I have started to build a permanent page to entice you to check out other acting and theatre podcasts that I find inspiring. The new page on the Dramatic Impact: Acting and Theatre in Alberta web site includes links to each podcast on iTunes, the podcast web site, and to the rss feed. In some cases, I also refer to particular episodes that have stuck with me. Please let me know what you think.

I can’t apologize enough for not having posted anything in so long. I’m in the startup phase of my new promotions business, Often Seen New Media, Inc.

Great news though for Dramatic Impact. I was interviewed by Ron Wilson of CBC radio’s Edmonton Am as part of their series about Edmonton bloggers and podcasters.

Dramatic Impact: Acting and Theatre in Alberta is two and 1/3 years old now, and we have had 25 episodes in total. In all that time I have not been tempted to mouth off about anything in this podcast blog. But today I discovered something that I am passionate about, which I suspect that many engaged in the pursuit of acting are prone to take less than seriously.

I believe that the core of acting depends on developing our capacity for play and imagination. I take this belief for granted because it has been confirmed by so many directors, teachers, and actors that I respect. But I think there is a disdain for that approach out there, possibly because it is hard enough to gain respect for what we do as actors and to be regarded as professional. And even those of us who are not full-blown professional actors want to be regarded as professional in our approach. It makes it that much less appealing to openly legitimize the role of play and imagination in what we do.

In True and False: Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor, a book that has generated much controversy, David Mamet acknowledges an actor’s fear of being perceived as childish:

It is not childish to live with uncertainty, to devote oneself to a craft rather than a career, to an idea rather than an institution. It’s courageous and requires a courage of the order that the institutionally co-opted are ill-equipped to perceive.

(If you are interested in hearing more about this book and others that have inspired me, listen to Episode 22: One Big Massive Retweet, The Books, Part 1)
Actors have traditionally been mistrusted, sometimes even feared and have been seen as little more than prostitutes and criminals. We don’t want to be perceived as children too.

So if you don’t believe in the role of play and imagination, check out the books of Michael Chekhov, Harold Guskin, and Keith Johnstone. Chekhov, who lived from 1891-1955, is still and Guskin and Johnstone are considered to be highly respected teachers and professionals in the international acting community.

It is an accepted standard that an actor is the most powerful when that actor is “in the moment”, not showing you what he or she rehearsed but truly creating a moment as if for the first time. That comes from the ability to be spontaneous, and what better way to develop spontaneity than through play? Hence, you have veteran teachers and directors that are never too jaded to get their actors to play and rediscover their spontaneity. Another way that this gets expressed by teachers and directors is the idea that the intellect inhibits spontaneity. And what better way to get around our habitual use of the intellect than to use games and physicalization and exercises to develop the imagination?

That doesn’t mean the intellect has no role. After an actor has discovered the core of the scene or the character, he or she can bring in the intellect to refine their choices. But if it is too prevalent in the beginning, an actor may stiffen up, and we end up giving dead performances, museum pieces.

Let me know what you think in the comments, but please be respectful. People think that if you actually express a point of view strongly that you must be an arrogant person. Actually, before I started this podcast, I was terrified of putting my voice out there. Now I am more used to having a public voice and have gotten to the point where I can put my views out there when I feel strongly about them. Let me know what your point of view is. I welcome discussion. In any community, there must be room for differing points of view.

This is the first of a series of episodes called One Big Massive Retweet. I’m borrowing the concept of retweeting from Twitter. However, this episode has nothing to do with Twitter. I’m just referring to the concept of spreading the word about resources that originally came from another source.

This series of episodes will be about all the books, podcasts, and web sites that give me inspiration and that I consider essential for the actor. I’m starting with Fourteen Essential Books that will help you understand the artistic, emotional, and pragmatic aspects of being an actor. This episode covers the first four.

Resources and Inspiration for Acting and Theatre Addicts is a collection of permanent pages with links to all of these resources. I will be building those pages over the next month.

