CGDC Podcast Channel

Welcome to the final episode of Season 4 of Tits and Teeth Podcast! Can you believe it?! To close out the season we are bringing you one guest and one guest only, the sensational actor and activist, Vanessa Sears. 

Vanessa Sears is a Dora Award winning actor with the voice of an angel and a stunningly contagious laugh. She is one of Canada’s most accomplished performers who’s potential knows no bounds. Some of her theatre credits include; Caroline or Change (Musical Stage Co.) Mary Poppins (Young People’s Theatre) Grand Hotel (Shaw Festival) Little Shop of Horrors and Billy Elliott (Stratford Festival) and Kinky Boots (Mirvish Productions). She can be seen on screen in Sex/Life (Netflix) Tallboyz (CBC) and Y:The Last Man (FX). Vanessa is also a board member of the Canadian Green Alliance and a woman who will always fight for what’s right and inspire others to change. In this episode we chat about advocacy in the arts, bringing our values with us to the theatre and Vanessas hopes for the future of the industry. She is a bright light and you don't want to miss this one!

Thank you to all of our listeners who have continued to support us through 4 great seasons of Tits and Teeth. You continue to inspire us to strive for more and bring you top quality content. Remember to keep those tits up and those teeth out and we will see you soon for season 5 you bloody legends. 

Today the pod is full of powerhouse women! First up, we sit down with Krista Leis from Krista Leis Pilates as the feature of our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ segment. Next, we go deep and get the full T with performer and dance captain, Christy Adamson. 

Christy Adamson is a true triple threat performer, has recently become a mother, and has also launched her own business called Keto Chick Creations where she makes homemade keto recipes and delivers them to your home around the GTA. Christy is one of the best dance captains to grace the business and she shares with us some of her tips and tools to becoming a world class DC. Christy also shares the full truth about what it means to age in this business and grow your career the way YOU want to. 

Each week our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ segment shines a spotlight on artist run small businesses. This week we are thrilled to bring back the original Tits and Teeth guest, Krista Leis, to highlight her business, Krista Leis Pilates. Krista is a wealth of knowledge and is passionate about sharing that knowledge through private or group classes ranging from beginners, to professional performers, and seniors. We all need a stronger core and Krista Leis Pilates can get you there!

So come hang with us and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky

One word to describe this episode? Sunshine! Why? Because today on the pod we are joined by Jacqueline Burtney from Jackson Ben Designs as the feature of our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ segment, as well as the joyous Shawn Byfield.

Shawn Byfield is a respected leader in the entertainment industry. As a highly sought after dance coach and adjudicator across the country, Shawn's mission is to inspire greatness in others, create authentic performers, and make learning fun! He's a Dora Award winner, Gemini Award nominee, two time Black Canadian Awards nominee and and  creator of Canada's #1 dance studio for adults BYFIELD DANCE EXPERIENCE. 

Each week, our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ Segment highlights artist run small businesses. This week we are all about Jacqueline Burtney and her web design company, Jackson Ben Designs. Jacqueline is sensational performer and a sensational entrepreneur! Do you want a sleek website that screams YOU but is also wildly functional? Of course you do, so you’re welcome. Here’s Jacqueline Burtney

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky!

It’s a Theatre Sheridan Pippin reunion on Tits and Teeth this week! First up, we speak with Greg Carruthers from EveryBODY on Stage. Next, we sit down with performer, director and producer, Saccha Dennis.

Saccha Dennis, aka Saccha Fierce, is an actor, director, and creator of Musicals Re:Imagined, the production company dedicated to reimagining traditional musical theatre by flipping the script and not apologizing for it. Saccha is part of the original Canadian company of Come From Away, she was on the 1st National Tour of We Will Rock You, and most recently she directed a reimagined production of Pippin at Theatre Sheridan. 

Each week our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ segment highlights artist run small businesses. Our feature for this week’s episode is Greg Carruthers, choreographer and creator of EveryBODY on Stage, a group of Canadian artists dismantling fat-phobia one song, story, and jiggle at a time. Their mission is to break down stigma and fat-phobia in the arts and reduce the harm done by body dysmorphia and the long-term health of artists and to encourage the positive representation of all body-types on stage. Greg worked alongside Saccha Dennis as the choreographer for her reimagined Pippin at Theatre Sheridan. 

