#42 Peter Hartwell /  by Michael Kruse

Peter Hartwell, photo by David Cooper

Peter Hartwell, photo by David Cooper

Peter is a set and costume designer based in Niagara-On-the-Lake, Ontario. I had the pleasure to speak with him at his home in May of 2017. Peter spent the first 1/2 of his career in the UK, working with the likes of Max Stafford Clark at the Royal Court, and since 1991 has distinguished himself in Canada as one of its leading designers.

Links

Queen's University Drama Program

Fred Euringer

Gavin Semple

Margaret "Percy" Harris, from the Motley Theatre Design School

English National Opera at the Sadler's Wells

Saved by Edward Bond

National Theatre School

The Royal Court Theatre, London and from The Telegraph

George Devine and Tony Richardson

Sophie Harris, of The Motley's

Jocelyn Herbert

The Bristol Old Vic School

Elizabeth Montgomery

Galileo by Berthold Brecht

Michael Gambin

William Gaskel (The Royal Court)

Tony Page

John Dextor

Lindsay Anderson

The Half-Moon Theatre

Hayden Griffon

The Farm at the Royal Court

Camperdown House

Half-Moon Passage, London

Pam Brighten

Guy Sprung talking about the start of the Half-Moon Theatre

York Mystery Cycles

Come Together at the Royal Court

Timeon Alsacker

Phaedra Britanica at the National Theatre, designed by Tanya Moiseivitch

The Cut in Waterloo at the Old Vic

Weapons of Happiness by Howard Brenton Directed by David Hare at the Littleton Theatre

The Berliner Ensemble

T34 Russian Tank

Portable Theatre with Snoo Wilson and Howard Brenton

Joint Stock Theatre Company

The Speakers by Heathcote Williams

Il Campiello by Goldoni at the National Theatre

The Olivier Stage at the National Theatre

Bill Bryden

Tamburlaine and Prince Philip

Simon Relph

The Madras House

A Mad World, My Masters by Barrie Keeffe produced by Joint Stock

Max Stafford Clark

Simon Callow and Gillian Barge

Epsom Downs by Howard Brenton

The Roundhouse Theatre in London

The Riverside Studios and Peter Gill

Paul Thompson

Ralph Koltai

The Glad Hand by Snoo Wilson

Tony Sher and Julie Walters

Roots by Arnold Wesker at the Young Vic

Tim Caroll

Stuart Birge at the Royal Court

Cloud 9 by Joint Stock and Royal Court

Top Girls, Serious Money, by Carol Churchill and Our Country's Good

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists with Harriet Walter

The Iran Hostage Crises

Roman Litchinsky from Canadian diplomatic core

Scenes From an Execution by Howard Barker

Glenda Jackson

Phil Young

Hamstead Theatre Club

Albrecht Seeger

Our Country's Good

Bill Glassco

Miles Potter

MacBeth at (Royal) Winnipeg Theatre Centre

1949 by David French

Jeffery Dallas

Of The Fields Lately By David French with Randy Hughson directed by Bill Glassco

The Ten-Minute Alibi at the Shaw Festival

Murray Morrison

The Old Woman, by Daniil Kharms

Doug Lemcke

Glynis Lehshan

The Devil's Disciple at The Shaw Festival

Waste directed by Neil Munro at the Shaw Festival

Rat and the Skull directed by Max Stafford Clark

Serious Money directed by Max Stafford Clark

Anita Rochon at the Belfry Theatre Alice Monroe Short Stories

Seana McKenna

Jenny Taramani (designer UK)

Tim Caroll

John C. Dinning

Ivan Habel

Michael Eagan

The Foster Festival

Jane Dagg (development at Shaw Festival)

Rod Hilliard

Episode #42 Peter Hartwell
Peter Hartwell

 

 

The Bellows: Getting Started in Design /  by Michael Kruse

This time on our presentation of The Bellows, a topic close to the heart of this podcast, Getting Started in Design. Moderator Christopher Ross speaks with lighting designer Jareth Li, performance designer Shannon Lea Doyle, sound designer and composer Alex Williams, and lighting Designer Michael Kruse (:)) about their best advice on getting becoming a theatrical designer.

The Bellows: Getting Started in Design
The Bellows

Bios

Jareth Li

Jareth is a freelance lighting designer based in Toronto. Select lighting designs include: The Glass Menagerie, Casimir and  Carolin (The Howland Company); Sinners’ Lounge (Canada’s  Wonderland); Dusk Dances (Dusk Dances – Sylvie Bouchard);  Crazy For You (Port Hope Festival Theatre); The Trial of Judith  K (Thought for Food Productions); Mourning Dove (Sudbury  Theatre Centre); Dangerous Liaisons (Red One  Collective/Storefront); The Widow (SummerWorks); Disco Pigs  (A Lasting Dose Productions). Jareth is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Shannon Lea Doyle