Edmonton actor Richard Lee Hsi reveals what it’s like to create a play collectively. He talks about mask work and the unique experience of portraying real life people on stage.

Excerpts from this interview were presented in the audio documentary about The Invisible Project. This is the whole interview.

More About The Invisible Project

Audio Documentary and Slide Show
Recording of the Play at a Live Performance
Interview with a Shelter Client
Interview with David van Belle, the play’s Director and Facilitator

If you need to, please resubscribe to the feed. The address is

http://feeds.acting-and-theatre.com/dramaticimpact

Even better yet, if you have iTunes, go to our page and click the Subscribe button there. Here is a link to get you there:

Dramatic Impact on iTunes

The next episode is just about to be released. Sorry for the delays. I’ve been unusually swamped.

One Big Massive Retweet

I’m planning something very different, an episode that I’m calling “One Big Massive Retweet” in honour of the popularity of Twitter. I’m just using the term to refer to the fact that I’ll be recommending podcast episodes, books, and web sites that help sustain my enthusiasm and passion for acting and theatre. So I’m using the term “tweet” very loosely here. Nothing to do with Twitter. There will also be a corresponding blog page that will link to all of these fantastic resources.

Honest, You Won’t Get Hooked

As part of my life as an actor and owner of the business Often Seen New Media, Inc., I played a small part in, and I am volunteering to help publicize a short independent film by Edmonton filmmaker Ben Babchishin. It is an outrageous comedy about smoking and our society.

Read the synopsis. And if you are interested, join the Facebook Group for the film to see stills from the film and shooting, to see related videos, to see the trailer, and to be notified when the film is released.

See the film online starting March 1, 2010 at www.hiredgunfilms.com. Or if you are in Edmonton, come to the screening.

Saturday, February 27, 2010
New City Likwid Lounge
10081 Jasper Avenue
Free Admission
Doors: 7:00 p.m.
Live Music by Dale Ladouceur: 7:30 p.m.
Screening of Film: 8:00 p.m.
Fantastic door prizes from offbeat and alternative Edmonton businesses.
You must be 18 years or older to attend.

Here is part 4 of our first video episode about the Theatre Production program at Grant MacEwan University. In this program, students learn about backstage aspects of theatre, such as set building, lighting, costumes, and sound.

Produced by Elaine Elrod. Direction and videography by Brandon Rhiness. Brandon just started a collaborative comic book web site. He and his partner have written some episodes in the form of screenplays. Check them out at www.thehigheruniverse.com.

The theme music used in the video is “Something Special” by Twenty Reasons Taken ©2008. Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at music.mevio.com.

Part 1 and Part 2 of this series of videos feature interviews with students.

Part 3 features an interview with the chair of the Theatre Production department Geoff George. Part 4 is a continuation of the interview.

In Part 4, Geoff teaches us some really interesting things about lighting design. The John L. Haar Theatre in which we shot the interview is a very well-equipped theatre with an inventory of 300 lighting instruments, some automated and some conventionals.

Geoff talks about the steps for implementing a lighting design and tells us what a cue to cue is. He explains about such aspects of lighting as lighting plots, what a hang, circuit, and focus is, and how the lighting designer and director do a level set.

Geoff also describes in detail what students do in the first and second years of the Theatre Production program. He talks about how students study many areas of technical theatre in the first year because a well-rounded technician is an employable technician and how students pick and get practice in their specialty in the second year.

We interviewed Geoff during production week before the opening of the world premier of The Addlepated Nixie. This original comedy by Canadian playwright Stewart Lemoine was performed by the acting students at Grant MacEwan University. The Theatre Production students were responsible for all backstage aspects of the play, which as you’ll see was quite a tall order.

Did you like this video? Then subscribe to our RSS feed and get informed about new episodes immediately! Please also use the buttons below to spread the word about this documentary in blogs, forums, on twitter, facebook, or through email. Thank you very much and enjoy!

