getting a rep - equityonline spoon river anthology by edgar lee masters, adapted by mike ross &...

EQE Q U I T Y Q U A R T E R L Y W I n T E R 2 0 1 6

Equity’s Honours AwArds

rEp in CAnAdA – pAst And prEsEnt

Joys of rEpErtory

Getting a rep

it offErs ACtors A

trEmEndous vAriEty of

rolEs – oftEn switCHing

from ComEdy to trAgEdy in

onE wEEk. it Also offErs

stEAdy EmploymEnt witH A

group of Artists you HAvE

ComE to know And trust.

unfortunAtEly tHE Cost of

mAintAining A rEpErtory

tHEAtrE CompAny is grEAt.

wHilE mAny rEpErtory

tHEAtrEs onCE dottEd tHE

CAnAdiAn lAndsCApE, now

only A fEw rEmAin. But

rEp is fAr from finisHEd.

nEw rEpErtory modEls ArE

invigorAting tHE sCEnE

And onCE AgAin tHrilling

AudiEnCEs.

The allure of repertory theatre

2 prEsidEnt’s mEssAgE

3 notEs from ArdEn r. rysHpAn

4 lEttErs to tHE Editor

16 nEw CounCil

17 Equity updAtE

18 fondly rEmEmBErEd

21 Eq flAsHBACk

5 Equity Honours tributes

6 A good rep – memories of repertory theatre in Canada

11 Today’s repertory experience

EQWInTER 2016 – Volume 9, number 3

ExEcUTIVE EdIToR lynn mcqueen

EdIToR Barb farwell

dEsIgn & LAYoUT Chris simeon, september Creative

E Q U I T Y Q U A R T E R L Y W I n T E R 2 0 1 6

V o L U m E 9 n U m b E R 3

front Cover and inside front Cover: The ensemble of Spoon River, by repertory theatre company soulpepper, 2014

Above: (L to R) Andrew mcnee, Allan Zinyk, Robert olguin and Jonathon Young in Vancouver’s bard on the beach 2013 production of Twelfth Night

EQ

Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is monday, April 25, 2016. EQ reserves the right to edit for length, style and content.

EQ Equity Quarterly (Issn 1913-2190) is a forum to discuss issues of interest to members concerning their craft, developments in the industry, Equity’s role in the workplace, and the important position live performance holds in the cultural and social fabric of canada. It is also used as an advocacy tool to educate others about the industry, promote live performance in canada, and celebrate the achievements of Equity members.

Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live performance in English canada. We represent almost 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, fight directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance, and support their creative efforts by seeking to improve their working conditions and opportunities by negotiating and administering collective agreements, providing benefit plans, information and support and acting as an advocate.

coming issue: sUmmER 2016

subscriptions are available at an annual rate of $35, including gsT.

Publications mail Agreement no. 40038615 Each volume of EQ is published annually by canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

national office44 Victoria street, 12th Floor, Toronto, on m5c 3c4Tel: 416-867-9165 | Fax: 416-867-9246 | Toll-free: 1-800-387-1856 (members only)[email protected] | www.caea.com

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2 E Q U I T Y Q U A R T E R L Y W I n T E R 2 0 1 6

President’s messageAgain? Yes, again. Even I don’t understand exactly how it happened, but I’m honoured to

have been chosen to serve as Council President for another term. Council will also have the

support of Katey Wright (BC) as First VP, Sedina Fiati (ON) as 2nd VP, and Scott Bellis (BC) as

Secretary-Treasurer.Council had its first meeting at the end of November. We’re off to a great start, and the

group of Councillors you have working for you is awesome. Most of them are new this term

(18 out of 22), but that’s a good thing – they are energized and enthusiastic to hit the ground

running. Council has spent the past few terms working to change course for the Association,

and this group is all prepped to take our organization to new horizons.So that’s us, but Equity is actually about you.Thank you for all of your input as part of the Council Focus survey conducted during the

elections. With over 300 suggestions submitted, we have a really good picture of what’s on

your collective mind across the country, and it will inform our work for the next three years. If

you want to take a look at the picture yourself, you can find a breakdown of the submissions

on our Council blog at [email protected]. As your board, we answer to you, and

your input is critical to us getting things done well and done right.By the way, I hope everyone realizes that you don’t need to wait for another three years to

contact us about a topic of importance. Our Request for Council Action form is always available

to you, and if you just want to chat about something, you can also contact your Councillor

anytime. Both contact information and the RCA form can be found on the Equity website.

We’ve already struck two major committees to take the work we did toward the end of the

last term (research on diversity issues and safe and respectful workplaces) and turn them into

on-the-ground change. I’m confident that you will be hearing more about both topics in the

next short while. Beyond that, independent and small-scale theatre, stage management issues,

insurance and our relationship with ACTRA also figured prominently in the survey results, and

we’ll turn to them later in the new year.We’re also looking at a major overhaul of how we communicate with you, the people who

actually “own” Equity: what you need to hear and the best way to bring it to your attention.

The world is awash in communication these days, and we want ours to be more concise, use-

ful and effective. As part of this change, you’ll start seeing more voices in this space, which I

know we’ll both enjoy!Finally (for the moment), we’ve also set an in-house goal for the early part of the term, and

that is an overhaul of the officer structure and the various job responsibilities. I know that may

seem like a dust-dry thing to announce, but if Equity is going to continue moving forward, so

must its Council, and that’s our plan.

Here’s to the next three years!

Allan Teichman President

W I n T E R 2 0 1 6 E Q U I T Y Q U A R T E R L Y 3

Notes from Arden R. Ryshpan

This issue of EQ is about repertory theatre. As I did a bit of research about the history of rep, I came across a document about the Montreal Repertory Theatre (active from 1930 to 1961) and it was fascinating to read all the familiar names from my childhood, growing up in that city.

Although the company itself was closed by the time I knew them, so many of the performers and directors who spent years performing there were friends of my family. It is interesting to look back at the list of their work and imagine them as young and vital members of the theatre community. Sadly, they are almost all gone now. The kind of theatre they presented and the style of working it required used to be very much a part of an actor’s life. The cost of maintaining a company for the time required to produce a rep season is beyond the capacity of most of the theatres in this and many other countries. Fortunately, we have several companies who still work in this way and this issue gives us some insight into both the tradition and the future of repertory theatre in Canada.

Of course, not every company or performer is drawn to the repertory structure, as you will see in our first article about this year’s Honours recipients. Their career paths are varied but the outcome is all the same – a legacy of contribution to the live performance community and a lasting influence on their colleagues. Upcoming issues of EQ will highlight the achievements of some of our other honourees.

The membership has elected a new Council and there are many new, fresh faces in the room. We also list our new leadership and remind you about the upcoming National Annual General Meeting.

As we settle in to winter, I encourage you all to get out – regardless of how lousy our Canadian weather can be – and see some of the wonderful work being done by our members in dance, opera and theatre.

What better way to forget about the cold and blustery wind than to lose yourself in some great art?

In Solidarity,

Arden R. RyshpanExecutive Director

4 E q u i t y q u a r t E r l y W i n t E r 2 0 1 6

Letters to the editorLetters on subjects of concern to Equity members will be considered for publication. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for those letters that may affect members’ employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity members or letters that are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied or expressed, may be withheld or edited at the discretion of the editor. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Association.