Shannon Lea Doyle is a scenographer and sculptor from Toronto. In the past year Shannon has collaborated with directors Leah Cherniak, Frank Cox-O’Connell, Alessandro Costantini, Mikaela Davies, Sarah Kits, Jeannette Lambermont-Morey, Adam Lazarus, Viktor Lukawski  Gregory Prest, Albert Shultz, Guillermo Verdecchia, and Michael Wheeler. Shannon is currently assistant to the 2016 7a*11d International Festival of Performance Art in Toronto, designing The Last Wife at The Belfry in Victoria, B.C. and working on a new sculpture series. She holds a BFA in Sculpture and Installation from OCAD University and is a graduate of the Soulpepper Academy where she worked under the mentorship of Lorenzo Savoini. Find more details on her website at: shannonleadoyle.com

Alex Williams

Alex Williams has worked for 12 years on Hollywood features, television series, documentary and indie film productions in both sound and picture editing departments, such as Acts of Imagination, X-Men 3, Scary Movie 4, News for the Church and Mustard Pancakes. Alex holds a B.F.A. In Film/Video from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design (Film/Video), studied at Concordia University, The Banff Centre, and under Emmy and Juno-award winning sound mixer, William Butler.

Michael Kruse

Michael is a Toronto based lighting designer and has lit over 125 shows for theatre, dance, opera and corporate events. A graduate of Ryerson Theatre School, Michael was at the Shaw Festival for four seasons, the Blyth Festival for nine seasons, and has worked across the country and abroad.  He has been honored with several Dora nominations in lighting design including Studio 180's The Laramie Project and Theatre Direct's Alphonse, and a Sterling nomination for the hit November Theatre show The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets that toured Canada and made an appearance at the Tarragon Theatre in 2008.  Michael designs have also been seen at the Factory Theater, Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre New Brunswick, The Globe Theatre, Regina, Theatre Network, Edmonton, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Carousel Players, and many others.  Michael currently works as an advanced care paramedic for York Region Paramedic Services.

 

The 2017 Harolds Sham-Cast: A Special Presentation of The Bellows /  by Michael Kruse

Detail from a painting of Harold Kandel by Kirsten Johnson

Detail from a painting of Harold Kandel by Kirsten Johnson

On June 13th, Toronto theatre artists were feted again by the irreverent and always random Harold Awards. Established in 1995 by 13 bad-ass independent theatre artists, the awards have wound their way through the theatre community, establishing a timeline of independent theatre creators that have pushed the boundaries and held everything together in the Toronto theatre scene.  The new artists are "Harolded" by the previous year's winners, who look for theatre creators who inspire them professionally, or personally, or surrealistically and come from all aspects of the theatre, on stage and off. Stage managers, producers, educators, administrators designers and yes actors and directors make up all of the recipients of what Daniel MacIvor has called "the most important award a theatre artist can win".

See the Harold's webpage for the history of the award, named after Harold Kandel, an eccentric and vocal theatre lover who became an entrenched theatre super-fan and who was loved and who, when he started talking back to the actors on stage during a show, could instill that cold sweat that let you know you had to pull out all of your acting chops to make it through that performance, or risk being heckled!

The Ken McDougall award for directing, sponsored originally by Platform 9, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and Theatre Passe Muraille is the only prize that comes with cash and was added in 1996 to honor the passing of Ken McDougall, a leading director in the Toronto Indy scene. In 2012, the year that I was one of the organizing artists as a Haroldee from 2011, we established the Barbara Fingerote Award to honor the great and unswerving volunteers without whom no theatre could operate in Toronto. Barbara Fingerote is a volunteer, now retired but who keeps getting pulled back in, who was to be found at every indie theater in Toronto at one time or another and who stood for the love we all have of theatre. 

The Bellows crew was asked to come and record the show and interview some folks during it, and as you will find out, was a target of a classic Harold's ruse. While in some years the recipients were told they were winning, most years, it is kept a secret, and it is part of the game to see if you can get your Haroldee to the party without them knowing. They can't prepare and the surprise is everything. 

If you work or aspire to work in the Toronto theatre scene, you will not be disappointed in this edited version (at 1:20, it is a might bit shorter than the 2 hrs it usually takes) and you will hear interviews conducted by Pip Bradford and Rebecca Hooton with some past and present inductees into the awards interspersed in the show.

OH! A quick note - in the extro I mention it was recorded at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto, but that was a mistake - it was recorded at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre!

The 2017 Harolds Sham-Cast: A special Presentation of The Bellows
The Bellows

#41 Richard Feren /  by Michael Kruse

Last September, 2016, I spent 2 hrs talking to composer and sound designer Richard Feren.  We spoke about his early career in radio, at the age of 13, through his time in the explosion of indi theatre in Toronto in the early 90's and his work with iconic directors like Daniel Brooks. We land on his process for producing sound scapes and scores for theatre and the genesis of his modern method, from the early days of the Fostex 4-track cassette to Qlab. We finally land on his work in organizing designers to fight back against the cuts to fees in Canada. This is a 2 hr chat, but one that holds on to you at every minute.  To see Richard's theatre bio go here.