Episode 20 contains an in-depth interview with director and facilitator David van Belle about The Invisible Project, a play about homelessness. The interview was recorded last January after the performance of the play at the Drop-In Centre shelter in Calgary. The Invisible Project was also performed at City Hall as part of Calgary’s High Performance Rodeo.

In this interview, David van Belle

• Discusses how The Invisible Project relates to other theatre projects in his career.
• Tells us about the background of the project and the research that was done on site by his company at the Drop-In Centre and Mustard Seed shelters.
• Tells us the story of the unusual auditions he held for the actors on the project.
• Talks about the response to the play from members of the homeless community, who were part of the audiences for the performances.

Check out Episode 16 for more information and to see a slide show of photos from the play taken by mask maker Douglas R. Witt.

Episode 19 features an audio interview with Drop-In Centre shelter client and volunteer Linda Coleman. In this interview, Linda Coleman discusses her reaction to the The Invisible Project, a play about homelessness, and how the content of the play related to her own life experiences.

If you want more background on The Invisible Project, you can listen to Episode 16 and Episode 17.

The Drop-In Centre is a homeless shelter that can house up to 1250 men and women per night and that serves up to 3500 meals per day. The Invisible Project is an original play based on on-site research with homeless people, featuring masks created by Douglas Witt.

Did you like this episode? Then subscribe to our RSS feed and get informed about new episodes immediately! Please also use the buttons below to spread the word about this episode in blogs, forums, on twitter, facebook, or through email. Thank you very much and enjoy!

In this interview, Linda Coleman discusses her reaction to the The Invisible Project, a play about homelessness, and how the content of the play related to her own life experiences.

If you want more background on The Invisible Project, you can listen to Episode 16 and Episode 17.

The Drop-In Centre is a homeless shelter that can house up to 1250 men and women per night and that serves up to 3500 meals per day. The Invisible Project is an original play based on on-site research with homeless people, featuring masks created by Douglas Witt.

Here is part 3 of our first video episode about the theatre production program at Grant MacEwan University. In this program, students learn about backstage aspects of theatre, such as set building, lighting, costumes, and sound.

Produced by Elaine Elrod. Direction and videography by Brandon Rhiness. Brandon just started a collaborative comic book web site. He and his partner have written some episodes in the form of screenplays. Check them out at www.thehigheruniverse.com.

The theme music used in the video is “Something Special” by Twenty Reasons Taken ©2008. Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at music.mevio.com.

Part 1 and Part 2 feature interviews with students.

Part 3 features an interview with the chair of the Theatre Production department Geoff George. Part 4 is a continuation of the interview and will be released soon.

We interviewed Geoff during production week before the opening of the world premier of The Addlepated Nixie. This original comedy by Canadian playwright Stewart Lemoine was performed by the acting students at Grant MacEwan University. The theatre production students were responsible for all backstage aspects of the play, which as you’ll see was quite a tall order.

Geoff George introduces us to the program, shows us the set design for the production, explains how the work is organized, and how the students get their assigned jobs for the production.

Don’t forget to stay tuned for Part 4 in which Geoff tells us about lighting design!

Did you like this video? Then subscribe to our RSS feed and get informed about new episodes immediately! Please also use the buttons below to spread the word about this documentary in blogs, forums, on twitter, facebook, or through email. Thank you very much and enjoy!

Part 3 contains some of my own ideas about how the pursuit of acting can give us insight into our own lives and can influence our personal development. I originally recorded these ideas as part of the “Secrets of the Actor” episodes but then cut them out because I didn’t want the episodes to be too long. I hope you’ll find that my ideas echo and elaborate on some of the ideas in Parts 1 and 2 that came out during the interviews.

Technical Difficulties with the RSS Feed

If you are one of the original subscribers to the show from when it was still on the Theatre Alberta web site, you may have noticed that you didn’t get the latest video episode I posted on the site, Episode 18: Technical Theatre at Grant MacEwan College, Part 2. I finally identified the source of the problem (a server that crashed and lost a crucial setting). It should be working again now, but if you ever need to resubscribe, our feed address is

http://feeds.acting-and-theatre.com/dramaticimpact

In iTunes, just choose Subscribe to Podcast . . . from the Advanced menu, and copy and paste that address into the window that pops up. It’s a similar procedure in other feed readers.

