Let's Grab Coffee

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Gino Berti. Gino Berti is a choreographer who’s accomplishments include choreographing the world premiers of the Legends Series, remounting numerous productions of the original Broadway choreography of CATS, including Toronto’s latest revival at the Panasonic, as well as being Resident Dance Captain and Fight Captain to many Mega Musicals such as Aida, Beauty and the Beast (where he was sent to Broadway to train Dance Captains for their future productions), Miss Saigon, Brigadoon, Guys & Dolls, Evolution of Jazz, Forum, Mame, and The T.O. Hot Shoe Show. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences performing in Toronto in the “Mega Musical Era” and how theatre in Toronto has changed since that time, his progression from performer to dance captain to eventually choreographer, as well as some of the issues he is seeing in the current Canadian theatre climate and how we need to go about developing more informed theatre audiences. We also discuss his long relati

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Allison Wither and Laura Piccinin. Allison Wither and Laura Piccinin are the writers of the new Canadian musical Every Silver Lining, which was a part of the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival and won “Patron’s Pick”. In our conversation today we discuss how they both began writing for the theatre separately as well as collaborators, how they began writing Every Silver Lining and what their collaboration on this piece has looked like, as well as their experiences performing the show as part of this year’s Fringe Festival. We also discuss the idea of grief in our lives and how to explore emotions truthfully and authentically in a musical while still allowing the audience to bring their own prior experiences to the show, what they have learned from producing their show and the advice they would give other artists when it comes to self-producing/promoting your own work, as well as some of the next steps for the show and where they hope to see the development of new works in Cana

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Laura Nanni. Laura Nanni is the Artistic & Managing Director of the SummerWorks Festival. In our conversation today we discuss what audiences can expect from the 2019 SummerWorks Performance Festival running August 8th to 18th, how the company has been exploring the idea of public vs private spaces, as well as the conversations they have been having around when theatre experiences begin and end. We also discuss how she began working with the SummerWorks Festival and the benefits that come from practicing a constant curiosity when it comes to all aspects of theatre, how SummerWorks is working to build an informed audience that understands the creative and developmental process, as well as where she hopes to see new works and the conversations around key issues facing our community in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Alicia Toner. Alicia Toner is a singer-songwriter, actor, and musician who has performed across Canada. Her single “Dangerous Home” can be found on Spotify. In our conversation today we discuss her experiences growing up playing violin and the shift from performing in the pit to acting on the stage, her training and how the theatre industry in Canada requires us to both broaden and deepen our skill sets at the same time, as well as her experiences in actor/musician shows such as Once and The Buddy Holly Story. We also discuss how she began working as a singer-songwriter, how the music industry and theatre industry are vastly different yet run parallel to each other, as well as the advice she would give other singer-songwriters looking to grow their music and the types of conversations she hopes continue to happen in both the music and theatre industries.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Aaron Walpole. Aaron Walpole is a Canadian actor, singer, and musician who has worked throughout North America including the Stratford Festival, Les Miserables on Broadway, as well as the National Tour of Kinky Boots. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences growing up singing a wide variety of styles and how that has translated into his vocal technique as an adult, his experiences in theatre school and the advice he would give to any student going into a post-secondary institution, as well as some of his first experiences in the industry and the importance of staying grounded in who you are as a person. We also discuss his experiences working at the Stratford Festival as well as on Broadway, the importance of building a strong support system around you and allowing family to always come first, as well as the important conversations that need to be had in the industry and where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Jesse Weafer. Jesse Weafer is a Canadian actor, singer, and dancer who has worked in the theatre industry as well as film and television all over North America. