With TIFT’s Twelve Dinners, actor Steve Ross makes the leap to playwright-director
iPhoto caption: Jane Spidell as Bettye, Kevin Bundy as Jim, and Noah Beemer as Steve in 'Twelve Dinners.' Photo by Dahlia Katz.
Steve Ross is taking on a twofold artistic challenge. While continuing to hone his skill as a playwright, the accomplished actor — most known for his appearances at the Stratford Festival — is now doing something his colleagues cautioned him not to do: Directing work he has written.
The play in question is Twelve Dinners, produced by Talk Is Free Theatre (TIFT) and performed at 59 Shanty Bay Road, a private home in Barrie.
A kitchen sink, slice-of-life story, Twelve Dinners focuses on three characters. For the most part, the story is autobiographical, with Ross using his first name as the adult son played by Noah Beemer. Kevin Bundy plays Steve’s father, Jim, an affable man just like his son, while Jane Spidell plays Bettye, Steve’s sometimes complicated mother.
Ross has a brother and a sister in real life, but Steve is an only child in the play; the character also periodically breaks the fourth wall to provide the audience with context. The plot revolves around “Steve’s very complicated relationship with Bettye, over the course of 12 monthly dinners, or one year,” as Ross put it in a recent post-rehearsal video call.
Twelve Dinners made its world premiere last summer at Stratford’s Here for Now Theatre, in a production directed by Jan Alexandra Smith. Ross said he was amazed by the response, and recalled audience members approaching afterwards to say “‘That’s my mom!’” or “‘Boy, did I ever recognize that situation.’”
After seeing these strangers’ immense connection with his personal story, Ross realized the power of specificity. “The more specific one can be, the more relatable a play ultimately can be,” he reflected. “That realization became a fascinating process.”
As an emerging playwright, Ross doesn’t set out to write anything relatable. He sees that as a fool’s errand. Instead, what he continues to learn about the art of writing is to be as honest as possible in dialogue and in situations. He thinks the emotional impact of this honesty will speak for itself.
I saw the play at Here for Now and found that Ross achieved subtle verisimilitude by creating believable characters who speak authentic dialogue. While sharing a meal with loved ones is often meant to be a time of respectful discussion and catching up, that doesn’t happen in Twelve Dinners. Bettye can be hurtful in her conversations with her son and asks uncomfortable, probing questions.
When I asked Ross whether writing the play was cathartic for him, he said he didn’t know. Instead, what he found odd was writing Bettye’s complicated dialogue. “Crafting these meant-to-be-heard conversations makes the play more than just about Bettye being a terrible person for saying what she did,” he said. “I want people to like my mother, be on her side, and understand her.”
And Ross clarified that there wasn’t always tension in his house. “There was a lot of laughter,” he reflected. “My mother was a fabulous baker, and she taught me how to bake, too.”
Ross likes to imagine that with each play he writes, he’s improving at writing dialogue for the theatre that feels genuine. His interest began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he started writing plays rather than pivoting his performances to another medium. He says he loves every part of the theatrical process.
During the pandemic, Ross also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brock University, 30 years after he started it. (He initially left his undergrad to attend the National Theatre School.) He wanted to finish his B.A. because he knew his mother would be proud of her son, a university graduate.
TIFT artistic producer Arkady Spivak strongly encouraged Ross to direct Twelve Dinners, having given the actor his first shot at directing in 2016 with TIFT’s Sunday in the Park with George. Ross said he couldn’t turn down that trust and remains genuinely excited about the opportunity. ”I love sitting with the actors before rehearsals and discussing, especially when they ask questions,” he said. “I love the blocking and staging. I love directing my own work, but find it challenging.”
Ross admits there are times he feels like a babe in the woods as a director. While he appreciates the idea of staging the play in a private residence with up to 20 people per performance, he remains realistic, and understands there will be challenges when moving into the performance space.
But he focuses on how fortunate he, the cast, and crew are. “The actors don’t have to worry about a day of technical rehearsal with lights or other aspects of theatre,” he said. “I’m also aiming to create a hybrid between film and theatre to achieve a sense of hyper-realism within the intimate home setting.” With a calm “we shall see what happens in Barrie,” and a coy laugh that prompted a similar one from me, Ross was off to complete the challenge as director.
As we wrapped up our chat, I found myself thinking about Ross’s earlier description of Steve and Bettye’s relationship as “complicated.” I asked him what he thought that word truly meant.
In hindsight, he’s not sure he would have chosen the word.
“We’re all complicated — and it’s what makes us tick,” he said. “It’s too easy to paint someone with just one colour.”
Twelve Dinners runs at 59 Shanty Bay Road in Barrie until November 29. More information is available here.
Joe Szekeres wrote this feature as part of ON Criticism: The 2025/26 Theatre Critics Lab, a collaboration between the Grand Theatre, Talk is Free Theatre, Tarragon Theatre, Theatre Aquarius, and Intermission.
Joe Szekeres
A retired 33-year Ontario certified Catholic school teacher, Joe is the founder, editor and publisher of Our Theatre Voice (www.ourtheatrevoice.com). He loves travelling, improving his knowledge of French, and learning new things he can cook in his Crock-Pot. A family-oriented guy, Joe looks forward one day to taking his great-niece Aurora and great-nephew Colton to the theatre.
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