Also Parts 3 and 4 of the Technical Theatre video episodes are now up on YouTube.

Download this Episode (39 MB)

Produced by Elaine Elrod. Direction and videography by Brandon Rhiness. Brandon just started a collaborative comic book web site. He and his partner have written some episodes in the form of screenplays. Check them out at www.thehigheruniverse.com.

The theme music used in the video is “Something Special” by Twenty Reasons Taken ©2008. Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at music.mevio.com.

Watch Part 2.

This is the first video episode for Dramatic Impact! Episode 18 will be in four parts and focuses on the Theatre Production program at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Theatre Production program is a two year training program in technical theatre. Students learn about areas of the theatre, such as lighting, set building, drafting, props, stage management, and costumes.

Parts 1 and 2 feature interviews with two of the students in the program.

Mentioned in this Episode

Theatre Production Program at Grant MacEwan University (Edmonton, Alberta)
Stewart Lemoine and The Addlepated Nixie

Credits

Videographer and Director, Brandon Rhiness Check out Brandon’s comic book website at www.thehigheruniverse.com.
Production Assistant, Karen Sherlock
Producer and Host, Elaine Elrod
Video Compression, Elaine Elrod
Music: Something Special by Twenty Reasons Taken © 2008
Music provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Check it out at music.mevio.com.

Episode 16 of Dramatic Impact was an audio documentary about the play The Invisible Project; and as promised, this new episode consists of an edited stereo recording of the play. I recorded the play last January when it was performed at The Calgary Drop-In Centre, a homeless shelter that can house up to 1250 men and women per night and that serves up to 3500 meals per day.

For more background on the play, I recommend listening to Episode 16 and checking out that blog post, which includes photos by mask maker and photographer Douglas R. Witt.

© 2009 Douglas R. Witt

1. Download this episode (25.4 MB)(Instructions for Downloading: Right click the link and choose Save Link As or Save Target As. Choose a folder on your computer to save it to. Then open the .mp3 audio file in any media player on your computer.)

Or

2. Play Now

Or

3. Subscribe to the podcast using the Add to iTunes or RSS Podcast Feed links in the sidebar on the Dramatic Impact web site.

Photographs by Douglas R. Witt

Click here to see a Slide Show.

Something new for Dramatic Impact, an audio documentary. This is also our first episode about a play that was researched and created outside the traditional theatre community. The Invisible Project is a play that was created collectively and researched in Calgary’s homeless shelters. The performances of the play that I recorded last January were at Calgary City Hall and at the Calgary Drop-In Centre, a shelter that can house up to 1250 men and women per night and that serves up to 3500 meals per day. The Drop-In Centre was also where the play’s director and facilitator, David van Belle, assistant director, Aviva Zimmerman, stage manager, Paisley Sim, mask maker, Douglas R. Witt, mask assistant, Carla Ritchie, set and lighting designer, Terry Gunvordahl, and actors Molly Flood, Richard Lee Hsi, and Jed Tomlinson rehearsed and researched the show.

The music in the play was captured from adhoc “performances” given by clients at the Drop-In Centre. I also used snippets of this music for segues in the documentary.

Next Month

• An edited stereo recording of the performance of the play at the Drop-In Centre shelter.
• Recordings of the parts of the interviews not included in Episode 16. The interviews, which you’ll hear in Episode 16 and in later episodes, were with (in order of presentation) Linda Coleman, Drop-In Centre client and volunteer, David van Belle, director and facilitator, and Richard Lee Hsi, actor.