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences growing up performing and the things in his life he owes to his dance training, his early experiences in the industry and the shifts he has seen in the Canadian theatre landscape, as well as the rise and decline in popularity of talent-based reality television shows and how they have helped our industry. We also discuss the importance of looking objectively at yourself and honouring the rest and recovery you need to sustain yourself in the theatre industry, his experience of stepping away and re-establishing himself in the Canadian theatre industry and the advice he would give other performers trying to establish themselves in a new community, as well as his focuses looking forward and where he hopes to see theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Andrew Scanlon. Andrew Scanlon is an actor and singer who has performed in both plays and musicals across North America including the Original Canadian Company and First National Tour of Kinky Boots. In our conversation we discuss the importance of self-care and the ability to sustain long runs, remembering to focus on the areas of your career where you have some say and not stressing too much it comes to the aspects of your career that are beyond your control, as well as the similarities between major league sports and the theatre industry. We also discuss his experiences in both the Toronto production and First National Tour of Kinky Boots, what Canadian theatre can learn from something like the Raptors franchise when it comes to bringing together an entire city/country, as well as where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future and what important conversations are and should be being had.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with J. Sean Elliott. J. Sean Elliott is an actor, director, writer, and all-around wonderful human being. In our conversation today we discuss our experiences performing together over the past several years, the importance of taking time to reflect on past experiences in order to grow in each new chapter of our life, as well as certain types of negative thought patterns that all of us in the theatre industry sometimes fall into. We also discuss his blog and the fresh perspective writing has given him on his work as an artist, future goals and plans both in our careers as well as our lives, and where he sees theatre in Canada as well as society as a whole headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Alan Kliffer. Alan Kliffer is a Canadian producer currently living in New York City. In our conversation today we discuss the current theatre climate on both sides of the border, how technology and social media are beginning to play bigger and bigger roles in the world of theatre, as well as the importance of always trying to remain aware of where your unique perspective and talents fit into the industry. We also discuss his show “The Greatest Musical Never Written” and it’s upcoming run in New York City, his process when approaching possible investors and the advice he would give other artists looking to produce, as well as what he has noticed about the theatre scene during his visit back to Toronto and where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Donna Garner. Donna Garner is an actor, singer, musician, teacher, and the Artistic Director of Garner Theatre Productions. In our conversation today we discuss her experiences growing up learning several different instruments along with training her voice, the different ways people learn and how she tries to navigate that as a vocal coach/teacher, as well as what made her choose to pursue a performing career professionally and the experiences that lead her to make that decision. We also discuss the rise in actors playing instruments in shows and how this new territory needs to be carefully navigated, the ways in which she is trying to foster a stronger community of actor/musicians through her work with Garner Theatre Productions, as well as future goals for her company and where she hopes to see theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Stephen Guy-McGrath. Stephen Guy-McGrath is a Dora award-winning actor, musician, and playwright originally from Newfoundland who has worked across the country for over 25 years. In our conversation today we discuss the moments in his life that lead him into the theatre industry, how our performing careers have different phases and how to navigating ageing both into and out of roles, as well as how he began writing and his show “Bully”. We also discuss the importance craft in “jukebox musicals” and why certain shows such as “Mamma Mia” and “Million Dollar Quartet” are so popular, people’s desire for exclusivity and how we can use it to grow theatre audiences, as well as his show “Spinning Yarns” which is a part of the Charlottetown Festival’s upcoming season and where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Mitchell Marcus. Mitchell Marcus is the Artistic & Managing Director of the Musical Stage Company and a Let’s Grab Coffee veteran. In our conversation today we recap some of the Musical Stage Company’s biggest moments over the past year and what they learned from those experiences, the importance of having a clear idea of your personal or company mandate and allowing that mandate to dictate how you navigate the industry, as well as the concept of vertical programming and how it relates to the Musical Stage Company’s unique place in the Toronto theatre industry. We also discuss some of the exciting programs the Musical Stage Company is offering such as their Make Me A Song and Launch Pad programs, what they have learned from their partnership with Britta Johnson through the Crescendo series and what people can expect from their third show in the series Kelly v Kelly, as well as what audiences can look forward to in the coming year from the Musical Stage Company and w