We did not get to chat about his work as @RobFrod or his other music projects, but you can see more on his website here.

Links

Guelph Little Theatre

Samuel Becket and Theatre of the Absurd

University of Toronto Schools (secondary schools)

David Letterman

CFRU FM at U of Guelph

Post-punk and New Wave

Reel to Reel editing (splicing block, Revox reel to reel)

Fostex 4-track cassette recorder

The Residents (band)

Van der Graaf Generator (band)

Chrome (band)

Brave New Waves with Brent Bambury

Ed Video, media arts centre, (Guelph)

Trinity Square Video (Toronto)

Brian Eno

Fiona Griffiths

U of Guelph

Theatre Resource Centre

Richard Pochencho and Ian Wallace

Clown-through-mask

Mump and Smoot

Futures Grant, from Canada Council

The Maids, directed by Ian Wallace

Rhubarb Festival, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Old Buddies' space on George St.

Pow Pow Unbound

Darren O'Donnell

Wendy Agnew

Stephen Seabrook

The Young Company at Blyth Festival

Round Rotund Rumps at Rhubarb Festival 1994

Excerpts From The Emo Journals by STO Union

The Dance of Death by August Strindberg at Equity Showcase

Skye Gilbert

Das Reingold by Richard Wagner, directed by Stephen Seabrook

Justin Roddy, sound designer

Death Waits - Jacob Wren

The Bangs at The Theatre Centre

The 40 Tiny Performances, Darren O'Donnell

The Theatre Resource Centre's Soirees

Daniel Brooks and The Augusta Company

Nadia Ross

Here Lies Henry, by Daniel MacIver

Monster, In on It, Cul-de-Sac, This is What Happens Next, by Daniel MacIver

Necessary Angel Theatre Co.

Insomnia, by Daniel Brooks

The Designated Mourner, by Wallace Shawn

A Doll's House at Soulpepper

The Other Place at Canadian Stage

Todd Charleton

DAT Tape

Tape Hiss

Sampling Keyboards in Theatre

Qlab from Figure 53

Cage

Heartbreak House, 1998 Shaw Festival

Tadeusz Bradecki, director and performer

Faust, at Tarragon Theatre directed by Daniel Brooks

Steel Kiss by Platform 9, at Buddies in Bad Times, by Robin Fulford

Gulag by Platform 9, directed by Sarah Stanley

Steve Marsh, sound designer

Possible Worlds, directed by Daniel Brooks

Mitchell Cushman

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), directed by Alisa Palmer

Endgame by Soulpepper, directed by Daniel Brooks

László Marton

Diego Matamoras

John Cage

Stratford Festival

Shaw Festival

Peter Hinton, director

Mike Walsh, sound engineer and designer

Oleanna, at Soulpepper Theatre

White Biting Dog, at Tarragon Theatre

Julie Fox, set designer

Julius Ceasar Hart House theatre, Overture by Richard Feren

Associated Designers of Canada

The Designers Guild

Episode #41 Richard Feren
Richard Feren

The Bellows: Self Care /  by Michael Kruse

Are you sleeping enough? Do you know what enough is? When was the last time you made yourself a meal, or spent the day taking care of yourself instead of all of your actors and director? Have you had moments of panic for no reason or felt an unyielding force preventing you from leaving the house and going into rehearsal? Perhaps, like the rest of us, you have been focusing on the show to much and on yourself too little. Self care is important, and vital to a long and fruitful career.  The next hour and 1/2 we talk about self care. In this session of The Bellows, host and carpenter Kevin Hutson talks to a panel of self-care experts about surviving, well, life in the theatre.

Recorded on February 20th, 2017 , our panel was made up of David Whitley, advanced care paramedic and peer support worker in paramedic services, and Leah Erbe from the Actors Fund of Canada.

The Bellows: Self Care
The Bellows

Actors Fund of Canada

Bios

David Whitley

David is an Advanced Care Paramedic in a emergency service in the Greater Toronto Area, and serves on it's Critical Incident Stress Management and Peer Support team. David is also a registered nurse and has spent many years training in the treatment and prevention of stress injuries.

Leslie Erbe

Leah is The AFC’s first program manager. The AFC is the lifeline for Canada’s entertainment industry, providing short-term financial assistance to entertainment industry professionals whose health, housing, or ability to work have been jeopardized by an unforeseen emergency. Leah spent eight years as The AFC’s case coordinator, fielding calls and processing applications for assistance, before becoming program manager in 2016. Prior to her work at The AFC, Leah worked as a member representative at the Songwriters Association of Canada.

Leah has performed as a solo act, with her band Smugshot, and with other bands and projects in and around Toronto. Her songs have been featured on "Dawson's Creek", “Party of Five”, and in several independent films; she has worked with producers and co-writers Mike Rocha, Luther Mallory (Crush Luther), and Haydain Neale (jacksoul). She also has extensive TV and film credits as a singer, including theme vocals for "Earth: Final Conflict" and the IMAX documentary "Under The Sea", and featured vocals for the IMAX films "Spacestation" and 2016’s “A Beautiful Planet”.