More About The Invisible Project and This is My City

Video About the Positive Impact the Mask Making Workshop had on One Homeless Participant (Directed by Dominique Keller for the City of Calgary)

The City of Calgary This is My City Initiative
Calgary Herald Story about the Play
Douglas R. Witt’s Photos on Flikr
One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo and The Invisible Project

More About Homelessness and The Calgary Drop-In Centre

Calgary Drop-In Centre Web Site
Drop-In Centre Blog

This episode of the Dramatic Impact podcast features an interview with Edmonton actor and singer Cory Christensen. Cory shares discoveries he’s made about his craft on stage and in rehearsal.

Cory will be playing Clifford Anderson in Death Trap at Edmonton’s Walterdale Theatre, April 1 through 11, 2009.

Cory Christensen

Next Two Episodes

Lots of exciting content coming up in the next couple of episodes. Episode 15 will be an interview with Edmonton actor Cory Christensen.

Episode 16 will be part 1 of an audio documentary about The Invisible Project, a very powerful play created with and for Calgary’s homeless community. It will feature audio from the actual live perfomances at the Calgary Drop-In Centre and City Hall and interviews with director and facilitator David van Belle, actor Richard Lee Hsi, and Calgary Drop-In shelter client, Linda Coleman.

James discusses his approach to directing and what excites him most about theatre as an art form. He compares the pleasures of acting and directing, talks about some of his peak experiences, and discusses some of his upcoming projects.
Three easy ways you can listen to this podcast:

1. Download this episode (17.5 MB)(Right click the link and choose Save Link As or Save Target As. Choose a folder on your computer to save it to. Then open the .mp3 audio file in any media player on your computer.)

Or

2. Play now.

Or

3. Subscribe to the podcast using the Add to iTunes or RSS Podcast Feed links in the sidebar on the Dramatic Impact web site.

More About James MacDonald

Citadel production of Julius Caesar, February 21 through March 15, 2009

Vue Weekly Article About Conor McPherson’s Shining City, directed by James MacDonald
Vue Weekly Article About the Citadel’s production of Vimy
Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia Listing about James

Dramatic Impact Theme Music

Contact for Aaron and Mike Sabourin, creators of the Dramatic Impact theme music

You can click on this screen capture from iTunes to be taken directly to our page in the iTunes Store.

My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-2575be4f3b96de2e5042aa46391449ab}

This episode features the opera singer, tenor, and career music educator, Lary Benson. Lary reveals the arduous work involved in balancing technique with expression as an opera singer, and gives advice to singers to help them rediscover the feeling of a song each time they perform.

Lary Benson

Mentioned in This Episode

Edmonton Journal article about Lary’s ATGO Gas Lifetime Achievement Award presented at Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts
Lary’s page at MacEwan College Theatre Arts web site
Foothills Male Chorus News Release about joint concert with Lary’s quartet, Tenor Power

In this interview, Timothy J. Anderson sheds light on how he comes by his unique combination of gifts and accomplishments. Hear how this actor, singer, director, playwright, and librettist discovered his love of music and performing. Timothy also discusses how performing in the chorus for world class opera productions at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa shaped him, and how he developed his skills as an actor. In addition, Timothy reveals what he would consider a dream project, shares his philosophy of acting, and discusses the pitfalls of the workshopping process.

Timothy J. Anderson

Mentioned in this Episode

Contact for Aaron and Mike Sabourin, Creators of the Dramatic Impact theme music

Site about the composer, Aram Khachaturian
National Arts Centre web site
Timothy’s novel, Resisting Adonis, at Amazon.com

On this episode we’re hearing from the talented and delightful Michele Brown, a veteran Canadian actor who was featured in Episode 7: Secrets of the Actor, part 1. This is the first of the “Rest of the Interviews” series, in which I’m going to present material that I recorded for Episodes 7 and 8 that did not pertain to the Secrets of the Actor topic. It’s fascinating material that you won’t want to miss.

Michele discusses her origins as an actor, her creative process, the satisfaction that she gets from helping students at the University of Alberta discover their own creativity, and how her motivation for being an actor has changed over the years.

