Equity quartErly summEr 2014 EQ ACTING OUT THE QUEER ISSUE making things perfectly queer A few words on acting out from our guest editor

I’m always puzzled when I hear about a controversy surrounding the establishment of a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in a high school. When I was in high school 30 years ago, we already had a GSA, but back then we simply called it “The Drama Club.” I can’t really remember why I first signed up for a drama class at Scona Composite High in , but I do recall how life changing getting on stage was. Suddenly I was taking on new identities, exploring what acting really meant and doing my best to hone my skills at it. It was there that I would make some very profound friendships, with a group of people I’m in touch with to this day, including Equity members like Jennifer Tarver, Jane Spidell, Ingrid Kottke and the late Damian Bagdan. I worked on all the school plays and passionately threw myself into acting, while gaining enough comfort and courage to tell my friends that I was gay. I’ll never forget having my first stage kiss with Spidell in a brilliant one-act called Impromptu, a play written by Tad Mosel, a man I would later learn happened to be gay. When I graduated in 1983, I won the Scona Drama Award. Thus I have always identified the theatre as a place of exploration, freedom and liberation. After some soul- searching I left the idea of being an actor and instead pursued journalism (and a good thing that turned out to be such a financially stable business). I have strived to maintain my ties to live performance, continuing to write about theatre whenever I can and see whatever shows I can. Thus it was a real honour and a thrill when the publishers of Equity Quarterly asked me to guest edit this special queer issue. We decided to focus on the unique contributions of LGBTQ members of ’s theatre milieu, including a look back at 35 years of Buddies in Bad Times (the oldest and biggest queer theatre in the world), Brad Fraser’s landmark play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, the singular talent Nina Arsenault and a survey of eclectic artists on their feelings about the state of queer theatre and performance today. So thanks to Equity for this great opportunity. Equity members are always a lot of fun to interview, because they’re all great storytellers. And this issue in particular gave me a chance to look back at fond memories while looking towards the future. — matthew Hays

Matthew Hays is a Montreal-based journalist who has written extensively about queer issues for a broad range of publications, including The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Vice, The Advocate, Xtra, The Star, The Gay and Lesbian Review and Maclean’s. His book, The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers (Arsenal Pulp), won a 2008 Lambda Literary Award. He teaches courses in film studies at Marianopolis College and Concordia University in Montreal.

Guest editor Matthew Hays interviews gay icon Joan Collins in 1999 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 EQ VolumE 8 numbEr 1

2 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 Nina Arsenault: AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR a fearless journey 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8 Buddies in Bad Times 5 EQ MOVES

turns 35 18 FONDLY REMEMBERED 13 reflections on queer 20 EQ BACKSTAGE performance art 21 EQ FLASHBACK

Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. the deadline for coming issue: fall 2014 EQ submissions is friday, september 26, 2014. EQ reserves the right to edit for length, style and content. 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 summEr 2014 – Volume 8, number 1 craft, developments in the industry, Equity’s role in the workplace, and the important position live performance EQ is published four times a year by canadian actors’ Equity association. EXEcutiVE Editor Lynn McQueen holds in the cultural and social fabric of canada. it is also used as an advocacy tool to educate others about National Offi ce 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 tel: 416-867-9165 | fax: 416-867-9246 | toll-free: 1-800-387-1856 (members only) Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live [email protected] | www.caea.com guEst Editor Matthew Hays performance in English canada. we represent more than 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, Western Offi ce dEsign & layout Chris Simeon, fi ght directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance, and support their creative efforts 736 granville street, suite 510, Vancouver, bc V6Z 1g3 September Creative 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 benefi t plans, information and support and acting as an advocate. woffi [email protected]

Front cover: Nina Arsenault in her one-woman show The Silicone Diaries Above: The cast from the Theatre Projects 1989 production of Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love by Brad Fraser The show goes on…

What a difference four months make!

