The Performers Podcast

Bethany began dancing at the age of three. By the age of twelve she was travelling to New York City, and later Los Angeles, on dance scholarships. Currently Bethany is the ensemble swing in the Stratford Festival production of Crazy For You. As a swing, Bethany fills in anytime an ensemble member can't perform. We discuss what it feels like to be backstage prepared to perform, but rarely getting the chance. Bethany also opens up about her teenage years and the rigorous world of dance competitions.

Jim is in his 30th season at the Shaw Festival, one of North America's most celebrated theatre festivals. We discuss his journey: from his job as a theatre janitor in Winnipeg to becoming a star at the Shaw Festival We also discuss starting a family late in life.

Natalie is a Canadian actor who received great reviews for her performance as Glinda in the U.S. touring company of "Wicked." Natalie is currently appearing at The Stratford Festival in "Crazy For You" and "Man of La Mancha."

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Writer, comedian and craft beer nerd Christina Walkinshaw discusses her journey from journalism school to becoming a professional comedian and publishing a blog detailing her exploits on Tinder.

She explains how a vacation fling in New York made her realize she'd relish similar experiences at home in Toronto.

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Melanie Doane has released seven albums and written and performed many chart topping singles. She's performed on Broadway.Melanie discusses her decision to leave a Broadway show, her contract with Sony Music and the joy of introducing children to music with the ukulele.

I'm taking a short break, but I'll be back in Spring with many more interviews. Here's my pre-Christmas chat with my young son.Take care and stay warm!

Actor, director Nicholas Campbell's interest in theatre began at Queens University, soon after that he moved to England and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. We discusses how he switched from studying law to theatre, his love or horse racing, his hopes to do more stage work and the greatly exaggerated rumors about his drug use.

Sandy tells the story of his journey to success - everything from his early days at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival to his invitation to audition for TV's "Saturday Night Live" and more. Sandy's won multiple awards at The Canadian Comedy Awards. He trained and performed at Toronto's Second City and was a founding member of the improv group Slap Happy, the first Canadian ensemble ever invited to perform at an international improv festival in Amsterdam.

Jay's appeared in numerous TV shows but fantasy-action fans recognize him from his appearances on "Stargate Atlantis." He's also an accomplished film actor, with a long list of credits. Mordecai Richler cast Brazeau in "Duddy," a musical based on Richler's "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz." He's won a Pittsburgh Press Critic's Award for his performance as Cyrano and critical acclaim for his portrayal of Edna Turnblad in the Toronto and Vancouver productions of "Hairspray." We talk about all of the above but I was particularly interested in Jay's work with the Winnipeg office of The National Film Board. Jay was the male voice in animated short film "The Big Snit," which was nom­i­nated for an Oscar award and voted num­ber 25 of the 50 Great­est Car­toons of all time by ani­ma­tion professionals.

Chris is an award winning theatre and film director, dramaturg and teacher who has worked with Canada's foremost artists and theatres. In the podcast we discuss some of his directorial choices, including his work on "Seeds" a documentary about the legal battle between a Saskatchewan farmer and Monsanto "coming soon to a theatre near you" if you live near Montreal, Calgary or Ottawa. I'm a big fan of his work at The Stratford Festival. His work there has been consistently solid. We discuss his plans for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in 2014 at The Stratford Festival.