Michele Brown

Upcoming Opportunities to see Michele on Stage

Michele will be in Beth Graham’s new play, A Life in the Day in February 2009 at Catalyst Theatre

Mentioned in this Epsiode

Web Site for the play Spring Alibi with photos
Web Site for the play Should’ve with photos
Synopsis for Should’ve
Download the script for Should’ve

This is part 2 of an in-depth interview with Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Vern Thiessen. For part 1 of the interview, listen to Episode 9.

In this second half of the interview, Vern talks to Elaine about the influence of his family. He discusses his dark and surreal play, Blowfish, and talks about the use of history in his plays.

Vern also treats us to another reading, tells us about upcoming opportunities to see his work, and describes some of his current projects.

More on Vern Thiessen

Vern’s Web Site
Canadian Theatre Encylopedia article on Vern
Review of North Carolina Production of Blowfish

Additional Links

Enclyclopedia of World Biography article on Fritz Haber
National Public Radio (NPR) article and audio on Fritz Haber
Article on Haber from the Indian Academy of Sciences
Chemical and Engineering News article “Three Takes on Haber”

This is part 1 of an in-depth interview with Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen. Part 2 will be released in Episode 10.

Vern is a well known playwright, whose plays have been produced internationally. His play Einstein’s Gift won the Governor General’s Award, Canada’s highest honour for playwriting.

Some of Vern’s other plays include Vimy, Shakespeare’s Will, Apple, Blowfish, The Resurrection of John Frum, and The Courier.

More on Vern Thiessen

www.vernthiessen.com
CBC News article on Vimy
CBC article by Martin Morrow with Interviews of Vern Thiessen and Dennis Garnhum, who both wrote plays about Canadians at war

Additional Links

Article on the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Smithsonian article about the Melanesian cargo cult of John Frum

Coming on September 9, 2008: An In-Depth Interview With Canadian Playwright Vern Thiessen. Vern’s plays have been performed internationally. He is the author of the Governor General’s Award-winning play Einstein’s Gift. Some of his other plays include Vimy, Shakespeare’s Will, and Blowfish.

As promised, here is part two of Secrets of the Actor, a series of interviews with actors talking about how acting has influenced them and enriched their lives.

This episode features Yemie Sonuga, James MacDonald, and Lary Benson.

Photo Gallery for Episode 8

Yemie Sonuga

Lary Benson

Secrets of the Actor will be presented in two parts. Part 2 will be released in the next couple of weeks. Part 1 features 3 Canadian actors talking about how the art of acting has enriched their lives and given them special insights into life. The discussion also focuses on the role that actors play in society and what they try to bring to their audiences.

Featured on this episode are Michele Brown, Timothy J. Anderson, and Cory Christensen. Part 2 will feature James MacDonald, Yemie Sonuga, and Lary Benson.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Podcasting Consultant Adam Weiss for helping me with the hairy technical problems inherent in moving to a new feed address and web site. He was very generous with his time, and gave me a lot of thoughtful advice.

Check out his web site at www.podcastconsultant.net

I also want to thank Derek Gomez for his help with the redirect of the feed.

Photo Gallery for Episode 7

Michele Brown

Timothy J. Anderson

Cory Christensen

Note: This feed will serve content from Theatre Alberta until July 7. After that, the content will come from www.acting-and-theatre.com.

Next Month: Secrets of the Actor

You’ll need to be subscribed at this new address or visit www.acting-and-theatre.com to hear next month’s episode, Secrets of the Actor. It will feature the voices of several actors talking about how the art of acting gives special insights into and enriches other aspects of their lives.

Look for this episode the second week in July.

The Dramatic Impact podcast now has a permanent home on this web site. Welcome to any current listeners and to any new visitors. Over the next few months, I’ll be adding content to the site that I hope will be of interest to fellow actors and theatre addicts.

New Feed Address Will be Announced Soon

On July 7, our feed address will be changing from http://feeds.theatrealberta.com/dramaticimpact to one based on this site. After I set the feed up with Feedburner, I’ll post the address of the new feed. Or if you are already subscribed and all goes well, you should automatically be redirected to the new feed on July 7. If you lose us, please come back to this site and re-subscribe.