The last time that EQ landed in your mailbox or inbox, we were Deputy election and release forms can be automatically emailed in the final countdown toward a dues referendum. After years of back to Equity – no more mail or scanning forms. trying to wring the same level of service out of a shrinking dollar, Council has been busy on the online front, too. On the first page we turned to the membership and asked you for assistance in of the site, in the top right hand corner, there are a series of links to ensuring we had the resources we needed to do what you wanted get you in touch with us. Suggest a topic for the Council agenda; us to do, both in the short term and well into the future. find your local Councillor; read recent reports and minutes; share Just in case you missed hearing this the first five times we said compliments, comments and criticisms. All of these are readily it, thank you, thank you, thank you for voting ‘yes.’ Your decision accessible, right where you would expect to find them: front and will help ensure the current centre. We’re also exploring and future strength of your options to expand to a sec- professional association. ondary site, where you will We celebrated the trust Equity members now have drive the content. you showed us by getting Without the passage to work, and tackling some the ability to make basic of the dues referendum, of the projects that have Council was facing some gathered dust on the shelf dues payments directly serious cutbacks in its project for too long. budgets. Member communi- You have been asking for EQUITYONLINE cations, education, diversity improvements to the web- from . issues, and protection from site, so you can access the bullying, are all major topics information you need easily, And we have developed you singled out as needing and on your schedule. To do attention. Thanks to your that well requires a complete new streamlined deputy vote, we have the resources overhaul of the site, and to not just talk about them, that’s under way. Our first package forms, but to act. step is to better understand Our Council’s Diversity how you use (or don’t use) now available online only. Committee has been pre- the existing website, and paring a proposal for a mas- what you want from it in sive comprehensive out- future; we will be sending out a survey in the late summer, asking a reach program to gather key demographics info that will allow us few simple questions to help inform our site renovation. to not only plan for improvement, but also to measure success. An But improvement doesn’t have to wait until then, and we have improved approach to protection from harassment, bullying and already begun adding some of the key elements you requested. abuse is also top of the “to do” list. As complex a matter as it is in Engagers regularly call the National Office asking how to reach the typical workplace, ensuring that protection and prompt response a member. To assist us in serving you, your online member profile across hundreds of engagers at once is challenging and expensive. now offers you the ability to update and manage agent infor- There is a lot of scope for improvement on both these issues, and mation. To better administer fees made by pre-payment, and we will likely need some professional help along the way. Expect to ensure you are paid the money you are owed, we recently added see more on these topics in the remainder of the term. a GST/HST section where you can enter your registration number. We have also begun to rethink how we can use EQ maga- Equity members now have the ability to make basic dues pay- zine to provide improved communication to the membership. ments directly from EQUITYONLINE. And we have developed new Watch for new columns that bring you more in-depth informa- streamlined deputy package forms, now available online only. tion about negotiations, member benefits, and other actions and

2 Equity Quarterly summer 2014 The show goes on…

activities (e.g. lobbying) of the Association. As well, the Council’s Communications Committee will shortly be asking for your input on the most effective way to handle two-way information sharing with the membership. Getting input from 6,000 people on what they want and need is not inexpensive, and Facebook polls won’t do! You have given us the resources to do the work properly. As a side note: postage is about to rise significantly and mail ser- vice will be reduced over the next few years, and our mix of paper and electronic communication is going to continue to evolve. The most urgent thing is to ensure that we have up-to-date contact information for you, so please visit EQUITYONLINE or call us to confirm we have your current email and mailing addresses on file. Regardless of what methods we use to communicate with you, if we don’t have the correct information, it won’t work! On the office front, staff has been overworked and under- staffed for awhile now and we are starting the process of adding resources where they are most needed, to help ease the workflow and allow for better response times. In this issue Among other things, expect to see a new staff position cre- ated, that will be specifically responsible for many of our new As this issue of EQ is going to print, Toronto has just outreach projects like diversity and harassment. We’ll be sharing welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city to more information in the coming months about this new posi- celebrate World Pride. It was fabulous to see how many tion. Additionally, increased revenue allows us to engage outside of the city’s major arts organizations programmed mate- contract help to take care of some things that we have had to do rial by and about the LGBTTIQQ2SA community (but in-house for lack of financial resources. This will free up some staff not exclusively for it). Locals and visitors alike came out time to streamline other activities as well. in droves to see, hear and experience the fine culture Finally, we know that professional development opportunities available. Of course, this work goes on all year round are important to many in our membership and, prior to the ref- and Pride Week should not be the only time of year to erendum, these were on the cutting block for elimination as well. explore and enjoy it. Council reviewed the matter in June, and we’re pleased to report I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our inter- that an improved financial outlook means these funds have been viewees for their frank and exceptionally thoughtful con- substantially preserved. tributions, particularly from those whose relationships Your commitment to Equity will help us make it a better orga- with Equity have been challenging. I’d also like to thank nization in the coming years. We have much work to do and our guest editor, Matthew Hays, for agreeing to take on we’re not shy about admitting it. But knowing that we have the this task and applying his considerable tact and diplomacy resources to take on some new challenges and fix some nagging to the job, both of which came in handy. problems is exciting. We look forward to keeping you informed Our industry has always been a safer place for members about those developments as plans unfold. of the queer community than many. Lest we get too com- placent about that, we all need reminding that the work is not yet over and there are still barriers to full acceptance that must be broken down. We hope that this issue of our magazine serves as one small rock thrown at those barriers Allan Teichman Arden R. Ryshpan in an effort to help knock them down permanently. President Executive Director