PHOtO AND PrODUCtION CreDItsCover and Inside Front Cover: Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann. Spoon River (2014) based on Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, adapted by Mike Ross & Albert Schultz with music by Mike Ross produced by Soulpepper Theatre Company. Directed by Albert Schultz with movement coach Andrea Nann. Cast: Frank Cox-O’Connell, Mikaela Davies, Oliver Dennis, Raquel Duffy, Peter Fernandes, Katherine Gauthier, Hailey Gillis, Gordon Hecht, Stuart Hughes, Richard Lam, Anthony MacMahon, Diego Matamoros, Miranda Mulholland, Oyin Oladejo, Colin C. Palangio, Nancy Palk, Gregory Prest, Mike Ross and Brendan Wall. Stage managed by Robert Harding assisted by Laurie Merredew.Page 1 & 13: Photo: David Blue. Twelfth Night (2013) by William Shakespeare produced by Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Dennis Garnhum with fight direction by Nicholas Harrison. Cast: Rachel Cairns, Daniel Doheny, Bill Dow, Craig Erickson, Duncan Fraser, Jennifer Lines, Andrew McNee, Richard Newman, Robert Salvador, Barbara E. Pollard, Todd Thomson, Naomi Wright, Jonathon Young and Allan Zinyk. With production stage manager Stephen Courtenay and assistant stage managers Kelly Barker and Tessa Gunn (apprentice).Page 3: Photo: Michael Cooper.Page 5: Photo of Kathryn Shaw: Emily Cooper. Photo of Ted Follows: Susan Follows.: Photo of Albert Schultz: Michael Cooper. Romeo and Juliet (1987) by William Shakespeare with music by Laura Burton produced by Stratford Festival. Directed by Robin Phillips with fight direction by Jean-Pierre Fournier. Cast: Albert Schultz and members of the Stratford Festival company. Stage managed by Lauren Snell assisted by Dave Gillard and Janet Sellery. Photo of Diana Leblanc: V. Tony Hauser. Photo of Terry Tweed: Courtesy of Terry Tweed.Pages 7 & 9: Photos courtesy of Neptune Theatre.Page 8: Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann. The Odd Couple (2008) by Neil Simon produced by Soulpepper Theatre Company. Directed by Stuart Hughes. Cast: Derek Boyes, Kevin Bundy, Oliver Dennis, Michael Hanrahan, Diego Matamoros, Krystin Pellerin, Amy Rutherford and Albert Schultz. Stage managed by Julie Miles assisted by Malina Patel and Katherine Chin (apprentice).Page 10: Photo: David Cooper. Arcadia (2013) by Tom Stoppard produced by Shaw Festival. Directed by Eda Holmes. Cast: Michael Ball, Kate Besworth, Andrew Bunker, Diana Donnelly, Martin Happer, Damon McLeod, Patrick McManus, Gray Powell, Ric Reid, Harveen Sandhu, Sanjay Talwar and Nicole Underhay. Stage managed by Allan Teichman assisted by Marie-Claude Valiquet.Page 11: Photo: David Cooper. The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures (2015) by Tony Kushner with music by Paul Sportelli produced produced by the Shaw Festival. Directed by Eda Holmes with fight direction by John Stead. Cast: Jasmine Chen, Diana Donnelly, Kelli Fox, Thom Marriott, Julie Martell, Jim Mezon, Gray Powell, Fiona Reid, Ben Sanders, André Sills and Steven Sutcliffe. Stage managed by Allan Teichman assisted by Leigh McClymont.Page 12: Left photo: Michael Cooper. Othello (2013) by William Shakespeare with music by Thomas Ryder Payne produced by Stratford Festival. Directed by Chris Abraham with fight direction by John Stead. Cast: Dion Johnstone and members of the Stratford Festival company. Stage managed by Anne Murphy assisted by Michael Hart and Kristopher Weber. Right photo: David Blue. Hamlet (2013) by William Shakespeare produced by Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Kim Kathleen Collier with fight direction by Nicholas Harrison. Cast: Rachel Cairns, Daniel Doheny, Bill Dow, Craig Erickson, Duncan Fraser, Jennifer Lines, Andrew McNee, Richard Newman, Robert Salvador, Barbara E. Pollard, Todd Thomson, Naomi Wright, Jonathon Young and Allan Zinyk. With production stage manager Stephen Courtenay and assistant stage managers Kelly Barker and Tessa Gunn (apprentice).Page 14: Left photo: Lucas Boutilier/Naked Creative. As You Like It (2015) by William Shakespeare with music by Matthew Skopyk produced by Freewill Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Marianne Copithorne with fight Direction by Patrick Howarth. Cast: Robert Benz, Belinda Cornish, Nathan Cuckow, Morgan Donald, Jesse Gervais, Mary Hulbert, Nancy MacAlear, Troy O’Donnell, Ryan Parker, Nicholas Rose, Andrew MacDonald-Smith, Kevin Sutley, Farren Timoteo, John Ullyatt and Ashley Wright. Stage managed by Gil Miciak assisted by Molly Pearson. Right photo: Emily Cooper. Pygmalion (2015) by George Bernard Shaw produced by Shaw Festival. Directed by Peter Hinton with fight direction by John Stead. Cast: Donna Belleville, Wade Bogert-O’Brien, Kristi Frank, Mary Haney, Peter Krantz, Patrick McManus, Jeff Meadows, Julain Molnar, Harveen Sandhu and as Londoners: David Ball, Jeremy Carver-James, Howard J. Davis, Starr Domingue, Jennifer Dzialoszynski, Lindsey Frazier, Kelly Grainger, Aaron Hastelow, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff, Grant Landry, Matthew Nethersole, Kimberley Rampersad, Kiera Sangster and Travis Seetoo. Stage managed by Meredith Macdonald and assisted by Amy Jewell.Page 15: Photo: Thom Currie. Monty Python’s Spamalot! (2015) with book and lyrics By Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle produced by Stephenville Theatre Festival. Directed by Thom Currie with choreography by Stephanie Graham and fight direction by Michael Dufays. Cast: Léa Beauvais, Tyler Check, Stuart Dowling, Michael Dufays, Robyn Harrison, Sharon King-Campbell, Clayton Labbe, Lucas Popowich, Amy Sellors, Michele Shuster, Luc Trottier, Margaret Thompson and Robert Torr. Stage managed by Alana Freistadt assisted by Tracy Lynne Cann.Page 18: Photo of Sten Eirik courtesy of Stephanie Frontin-Eirik. Photo of Richard Loney courtesy of Kathleen M. Murison.Page 19: Photo of John Dunn-Hill courtesy of Agence Ginette Achim. Photo of Diane Nyland Proctor courtesy of Bruce Dean.Page 20: Photo of David Savoy courtesy of the Shaw Festival. Photo of Faith Ward courtesy of her family.Page 21: Top photo: Danielle Tocker. Bottom photo from the Globe Theatre Collection.

ATLANTIC Michael VennAndrew GermanLita LlewellynGillian Clark

BC / YUKON Jenny AndersenAdam MenziesConor WylieMeaghan ChenoskyOscar DerkxMari ChartierBritt MacLeodMarlise McCormickLeslie Dos RemediosChirag NaikLauren JacksonDANCE Alec RobertsCharlotte Goulet-

ParadisRuth TinkerE. ONTARIO/OUTAOUAIS Tzeitel AbregoEASTERN OPERA Alison WongMelissa PeiouCharles Sy

Aaron SheppardMarcel

d’EntremontIlana ZarankinKiri FigueiredoAshley St JohnAndrea NunezAlicia WoynarskiMANITOBA/NUNAVUT Aidan RitchieRodrigo BeilfussKevin P. GabelAaron Pridham

N. ALBERTA/ NWTDave GanertLuc TellierPatricia CerraAndrea RankinONTARIO Stephane Garneau

MontenAlessandra ViteJorie MorrowMatthew GinLamar JohnsonChristopher

ManousosFraser Elsdon

Karen KnoxJosh WilesSophia FabiilliTrudy Lee GayleLisa TruongSaamer UsmaniLizzy PerkinsCaroline ToalVikki SchnurrDevon M BrownDesmond Sean

