My interview with costume designer Mara Gottler is a continuation of my profiles of Vancouver theatre designers from December 2018. Mara and I speak about her early life at the Stratford festival as a tailor and sewer and her move to the National Theatre School, and eventually Vancouver where she is a founding member and resident designer of the west coast Shakespearian powerhouse Bard on the Beach. We speak about her career and her approach to the conceptualization and communication of design. We also speak about the infra-red camera technique established by Robert Lepage to better incorporate front projection video into your production.

Scott Miller is a partner in DWD Theatre Design and Consulting based in Vancouver BC. He and I speak about our beginnings in Toronto theatre as classmates at Ryerson Theatre School and proceed to a fascinating conversation about designing your theatre. While this is a program about theatre design, we rarely speak about the actual design of our spaces and all the work that goes into them. Scott spoke to me at his office in Vancouver, BC in December 2018, and this is the first of the series of interviews based on the my trip to the west coast in December.

This episode a great conversation with legendary Canadian theatre designer Astrid Janson. I joined Astrid in at her home in November of 2018 to discuss her early days at Toronto Workshop Productions and Toronto Dance Theatre and her set, costume, and yes lighting design work in opera and new theatrical works. Please find her complete portfolio at THIS link. and follow along with this key Canadian designer.

We also briefly remember costume designer Susanne Mess who we lost in Janary 2019, and Mallory Gilbert who passed in February.

Please support us on Patreon.com

Toronto Workshop Productions

Toronto Dance Theatre

Atlantis by Toronto Dance Theatre, choreography by David Earle, dancers most likely Cornelius Fischer-Credo and Peggy Baker, however could also be any combination of : Kathryn Brown, Barry (Artis) Smith, Sara Pettitt, Patricia Beatty, Danny Grossman, Ricardo Abreut, David Wood, Susan Macpherson, Helen Jones, Norey Drummond, Patricia Miner, John Preston, Merle (Germaine) Salsberg. Costume design by Astrid Janson

Roelof Peter Snippe

University of British Columbia

Joy Coghill and the Vancouver Playhouse

Brian Jackson, resident designer at Van Playhouse

John Brockington

Richard Ouzounian

John Grey

Larry Lillo, and a film about his life

Brent Carver

Goldie Semple

A Taste of Honey at UBC, not the same production, but a neat photo

Terminal, part of the Living Theatre tradition by Open Theatre

Much Ado About Nothing - musical at UBC

Susan McPherson

Jim Plaxton

David Earle

Patrica Beatty

Peter Rendazzo

Nancy (Jowsey) Lewis - resident designer at TWP

June Falkner, GM at TWP

George Luscombe

Joan Littlewood

Richard Two-time at TWP

Ten Lost Years at TWP by Jack Winter based on the book by Barry Broadfoot

You Can’t Get There From Here by Jack Winter TWP

The fire at TWP on Alexander St in 1974

CBC Design department and Susanne Mess and some of her designs

The Tommy Hunter Show

The King of Kensington, produced by Perry Rosemond

Home Fires, produced by Robert Sharen and production shots

AIDS crisis in the Arts in Canada

Expo ‘86 Ontario Pavilion and photos of the pavilion by Astrid

Ken Gass

Sholem Dolgoy

HMS Pinafore directed by Leon Major at Stratford Festival starring Michael Burgess

The Cherry Orchard at the Shaw Festival in 1980 notorious

Murray Laufer set designer

John Hirsch

Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Firebird with Vincent Nabrada choreographer

Lotfe Mansouri, Canadian Opera Company, A Tales of Hoffman directed by Hans Nieuwenhuis

Malibar’s Costume House

Robert Desrosiers’ In Cognito at the Calgary Olympics 1988

Opera Philadelphia

Joe Papp at The Public Theatre in New York and his Stable of Designers

Rusalka with Ben Heppner at COC

Dancing at Lughnasa at the Grand Theatre

The Master Builder at TWP directed by George Luscombe 1983-4

Molly Sweeney directed by Miles Potter at Canadian Stage

Women in Mind directed by Martha Henry at the Grand Theatre London

Sweet Bird of Youth at Stratford Festival starring Martha Henry

From the House of the Dead directed by Dina Bertman

Les Canadians at TWP

The Grace of Mary Travers, directed by Martha Henry, Toronto Free Theatre

Village of Small Huts by Michael Hollingsworth

Shadowland Theatre

U of Toronto Drama Department

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Josef Svoboda

Michigan School of Music - Barber of Seville

Jacob Two Two and the Hooded Fang

Harry Frehner

Jacob Two Two and the Dinosaur

Kodachrome Slide Projector

The Waverly Gallery

Lighting Designer Kevin Fraser, photo by David Cooper.