#40 Martha Mann /  by Michael Kruse

Martha Mann is one of the original Canadian theatre designers. I had the pleasure of speaking with Martha in her home in August of 2016. We speak about her personal origins when there were no theatre training programs in Canada, about the birth of modern Canadian drama from the amateur Dominion Drama Festival, and her work on countless productions of theatre and film, including her work at Glimmerlass Opera and on the Anne of Green Gables films. More quotes from Martha can be found here.

Links

New York University Drama Dept.

Yale School of Drama Graduate Degree

Ontario College of Art, now OCAD University

University Alumni Dramatic Club, now the Alumni Theatre

James Raney's The Killdeer

The Dominion Drama Festival

The London Little Theatre, now The Grand Theatre

The Royal Alexander Theatre

The National Theatre School 

Mark Knagen, designer

Wilf Pegg, designer

William Needles

John Colicos

Ron Hartmann

Hart House Theatre

Lawren Harris

Susanne Mess

Les Lawrence

Victor Braun

South Pacific

Catherine Brickenden

Life with Father

Young People's Theatre

Jupitor Theatre - The Museum Theatre at the Royal Ontario Musem

The Crest Theatre

Hilary Corbett

Murray and Donald Davis and their Sister Barbara Chilcott

The Straw Hat Players

Soulpepper

Central Library Building Toronto turned into the Robert Gill Theatre

Robert Gill

The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles by George Bernard Shaw

The Drama Centre at University of Toronto

Francois Barbeau

The Arts and Letters Club, Toronto - 0:41

Jo Mielziner

Susan Benson

Jean Rosenthal

Leon Major

Kevin Sullivan

The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Anderson, shot at Black Creek Pioneer Village

Krieghoff film by Kevin Sullivan

Anne of Green Gables film with an Interview with Martha

Ann Roth costume designer

Intermezzo at the Glimmerglass Festival

New York City Opera

Miami Lyric Opera

Radio City Music Hall

Imperial War Museum

Scenography in Canada, Natalie Rewa

Stan Turner, carpenter at The Crest

Malabars Costume House

Anne of Green Gables, the musical at Theatre Calgary

Glenn [Gould] play at Soulpepper

Eames chairs

Ryerson Theatre School

Julius Ceasar at Stratford Festival, 1998

Trapunto quilting

Jerry Franken

Opera News - Dress Up Games

Peter Brook

Associated Designers of Canada

Theatre Safety Guidelines

Charmion King leg injury judgement

Origins of Canadian Actors Equity

Edith Head

The Washington National Opera

Episode #40 Martha Mann
Martha Mann

The Bellows: Media Relations /  by Michael Kruse

On January 16th, 2017, the Bellows reconvened again to discuss another pressing and mysterious issue in the production of Canadian Theatre: media relations. Kevin Hutson spoke to Steve Fisher, Rennie Reddie and now Title Block veteran, Sue Edworthy about selling the show and growing your audience.  Bios are below, can you guess who does promotions every day?

Bios

Steve Fisher

Steve Fisher holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre, and an Acting - Performance diploma from Ryerson University. He writes a weekly arts & entertainment column for Torontoist, and contributes regularly to Post City and Now Magazine. Other outlets he has written for include The AV Club, CBC Music, and The Grid. He was a 2015 nominee for a National Magazine Award for his Torontoist contributions, and won the bi-annual 2016 Nathan Cohen Award, the top award for theatre criticism in Canada, in the short form review category.

Renna Reddie

Renna is the proud producer of multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award nominated shows. She is the inaugural Toronto Fringe TD Bank Young Producer and current Wrecking Ball member. She works extensively in event and talent coordination and has over 7 years of festival logistics with JFL42, Hot Docs, Luminato and many more.

Sue Edworthy

Sue Edworthy has worked in the non-profit performing arts for over fifteen years and is a self-described city enthusiast. Her passion for the performing arts has led her to stints in theatre, dance and opera organizations in and around Toronto such as Luminato, Opera Atelier, and Theatre Passe Muraille. She is a 2010 Harold Award recipient and recipient of a CharPR Prize for best publicity 2012 and 2013, and the 2015 recipient of the Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award for Arts Leadership. She is a former Board member for The Toronto Fringe and The Toronto Alliance for the Performing arts, and a current Board member for the Canadian Dance Assembly and Expect Theatre. Currently a part time instructor at Ryerson Theatre School and Humber College, Sue runs Sue Edworthy Arts Planning, a freelance marketing, PR, producing and strategic planning company for the Toronto independent arts community, and is much in demand as a social media and marketing consultant. Sue holds a BFA Specialized Honors from York University. For more information, visit www.sueedworthy.ca , find Sue Edworthy Arts Planning on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @sueedworthy.