Patrick KellyEmilio VieiraDavid WhiteleyAlex McCullochTaveeta

SzymanowiczVanessa SmytheKyle MacRachel DelducaQuinn DooleyBrandon HackettQUEBEC Isabel Farias LehouxJean-François

RaynaudAngie MedranoLéda DaviesPatrick KeelerAnne Lalancette

Alexia GourdKaren C. CoombsDany Tremblay

SASKATCHEWAN Anna SeibelAshley ArnettNatalie

Feheregyhazi

S. ALBERTA Jahlen BarnesLara SchmitzMatt McKinneyJosh Bertwistle

STAGE MANAGEMENT Christine LerouxTessa PekelesMel WatkinsAaron ShingooseMeg MaguireEdward Koop

WESTERN OPERA Ronald LongEden TremayneFrancesca CorradoJacques ArsenaultKaden ForsbergBarbara King

weLCOme New memBers

CORRECTIONPeter C. Wylde’s name was spelled

incorrectly in The Legend Library

list on page 25 of the Fall 2015

issue of EQ. We apologize for

the error.

Equity NewsSouha Chaar has joined the Association as our new Membership Administrator in our National Office.

In late 2015 Alistair Hepburn left Equity to become the Director of Independent and Broadcast Production at ACTRA Toronto. Chris Blanchenot has been promoted to Business Representative in the National Office. His portfolio includes the ITA, CTA and the Stratford Festival Addendum.

Visit www.creativeartscu.com.

A nationwide credit union, open to anyone who earns all or part of their income in the creative arts, that understands the earnings situation of artists and is focused especially on their financial needs.


Celebrating our outstanding members

EQ HonoursEvery two years we celebrate outstanding Equity members at our Honours Awards Celebration at a special reception and presentation following the National Annual General Meeting. Meet two of the members who will be honoured by receiving Life Membership in Equity.

Kathryn Shaw

As a teacher and director, Kathryn has devoted her life to theatre. She was one of the founding members of Angry Actors, an independent theatre company in Vancouver, and through-out her career has directed produc-tions in Vancouver and across Canada at the Arts Club, Bard on the Beach,

Vancouver Playhouse, the Stratford Festival and many other theatre companies.

Kathryn has also served as artistic director of Studio 58, a professional theatre training program at Vancouver’s Langara College, where she has been mentoring students since 1985. Along the way she has been the catalyst for many new theatre companies, including Vancouver’s Electric Company, and ushered important Canadian works onstage – including Kevin Loring’s Where the Blood Mixes, and The Overcoat by Morris Panych and Wendy Gorling.

A vocal and outspoken activist for theatre artists, Kathryn has generously given her time as a jury prize member and board member for grants organizations and emerging and existing theatre companies. In 2005, Kathryn was selected to the B.C. entertainment Hall of Fame, and has received the UBCP/ACTRA Sam Payne Award in recognition of humanity, integrity and the encouragement of new talent.

Ted Follows

As an actor, director and founding member of several theatre compa-nies across Canada, Ted has made a significant impact on Canadian theatre.

Ted won a scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts after win-ning the Best Actor Award at the City of Winnipeg Drama Festival. He

then went on to perform with Toronto’s Hart House Theatre and Ottawa’s Canadian Repertory Theatre. At the age of 20, he was a founding member of Everyman Theatre in Vancouver.

Throughout his career he has performed at regional theatres throughout Canada, such as Theatre New Brunswick, Alberta Theatre Projects, Vancouver Playhouse and Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, Ontario. He also helped found Halifax’s Neptune Theatre in 1963. In addition, Ted has performed at Stratford Festival several times.

As a director, Ted has helped many Canadian theatre artists get their start, and he continued to act and direct with Theatre & Company and Lost & Found Theatre when he had semi-retired to Kitchener, Ontario. He also served on the Advisory Council of Theatre & Company, lending his expertise to artistic programming.

In 1977 Ted received the Queen Elizabeth 25th Anniversary Medal.

Honours Awards CelebrationEquity members are cordially invited to join colleagues and friends

and congratulate recipients of this year’s Honours Awards.

Monday, February 22, 20167:00 to 11:00 p.m.Daniels Spectrum

585 Dundas St. East, Toronto, Ontario

Life Membership will be presented to Ted Follows, Jennifer Phipps, Kathryn Shaw and Greg Wanless

Honorary Equity Membership will be presented to Barbara Fingerote

Light refreshments will be served

Happy Anniversary

Equity!We will have a special

commemorative edition of EQ

as well as some great projects to

celebrate the 40th anniversary

of Canadian Actors’ Equity

Association. Keep on the lookout

for all the exciting details.

Ruby


ThoUgh REPERToRY theatre has a long and storied history in Canada, it is now a relatively rare phenomenon, outside of the seasonal theatre festivals of Shaw and Stratford. In the British definition, repertory means a regular cast of actors who have a set playlist of shows that they can draw from and perform at different times. But in North America, rep means one cast doing two or more different shows, usually alternating nights.

Those who’ve done rep say there is nothing like it. But those who’ve administered theatres that run rep acknowledge that it’s usually costlier, and that’s been an impediment to cash-strapped theatres adopting such a system for themselves. Like the late liter-ary icon in the quote, artists often dream of working in rep.

“For the actor, there’s definitely a greater sense of variety,” says Terry Tweed, the Toronto-based actor, director and teacher. “You’re often going between tragedy and comedy, the heavy and the light, in any given week. It makes seasons more varied too.”

If there is a complication, Tweed says it often involves “sched-


bY mATThEW hAYs

T h E A T R E A R T I s T s R E c A L L T h E I R m E m o R I E s o F R E P E R T o R Y A n d L o o k T o I T s F U T U R E

GETTING A REP

uling. It’s more complicated to plan rehearsals, and of course if

someone is doing several shows – as is often the case at Stratford –

that can be a great deal of work. You need the rehearsal time,

or things could become shallow. But that’s the great challenge of

putting up a play: making sure you can invest the time.”

Diana Leblanc says rep left an indelible impression on her as

an emerging artist. That’s because the Toronto-based actor and

director landed her first gig in rep, at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre:

“I was 19, and right out of school, and I loved it,” she recalls. “I

was in three plays in a brand new theatre. It was pretty heady

stuff. We worked from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., something that

wouldn’t be allowed now due to regulations. I was young, so

it seemed manageable. I think most in the group were under

40 at the time. It worked for me in part because of the way the

casting worked: in two shows I had lead roles; in the third I had

a smaller part. That balance is crucial. At the time it was such a

fantastic opportunity.”

Leblanc says the variety factor was also huge for her. “It did

me good. It kept my imagination firing on all cylinders. It wasn’t

“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head.” — Gore Vidal

Albert schultz as romeo in his first appearance at the stratford festival in 1987

diana leblanc started her career in repertory at neptune theatre

repertory definitely gives a greater sense of variety says actor, director and teacher terry tweed



GETTING A REP

confusing, but rather, it was stimulating. Connections were being made between the works for me. And in 1990, I acted in The Little Foxes while directing Sweet Bird of Youth at Stratford. Talk about variety – that was one of the best seasons I’ve ever had.”

Actors as athletesOne of the best analogies Leblanc says she can think of is that of an athlete. “Variety stimulates in the same way. Oliver Dennis is an actor I know who is also an athlete. He swims, cycles and runs. As a Triathlete, he knows that he could concentrate on one, but instead lives the three. He says doing three different things makes them all that much better. When he told me that, it seemed the

perfect analogy for what it’s like to do repertory theatre.”Albert Schultz says there is something old-fashioned about work-

ing with the repertory model. “It’s how Shakespeare’s company would have worked. It’s not a particularly North American practice. But the system has been around for a long time: because it works.”

