How Prince Made Me A Better Playwright
Some plays are symphonies, some are pop songs, and we can’t label one as better than the other.
You’re Not Helpless, You’re Comfortable
Pass Over puts audiences in an uncomfortable position, and I think that’s necessary. Sometimes the people who have been comfortable the longest need to be uncomfortable for a change.
Spotlight: Jani Lauzon
Had things gone differently with Soulpepper’s programming, another production entirely might have been in its place this season. And, had things gone differently in Jani’s early years as an artist, she might not have grown into the fierce matriarch of Indigenous theatre that she is.
The Spirit of Mandela: Continuing the Fight for Freedom
“There is a deep history between Nelson Mandela and Toronto. It was so important for this exhibit to come to Toronto and for the people here to have a chance to see it, interact with it, and really remember Mandela and what he stood for in terms of equity, equality, and diversity.”
Kindness From Strangers
Why am I so concerned with making Blanche palatable to audiences?
Spotlight: Walter Borden
“I am the authority on who I am,” proclaimed Walter Borden on a rainy April evening as we discussed identities and how we present ourselves to the world.
What I Wish I’d Known: Andrea Donaldson
I believe in a huge distinction between pressure and stress. One is exciting and passionate and one is toxic.
Emerging Across Canada: Ontario and Quebec
Whether that was in Montreal or from mentors in Edmonton, I had this image in my mind of this terrible place where people were always mean and dreams went to die.
An Unexplained Injustice
We all have demons inside of us. We all have those monstrous thoughts, but what is it about our circumstances that allows us to act on them?
Finding Home in Art
“It may be over a hundred years ago when The Cherry Orchard was written and first performed, but there is nothing about it that is passé.”
Revitalizing Japanese Canadian Identity
Internment was a defining collective experience, yet the ways in which we do or do not remember it remain at odds between generations.
Actor Training in Canada: An Appeal for Change
Our current massive industry shakedown presents an opportunity—and a responsibility—to revisit and challenge the practices and bedrock values of professional training in this country.
The Problem With “The Show Must Go On”
When I reflect on the number of artists I know who suffer from mental health issues, and the unique stressors that come with our profession, the resources available to us and the awareness we have about public services feel meagre and insufficient.
Oka, Ipperwash, Caledonia, Standing Rock
I was thirteen, living with a Mohawk mom who had somehow taken on my stepfather’s racist opinions, and Canada had just shot an unarmed protester. I changed then.
Spotlight: Weyni Mengesha
When you speak, Weyni follows your words like a map, as though she expects you to be profound, as though she believes that the next word you say might hold the key to an elusive treasure.