The Bellows: Media Relations
The Bellows

#39 Lorenzo Savoini /  by Michael Kruse

Designer Lorenzo Savoini

Designer Lorenzo Savoini

Lorenzo Savoini is the director of design at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, one of the most successful theatres to be founded in the last 20 years and one that continues to push the envelope on what theatre can or should be. Lorenzo tells me about his time growing up in Thorn Hill Ontario and his adventures at UBC, Stratford and for the last 10 years, at Soulpepper. For the second half of this marathon interview, we chat about his philosophy of design and how he is working to develop the next generation of designers who face a world that is both uncertain but alive with potential. We recorded the interview in May of 2016 in the Soulpepper library.

Links

Support the show!

Leaving Home by David French

Our Town by Thornton Wilder

University of Guelph Theatre Arts

Alan Watts (see "Sculpted Spaces: Jim Plaxton in conversation with Alan Watts, from Canadian Theatre Review #54)

Canadian Art magazine

Michael Levine

Daryl Cloran

House by Daniel MacIvor

Alan Stitchbury

University of British Columbia MFA in Theatre

Robert Gardiner

Peter Brook

Josef Svoboda

Simon McBurney

Heartbreak House by George Bernard Shaw

Wagner's The Ring Cycle by Michael Levine

Rauri Murchison

The Sound of Music at The Stratford Festival 2001

Richard Monette

Timon of Athens at The Stratford Festival 2004

Stephen Ouimette

Tanya Moiseivitch

Desmond Healey

Michael Gianfrancesco

Dana Osborn

Chris Abraham

Deborah Hanson

Theatrefront

Return (The Sarajavo Project)

Umbuntu (The Capetown Project)

Claire Sakaki

László Marton

The Soulpepper Academy

BLiNK by the 2010 SoulpepperAcademy

Of Human Bondage by Sommerset Maughm at Soulpepper Theatre

Gregory Prest

Raquel Duffy

Diego Matamoras

John Cage

Richard Feren

CAGE at Soulpepper Theatre

Mies van der Rohe

Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, Soulpepper Theatre, Director:  Alan Dilworth, Set and Costume Design:  Lorenzo Savoini, Lighting Design:  Kim Purtell, Sound Design:  Debashis Sinha, Actors:  Michelle Monteith, Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Oyin Oladejo, 

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, Soulpepper Theatre
Director:  Daniel Brooks, Set design: Lorenzo Savoini, Lighting Design: Kevin Lamotte, Sound Design:  Richard Feren, Actors:  Katherine Gauthier, Christopher Morris

Episode #39 Lorenzo Savoini
Lorenzo Savoini

#38 The Bellows: Ask Me Anything /  by Michael Kruse

On this episode we once again return to The Bellows, a monthly informal discussion about theatre production that is recorded in Toronto, this time at Theatre Passe Muraille on November 16th, 2016. Carpenter and Bellows founder Kevin Hutson moderates a Q and A with some of Toronto theatre production's bright lights, with questions poised by the Bellows audience. Taking the spotlight this time are Bellows veterans Remington North and Dave Degrow, as well as Rebecca Hooten and newly minted theatre technician Cameron Kirk.  They are asked a number of smart questions about their career in theatre and their thoughts on theatre production, while Kevin makes sure their ego's do not get too inflated.

The Bellows: Ask Me Anything
The Bellows

Bios

KEVIN HUTSON

Kevin is a scenic carpenter, former technician and occasional project manager.  He comes from Scarborough and loves talking about work over beer.

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 among production peeps in Toronto.

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.

remington north

David degrow

David DeGrow is a designer, academic, and teacher whose work has been seen across Toronto and across Canada, and has been nominated for three Dora Awards. He is PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, where his dissertation examines how theatre space shapes artistic mandate, audience and the theatre’s relationship with the city. Selected lighting designs include: Pyaasa (Theatre Passe Muraille/Theatre Jones Roy); Tap-Ex: Metallurgy (Tapestry); Monday Nights (Sixth Man/Theatre Centre); Morro & Jasp: 9-5 (UNIT Productions/Factory); Tagged (Greenthumb/YPT); The Hours That Remain (Gwaandak); the tin drum (Unspun); Dreaming of Rob Ford (Mike Daisey/Crow’s). Recent Production Management/Technical Direction credits include: Salt Baby National Tour (Salt Baby Collective/Globe); Fashion Straight from the Art (University of Toronto/Mirvish); All the sex I’ve ever had (Mammalian Diving Reflex/Luminato); Belleville (Company); Forgiveness (Modern Times); Passion Play (Outside the March/Sheep No Wool/Convergence); Justice (Gwaandak/National Arts Centre); Cafe Daughter (Gwaandak Theatre - National Tour); ZED.TO-Patient Zero (The Mission Business - Nuit Blanche); The Pub Operas (Tapestry). 

rebecca hooton

Rebecca Hooton is a Toronto based deviser, director, production manager, and a founding member of Raw Matter Project.