Duplicate Episodes and Other Weirdness

If you are a subscriber and got some duplicate episodes and a test audio file, I apologize. It’s all part of the craziness of switching to a new feed address. Everything should be back to normal after next month, so please feel free to delete those extra files. Or if you are using a news reader and can’t delete the extra posts, you can re-subscribe after I post the new feed address.

A panel discussion moderated by Theatre Alberta’s Jill Connell. This episode explores several questions about contemporary theatre. The panellists discuss whether we should see theatre as under threat because of film and television and whether theatre artists should evolve to meet the demands of new forms of theatre and changing audience sensibilities. The panellists include Kevin Kerr, Morwyn Brebner, Kelly Reay, and David van Belle.

Mentioned in this Episode

PlayWorks Ink
Salon.com article about whether theatre is becoming irrelevant
Sage Theatre
Electric Company
Tarragon Theatre
Performance Creation Canada

Canadian playwright Trina Davies talks about her journey from being a poet and actor to becoming a playwright. She discusses her latest projects and talks about the special power of theatre to touch the minds and imaginations of people and get them thinking about crucial human issues.

Mentioned in this Episode

Dancing Sky Theatre
Straight.com article on Women at Play(S) 3
Broadway World.com article on Raw, Raw, Raw

More on Trina

Alberta Playwrights’ Network Listing for Trina Davies

Learn from dramaturg and director Vanessa Porteous how directors, dramaturgs, and playwrights interact during the rehearsal process for a new play. Vanessa reveals the elements of theatre she finds most pleasurable, what kinds of theatrical experiences she aims to create for an audience, and gives advice to playwrights who are just starting out.

Mentioned in this Episode

FFWD article about Snake in the Grass at Vertigo Theatre
Reviews of Pinnocchio by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop
Urban Curvz Theatre (Helen’s Necklace, May 7-17, 2008)
Alberta Theatre Projects (The Syringa Tree, April 1-20, 2008)
CBC article about Why Freud Fainted at Alberta Theatre Projects

In this episode, David van Belle tells Elaine about the Calgary theatre company, One Yellow Rabbit, and how it has influenced him. He also discusses the differences between performance creation and more traditional forms of theatre and talks about his own original works.

Mentioned in this episode

Reading of Everything is Terribly Nice Here at U of A (March 28 and 29)
Theo van Gogh
FFWD review of Picnic by Martin Morrow
Gauntlet article on X-Ray by Simon Mallett
Interview of David During the RED Festival in Toronto

In this episode we present the first of four short interviews with theatre artists who were instructors at PlayWorks Ink 2007. In this first interview, Calgary-based actor Christopher Hunt gives us a glimpse of what fuels his love of theatre and his dedication to his craft.

Mentioned in this Episode

Alberta Theatre Projects
Vertigo Theatre
CanStage
Ground Zero Theatre
Ghost River Theatre

Kicking off the Dramatic Impact series is a recording of Morwyn Brebner‘s thought-provoking, funny, and inspirational PlayWorks Ink keynote address, "Plays Well With Others."

In this entertaining and articulate keynote address, Morwyn challenges us to stand up for our artistic visions, to explore new theatrical forms, and to use our art as a way of engaging with the issues of our time. Many people who heard Morwyn’s address at the conference wanted to hear it again. Those of you who missed it can listen to this recording and feel like you were there.

Acknowledgements

The music featured on Dramatic Impact was composed and performed by Aaron Sabourin and edited by Mike Sabourin. If you need original music for any of your own projects, please feel free to contact them.

Thanks to Scott Johns at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary for his audio expertise on-site at PlayWorks Ink.

Thanks to Derek Gomez for technical help with the podcast feed.

Mentioned in this Episode

Alberta Playwrights’ Network

More about Morwyn Brebner

Toronto Life Interview, 2005