Speaking in Draft
For director, actor, and educator Allen MacInnis, theatre is a precious opportunity for change
“You can’t perform if you’re self-conscious. It’s absolute death. And that extends to every other artist in the theatre: every designer, every director, every composer,” says the former artistic director of Young People’s Theatre. “If you’re concerned about how the audience will judge what you’ve done, something’s held back.”
iPhoto caption: Top to bottom, L to R: Naguib Keval, Aruna Bhalla, Colin MacLellan, Payge Mildebrath.
How four GTA drama teachers are modelling the importance of connection, empathy, and collaboration
I suspect that most people who work in theatre professionally, and many who don’t, have a story about a high school drama teacher who changed their life. This edition of Speaking in Draft is a celebration of those figures.
iPhoto caption: Photo of Ada Aguilar by Dahlia Katz.
Speaking in Draft: Ada Aguilar
“I'm really passionate about the role of stage management as social activism, and as a way to provide safety and support for a production and its people,” says Aguilar. “We put everything of ourselves into these productions, but we also have to be good to ourselves.”
iPhoto caption: Photo by Audrianna Martin Del Campo.
Speaking in Draft: Veronica Hortigüela and Annie Luján
“Toronto needs to take comedies more seriously,” says Luján. “Comedy is not making people laugh every few minutes. In my mind, if people aren’t peeing their pants, we didn’t work hard enough. I think we can raise the bar on how out-of-control laughing we can make an audience.”