Cameron kirk

Cameron Kirk is a recent graduate of Humber Colleges Technical Theatre Production program.  He spent the summer of 2016 working at the Blyth Theatre Festival as a Carpenter. Since he's been back in the big city he's been freelancing as a carpenter and technician; picking up calls in various spaces throughout the city and dabbling in the wonderful world of corporate events.  Cameron is striving to be a Technical Director but wants to keep his hand in more creative pockets of theatre. Specifically, set and sound design.  His set design dabut was at Array Music, with Glass Reflections Collectives 'Bonds Beyond' which premiered on October 27th.  Cameron is excited about kicking off his career in the world of theatre and eagerly awaits what challenges and opportunities lie ahead. 

#37 Eo Sharp /  by Michael Kruse

Eo Sharp, photo by David Cooper.

Eo Sharp, photo by David Cooper.

The Swanne at the Stratford Festival. Directed by Peter Hinton, Set Design by Eo Sharp, Lighting Design by Robert Thomson, Costume design by Caroline Smith,

The Swanne at the Stratford Festival. Directed by Peter Hinton, Set Design by Eo Sharp, Lighting Design by Robert Thomson, Costume design by Caroline Smith,

Episode #37 Eo Sharp
Michael Kruse

#36 The Bellows: Contracts and Fees /  by Michael Kruse

In this next episode of The Bellows, a conversation about contracts and fees. How do you negotiate to your advantage? What are the necessary parts of a contract and is it worth having an agent or being a member of the Associated Designers of Canada? Moderator Kevin Hutson talks to Kesta Graham, business agent at The Tarragon Theatre, designer Simon Rossiter, and the executive director at the ADC Shiela Skye.  This was recorded on October 17th 2016 at The Central bar in Mirvish Village, Toronto, Ontario.

Bios

Kevin Hutson

Kevin is a scenic carpenter, former technician and occasional project manager.  He comes from Scarborough and loves talking about work over beer.

Kesta Graham

Kesta is currently the Business Manager for Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. She has spent the last 10 years full time in arts management in a variety of positions including General Manager of Studio 180 Theatre (2008-2015), freelance producer/ consultant, and Treasurer for Common Boots (formerly Theatre Columbus). Experience in project management ranges from collective/ profit share, workshops, co-productions, full seasons, long run productions and large scale musicals.  Prior to becoming a full time arts administrator, Kesta spent 10 years as an actor/producer and part time project coordinator for kitchen and bath renovations. .

Simon Rossiter

Simon is a Toronto-based lighting designer who occasionally designs scenery. He has created more than one hundred and fifty original lighting designs over the last ten years for a diversity of theatre and dance companies throughout Canada, and is the lighting director of the annual Fall for Dance North festival at the Sony Centre and the Next Stage Theatre Festival at the Factory Theatre. He has received two Dora Mavor Moore awards for outstanding lighting design, is a graduate of the Ryerson Theatre School, and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Sheila Sky

Sheila has been active in Toronto’s vibrant performing arts scene since the mid ‘80s.  She has undertaken management, strategic and logistical planning, marketing, publicity, fundraising and producing in both the commercial and non-profit sectors.  Her career has spanned Fringe to Broadway, and she has worked for clients in drama and musical theatre, dance, opera, devised theatre, puppetry, comedy and contemporary classical music.  She is the Executive Director of Associate Designer of Canada and their fundraising arm, the ADCF; and is Treasurer of the inaugural Board of the Alliance of Women in Theatre.  She is the owner of Sky Arts Management which provides management services for arts organizations and their projects, as well as a consulting practice. 

 

The Bellows: Contracts and Fees
Kevin Hutson and the Panel

#35 Julie Fox /  by Michael Kruse

#34 The Bellows: The Beer Economy /  by Michael Kruse

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.

The Bellows: The Beer Economy
The Bellows Panel

#33 Bretta Gerecke /  by Michael Kruse

Bretta Gerecke

Bretta Gerecke

I met designer Bretta Gerecke while visiting the Stratford Festival in Stratford Ontario in May of 2016. We spoke about her training and early career in Edmonton and the path that brought her to work with Cirque du Soleil in Milan in 2015 and a return to her roots as an archaeological illustrator. To see Bretta's portfolio, go here: http://www.bretta-gerecke.com/about-1/

Links

University of Alberta Theatre Program

Catalyst Theatre

Jonathan Christenson

Joey Trembley

Heather Redfern

Electra at Catalyst Theatre

The Citadel Theatre

Harry Frehner

Krista Monson

Cirque du Soleil at the Milan World Expo 2015 (entire show on You Tube)

The Stratford Festival

Jillian Keiley

Alice Through the Looking Glass, Stratford

Lisa Hughes

As You Like It

Bob Hallett, from Great Big Sea

Maxmilion's Mistake

Archaeological Illustration

The Prague Quadrennial

Patrick Du Wors

April Viczko

Costume at the Turn of the Century Exhibit

Episode #33 Bretta Gerecke
Bretta Gerecke
Download

#32 The Bellows: Leaving the Business /  by Michael Kruse

This presentation of The Bellows, a monthly informal discussion about living and working in theatre, concerns leaving the business. What do you do when you get into your career in theatre and discover that there is something you are missing? Maria Costa, Michelle Bailey, and Katie Pounder discuss their entrance, love of, and eventual exit from theatre.  There is life after theatre, if you want one, but it is not always the one you plan for. The Bellows is organised by Christopher Ross, Pip Bradford, and Kevin Hutson.

