One cultural byproduct of the pandemic has been the proliferation of filmed stage performances. The ubiquitous presence of livestream and on-demand digital content makes it easy to overlook the dizzying amount of decisions and expertise that go into bringing the stage to the screen.

As an Oscar nominated director and one of Canada’s leading film/TV Producers, Barbara Willis Sweete knows a thing or two about capturing magic with a camera. She has also directed more than 30 Live Broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera of New York, and countless dance performances.

We sit down with Barbara at her home for an in-depth chat on bringing dance to life on the big (& small) screen, then journey behind the scenes with her on the set of a recent dance film shoot.