Kevin Fraser has been at the Stratford festival for 30 years and designed the lighting for over 500 productions since graduating from Ryerson Theatre School in the late 1970’s. He invited me to his home in Stratford Ontario in August of 2018 and we spoke about his early career and beginnings in Toronto at the Adelaide Court and the Tarragon Theatre and his move into the large festivals including Stratford and Drayton. Find examples of his work here: www.kevinfraserlighting.com.

Please support us on Patreon.com

Frances Mavor Moore and the Mavor Moore Family

Ryerson Theatre School

George Vanier Secondary School

Sandy Black

Jean Charles Black

Sholem Dolgoy

Robert Thomson

Jim Carnright

Dark of the Moon

Canada’s Wonderland

Bjarne Christensen

Theatre Passe Muraille

Maggie and Pierre by Linda Griffiths

Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave by Maynard Collins directed by Paul Thompson at TPM

Leslie Wilkinson

The Blyth Festival

Adelaide Court Theatre at 57 Adelaide St. East Toronto

Théâtre français de Toronto

Phoenix Theatre and Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii

Factory Theatre

The Tarragon Theatre

Kim Merchiso (SP?) (york university now)

Urjo Kereda (as a critic)

Farther West, directed by Duncan Macintosh designed by Cameron Porteus

The Shaw Festival

Jeffery Dallas

One For The Pot with Heath Lamberts from the Shaw Festival

Heartbreak House designed by Michael Levine

Harry Frehner

Louise Guinand

Photo-sensitive paper

Stratford Festival: Festival Stage

Stratford Festival: Avon Theatre

Stratford Festival: Tom Patterson Theatre

Soulpepper Theatre

John Neville

David William

Pericles, directed by Richard Ouzounian

Boys from Syracuse, based on Comedy of Errors

Robbin Phillips’ young company at Stratford

Bernard Hopkins

Love’s Labour’s Lost in 1989 at the Stratford Festival

Opera Atelier

Marshall Pynkoski

Theatre Aquarius

Myrthis by J.P. Rameau

McMillan Theatre

Baroque theatre lighting history

Carbon 14

Gerard Gauci

Bonnie Beecher

Pani Projectors

Dido and Aeneas

Drayton Entertainment

Alex Mustakas

Tanya Moiseiwitsch set for stratford current configuration

Original Stratford Stage

SeaChangers

ETC Luster 2

Michael Whitfield

Des McAnuff

Caberet at Stratford Festival in 1980

Changeover at the Stratford festival

Vari-Lite VL1000

Avab moving yokes

Designer Glenn Davidson

Glenn Davidson sat down with the Title Block in August of 2018 to talk old times and design. Among our topics were included the start of the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Poor Alex Theatre Group as well as his early work as an actor and his most recent design work with the Tarragon, Tafalmusik and beyond. Also, if you don’t know what a “golden donut” is, you will have to listen right to the end.

In the production shots below, I have attempted to include all of the credits that we can find, if you know who is featured in the production shots, or the other designers on the project please email us at [email protected].

Please support us on Patreon.com

University of Ottawa theatre program

Maristella Roca

Michael Stevens - NAC

Bob DeMetril

Richard Pilbrow’s Stage Lighting

Sue LaPage

Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet

The Centre in the Square

Henry V and Mother Courage in rep at NAC, directed by John Wood

Derek Ralston

Joan Orenstein

Loot by Joe Orton at the NAC

Ben Campbell

Edward Atienza

Festival of Classics, Pericles directed by John Wood

Nellie McClung CBC documentary

The Theatre Centre on the Danforth (Now the Music Hall)

Necessary Angel

Autumn Leaf Performance

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

The Piano of Death by Sky Gilbert

Sargent Trowels Legion Hall on Queen St.