MODERATOR

Kevin Hutson, head scenic carpenter at the Tarragon Theatre

PANEL

Maria Costa, administrative coordination at Radiation Safety Institute of Canada, and formerly a stage manager for 20 years, and a supervisor at Humber College.

Michelle Bailey, owner/operator of Barkbusters Hamilton-Niagara, and formally a wardrobe technician.

Katie Pounder, associate director of student services at Pearson Higher Learning Education, and formerly an arts administrator at Young People's Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and Tapestry Opera.

Episode #32 The Bellows: Leaving the Business
Michael Kruse

#31 Pat Flood /  by Michael Kruse

Pat Flood

Pat Flood

Pat Flood is a a set and costume designer based out of the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Born in Alberta originally, Pat traveled to Toronto after her initial training and great success in Calgary to join the crew of the CBC as an art director and worked on the iconic Canadian comedy series The Kids in the Hall. Working across Canada and teaching both at Concordia and U of G, she has influenced many of the young designers working today.  We talked in May of 2016 in her office at U of G about her career, the differences between film and theatre, and her talk on the philosophy and design. Show notes at http://ow.ly/XEJK302D7YM

Links

Henry Wise Wood High School Calgary

University of Alberta

Bernie Engle

Gwenn Keatly

David Lovett

Len Feldman

Larry Cadillac

Tom Wood

Bob Baker

Rick Roberts

Cheryl Cashman

University of Minnesota MFA program

History of Dinkytown

Stratford Festival

Jack Hutt

William Hutt

The Tom Patterson Theatre

John Ferguson

Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Micheal Ondodje

Monique Mercure and André Brassard

Tanya Moiseivitch

Theatre Calgary

Toronto Free Theatre

Theatre Passe Muraille

Paul Thompson

LIP grants (see pg. 20)

St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts

Thomas Bodenestsky (spelling and reference unavailable)

Captives of the Faceless Drummer by George Riga

Brahm and the Angel by Geordie Productions. Set and Costumes by Pat Flood.

Brahm and the Angel by Geordie Productions. Set and Costumes by Pat Flood.

Dear Johnny Deere by Ken Cameron at the Blyth Festival in 2012. Set and Costumes by Pat Flood lighting by Rebecca Pitcherak

Dear Johnny Deere by Ken Cameron at the Blyth Festival in 2012. Set and Costumes by Pat Flood lighting by Rebecca Pitcherak

Episode #31 Pat Flood
Pat Flood

#30 Ron Jenkins /  by Michael Kruse

Ron Jenkins.

Ron Jenkins.

Ron Jenkins is an old friend and collaborator with whom I have created designs for several productions. He joined me in January 2016 to talk about his career and his take on design in the theatre. We chat about the unique productions he has mounted in Edmonton, Alberta, his current residence as well as what he as a director needs from a designer.

Links

Todd Charleton Obiturary

Desmond Heeley Obiturary

Liz and Harry Boardmore

John Dunsworth

Platform 9 Theatre

Ken McDougall and Here

Toronto Fringe Festival

Workshop West Theatre

Citadel Theatre

Theatre Network

Catalyst Theatre

Jonathan Christenson

Joey Trembley

Phoenix Theatre and Theatre Network

The Augusta Company

The Black Rider: Casting of the Magic Bullets, 2004, Theatre Network.  Set and Costumes by Melissa Kochansky, Lighting Design by Michael Kruse. Featuring from LT to RT, Kevin Corey and George Szilagyi. Photo by Michael Kruse.

The Black Rider: Casting of the Magic Bullets, 2004, Theatre Network.  Set and Costumes by Melissa Kochansky, Lighting Design by Michael Kruse. Featuring from LT to RT, Kevin Corey and George Szilagyi. Photo by Michael Kruse.

The Black Rider: Casting of the Magic Bullets, 2004, Theatre Network.  Set and Costumes by Melissa Kochansky, Lighting Design by Michael Kruse. Featuring from LT to RT, Rachael Johnston, Clinton Carew, Michael Scholar Jr., Michelle Brown, …

The Black Rider: Casting of the Magic Bullets, 2004, Theatre Network.  Set and Costumes by Melissa Kochansky, Lighting Design by Michael Kruse. Featuring from LT to RT, Rachael Johnston, Clinton Carew, Michael Scholar Jr., Michelle Brown, and Kevin Corey and George Szilagyi. Photo by Michael Kruse.

