Victoria and Edmonton and the shows that made his career at a time in Canadian theatre that you could still become an overnight success.

The sound is a bit lower quality than I would have liked, as this was my first recording of a Skype call.  Please forgive the digital distortion at times, I have improved my technique and this will not happen again.

Show Notes

Vancouver's Gastown Riots

Canadian Actors Equity

University of Victoria Dept. of Theatre

Bastion Theatre

Company One

Carl Hare

Belfry Theatre

William D. (Bill) West

University of Alberta Theatre Program

Victor Becker

Northern Light Theatre

Wings

50/50 Glass (Rosco Shrink Mirror Scrim)

National Arts Centre

Josef Svoboda

Banff Centre for the Arts

Citadel Theatre

Robin Phillips

Tarragon Theatre

Young People's Theatre

The Grand Theatre

CentreStage Company (Canadian Stage Company)

Dennis Garnham

Michael Whitfield

The Title Block Podcast Episode #7 Allan Stichbury Part I




#6 Shawn Kerwin Part 2 /  by Michael Kruse

After a bit of a delay for school and life, here is episode #6, part 2 of my discussion with Shawn Kerwin.  We pick up with Shawn's experience with Desmond Heeley at the Stratford Festival and move onto the Met and Shawn's design philosophy, discussing problems with the audience "humming the scenery" after the show.  This episode is a great primer for how to approach a design, generate ideas, communicate with other artisans and build a show, as well as a frank discussion about starting a career in the theatre. Links below.

Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology Conference 2014

Desmond Heeley and his Bio

Backstage at the Stratford Festival

Susan Benson

Alex Stone and Carl Toms and Cecil Beaton

David Reppa and the Metropolitan Opera Company

Canadian Violinist Murdered at the Met : Helen Hagnes

John Michael Deegan

Theatre New Brunswick

Robert Edmond Jones

Script Analysis

Making a Model Box for Theatre - example, the play A Janika

Haden Griffin

Who's In The Goose Tonight? An Anecdotal History of Theatre in Canada to 1970, Vernon Chapman

Michael Kruse Episode #6 Shawn Kerwin Part 2

#5 Shawn Kerwin Part 1 /  by Michael Kruse

This week, I speak with set designer Shawn Kerwin about her training in the early days of modern Canadian theatre in Toronto.  From the beginnings in an unheated warehouse at the Factory Theatre to training with the stars of British design, Shawn's life as been extraordinary.

Here are some links to stuff we talked about:

The Blyth Festival

Theatre Passe Muraille

The Factory Theatre

Eric Steiner

George Walker

Donald Davis

Playwright's Co-op

National Theatre School

Yale University School of Drama

Atlantic Steamer Cruise

Herschel Hardin

Baghdad Saloon

Bush Theatre (Shepard's Bush London)

Margaret 'Percy' Harris

Saddler's Wells

Motley Theatre Design Group

Hayden Griffin 

The Royal Court Theatre

The Tarragon Theatre

Michael Kruse Episode #5 Shawn Kerwin Part 1



#4 Kevin Lamotte Part 2 /  by Michael Kruse

In this episode, I conclude my talk with the Director of Lighting Design at the Shaw Festival in Kevin Lamotte.  In this episode we begin by discussing Kevin's relationship with the director and how he visualises lighting.  We move on to discuss his approach to cuing and his role as the director of lighting design.

Michael Kruse Episode #2 Kevin Lamotte Part 2

#3 Kevin Lamotte Part 1 /  by Michael Kruse

This week, I have the first part of my discussion with Kevin Lamotte, the director of lighting designer at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario.  We discuss his original training and dig into his early years at the festival as well as his design philosophy.

Leamington. Ontario

Niagara College

The Shaw Festival

The Studio and Forum of Stage Design

Lester Polokoff

The Banff Centre

Josef Svoboda

Ubu Roi

The Title Block Episode #3 Kevin Lamotte Part 1

#2 Michelle Ramsay Part 2 /  by Michael Kruse

In this second installment of my chat with lighting designer Michelle Ramsay, we spoke about some of her favourite shows, her work on festival designs and collaboration between designers.

Some further reading from the show

Nightwood Theatre

Rough House - Nightswimming  Theatre

April 14th, 1912 - Theatre Rusticle

Obaaberima - Buddies in Bad Times

Rhubarb Festival

The Toronto Fringe Festival

Arcadia - Shaw Festival

Michael kruse Episode #2 Michelle Ramsay Part 2

#1 Michelle Ramsay Part 1 /  by Michael Kruse

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 Festival

Theatre Smith Gilmore

Theatre Columbus

Theatre Kingston

Red

Manual Lighting Boards

Michael Kruse Episode #1 - Michelle Ramsay Part 1