SOC - (silent on camera)

Oresteia, libretto by Maristella Roca

Julie Owens (nee bishop) of Theatre Columbus, now Common Boots Theatre with Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak

University of Toronto Drama Dept

Harbourfront Centre

Daniel Brooks

Don McKellar

Tracy Wright

Andrea Lundy

1492 by Theatre Columbus at the Factory Theatre 1992. Sets and Lights by Glenn Davidson. Photo by Glenn Davidson

Jim Millan

Upper Canada Playhouse now Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse

Theatre Columbus’s Melancholia (Durur’s fallen angel)

Michael Simpson

Andy Massingham

Oliver Dennis

The Three Sisters in Banff birthed the Soulpepper

Lazzi

École de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq

The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine by Theatre Columbus written by Robert Morgan, Leah Cherniak, and Martha Ross

Maquette of He Won’t Come In From The Barn by Ted Johns at the Blyth Festival 1994, directed by Paul Thompson, set and costume design by Glenn Davidson, lighting design by Michael Kruse. Photo credit North Huron Publishing.

Paranoia by Theatre Columbus

Cliff Saunders

The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon at Blyth Festival

He Won’t Come In From The Barn at Blyth Festival

Pinocchio by Maristella Roca at Young People’s Theatre 1993, directed by Richard Greenblatt, lighting and sets by Glenn Davidson

Pinocchio at Young Peoples Theatre

Poor Alex Theatre

Roger West

Le Groupe de la Place Royale

Raha Javanfar

Crow’s Theatre

Theatre Smith-Gilmore - there was no 4th company to found Poor Alex Theatre Group

The Augusta Company - Daniel Brooks and Tracy Wright’s company

The Hobbit by Kim Seledoy at Young People’s Theatre, directed by Jim Warren, set and lighting by Glenn Davidson. Costumes and actor credit unknown.

Theatre 2000

Julian Richings, Cheryl May and Gregory Nixon’s Company Flexible Packaging Plant

Hashish by Flexible Packaging Plant

The Fringe Festival

The Palmerston Library

Sneaky Dees

Napalm the Magnificent by David Craig

Sensible Footwear, Alex Dallas, Allison Fields and Wendy Vousden

Lori Hickling

A Chip in the Sugar

Glen Morris Studio Theatre, now the Luella Massey Studio Theatre

Jennifer Brewin

The Alchemical Wedding (Black Theatre) of Hermes Trismegestos by R. Murray Schafer

David Owen film gaffer (head electrician)

John Kelly Cuthbertson

Set-Reset, now Ready Set Recycle

The Tarragon Theatre

Urjo Kereda

Crackwalker by Judith Thompson

Andy McKim

Undercover at the Tarragon

Romeo and Juliet, by Ballet Jorgen, produced by Hong Kong Ballet, sets by Glenn Davidson

Fronteras Americanas by Guillermo Verdeccia

Ectographic Carosel projector

Richard Greenblatt

Rick Roberts

John Stead

Craig Smith, Carpenter at Young People’s Theatre

Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Jackie Maxwell

Martin Zucker, production manager YPT

Maja Ardal

Doctor Dappertutto by Theatre Columbus

Romeo and Juliet by Ballet Jorgen

Leslie Wilkinson

Ted Johns

Tanya Grieve

Crystal Salverda

The Farm Show at The Blyth Festival

Tafelmusik

Alison MacKay

Ontario Arts Council

High Life with Brent Carver

Designer Dana Osborne, photo by David Cooper

Dana Osborne is a set and costume designer based out of Stratford Ontario. She started out working in some of the top wardrobe shops in the country, including the Canadian Opera Company, the Shaw Festival, and the Mirvish shops when they still owned them. We talk about her transition to design and her work over the last 20 years in Canadian theatre. Find samples of her work at www.danaosborne.ca

To support the show, go to patreon.com/thetitleblockpodcast

Duncan BC

York University Theatre Program

Jason Bendig

Deeter Shurig

Karla Falconbridge

Amy Cummings

Alison Sharpe

Canada’s Wonderland

Peter McBoyle

Norwegian Cruise Lines Performance

Canadian Opera Company

Michael Levine

Hill of bodies show: Igor Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms at COC 1997

Jeff Churchhill bootmaker

Cunning Little Vixon, Canadian Opera Company

Sharon Secord

The Shaw Festival

Carol Holland

Christopher Newton

Brenda Clark Lion King Mirvish

Mamma Mia, Mirvish

Kelly Sullivan, seamless costumes

Edge Scenic, gone now, with Bratton surving

The Stratford Festival

Doug Lemke

Michael Gianfrancesco

Lorenzo Savoini

April Viczko

Francesca Callow, on Twelfth night

Peter Hartwell, Good Mother

Katka Hubacek

Aaron Felker

Agamemnon, at Stratford, directed by Steven Ouimette, starring Peter Donaldson and Tom McCamus