Episode #30 Ron Jenkins
Ron Jenkins
Download

#29 The Bellows: Mo' Money Mo' Problems /  by Michael Kruse

On this episode we return to The Bellows, a monthly informal discussion about working in the theatre recorded live at Theatre Passe Muraille on March 22, 2016.  For this discussion, the guest panel spoke about that dreaded time of year: tax season.  If you are a working artist and the end of April always raises your heart rate, listen to this comprehensive talk about how to organize yourself to make tax-time easier. 

Episode #29 The Bellows: Mo' Money Mo' Problems
Michael Kruse

Moderator

Kevin Hutson, head scenic carptenter at the Tarragon Theatre

Panel

Scratch Anderson, book keeper

Kesta Graham, business manager, Tarragon Theatre

Ian Edmonds, chartered professional accountant

Beth Brown, managing director, Nightwood Theatre

 

LINKS

CRA personal account

Ian Edmonds

Fresh Books

Wave

Hubdoc

 

 

 

#28 Beth Kates /  by Michael Kruse

Beth Kates. Photo by Marc Betsworth

Beth Kates. Photo by Marc Betsworth

Toronto based designer Beth Kates and her life and design partner Ben Chaisson have been focusing a lot on video and projection design. I met with Beth in Niagara-On-The-Lake in the summer of 2015 when she was working at The Shaw Festival.  We spoke about her early career and training and the work on the hit show Bigger Than Jesus where they started with running a show on VHS (!) and WinAmp (!!). Beth then brings us through the process of creating a video and projection design and how to approach this rapidly changing landscape.

Links

Unionville High School

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Bigger Than Jesus, by Rick Miller.  Design by Beth Kates and Ben Chaisson. In Photo: Rick Miller

Episode #28 Beth Kates
Beth Kates

#27 The Bellows: Why You Should Hire a Production Manager /  by Michael Kruse

The panel from The Bellows: Why You Should Hire a Production Manager. From Left to Right Eleanor Antoncic, Kevin Hutson, Pip Bradford, Remington North, Kaitlin Hicke, Ryan Wilson, and Christopher Ross

The panel from The Bellows: Why You Should Hire a Production Manager. From Left to Right Eleanor Antoncic, Kevin Hutson, Pip Bradford, Remington North, Kaitlin Hicke, Ryan Wilson, and Christopher Ross

In this special presentation of The Bellows, the panel discusses the reasons you need to hire a production manager for your theatrical production. It may seem obvious to production staff and designers why it is essential to have a PM, but many small companies eschew this position out of economic need.  This discussion was recorded on February 22 2016 at Theatre Passe Muraille as part of an informal series called The Bellows meant to build community and encourage collaboration and information sharing.

The panel was moderated by scenic carpenter and bellows co-founder Kevin Hutson, and he was joined by Eleanor Antoncic,  production manager at the Tarragon Theatre,  Remington North who is the Director of Facilities and Production at the Theatre Centre, Kaitlin Hickey a freelance production manager and designer, and Ryan Wilson who is the head scenic carpenter at Young People's Theatre.

The Bellows: Why You Should Hire a Production Manager
Eleanor Antoncic, Kevin Hutson, Kaitlin Hickey, Remington North, Ryan Wilson


Bios

Kevin Hutson

Kevin is the head carpenter at The Tarragon Theatre in Toronto and one of the founders of The Bellows.  Kevin has also performed as a production manager, technical director, lighting designer and general technician in Toronto for may years.

Eleanor Antoncic


Remington North


Kaitlin Hickey

Kaitlin Hickey (Lighting Designer) is a production designer based in Toronto, ON. Recent theatre credits include: Art Direction, The Rural Newfoundland Project (In Good Company), Assistant Projection Design, You Never Can Tell and Sweet Charity (Shaw Festival), Associate Projection Design, R-E-B-E-C-C-A (Theatre Passe Muraille), Production Designer, Chapel Arm (Mindless Theatrics), Associate Projection Designer & Video Technician, A Moveable Beast (Volcano Theatre), Production Manager & Lighting Designer, The Book of Judith (Selfconscious Theatre), Associate Video Designer, Beatrice and Virgil (Factory Theatre), Production Manager Weather the Weather (Theatre Columbus). She is an artistic associate of Mindless Theatrics in St. John’s Newfoundland, a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, and holds a B.Sc. from St. Francis Xavier University. 

Ryan Wilson

Ryan Wilson is a passionate artist whose talent, collaborative spirit and work ethic have earned him praise from his peers. Currently the head scenic carpenter at Young People’s Theatre (Toronto), he has worked at numerous theatre companies, including Soulpepper Theatre Company (Toronto), fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company (Toronto), Factory Theatre (Toronto) and Globe Theatre (Regina, Sask.). As a freelance production manager/technical director at fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company, Wilson worked on four productions: Ching Chong Chinaman (2013), Brown Balls (2011), lady in the red dress (2009) and Banana Boys (2008). Ryan Wilson graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ryerson University’s Theatre School in 2007.