The artistic director of Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre recalls his first seasons at the Stratford Festival in 1987 and 1988, where “I was in Robin Phillips’ company of actors. I played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Touchstone in As You Like It. We rehearsed over months and then rotated those shows.”

Schultz says the success of rep boils down to timing and good management. “If the company does it right, if they don’t skimp

5 The final scene of George Bernard

Shaw’s Major Barbara, the opening production at Halifax’s Neptune Theatre on July 1, 1963, one of Canada’s earliest repertory theatres: (L to R) Joan (Gregson) Evans, David Renton, Gary Krawford, Molly Williams, Mavor Moore, Ted Follows and Dawn Greenhaigh. Ted Follows, one of the founding members, was made an Equity Life Member this year

3Joan (Gregson) Evans in the first of several two-handers in which she was to star, here with Bernard Behrens in The Fourposter



“You’re often going between tragedy and comedy, the heavy and the light,

in any given week.”— Terry Tweed

on the experience, it can be a delicious way to work. If you think of it, what are the demands that might make one nervous? Almost all of those are related to time. How am I going to learn my lines in time? How am I going to have time to learn my fights or my dances? Pretty much all of our anxieties are alleviated by time. One of the problems we have in this country is that we’ve whittled away the time we have for shows. Most are rehearsing shows in three weeks or less, which is eroding the quality of the work, and creating an anxious generation.”

And therein lies the beauty of rep, explains Schultz. “The very nature of rep is that you have to do it on a longer term. Let’s say we’re only going to rehearse a play for three and a half weeks –

which isn’t enough. If you’re doing two shows, you get twice as much time, twice as much time to practice and get inside the work, to flex your muscle, time to run through what we’re doing in our head. You have more to be done, but you’re not rushed. You have the luxury of time, which is most important.”

Variety for actorsAnd Schultz adds that the variety inherent to doing a rep schedule isn’t just about fun for the actors – rather, there is a psychological impact, one that makes each performance and each show bet-ter. “If the rep is carefully chosen, you get time off. Like when I did rep for the first time at Stratford, I did Romeo for a day, then

(Back l to r) oliver dennis, derek Boyes, michael Hanrahan, (front l to r) kevin Bundy, diego matamoros and artistic director Albert schultz in The Odd Couple at soulpepper in 2008



the next day it was Touchstone. So I had a day off from Romeo, when he was still on the backburner, and you work away on that. The next day I’m working on the comedy. By the time you reach the audience, you’ve lived twice as long with the person, in the way that you deal with people in real life – sometimes they’re right in front of you, some-times they’re in the back of your mind. And sometimes the best things come to us when they are not right in front of you, when they are not forced.”

During the performance run, Schultz notes that the timing also works in the actors’ favour. “Once the show has started, the performances run twice as long. So during the day you can put on another show, so you’re doing this and that at night and doing another thing during the day. It creates a constant work flow. It’s a lot of hard work, but there’s this con-stant backburner effect. It’s a really interesting way to work. It’s no mistake that it’s how all the great companies work – those companies where you have a resident company of artists, that’s the way they’ll work. Once you get the hang of it.”

Tweed, Leblanc and Schultz all agree that many theatre compa-nies have left the rep model or never adopted it in the first place because of the costs involved. Rehearsal periods are stretched, more resources are needed and everyone has to be paid to accom-modate longer schedules. But Schultz is grappling with that very issue at Soulpepper, now working on a new model that will expand

and enhance the rep model the theatre works with, making it more cost-effective while employing more actors and technicians.

“For a producer, I’d actually argue it’s the best business model,” Schultz insists. “We’ve been working towards a new thing this year. Our company and Equity have been discussing this new sys-

tem, a new rep system. We could be doing two shows, and then once those are up, we’re going to be rehears-ing new shows. This is how Stratford and Shaw works, but if you’re a 12-month company, as we are, it’s exhausting. We’re looking to lighten our load. It’ll be the same for the audience, we’ll have two shows in rep, but we’ll separate shows, so an actor can just do a four-show week. There will be much more time in the 42-hour week of that actor to work on other readings or workshops. There’s a whole bunch of ways for them to extend their cre-

ative life, because we’ve bought that time. This way we’ll be able to hire twice as many actors. That would seem to be a huge expense, but if your goal is to give meaningful, creative employ-ment to the greatest number of artists, and if you can do that, why wouldn’t you?”

Meaningful and solid workSchultz points out that Soulpepper was a theatre founded by art-ists, intent on creating meaningful and solid work for artists. “I really think that’s why we should exist as theatre companies. We shouldn’t be in it to make money, we should be in it to employ

“In 1990, I acted in The Little Foxes while directing Sweet Bird of Youth at Stratford.

Talk about variety – that was one of the best seasons I’ve ever had.” — Diana Leblanc

when it opened in 1963, neptune theatre was the only Canadian theatre to operate all 52 weeks of the year


A R T I s T s R E c A L L T h E I R m E m o R I E s o F R E P E R T o R Y

“It’s how Shakespeare’s company would have worked. It’s not a particularly North American practice. But the system has been around for a

long time: because it works.”— Albert Schultz

artists. In order to do it, you need to diversify revenue streams.

Let’s make a radio show, or podcast, and sell it. If we can find a

way to do something like that, that’s another revenue stream.

What if we use this time now to rehearse a show for next year?

We can rehearse a show for next year, and save money on the

show next time. But you need an initial investment to do it. That’s

why we started our creative capital campaign last year. We need

to raise money, not for a new building but for artists and ideas.

You need the infusion of cash to get things started.”

Schultz says he and the Soulpepper Theatre have mapped out

an ambitious expansion of their rep plan. “Right now we have

four rehearsal halls going, and we have 45 actors working. Of

those 45, at least half of them are here all the time. Others are

here at irregular intervals, and some brand new. We’re looking

at potentially doubling that number of actors working full-time

for us. The artists are very excited about this, as is our adminis-

trative team. This will mean people will have more time to think

about creativity and developing new ideas. I’ve always thought

of Soulpepper as a very creative place. The repertory model will

help to create a space that is filled with even more creativity.” EQ

Matthew Hays is a Montreal-based writer whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Walrus.

(l to r) gray powell, sanjay talwar, nicole

underhay, Andrew Bunker and kate Besworth in

Arcadia at shaw (2013). Although repertory theatre

has a long history in Canada, it is now relatively

rare, outside of the seasonal theatre festivals

of shaw and stratford


E Q U I T Y m E m b E R s T A L k A b o U T R E P E R T o R Y T h E A T R E

bY cYnThIA mAcdonALd

onE hEcTIc dAY LAsT sPRIng , Thom Currie found himself feeling more like a factory foreman than an artistic director.

He spent the day darting in and out of rooms, floating between the moods and time periods of four productions rehearsing at once. There was comedy in one space, conflict in another; there was 1950s nostalgia, bittersweet love, country music and angry unicorns. “It was wonderful and odd and scary to think that all these shows were going to open within five days of another,” he says. “And that each one was so remarkably different.”

Currie is head of the Stephenville Theatre Festival, a beloved month-long repertory festival that erupts for a month each year in a tiny (pop. 6,719) town on the southwest coast of Newfoundland. For almost 40 years, theatregoers have regularly driven for as much as nine hours across the province to spend a few days sampling the festival’s wide-ranging menu of theatrical wares. For the audience, it’s a terrific deal. And for the company,

The Repertory Experience

“rep” is an exhilarating test of muscles they otherwise might not

get to use.

