In this week’s episode, I sit down with Kira Campbell. Kira Campbell is the Artistic Associate and Production Manager of Stage West Calgary. In our conversation today we discuss how the mindset of “How hard can it be?” has helped shape her career, how she got involved in the theatre world and what she learned from her time in school, as well as what brought her to Calgary and the importance of exploring as many aspects of the theatre industry as you can. We also discuss what goes into planning a season at Stage West and how it differs from other theatres, how the team she has cultivated at Stage West works with the community to seek out mutually beneficial collaborations, as well as the advice she would give artists currently working in the theatre industry and where she sees the industry in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Craig Hall. Craig Hall is the Artistic Director of Vertigo Theatre in Calgary. In our conversation today we discuss how he was not introduced to theatre until university and how this has shaped his career path, what initial aspects of theatre drew him to the theatre industry and the importance of diversifying your skill sets, as well as maintaining an objective view of the types of work you want to pursue in the industry. We also discuss the various companies he has started/worked for and the advice he would give others looking to follow a similar path, his work as the Artistic Director of Vertigo Theatre and the importance of communication when it comes to developing trust with your audiences, as well as where he hopes to see the theatre community in Calgary and Canada as a whole headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Daryl Cloran. Daryl Cloran is the Artistic Director for the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton. In our conversation today we discuss some of the shows that happened this past season including Ring of Fire and The Color Purple, how the Citadel is working to engage new audiences in Edmonton and what they have learned through the process, as well as the importance of not only inviting non-traditional theatre audiences to be a part of the conversation but also doing everything you can to make sure they feel welcome. We also discuss some of the upcoming shows in the season and what goes into how he structures a season, the work that he is doing to bring shows such as Hadestown and Six to the Citadel and the benefits that come with it not only for the audiences but for artists in the Canadian theatre industry, as well as some of his goals for the coming year and how he hopes to see both the Citadel and the Canadian theatre industry as a whole continue to evolve.

In this week’s episode, I sit down and do something a little different. Inspired by the incredible creativity I am seeing online from the theatre community during the COVID-19 pandemic, I discuss what I have seen and the things I have learned from the countless talented artists I have had the pleasure of watching perform over the past year. I also discuss trends, patterns, and themes I am seeing in the Canadian theatre industry, the artists that I have crossed paths with and the huge amount of talent and innovation we have in our industry, as well as where I see theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Zoë Glassman. Zoë Glassman is an Edmonton based actor, dancer, theatre creator, and producer. In our conversation today we discuss the Edmonton theatre community and how it engages emerging theatre artists through festivals such as the Edmonton Fringe, the type of theatre work that speaks to her and how it has shifted her priorities in the industry, as well as both the differences and similarities between the Edmonton and Calgary arts communities. We also discuss how the benefits that come from running small grassroots showcase/workshop style nights and how they help strengthen both the work and the community, some of the upcoming theatre work she is doing and how she hopes to continue to create work that engages non-traditional theatre audiences, as well as the things she has learned from stepping away from the theatre industry and the conversations she hopes continue to happen in the industry with regards to visibility and diversity in Canadian theatre.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Leon Willey. Leon Willey is an actor based out of Saskatoon who most recently starred as Sam Phillips in Million Dollar Quartet at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences growing up in British Columbia and what is unique about the west coast when it comes to the arts, how he got involved in theatre and the path that lead him into pursuing a career in the arts, as well as the things he has tried to continue foster in himself to help him sustain a career in this industry. We also discuss the things that as artists we can hold onto to ground us in the work we do on stage, his move to Saskatoon and what he has learned from being based in Saskatchewan, as well as how he tries to navigate the industry and where he hopes to see theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Andrew Kushnir. Andrew Kushnir is an actor, director, and playwright with a keen interest in verbatim theatre. He is also playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre, the creative director of Project: Humanity, and his most recent verbatim play Towards Youth: A Play on Radical Hope premiered at Crow’s Theatre this past February. In our conversation today we discuss the importance of relationships and trust in the both work he does with verbatim theatre as well as in our industry as a whole, how as a director he tries to navigate the relationship with the audience and the space a piece of theatre is being performed in, as well as the idea of “the circle” and it’s importance in how we interact with each other. We also discuss his latest play Towards Youth, that challenges of having adults portray children onstage and the important discussions around not assuming we automatically understand a young person’s experiences because we were once young, as well as how we continue to develop a meaningful relationship with audiences and where he sees this growth taking the theatre industry in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Tara Jackson. Tara Jackson is a Calgary based performer who is currently starring as Celie in The Color Purple. In our conversation today we discuss her time at Berklee and how her training there has as a vocalist has translated into her theatre career, her path into the industry and the importance of determining your own definition of success, as well as what she has learned about herself and the industry being based out of Calgary. We also discuss the differences and similarities between theatre audiences and communities across the country, her experience so far in The Color Purple and what she has learned through the process, as well as the types of conversations and dialogues she hopes continue to be had in the theatre industry in Canada.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Matt Mackenzie. Matt Mackenzie is an Edmonton based playwright, the Artistic Producer of Punctuate! Theatre, and the founder of Pyretic Productions. In our conversation today we discuss how he began writing and his time at the National Theatre School, the importance of not only building a strong network of like-minded individuals in the emerging stages of your career but also continuing to foster new connections throughout your career outside of your own community, as well as what he has learned from working as a playwright in different places across the country. We also discuss his work with both Pyretic Productions and Punctuate! Theatre and how often times it is the first step in making something happen that is the most difficult, what he has learned from past cross country tours and the advice he would give other playwrights and artists looking to create opportunities for themselves, as well as what audiences can expect from his upcoming show “The Particulars” and where he sees theatre in Canada, and more importantly cross country collaborations, headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Lianna Makuch. Lianna Makuch is an actor, playwright, and one of the Artistic Producers of Pyretic Productions. In our conversation today we discuss the Toronto production of her play Blood of Our Soil and what she learned from the experience of bringing her show to another city, the different theatre styles that are present in Blood of Our Soil and how they navigated the piece from both an artistic perspective and through the eyes of a producer,  as well as some of the new developments with the piece and future plans for the show. We also discuss the benefits that certain limitations can have when it comes to stripping a show down to it's core story or message you are trying to share, the idea of different stages of development when it comes to a new piece of theatre and how different phases of the show require different types of editing, as well as some of her future plans as an artist and the places she hopes to see theatre in Canada continue to move towards.