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky

We have a full house on the pod today! First up, we speak with Dharma Bizier and Mikayla Stradiotto from the Not Your Mothers Bookclub podcast. Next, we are joined by Kelsey Verzotti and Jacob Sheffield, co-creators of SideBiz Studios. 

SideBiz Studios is an online marketplace that showcases products and services offered by the Canadian and North American arts community. Kelsey Verzotti and Jacob Sheffield are two theatre artists (and rockstars), who created this online community in 2020, as a space for artists to continue to be creative and share their talents, skills and businesses. SideBiz Studio is the place to find someone the perfect present, or brush up on your technique, while supporting Canadian artists from anywhere in the world! 

Not Your Mother’s Book Club is a podcast dedicated to smut, erotica, and romance. Oh my! Each week hosts Mikayla Stradiotto and Dharma Bizier dramatically read the first sex scene of a new harlequin novel and give their unsolicited two cents on the ‘encounter'. The dynamic duo deliver good vibes and sex positivity and we are here for it! You can find Not Your Mother’s Book Club wherever you listen to podcasts. 

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky!

On today’s pod we are diving into mental and physical fortitude! First up, in our Whatcha Doin?! segment, the part of our show where we highlight artist run small businesses, we speak with performer/choreographer turned chiropractor, Dr. Stephen Gray, owner of Made to Move Clinic. Next, we sit down with circus performer and coach, Darren Trull.

Darren Trull is a Canadian born acrobat and aerialist who specializes in aerial straps, which has taken him across the globe. Some of Darren’s credits include Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour, Saltimbanco, and Volta with Cirque du Soleil as well as La Perle, and House of Dancing Water by mastermind Franco Dragone. He was also a specialist performer for Celebrity Cruises Inc. In addition Darren has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and is a dedicated instructor who is currently developing circus programs across North America.

Dr. Stephen Gray is a chiropractor and owner of Made to Move Clinic, Toronto’s health hub for movers and shakers. Stephen is also an incredible musical theatre performer, dancer, and choreographer so he knows exactly what our bodies go through on a day to day basis as arts workers. Made to Move has 3 locations in Toronto and offers an extremely wide array of treatment options and rehabilitation techniques. They even offer artist pricing! What?! Yes, exactly. So go book your appointment after you listen to this ep!

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky!

What a jam packed episode we have for you today friends! First up, we speak with the unstoppable team of Jeni Walls and Stephan Dickson, producers of the online performing arts talk show and open mic, Singular Sensation. Our second guest is the iconic, Mandy Goodhandy, singer, author, advocate, entrepreneurial force, and Canada’s first transgender woman stand up comedian. 

Jeni Walls is the hostess with the mostess! She’s been the face of Singular Sensation for years now and had found a great home for the show in downtown Toronto at the 120Diner, until, the pandemic hit. When the shutdown happened Jeni pivot ball-changed with the rest of our community, partnered with Stephan Dickson as a producer and took the show from stage to stream! Singular Sensation has since grown and expanded its programming by adding monthly open mics, partnering with the Canadian Green Alliance to produce a green panel series, and promoting many of our communities small businesses through advertisements during their shows. This duo has big dreams for Singular Sensation, and we can’t wait to watch those dreams flourish.

Mandy Goodhandy is Toronto royalty and above all, a matriarch who creates safe spaces for people to express themselves. Mandy is a singer and author, with a book and CD both entitled ‘Just Call Me Lady’. She is a transgender rights advocate, dancer, and business mogul. She is Canada’s first transgender woman stand-up comic, first transgender woman to be accepted to sing in the Toronto Jazz Festival in 2016 and the Winterfolk Blues & Roots festival in 2021, and most recently added the title of feature columnist to her resume with interview style articles published in Pinkpages and Buzz Magazine, Toronto’s queer publications. 

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky!