summEr 2014 Equity quartErly 3 Letters to the editor

Tales from the front lines – Child’s Play, Winter 2014 issue of EQ: Letters on subjects of concern to Equity mem- bers will be considered for publication. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for those It’s a great article, and a terrifically informative issue. I know several families who will be letters that may affect members’ employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity members or letters very interested to read this issue. Congratulations and thanks for asking me to be part of it. that are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied or expressed, may be withheld or edited at the discretion of — Best regards, Eileen Barrett, Equity member the editor. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the Association. Update on child performer legislation PHOTO AND PRODUCTION CREDITS Cover: Photo of Nina Arsenault by Tanja-Tiziana, Bill 71 – an Act to protect child performers – died on the order paper after third reading when courtesy of the photographer. Inside front cover: Photo by Jan Thijs, courtesy of the Ontario Government was dissolved for an election earlier this year. This was the third Matthew Hays. time that a bill such as this failed to reach royal assent in the Ontario legislature. Equity has Page 1: Photo: Trudie Lee. Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love (1988-89) by Brad already begun lobbying the new Liberal government to reintroduce the bill again. Fraser produced by Alberta Theatre Projects. Directed by Susan Ferley with fight direction by Jean-Pierre Fournier. Cast: Ellen-Ray Hennessy, Jeffrey Hirschfield, David LeReaney, John Moffat, Kate Newby, Wendy Noel and Historic first agreement signed Peter Smith. Stage managed by Debra McKay assisted After 10 months by Jean Southgate and Susan Murphy. of negotiations, Page 3: Photo of Arden R. Ryshpan by Michael Cooper. Page 5: Photo: Michael Cooper. Topdog/Underdog the dancers of (2011) by Suzan-Lori Parks produced by Obsidian Theatre Company in association with the Shaw Festival. Directed by Les Grands Ballet Philip Akin with fight direction by John Stead. Cast: Kevin Hanchard and Nigel Shawn Williams. Stage managed by de Montréal Meredith MacDonald assisted by Monika Seiler. ratified their first Pages 6-7: Photo from The Crimson House by Tim Gruchy. Photo from 40 Days and 40 Nights: Working agreement on Towards a Spiritual Experience by Robert Wallace. Thursday, June Photos courtesy of Nina Arsenault. Page 8: Promotional photo for Arigato, Tokyo: Tanja-Tiziana. 12th, 2014. Page 10: Photo: David Hawe. Who’s Your Dada (2008) by Sasha Von Bon Bon produced by Sasha Von Bon Bon and Kitty Neptune. Directed by Kitty Neptune with choreography by Kitty Neptune, Jesse Dell and Shawn Newman. Cast: Araxi Arslanian, Beever, Jillian Camarta, welcome NEW MEMBERS Countess Christsmasher, Jesse Dell, Andrya Duff, Trixie Easybake, Tina Fushell, Daddy K, Chad Logan, David Atlantic E. Ontario/Outaouais Mina James Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière Mickle, Shane MacKinnon, Kitty Neptune, Shawn Deidre Brad Long Richard Lam Mélodie Lamoureux Newman and Sasha Von Bon Bon. Page 11: Photo: Greg Wong. Courtesy of Buddies in Gillard-Rowlings Drew Moore Heidi Lynch Christine Lan Bad Times. Robin Hebb Eastern Opera Margaret Maye Li Li Page 12: Photo: Guntar Kravis. The Gay Heritage Project Juanita Peters Adrienne Kress Katharine McLeod Any Andua Perini (2013) by Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn and Andrew Jody Richardson Jeremy Ludwig Stefne Mercedes Suzanne Rigden Kushnir produced by Buddies in Bad Times. Directed Jorge Molina Eve Sévigny by Ashlie Corcoran. Cast: Damien Atkins, Paul Dunn and Edmund Stapleton Tyler Evan Webb Andrew Kushnir. Daniel Pagett Alex Sanger Annie Valentina Pages 13-17: Background photo: ilolab, shutterstock. N. Alberta / NWT Colin C. Palangio Jaa Smith-Johnson British Columbia / Page 13: Photo: belle ancell photography. When the Sun Aimee Beaudoin Trevor Patt Mariana Tayler Yukon Comes Out (2013) by Leslie Uyeda (music) and Rachel Louise Lambert Kel Pero Jennifer Vallance Rose (words), produced by the Pride in Art Society and Paul Almeida Tanis Parenteau Jordan Probst commissioned by the Queer Arts Festival (Vancouver). Yoshie Bancroft Musical direction by Leslie Uyeda. Directed by James Ontario Dana Puddicombe Kevin Bennett Lauren Holfeuer Fagan Tait. Cast: Aaron Durand, Teiya Kasahara and Julia Dalmar Abuzeid Sarah Rorabeck Morgan. Stage managed by Sheila Munn. Kayla Deorksen Jeffrey Allan Sawatzky Kristina Alexander Anjelica Scannura Page 16: Left photo: electric umbrella. Equivocation Dustin Freeland S. Alberta Krystina Bojanowski Joshua Stodart (2014) by Bill Cain produced by Persephone Theatre. Sereana Malani Jeremy Carver James Directed by Del Surjik with fight direction by Daniel Ford Gabriella Colavecchio Meghan Swaby Jesse Reid Chantelle Han Beavis. Cast: Scott Bellis, Robert Benz, Chip Chuipka, Mikaela Davies Masha Terentieva Nathan Howe, Kris Joseph and Caitlin Robson. Stage Marisa Smith Jeffery Olynek Maria Del Mar Lauren Toffan managed by Laura Kennedy assisted by Jennifer Rathie- Dance Jessica Vandenberg Trishia Woodley Wright. Right photo: Joanna Akyol. Elegies: A Song Miriam Fernandes Cycle (2014) with words and music by William Finn Alex Black Katherine Gauthier Kevin Whalen Stage Management produced by Acting Up Stage Company. Directed by Renata Nicole Commisso Darcy Gerhart Victoria Whistance-Smith Collette Brown Lezlie Wade. Cast: Thom Allison, Barbara Barksy, Steven Chisato Ide Susan Q Wilson Ariel Martin-Smith Gallagher, Joel Gomez and Eliza-Jane Scott. Stage Hailey Gillis managed by Lisa Humber. Yu Chan Iizuka James Graham Quebec Gil Miciak Skye Perry Page 18: Photo of Peter Haworth courtesy Dagmar Ruben Julliard Bonnie Gray Arlen Aguayo Stewart Kaffanke-Nunn and Don Mowatt. Photo of Anne Elizabeth Kalashnikova Gordon Hecht Marcelo Arroyo Heidi Quicke Mirvish courtesy of John Karastamatis. Chisato Kashiwa Bernie Henry Sébastien Billy Christopher Sibbald Page 19: Photo from the collection of Jack Merigold. Sharon Valentine Legat Steven Holmberg Sean Colby Western Opera Dyer photo by Warren MacDonald. Christina Partelow Stephen Fernando Dudka Maria Bamford Page 20: Photos by Steven Jack Photography. Page 21: Poster from the 1990 Toronto production of Jerimy Rivera Jackman-Torkoff Sandrine Dumas Simone McIntosh Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Akira Uchida Reza Jacobs Ian Geldart Richard Petroski Love courtesy of Brad Fraser. Rachael Vrbancic Ryan Jacobs Bonnie Jordan Eva Tavares