Those working in North American theatre are accustomed to

short rehearsal times during which they become fully immersed in

a single play. But repertory theatre asks them to give their atten-

tion to two, three or more productions opening at the same time,

or close to it.

It’s a system often associated with small towns and summer-

time, when audience members are more inclined to travel and

devote a weekend or more to seeing plays. Stratford and Shaw are

the reigning exemplars of the form, but many other rep festivals,

such as Stephenville, dot the country each year as well.

A joy for actorsThe joys and challenges of rep differ for each company mem-

ber. It’s hard, for example, to find an actor who doesn’t love it:

after all, it’s a long contract that generally offers the chance to

the cast of The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures directed by Eda Holmes at the shaw festival in 2015


E Q U I T Y m E m b E R s T A L k A b o U T T h E J o Y s A n d c h A L L E n g E s o F R E P E R T o R Y T h E A T R E

play multiple roles. A rehearsal time that spans months instead of

weeks is also a luxury.

“You get to spend time away from one play you’re doing, and

that gives you time to think about the other one,” says actor Dion

Johnstone, a veteran of nine seasons at Stratford. “The notes

you’ve been given can then be properly absorbed. When you go

back, you’ve got a fresher approach.”

Harveen Sandhu agrees. Last season at Shaw, she rehearsed

two parts on alternate days: the first, a demanding lead (as Eliza

Doolittle in Pygmalion), and the second a much smaller maid’s

role in J.M. Barrie’s The Twelve-Pound Look. “Eliza was very con-

suming – there were so many things about her that I needed

to release every day,” she says, adding with a laugh: “It’s like a

relationship. Sometimes you need time away from characters in

order to appreciate them.”

But even though rep’s rehearsal period is longer, its days are

shorter: a half-day is the norm, as opposed to the full-day sched-

ule of regional theatre. Consequently, the number of hours may

not actually be any greater than that usually spent on a play in

regional (non-rep) theatre. When rehearsing Eliza, Sandhu says,

“a lot of the time, I just wanted to stay in the room, because I’d

just be on the verge of getting somewhere. It kind of drove me

nuts! But in retrospect, I realize that those intense bursts followed

by a day off were the key to building that character.”

Both Sandhu and Johnstone say the lessons they learn working

on one part can often affect another. For example, Johnstone dion Johnstone as othello at stratford festival in 2013

ingenuity is needed in set design when more than one show is being run at the same time. during vancouver’s Bard on the Beach 2013 production of Hamlet (left), a swimming pool from Twelfth Night (right) began sliding onstage


says that director Peter Sellars’ unusually serious 2014 take on

A Midsummer Night’s Dream gave him a sense of “honesty and

gravity” that enhanced his concurrent performance as the White

King in Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Does that mean actors might be tempted to confuse one part

with another? Not at all, says Edmonton’s John Ullyatt, who’s

spent seven seasons playing multiple roles with the city’s Freewill

Shakespeare Festival. “If you’re eating an orange, you know

you’re not eating an apple,” is how he puts it. “People might

forget a line, but they don’t forget what play they’re doing. You’d

never find yourself saying ‘oh, what a rogue and peasant slave

am I… darling!’”

In any case, Ullyatt points out that this psychological division

of labour is just what actors do anyway. A performer in regional

theatre might very well be rehearsing one play during the day,

while acting in another at night. “That isn’t the same thing as

rep,” he says, “but it’s similar in the sense that you’re working all

the time and using different parts of your brain.”

Compartmentalizing is keyThe pressure cooker of regional theatre, in which a full-scale pro-

duction can be mounted in as little as 10 days, requires a lot more

preparation and self-direction from actors than rep does. But once

rehearsal starts in a regional show, everyone knows where the

focus is. Not so in rep, where compartmentalization is a key skill

in rehearsals as well as performances.


“Just managing your meals – even that’s something you have

to think about,” says Sandhu. “It sounds like a small thing, but

it’s important to figure out what it is you need to keep going. You

have to be diligent and disciplined with yourself.”

Rep companies will often invite the same actors back, year after

year. This is advantageous in several ways: it creates a star system,

which draws audiences to favourite actors as well as plays. It also

helps members of the acting company to bond with each other,

and develop a kind of shorthand.

But new additions to a company can also be helpful, in that

they inject vitality into a group that might be feeling complacent.

There can be other benefits too: reflecting on his turn as Othello

at Stratford in 2013, Johnstone says he’s glad that scheduling

conflicts prevented him from joining the cast until the season was

already under way. “I was working with a company that had

already jelled and found its rhythm before I got there. But that

worked really well for Othello, because he’s an outsider.”

Directors visit rep companies more often than actors do, and

normally work on only one play at a time. Consequently, their

ability to find momentum with actors whose energies are divided

can sometimes be a daunting task.

But because her directorial career started at Shaw, Eda Holmes

probably navigates the tricky demands of rep better than most. Her

credits have included last season’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s

Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures

(popularly known as iHo), as well as 2013’s Arcadia. As associate

ingenuity is needed in set design when more than one show is being run at the same time. during vancouver’s Bard on the Beach 2013 production of Hamlet (left), a swimming pool from Twelfth Night (right) began sliding onstage


director, she currently averages two shows per season at Shaw, passing the mornings on one play and the afternoons on another.

“I think most directors live with a kind of a video with the show in their head,” she says, admitting that keeping that imaginary video alive for months can be a challenge. “But to be honest, I love the extended time. When you’re in the room rehearsing, you try to solve all the problems right there. But rep forces you to walk away from them for a while.” That allows time for what Holmes calls her “lizard brain” (or unconscious mind) to find its own solutions, while she’s either working on something else – or nothing at all.

The right kinds of showsHolmes believes that certain kinds of shows benefit more from rep than others do, particularly those with rich, brainy texts such as iHo. “Really, you don’t want to spend eight hours a day in the emotional quagmire that some plays ask you to – it’s better to work on them over small, manageable chunks of time.” She feels that for other kinds of shows, such as musicals, a longer rehearsal day can be a better fit.

Before embarking on her career as a director, Holmes spent many years as a professional ballet dancer. She sees parallels

between the world of dance and rep theatre: “The thing that’s always made me feel so at home at Shaw is that it’s like a ballet company. In ballet, it’s normal to work on two or three things every day. There, you also have a group of artists with a shared history, who’ve been working together for a long time.”

The technical requirements of repertory theatre can certainly cause headaches. When several shows share the same stage, tech time, storage and design considerations have to be planned down to the minute. Kelly Barker, who’s worked as assistant stage manager for Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Festival for 11 sea-sons, says ingenuity is especially needed when all four shows are being performed in tents.

“We’ve got limited wingspace, part of which is taken up by pieces from the show that we’re not doing,” she says. “Also, we’ll do tech for one show, preview and get it open; pretty much the next day we start the process all over again, for the next show. By the end, everyone’s exhausted, but elated too.”

Can mixups happen on the technical side? The answer, unfor-tunately, is yes: Barker remembers one night when a swimming pool from Twelfth Night began sliding onstage during Hamlet, all because a certain button hadn’t been shut off. “So when you


John ullyatt as le Beau in Edmonton’s freewill shakespeare festival’s 2015 production of As You Like It. He has spent seven seasons playing multiple roles with the festival

Harveen sandhu was Eliza doolittle in Pygmalion at shaw festival while also performing a smaller maid’s role in J.m. Barrie’s The Twelve-Pound Look



Rep companies will often invite the same actors back, year after year. This is advantageous in several ways: it creates a star system, which draws audiences

to favourite actors as well as plays.

change sets, you’ve got to pay careful attention to your preset list to make sure nothing’s been left there from the last show, and that everything’s been added. Every show has a preset list for props, but at Bard we have an extra one for the set itself.”