Christina Pitts Jazzar is a qualified intimacy coordinator, and on today’s pod, she will be our guide into this world as we begin to scratch the surface on all the useful qualities and  necessary tools these professionals can bring into our work spaces. 

Christina is a member of the collaborative team of Intimacy Choreographers/Coordinators and Vulnerability Consultants from DaCosta Talent along with Lisa Stevens and Anisa Tejpar. These consultants are brought into a space to aid in scenes of intimacy by designing a structured approach to physical story-telling of both sexual and non-sexual intimacy. They also create and implement riders where nudity or partial nudity exists, work with minors on sensitive or highly emotional material, be a safe bystander in the room if an actor requests it, and act as a liaison between departments regarding intimate scenes. 

Christina is an extraordinary woman, dancer, actor, and choreographer who has recently added the title of intimacy coordinator to that list. Christina has worked on the set of such productions as Mrs. America (FX), Umbrella Academy - Season 2 (Netflix), The Good Witch - Season 4 (Hallmark), and The Shape of Water as a choreographer and associate choreographer. As an intimacy coordinator, Christina has just come off of the set of Re:Uniting by Laura Adkin starring Jesse L. Martin, and is excited and enthusiastic to continue doing more of this work.

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky

James Kinney is an award winning choreographer and director who is both passing down the legacy of his mentors, and sharing his own unique creative voice and eye for movie magic. Joining James for this episode is Paul De Gurse and Jillian Willems to chat about their podcast, Monkeys and Playbills, as the featured business in our ‘Whatcha Doin?!’ segment. 

James Kinney has trained with legends, he has worked with legends, and he himself is a real life legend. Throughout his performance career, James was privileged to be mentored and work alongside some of the greats such as Ann Reinking, Jerome Robbins, and Chita Rivera. As a choreographer his work can be seen on stages and screens around the country with over 50 musical theatre productions under his belt. James creates new and innovative movement by staying true to his artistic vision of smart, meaningful movement, oozing with style. James is also a regular teacher at Steps on Broadway in New York and believes it is his duty and privilege to pass down the knowledge he has accumulated throughout his career.

Monkeys and Playbills is a Manitoba based podcast where hosts Paul De Gurse and Jillian Willems take a look at Broadway shows that had 100 performances or fewer before closing. Jillian Willems is a director, choreographer, and performer who brings her knowledge of American and theatre history to the podcast. Paul De Gurse is a music director and conductor who brings his background in voice, composition, and music to the show. Are these musicals flops? Total bops? Or, do we have to make them stop. These and other burning questions will be answered in each episode of this unique podcast.  

So come hang with us, and get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter, with Jen and Ky.

Today on the pod we are talking all things sustainability! We will introduce you to two amazing companies and collaborations that are all about sustainable green practices both within our business and within our homes. Our guests today are Tess Benger and Julia McLellan from Canadian Green Alliance, and Sam Soloway and Tyrell Witherspoon of Planet Pantry.

Tess Benger and Julia McLellan are co-founders of the Canadian Green Alliance, a national not-for-profit devoted to bridging the gap between theatre and sustainability.  Their goal is to create a national guideline to aid theatre companies and individuals in the design, construction, and production of environmentally responsible theatre in Canada. Through the development of a comprehensive handbook, and the use of alliance deputies within each company, they can help guide arts organizations towards sustainable choices from the front of house to backstage. The Canadian Green Alliance is exactly that, an alliance. Julia and Tess are looking for everyone to pull up a chair and work side by side to transform the way we make theatre. 

Sam Soloway and Tyrell Witherspoon opened Planet Pantry in 2020, a package free and planet approved shop that provides the people of Winnipeg a waste free option when purchasing home, health, and body products where you BYOC (bring your own containers). Throughout the pandemic this pair has successfully met the needs of their community, pivoted when needed in order to keep their products accessible and available, all while remaining eco friendly and low waste. Sam and Tyrell have recently opened up their brick and mortar location at The Forks in Winnipeg, so if you’re in the area go pay them a visit! 

Come hang with us, get your weekly fix of musical theatre banter with Jen and Ky, and let’s save the planet together!