Past and Present Joys of Repertory
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EQUITY QUARTERLY WINTER 2016 Equity’s Honours AwARDS REP IN CANADA – PAST AND PRESENT EQ JOYS OF REPERTORY Getting a rep The allure of repertory theatre 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. EQUITY QUARTERLY WINTER 2016 EQ VOLUME 9 NUMBER 3 2 PRESIDEnt’s mESSAGE 5 Equity Honours tributes 3 NOTES FROM ARDEN R. RYSHPAN 6 A good rep – 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR memories of 16 NeW COUNCIL repertory theatre in Canada 17 EQUITY UPDATE 18 FONDLY REMEMBERED 11 Today’s repertory experience 21 EQ FLAShbacK Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. The deadline for submissions Coming issue: SUMMER 2016 is Monday, April 25, 2016. EQ reserves the right to edit for length, style and content. EQ Subscriptions are available at an annual rate of $35, including GST. EQ Equity Quarterly (ISSN 1913-2190) is a forum to discuss issues of interest to members concerning their Publications Mail Agreement No. 40038615 WINTER 2016 – Volume 9, Number 3 craft, developments in the industry, Equity’s role in the workplace, and the important position live performance Each volume of EQ is published annually by Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. holds in the cultural and social fabric of Canada. It is also used as an advocacy tool to educate others about EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lynn McQueen National Office the industry, promote live performance in Canada, and celebrate the achievements of Equity members. 44 Victoria Street, 12th Floor, Toronto, ON M5C 3C4 EDITOR Barb Farwell Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live Tel: 416-867-9165 | Fax: 416-867-9246 | Toll-free: 1-800-387-1856 (members only) [email protected] | www.caea.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Chris Simeon, performance in English Canada. We represent almost 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, fight September Creative directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance, and support their creative efforts Western Office 736 Granville Street, Suite 510, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1G3 by seeking to improve their working conditions and opportunities by negotiating and administering Tel: 604-682-6173 | 604-682-6174 | Toll free: 1-877-682-6173 (members only) collective agreements, providing benefit plans, information and support and acting as an advocate. [email protected] 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 President’s message Again? 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 WINTER 2016 2 EQUITY QUARTERLY 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. Ryshpan Executive Director WINTER 2016 EQUITY QUARTERLY 3 Letters to the editor Equity News LETTERS 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 Souha Chaar has joined the Association as CORRECTION letters that may affect members’ employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity members or letters that are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied our new Membership Administrator in our Peter C. Wylde’s or expressed, may be withheld or edited at the discretion of the editor. Opinions National Office. name was spelled expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Association. incorrectly in PHOTO AND PRODUCTION CREDITS In late 2015 Alistair Hepburn left Equity to Cover and Inside Front Cover: Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann. Spoon River (2014) based The Legend Library on Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, adapted by Mike Ross & Albert Schultz become the Director of Independent and with music by Mike Ross produced by Soulpepper Theatre Company. Directed by Albert list on page 25 Schultz with movement coach Andrea Nann. Cast: Frank Cox-O’Connell, Mikaela Broadcast Production at ACTRA Toronto.