And yet, even though single stages are playing host to more than one show, each set at Bard is designed to stand on its own; there’s no scrimping on sets, lighting or costumes just because each production doesn’t have a theatre to call its own. This is obviously true at Stratford and Shaw as well.

That’s because rep has to run like clockwork. The plain fact is that it’s the only kind of theatre many people ever see, and they expect the highest quality in every respect. In Canada, rep is good (and necessary) business. “If you’ve got the time and the space and the money, it maximizes what any company can do,” says Barker.

Which is, of course, the rub – many companies are running

all too short on those three commodities. And though popular, rep requires a lot of work. “At Shaw, the bulk of our budget at Shaw goes to people,” says Holmes, going on to assert that rep programming (often restricted by mandates, which include a lot of popular classic plays), shouldn’t necessarily be the universal standard anyway. “That could limit the field for new voices, and new creators,” she says.

Now heading into his second season as artistic director over in Stephenville, Thom Currie reflects on a maiden voyage in which, despite all the juggling, every show managed to open and enjoy a successful month-long run.

“I’m actually loving it, I’m surprised,” he says. “Yes, it’s stressful in the lead up. But it’s an incredible feeling when you open that show. Then again. And again. And again!”EQ

Cynthia Macdonald is a freelance journalist and arts critic in Toronto.

(Back l to r) lucas popowich, stuart dowling, tyler Check, (front l to r) luc trottier, robert torr and michael dufays

in Monty Python’s Spamalot! (2015) at the stephenville theatre festival, a month-long repertory festival, in a

small town in newfoundland, that has been going on for 37 years


EQ Council

Council President: Allan Teichman

First Vice-President: Katey Wright

Second Vice-President: Sedina Fiati

Secretary/Treasurer: Scott Bellis

BRITISH COLUMBIA and the YUKON

Scott BellisJane HeymanKatey Wright

WESTERN OPERA (Alberta and B.C. /

Yukon)Diane Speirs

ALBERTA SOUTHSimon Mallett

ALBERTA NORTH and the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Ian Leung

SASKATCHEWANJaron Francis

MANITOBA / NUNAVUT

Aaron Hutton

EASTERN ONTARIO and the

OUTAOUAISCatriona Leger

ONTARIOKirsten Alter

Herbie BarnesSedina Fiati

Minh LyAllan TeichmanZeph WilliamsPaula Wolfson

QUEBECDeena Aziz

ATLANTICKaren Bassett

EASTERN OPERA (Saskatchewan and

East)Stephen EricksonPeter McGillivray

DANCENicole Caron

STAGE MANAGEMENTKate Sandeson

Councillors and Equity members in good standing may submit topics to Council for discussion by

using the Request for Council Action (RCA) form. If you have a topic or issue that you think should be addressed by Council, then log in to EQUITYONLINE and submit a Request for Council Action form (look

under Council Links on www.caea.com).

SAVE THE DATEEQUITY’S NATIONAL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (NAGM) &

Ruby Anniversary Honours Presentations

Equity’s 2015-2016 National Annual General Meeting and Honours Awards Presentation will be held in Toronto, Ontario.

DATE: Monday, February 22, 2016TImE: 5:30-11:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:15 p.m.)VENUE: Daniels SpectrumADDREss: 585 Dundas St E, Toronto

Equity members in good standing are encouraged to attend the NAGM and join Council in celebrating this year’s honourees. Refreshments will be served.

The National AGM (5:30-7:00 p.m.) will include:• ReportsfromthePresidentandExecutiveDirector,withupdateson

current initiatives. These reports will be recorded and available to all members on Equity’s website at a later date

• Receiptoftheauditedfinancialstatementsandappointmentoftheauditor for the coming year

• ReportsonCouncilcommitteeactivities• Memberresolutions,ifany*

Equity’s Honours (7:00-11:00 p.m.) will be presented to:• TedFollows,JenniferPhipps,KathrynShawandGregWanless–Life

Membership • BarbaraFingerote-HonoraryMembership

RSVP BY EMAIL: [email protected]

Visit Equity President Allan Teichman’s blog sharing the doings of Council

with the Equity membership. Visit www.caea.com for more information.

blogCouncilConnection

OFFICERS: REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL ACTION:


Equity UpdateEQUITY’s AGREEmENT NEGOTIATIONs AND ENGAGEmENT POLICIEs UNDER REVIEw IN 2016Each year, in compliance with policy requirements set by Equity’s Council, the Association must provide timely notice to the mem-bership of the upcoming development, negotiation, review, application and enforcement of Equity’s negotiated and promul-gated scale agreements and engagement policies. Equity mem-bers must also be afforded the opportunity to contribute to the development, negotiation, review and revision of these same agreements and policies.

A list of Equity’s agreement negotiations and engagement policies taking place in 2016 follows below. Equity members are encouraged to send their suggestions for changes or improvement by the deadlines indicated to the email address below. Alternately, members may email Executive Director Arden R. Ryshpan directly with any notes or proposals at [email protected].

AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS IN 2016

Canadian Opera Agreement (COA)Expiry Date: June 30, 2016Suggestion Deadline: February 12, 2016 Comments: Negotiations begin late Spring 2016

Department of Canadian Heritage Agreement (formerly the National Capital Commission Events Agreement)Expiry date: August 31, 2015 (Note: extended to January 31, 2016)Suggestion deadline: Completed Comments: Equity is nearing completion of bargaining with the Department of Canadian Heritage

National Ballet of Canada Agreement (NBCA)Expiry date: June 30, 2016Comments: Pre-negotiation discussions commenced in November 2015, negotiations begin Spring 2016

Opera Agreement (OPA)Expiry date: June 30, 2016Suggestion deadline: February 12, 2016 Comments: Negotiations begin Spring 2016

ENGAGEMENT POLICIES UNDER REVIEW IN 2016

Artists’ Collective PolicyReview date: September 30, 2016 Suggestion deadline: July 29, 2016

Festival PolicyReview date: September 30, 2016 Suggestion deadline: July 29, 2016

INDIE 2.1Review date: September 30, 2016 Suggestion deadline: July 29, 2016

Amateur PolicyReview date: May 1, 2016 (Note: review date change)Suggestion deadline: February 29, 2016

Equity members are encouraged to contribute to the review and negotiation of these agreements or the revision of these engagement policies. Suggested proposals for change or amend-ment should be emailed to [email protected], or call 1-800-387-1856 (416-867-9165 in Toronto).

Pay Your Dues OnlineThis feature allows members to log in to EQUITYONLINE and securely pay dues by credit card in a few simple clicks. Visit www.caea.com for more information.

Introducing the new Dance•Opera•Theatre Policy.

The DOT for short. The DOT is a multidisciplinary Policy addressing the needs ofDance•Opera•Theatreproductions/activitieswithmoreexpansive and flexible terms and conditions. It combines ele-ments from the former Guest Artist and Canadian Dance poli-cies with new provisions for small-scale opera engagements. The DOT now outlines how Equity members may participate in productions at post-secondary educational institutions.

Provisions common to engagements across all three types of work appear at the beginning of the DOT, and there is a separate Schedule specific to each genre at the end of the Policy. The Schedules address allowable hours and provide minimum fees.

The DOT is available at EQUITYONLINE (www.caea.com).

DANCE OPERA THEATRE

DOT


Fondly Rememberedsten Eirik 1952 - 2015bY RobERT dodds

At the celebration of Sten’s life I met the young actors he had just directed in his final production, Living Curiosities, at the University of Toronto. They told me they were there because Sten had inspired them to pursue their dreams, in theatre and in life. This was no surprise.

