100 Lives I've Lived

This episode talks more about my time volunteering as an Associate Producer at the Paprika Festival, and some of the incredible opportunities I got to work with professional artists, support youth artists, and perform new works on Tarragon's stages with some directors I idolized in Toronto theatre. That being said, I was doing too much. It was 2008. I was working myself into the ground because I didn't want to miss my chance. I don't regret that I was working too hard, but I see now that I was trying to beat the odds and prove myself and that's not how art works. You can't force yourself to bloom before you grow. This episode pays homage to the talents of Britta Johnson, Rob Kempson, Brendan Healy, Emma Healy, and although I didn't mention it directly, the gratitude I have towards Tessa King and Natasha Mytnowych for their leadership during my time at the Paprika Festival.

In the early 2000s I co-founded a theatre company with some bad ass female creatives called Theatre In Her Shoes. We were driven to tell stories by women, about women and advocate for female playwrights and actresses to tell stories from the uniquely female perspective. We produced multiple reading series, a full production at the Summerworks Festival, and launched our own creative careers. I'm still in touch with Esther Maloney from that collective, and she helped me re-connect to my writing in Jan 2023. I'm grateful for her.

If you'd like to learn more about Esther and her support for artists check her out at https://carmelfutures.com/products/copy-of-the-making-sessions.

Now we delve into the more embarassing gigs that I've had, including playing the title role of Little Bunny Riding Hood in the small touring production of the same name. This role/ play was not a career changer for me (obviously) but it did give me the opportunity to face the challenge of doing a show with a cast mate when we weren't getting along. I don't ever want you to have to deal with this, but if you do, I offer some advice and perspective about holding space for other's opinions and your own in the face of conflict, and how approaching it head on and with kindness and directness are more likely to lead you to solutions than avoidance and emotional distance.

In 2009 I was cast as Caitlin O'Hare in "Over The River and Through The Woods" at the Rose Theatre alongside Dawn Wells (the actress who played Maryann in "Gilligan's Island"). This was a touching play about the love between grandparents and their grandkids, the traditions that keep families together and push them apart, and the generational expressions of love and how they evolve and change.

It's interesting that I was reminded of this show because this week my Grandma passed away. Thinking back on the show and it's subject matter, I see how lovely this piece is in the American theatre cannon, and how I view the subjectivity a little more tenderly thinking about how one of the ways my Grandma used to show her love for us all was in the special dishes and treats she regularly prepare for us, and how that was likely a generational expression of love she developed having lived through the Great Depression and WW2.

Dawn Wells passed away a couple of years ago. I hope that if she runs into my Grandma up there in heaven or whatever that they can share a laugh and a meal, as they were both kind, generous, and loving women.

In 2009 I was sad and decided to channel my sadness into making other people laugh, so I signed up for an improv class at the Comedy Bar. Turns out, I actually had signed up for a Stand-Up Comedy class, that culminated in a 5 minute performance at the end of the four week session. So for one brief night in 2009, I performed a bunch of jokes I had written to an audience, and it was equal parts terrifying and nerve-wracking. I'm not sure how I survived the five minutes, but I did it. And I learned a little about how comedians write their jokes, and deliver their punchlines.

In 2010, I had this brilliant idea that I would bring Seth Rudetsky to Toronto to do a masterclass for me and the musical theatre community. His agent said yes, if we also produced his show "Deconstructing Broadway". So I said yes. Without much experience, or money, or connections, I pulled off the Canadian Premiere of Deconstructing Broadway at the Isabel Bader Theatre. And I got to perform for Seth Rudetsky in the masterclass. It took a lot of hustle and was a steep learning curve of how to sell, and market, and produce for the theatre. Did I mention this was all while I was still working my day job at the law firm?

In 2015 I had the pleasure to be cast as Constance in King John at the Great River Shakespeare Festival. It was an excellent experience and education in the craft of Shakespearean performance, and I had a great time doing it. The days were long, I made some lasting friendships, but I didn't always have the tools to stand up for myself when I needed them. The experience was a 10/10 but it could have been even better if I had stuck to my guns instead of trying to people-please a student director who didn't have my best intentions in mind.

Uh oh! This one might get me in trouble with the powers that be! In college I was inducted into a secret society. Although I don't share all the details, I do talk about the "Readings" we created and how we tried to use comedy to unite and entertain. This was also indirectly my first taste of comedy writing. Listen hear about my dark past as a member of this secret society, mu wa ha ha ha!

Right after graduating university I got a job as an admin at a law firm. And it was satisfying to be doing work that felt meaningful and directly beneficial to the clientele. It also felt good to get a salaried paycheck and pay my rent! But it was a day job, not my dream job, and not what I wanted to do with my life. Eventually I got fired. But it was fun to get to know lawyers, what they do, how they can help you, and how to craft an argument that wins. That's why today I'm an actor who's not scared of contracts.