Daryl Cloran and Theatre Front produced Mojo

Theatre By the Bay

Rob Thomson

Erica Hassel

Timon of Athens

Ken Gass at Factory Theatre

Tarragon Theatre

Young People Theatre

The Sarajevo Project, by Daryl Cloran and Theatre Front

Amanda Plummer

Cameron Porteus

Ann Curtis

Richard Monette’s Gigi at Stratford

Ken MacDonald and Morris Panych

Charlotte Dean

Moby Dick at Stratford Festival

Donna Fiore

Charlie Brown at Stratford Festival

Fiddler on the Roof at Stratford Festival at 2013

Allen Moyer

Designer Fabric Outlet, Toronto

Rocky Horror Picture Show, Stratford Festival

King Henry IV Part 1 at the Stratford Festival, directed by Richard Monette

Santo Loquasto

Doug Paraschuk

Dream in High Park

David Latham and the Globe Theatre, Regina

Ruth Smilie

The Grand Theatre, London

Jamie Nesbitt

Michael Walton

Damian Atkins

People Places Things

This time on The Bellows we feature a conversation about the genesis and production of Pearle Harbour: Chautauqua, from the spark of an idea to the gathering of the creative team and the final realization in the marvelous 40-seat revival tent installed at Theatre Passe Muraille in October in 2018. A subset of the creative team, creator of the Pearle Harbour persona, Justin Miller, musical director and composer Steven Conway and stage manager Guiseppe Condello discuss the development of a fabulous piece of bouffant theatre and drag performance.

The Bellows Toronto is a collective committed to fostering discussion about all issues concerning theatre production and has existed since 2015. The Bellows is Pip Bradford, Rebecca Hooton, Kevin Hutson, Christopher Ross, and Michael Kruse.

Stage Mananger for Pearle Harbour. Guiseppe is a Toronto based stage manager, theatre technician and budding lighting designer. He has managed stages for Canadian Rep Theatre's remount of TOUGH! (2016) and Dreams (2016) by Wajdi Mouawad. As lighting designer, Giuseppe lit the stage for the world premiere of George F. Walker's Damage Done (2016), and more recently, The Beckett Shorts (2017) for director Adam Paolozza. Giuseppe has been Pearle's stage manager since the very beginning, and has become her good luck charm.

Steven's teaching philosophy is that effectively communicating enthusiasm is the best way to inspire it in others. He is thrilled to have the chance to share his love of music with Rainbow Songs students.

Trained for 10 years in piano and theory at the Royal Conservatory of Music, with a background in choir, musical theatre, and improv, Steven is also self-taught in a variety of instruments, and is constantly seeking new ways to expand his musical vocabulary.

After completing his Master’s degree in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Toronto in 2015, Steven has performed in musical ensembles across the city, and continues to work as a musical director, accompanist, and composer within Toronto’s independent theatre scene.

As a member of the Rainbow Songs team, Steven is eager to facilitate learning, community, and joy through the love of music.

Artistic Director for Pearle Harbour. Justin is a queer, Toronto-based theatre artist. As a creator, his work explores bouffon, clown, drag, and the writing that can be magnified by those styles. As a writer, he's the author of seven full-length shows in the Pearle Harbour series. As an actor, his work has been called "riveting" (NOW) and "a tour de force" (Stage Door). He has won the Audience Choice Award at SummerWorks; nominations include the Dora Award for Outstanding Male Performance, and Outstanding Solo Performance by My Entertainment World.

An all-American gal who's sweet-as-pie and sharp-as-nails, Pearle Harbour was born on [information withheld], when America was still Great. During the War, she served as a stewardess aboard top-secret bomber missions, including [information withheld], and even [information withheld]!

An accomplished soloist - on the boards and in the sheets - Pearle has played to audiences at The SummerWorks Performance Festival, The Second City, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, The Theatre Centre, Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Opera5, Videofag, The Comedy Bar, The Wrecking Ball, Pressgang Storytelling, The Gladstone Hotel, and countless cabarets, concerts, and clubs across Canada.