Sten was already a local legend when I first met him in 1977 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He had written, produced, directed and acted in his latest cast-of-dozens extravaganza, an adaptation of The Epic of Gilgamesh. After the show he played guitar and sang, his blonde mane as magnetic as his sinuous baritone. The next day I spotted him driving the local bus service he had co-founded and ran, and sometimes you could catch him playing with his two young sons outside his house – which he built himself. He was 25.

This was the complex, wildly creative man who inspired those young actors decades later. From his boyhood in Sweden to the Stratford Festival; from his published novels to his academic arti-cles; from his “Nordic villain” roles on TV to founding the Guild

Festival Theatre – did Sten’s pass ionate engagement with life make spending time with him equally intense?

Well, yes. But in the best possible way, like talking to a first-class psychotherapist – which he became! For, by some alchemy, Sten’s burning curiosity sprang from the most open, generous heart you can imagine. And for his immediate, loving family as well as his hundreds of friends and colleagues, it is perhaps this constant interplay in his restless spirit – fire with ice, fierceness with gentleness, the gasp before the laugh – that explains not only the depth but the breadth of our gratitude and loss. It feels like losing more than one of us.

richard loney 1933 - 2015bY kAThLEEn m. mURIson

Richard Loney – a kind and gentle man with a twinkle in his eye and laughter in his heart – passed away on September 9, 2015. Richard possessed a lilt-ing tenor voice of great beauty. He was an Equity member since 1974 and sang with the Vancouver

Opera for 45 years. Richard was also a well-respected high school teacher (Social Studies, English, French and Music). During his music career, he was a regular performer on CBC radio and TV, with Vancouver and Victoria symphonies, Theatre Under the Stars, a head-liner on cruise ships and recorded several albums.

Richard was perhaps best known as the anthem singer for the Vancouver Canucks. An avid hockey fan, he sang the anthems

for more than 2,000 games across 40 seasons. He was beloved by fans – on one occasion after Richard had missed a few games while he was travelling, he was walking across the plaza on his way to a hockey game when several young men called out to him and asked if he was singing that night. When he replied that he was, the men cheered and said that now they would not need the banner they had made that read “Where’s Richard?”

Richard was generous with his time and talent – singing at games for the Vancouver Giants, BC Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps and even the Toronto Blue Jays when they visited Seattle – and also finding time to sing at his grandson Ladner’s minor baseball games.

Those who were privileged to know Richard as a friend and colleague knew that he would always find time to chat, share a joke and brighten the room with his laughter and enthusiasm. He was an excellent musician and he was kind, supportive and generous with fellow performers. Richard will be greatly missed by his family, friends, colleagues and his many fans.


John dunn-Hill 1936 - 2015bY JEnnIFER moREhoUsE

Very few people have been inclined to call me Jennie in my life. They have always been people who are a little older than me, and who somehow know when I need a good laugh.

Enter Johnny Dunn-Hill. Every two weeks or so, for over 20 years now, the phone would ring. “Hello, Jennie, I’ve got a good one for you,” followed always by a saucy joke, and we would both inevitably laugh uproariously – he always laughed at his own jokes! And then we would talk passionately about the theatre, of course. And before hanging up he would be sure to remind me to share the saucy joke with my mum, who also loves to laugh uproariously – I think he had a crush on her.

Johnny and I became friends doing Sean Dixon’s A Cabinet Maker’s Wedding with Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal in 1995. A stunning love story between a cabinet maker and a woman who is dying of breast cancer. Johnny’s performance in that piece was heartbreaking, and I was privileged to share the boards with him.

Despite the fact that we have known each other for so long, I know very little about his personal life, other than that he was born in 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, and is survived by two daugh-ters, and his dear long-time friend Marie, who took care of him devotedly as he was struggling with his health. I think the reason we rarely spoke about his personal life is because for Johnny the theatre was his personal life. He loved the theatre, took it very

personally, to the deepest place in his spirit. Colleagues and friends would come over and visit him (Noel Burton, Gordon Masten, to name a couple) and he would drop the names of the greats he had met over the years, and sometimes he would become grumpy about things he didn’t appreciate in the theatre. But I loved him, we loved him, even when he was grumpy.

So Johnny, I love you, my friend. You were a modest, guileless and vulnerable actor and a hopelessly honest man. Please feel free to visit my dreams anytime a good one comes into your head. I will miss you deeply.

diane nyland proctor 1944 - 2014bY dAVId WARRAck

Diane Nyland Proctor was revered as the star of The Trouble With Tracy, for creating iconic stage roles (Josie Pye in Anne of Green Gables, and Belinda in Johnny Belinda), and becoming the superb director/choreographer everyone admired.

Through it all, and regardless of the circumstances, she remained “Di, endlessly loving, fascinating, funny, respectful and kind.” J. Sean Elliott spoke for all of us when he said “she was probably the kindest person I ever met.” And wise. Wise in the oh-so-tangled web of the arts and entertainment industry, and wise in the ways of life’s ongoing challenges. She had such an amazing perspective, the uber definition of an “old soul.”

Her organizational skills made working with her in rehearsals a joy: lotsa laughs, a way of divining the perfect solution for each heartbeat of the piece, and never a wasted moment. Yes, part of that was assuring there were decent smoke breaks! She had her cravings. Include martinis on that list. Plus Frank. They met doing a show, dated a week later, were engaged within a few days,

and enjoyed 44 years of being everyone’s favourite couple.

And oh, did she love her boys, Kelly and Toby. If there was a better mom, I’d be amazed. And their families! And Bruce and Robert. And the endless rest of us. It’s impossible to sum up someone so… com-plete. She was always, always there when you needed her, pro-fessionally or personally. When we gathered to say good-bye at the Metropolitan Community Church, there was so much love in that room, you wished you could bottle it and send it around this troubled world. We are so grateful for what she gave us, and we will never forget our Di. What a blessing.


IN mEmORIAm

2015Alan Argue

Walter Balay Harold Baldridge Theodore Bikel Pam Brighton

Michael Burgess Angelo Celeste

Marigold Charlesworth Daniel John Paul Conley

Dini Conte Jonathan Crombie

Patrick Cullen Richard L. Denison

Hazel Desbarats Geraldine Doucet John Dunn-Hill

Sten Eirik Naomi Friesen Michael Green

Arnie Hardt Don Harron

Antony Holland Daniel Hyatt Terry Judd

Marjorie Knowler Daphne Korol Richard Loney

Patrick MacNee Don MacQuarrie

Jack Medley Jonathan Ollivier

Betsy Palmer James Pendarves

Susan Petrie Robin Phillips

Stephen Pietrantoni Maria Radner David Savoy

Michele Sereda Grant Strate

Robert Thomas Orest E Ulan Jon Vickers Amy Wallis Faith Ward

david savoy 1958 - 2015 bY shELLEY hoFFmAn

On September 2, 2015, the Canadian theatre community lost an artist, mentor and friend. David Savoy passed away peacefully in his sleep after a hard fought battle with multiple sclerosis.

As a director, David gave actors room to explore, challenging them to go beyond their precon-ceptions to create a character they hadn’t even imagined. Kind, supportive and soft-spoken, David rarely raised his voice. But when he did, the room would shut up instantly. And if the cast didn’t come through in rehearsal, he’d threaten to do the show with finger puppets. With his creativity and taste, it still would have been awesome.

David had a generous spirit. He made time for crashers. He gave a lot of people their Equity cards. He brought in baked goods. But most importantly, as artistic director he created a work environ-ment that could truly be described as family. Everyone was part of that family. Actors, office staff, front of house, production and volunteers, David knew their names and let them know they were important to the show.

Above all, David was inspiring. During the time he battled the symptoms of that hateful disease, he barely mentioned his troubles. He soldiered on, doing the job he loved with people he loved. And we loved him back.