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Matt Lacas. Matt Lacas is an actor, director, and the creator of We Are Here Productions. In our conversation today we discuss the important shift that is occurring with regards to how mental health is talked about, how sometimes our desire to be “genuine” can actually have an opposite effect, as well as what he has learned from training both in Quebec as well as Ontario. We also discuss how his company We Are Here Productions was created and what he has learned through their first two productions, their upcoming production of Urinetown to benefit WaterAid Canada and how it has differed from the company’s past experiences, as well as where he hopes to see We Are Here Productions and theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Shawn Wright. Shawn Wright is an actor and playwright whose play “Ghost Light” has been produced across Canada by companies such as Tweed & Company, Theatre New Brunswick, and the Charlottetown Festival. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences growing up watching his mother perform in community theatre and the effect it had on his relationship to performing, his path into the industry and what aspects of an actor are inherent versus what aspects can be trained, as well as what he learned from some of his earliest experiences in the industry. We also discuss the ways in which all of us in the theatre community can help to foster stronger connections amongst each other, the duty of established professionals to look out for emerging artists, as well as the creation of his play “Ghost Light” and where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Daniel Williston. Daniel Williston is an actor, singer, and musician originally from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences with theatre and music growing up in Moose Jaw, the importance of recognizing that in theatre you are only going to get out of your work and training what you are willing to put into it, as well as what he learned from his time in school and how there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to navigating the industry. We also discuss how both the amount of content we consume as well as the ways we consume content have changed drastically, what we both learned from our experiences doing stand up comedy and the new perspectives it has given him when it comes to his theatre work, as well as the issue with the illusion performers have of  “making it” in the industry and where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Alex Panneton and Jared Klein. Alex Panneton and Jared Klein are the writers of “Back To B4: A Bingo Bonanza” which just finished up a tour with Smile Theatre. In our conversation today we discuss how they first were introduced to writing and what spoke to them about writing for theatre, their time in theatre school and the main lessons they took from their training, as well as how they first met and eventually became writing partners. We also discuss the creation of “Back To B4: A Bingo Bonanza” and the advice they would give both fellow writers as well as people about to tour a show, the presence of social media in the arts and how it can be used to create new and exciting experiences for audiences, as well as what they have learned through touring their show and where they hope to see theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Kaylee Harwood. Kaylee Harwood is an actor, singer, dancer, and is currently the cover for Carole King and Cynthia Weil in the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. In our conversation today we discuss how she was introduced to theatre and her background in dance, how what we perceive on stage and what in reality is actually happening are not always the same thing, as well as the importance of not only working hard but figuring out the why behind the hard work you are doing. We also discuss her experiences working at both the Shaw Festival and Stratford Festival, what she has learned through her experiences on tour in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, as well as where she sees theatre in Canada headed in the future and the types of things that are exciting her in the industry.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Van Wilmott. Van Wilmott is the Artistic Director of the Mayfield Dinner Theatre in Edmonton. In our conversation today we discuss what goes into programming a season and the importance of honouring what the audience wants, looking not only at each individual show but at the entire season as a whole, as well as the relationship between pop music and musical theatre and how it has shifted in recent years. We also discuss some of his most positive experiences at the Mayfield and what made them so positive, what he has learned from developing a relationship with the Edmonton audiences, as well as where he sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Madelaine Knight. Madelaine Knight is an Edmonton based actor who is currently performing in Lend Me A Tenor at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre. In our conversation today we discuss how she was introduced to theatre and the importance of arts-based extracurricular activities, her time at Grant McEwan and what she learned from her experiences in school, as well as what she learned from some of her first professional experiences performing in TYA shows. We also discuss what is unique about the Edmonton arts community, the importance of recognizing the difference between what we perceive and what is really happening, as well as where she sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Kate Ryan. Kate Ryan is an actor, director, and teacher at MacEwan University. In our conversation today we discuss how she was introduced to theatre and her experiences growing up with parents who worked in the theatre industry, her experiences at the University of Alberta and what she learned from her time in school, as well as what she learned from some of her first experiences in the industry. We also discuss how she began working as a director/teacher and the main lessons she tries to instill in the students she works with, her experiences running KayBridge Productions and Plain Jane Theatre Company, as well as where she sees theatre in Canada headed in the future.