Jamie Nesbitt is a Vancouver based projection designer and we caught up in June of 2018 at the Shaw Festival where he was designing The Hound of the Baskervilles. Jamie and I talk about the start of his career at the end of the slide projector era and the transition to the full integration of video projection into modern Canadian theatre. Find his portfolio at www.jamienesbitt.com

Please support us on patreon.com

Studio 58

The Electric Company

Tim Matheson

Pi Theatre

Studies in Motion by Kevin Kerr at The Electric Company

Robert Gardiner from UBC Theatre

Isadora created by Mark Coniglio

Green Thumb Theatre

Cahoots Theatre

Canadian Stage

Eadweard Muybridge

Crystal Pite

Kim Collier

Frost Nixon at Canadian Stage, designed by Patrick Clark

Mean Girls video designed by Finn Ross and Adam Young

Rocky Horror Picture Show, at Stratford Festival

Michael Walton

Arcade Fire tour 2018

QLab

Photon projection software

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe After Effects

Trapcode Particular

The Hound of the Baskervilles, Shaw Festival

Arther Grimshaw, British painter

Dana Osborne

Digital Rights Management in Canada

Its time for another presentation of The Bellows! This time a discussion with stage manager Megan Speakman, stagehand Sally Roberts, and designer Simon Rossiter about unions and associations and how they work to protect the rights of the theatre workers they represent. the conversation took place at Theatre Passe Muraille on September 21st, 2018.

The Bellows Toronto is a collective committed to fostering discussion about all issues concerning theatre production and has existed since 2015. The Bellows is Pip Bradford, Rebecca Hooton, Kevin Hutson, Christopher Ross, and Michael Kruse.

Please support us on Patreon.com

Christopher Ross has extensive experience as a technician, stage manager, and production manager. he has worked in most of Toronto’s independent theatres, and has been a venue technician for the Fringe Festival, the Next Stage Theatre Festival, and the Summerworks performance festival. he is currently the head technician of the Theatre Passe Muraille Backspace.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised in Jerseyville, Ontario, Megan now works in Toronto as a stage manager. Megan’s theatre credits include Animal Farm, A Moveable Feast: Paris in the '20s. , Oh What a Lovely War (Soulpepper), Stupidhead! (Theatre Passe Muraille); Outside (Roseneath Theatre); One Slight Hitch (Upper Canada Playhouse); Real Estate (Lighthouse Festival Theatre); Dib and Dob and the Journey Home (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); For a Good Time Call Kathy Blanchard (Outside Inside). Megan is a graduate of Ryerson Theatre School (Toronto).

Sally is currently the head technician of the Downstairs Theatre at the Canadian Stage Company. She is a member of IATSE local 58, where she works as a live events technician specializing in electrics, lighting design and management. Sally started freelancing in the corporate AV and theatre worlds while studying performance production at Ryerson University. Since graduating, Sally has had the pleasure of traveling with The Tenors as the lighting designer on their "Lead With Your Heart" Tour of the US. She has also trained with Coalition Music to develop strong skills in live sound and tour management.

Simon is a Toronto-based lighting designer who occasionally designs scenery. He has created more than one hundred and fifty original lighting designs over the last ten years for a diversity of theatre and dance companies throughout Canada, and is the lighting director of the annual Fall for Dance North festival at the Sony Centre and the Next Stage Theatre Festival at the Factory Theatre. He has received two Dora Mavor Moore awards for outstanding lighting design, is a graduate of the Ryerson Theatre School, and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

Siobhán Sleath is a Toronto-based lighting designer with a history at our two big festivals, Shaw and Stratford. Siobhán and I chatted in June of 2017 about her early career at Stratford, her work in dance and musical theatre, and her adventure touring to India with Anandam Dance. We lost some names in the audio so follow along with the notes below to make sure you get all of the connections. 

Please support us at Patreon

York University theatre program

Gillian Gallow

Scott Penner

Jason Hand

Andrea Mittler

Laura Gardner

Joanna Yu

Stratford Festival

Brandy Leary with Anandam Dance Theatre

Jennifer Robichaud with Larchaud Dance

Michael Lavine's Die Valkyrie

David Finn

Teresa Przybylski

Shawn Kerwin

Liz Asselstine

Kevin Fraser

Michael Walton

Robert Thompson

Bata Shoe Museum

Eamon Mac Mahon

Kiss Me Kate directed by John Doyle at Stratford Festival

Howell Binkley lighting designer

Jesus Christ Superstar at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York

Souszatzka 

Vari*Lite 3500Q

Brenden Fernandes

The Orange Dot by Sean Dixon, directed by Vicky Anderson

John Gzowski  

Max Reimer

George Pothitos at the Neptune Theatre

The Addam's Family at Neptune

The Hart House Theatre at University of Toronto

Carrie, the Musical directed by Richard Ouzunian

Richard III, set design by Scott Penner at Hart House Theatre

Wilde Tales by Kate Henning at the Shaw Festival

Kevin Lamotte