Finally, a saying of David’s comes to mind. “If all else fails, lighting will help.” In the years to come let’s take comfort in the light David shone on all of us.

faith ward 1921-2015bY dEboRAh ALLEn

I never imagined Faith Ward would leave us. She seemed larger than life and that presence followed her on stage in a variety of roles. Where did all that energy for life come from? Her health-conscious diet? Discipline for any task at hand? Her garden? An endless curiosity for the world around her?

A terrific mimic, she regaled us with recollections of, say... an appointment downtown, an exchange in a restaurant.

Who would you call if you needed help with an accent? Faith. If you wanted to impress with Received Pronunciation (RP) in an audition – you did your best Faith!

I cherish the direction and encouragement that Faith bestowed on me during our friendship – never missing an opening night, cards on your birthday and motherly tips if you were off on a trip.

It was a lucky day for Canada when the fates decreed that Faith would come to make a life here. So many have benefitted from this extraordinary woman, the youngest ever to win a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England; performing in more than 2,000 productions in London’s war-torn West End (when not on stage, on the roof, fire-watching); to all the nuanced roles she performed in Canada, many at Neptune Theatre in Halifax. One was in Candida, directed by John Neville, also starring Roger Rees. She directed and played lead roles at the Ottawa Little Theatre, namely The King and I with actor Peter Blais as her son, Louis. And we cannot overlook countless CBC radio dramas and films shot in Halifax.

Faith has left an indelible footprint on our hearts. I already miss her phone message sign-off , “Oh by the way... it’s Faith.”


EQ Flashback Regina’s Globe Theatre turns 50

Founded in 1966 by Ken and Sue Kramer as a theatre-in-the-round, Regina’s Globe Theatre was Saskatchewan’s first profes-sional theatre company.

It all started with a provincial tour of three shows – The Dog

and the Stone, On Trial, and Shakespeare’s Characters as Living

People. The Globe Theatre is now the province’s largest performing arts

organization and the regional theatre for Regina and southern Saskatchewan. Each season it mounts six or seven main stage pro-ductions, four to six Shumiatcher Sandbox Series shows – which showcase new work by Saskatchewan artists – and a provincial tour.

Many actors began their careers at Globe Theatre, including Fiona Reid, Lorne Cardinal, Nicola Lipman, Miriam Newhouse, Michael Hogan, Seana McKenna, Tom McBeath, Diana Leblanc, Tom Rooney, Lucy Peacock, William Vickers, Thomas Hauff, Allan Zinyk, Zaib Shaikh, and Pat Armstrong.

From the outset, Globe Theatre was committed to the produc-tion of Canadian playwrights. Rex Deverell was the resident play-wright from 1971 to 1990, and plays have been commissioned by Gail Bowen, Joey Tremblay and Sharon Stearns.

The Globe Theatre School was launched in 2006 and the Actor Conservatory Training Program began in 2008. The conservatory has graduated 41 actors over the past seven years.

It’s interesting to note that Globe Theatre sells between 50,000 and 60,000 tickets each season – an amazing turnout considering the population of Regina is about 230,000.

“Ken and Sue Kramer were passionate about creating a theatre that was relevant to this region and Susan Ferley [artistic director 1990-98] continued that legacy,” says Ruth Smillie, Artistic Director and CEO. “As we celebrate our golden anniversary, I applaud the vision, passion and artistry of those that came before me and the art-ists and audiences who continue to ensure that ‘live is better’ in Regina and Southern Saskatchewan.”

A 50th Anniversary Gala is being planned for June 22, 2016. You can visit globetheatrelive.com in the coming weeks for all the details, including special celebrity guests. The website also has information about a recently published book on the theatre’s history called A Round for 50 Years: A History of Regina’s Globe Theatre by Gerald Hill.

the theatre is housed in the prince Edward Building, a designated heritage site built in 1906 as the regina post office and rCmp headquarters and later City Hall

(l to r) nick longo, dana

Anderson and susanna Hamnett

in the 1999 production of

A Christmas Carol

RRsP Contribution Deadline

It is not too late for an Equity mem-ber to make an RRSP contribution for deductions from their 2015 income tax.

Voluntary RRSP contributions must be postmarked on or before February 29, 2016.

Cheques must be payable to London Life Insurance Company and mailed to: Group Retirement Services, 330 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1R8.

Please ensure that your name and cer-tificate number are clearly marked on the front of the cheque. Questions regarding voluntary RRSP contribu-tions may be directed to Souha Chaar, Membership Administrator, by email to [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-387-1856 (416-867-9165 in Toronto).

Want to receive an electronic version of EQ?

Equity offers electronic access to Equity Quarterly. If you would rather read

an online version of EQ – login to the Member Only zone on EQUITYONLINE (www.caea.com)

and update your EQ delivery options.

E Q U I T Y Q U A R T E R L Y

Publications Mail Agreement #40038615Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:EQCanadian Actors’ Equity Association 44 Victoria Street, 12th FloorToronto, ON M5C [email protected]

EQRRsP FUNDs ON HOLD LIsT – FINAL NOTICE Are you on the list or do you know a colleague on it? The following members have not opened an RRSP and risk losing their money. In accordance with Bylaw 107(c), failing to have a valid RRSP account will result in the assignment of the money to the Actors’ Fund of Canada. Members must act quickly to avoid losing unallo-cated RRSP funds collected in 2014. To open an account, contact Souha Chaar, Membership Administrator, by email to [email protected] or by phone at 1-800-387-1856 (416-867-9165 in Toronto) before February 19, 2016.

Please take a minute to review the names on the list below.Raymond AblackAustin BeauchampAymen BenkreiraNils BrownRuth BrownJohn CallanderAura CarcuevaLance CardinalSarah CarlsenJesse CatibogJulian CervelloJoel CochraneNneka CroalKeir CutlerGenevieve

Dorion-Coupal

Brian DowneyTyler DuncanEtienne DupuisPasha EbrahimiJoyce El-KhouryAbdelghafour ElaazizRachel FenlonDarrel GamotinKyle GillisThomas GlennJason GosbeeGabriel GosselinCarolyn HallKimberly HarveyReza JacobsClair Jacques

Paul JeffreyDerek JohnsonCathy JonesDavid KayeValeria KondrashovJames KudelkaSuzie LeBlancNorma LewisLi LiKayla LoretteMatthew LumleyCiarán MacGillivrayKatie MallochHarout MarkarianOwen MasonMassimo

Simone McIntoshWendy Gail MerkScott MoyleSonia NorrisJamie NorthanMichael PatersonSusanna PortnoyJ. Patrick RafteryJesse ReidJeffrey RennPaulo RibeiroCarlos

Rivera-MartinezRachel RuddDiana SalvatoreJacob Sampson

Joseph SchnurrMarc SeniorJohn ShawRazi ShawahdehAdrian ShepherdTetsuro ShigematsuMichael Gordin

ShoreGarret C. SmithKelsey Ter KuileMasha TerentievaDavid-Benjamin

TomlinsonKristina UranowskiRichard Whittall

In recognition of career longev-ity, senior Equity members are eligible for remission of basic dues but will continue to pay working dues.

Regular members who have been members in good stand-ing for at least 10 (ten) years may apply for dues remission as follows:• age65 (sixty-five) forper-

formers, stage managers, directors and choreographers

• age55(fifty-five)foroperasingers

• age45(forty-five)forballetdancers

Contact [email protected]

for more information.

Dues Remission Advisory

The Equity Advantage suite of discount programs provides significant savings to members and their families. Enrolment is automatic for members in good standing as of November 2015. Visit www.caea.com for more information.

getting a rep - equityonline spoon river anthology by edgar lee masters, adapted by mike ross &...

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