4 Equity Quarterly summer 2014 EQ Moves Live performance across the country

Actors Brent Carver and Tom Jackson won Nigel Shawn Williams (in chair) and Kevin Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2014 Hanchard in Topdog/Underdog directed by Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for Philip Akin for the Obsidian Theatre Company their outstanding body of work and enduring in association with the Shaw Festival contribution to the performing arts in Canada. Soulpepper Theatre artistic director Albert Schultz won the National Arts Centre Award, which rec- ognizes work of an extraordinary nature and sig- nificance in the past performance year.

Simon Brault has been appointed director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. He will be responsible for the Council’s day-to-day operations and its budget of over $191 million.

Adrian Luces is the new executive director of PAL Canada. In other PAL news, past president Chris Marston has resigned from the board due to illness. Marston is also a past executive direc- tor of Equity.

Performers Colm Feore, Gerald Finley, and actor and filmmaker Sarah Polley have been named officers to the Order of Canada, which recognizes outstanding achievement and dedication to the community and service to the nation. In addi- tion, artistic director of Soulpepper Theatre Albert Schultz, performer Antony Holland and choreog- rapher, dancer and director Denise Clarke were named members of the Order of Canada.

Ryan Cunningham is the new artistic director at Native Earth Performing Arts. Cunningham is the co-founder and artistic manager of Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts and co-founder of The Agkowe Collective.

The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) has named Sara Meurling as its new Executive Director, replacing Lucy White.

Equity’s National Office bonding administra- tor Joanne Doucette retired in June. Doucette worked for Equity since 2000 and plans to paint, write and travel as much as possible in retirement. Stephen Davis Tapestry Opera has appointed Michael Mori to the position of has now taken on this position. As Meaghan Preston is currently on artistic director. a one-year maternity leave, Jennie Apps has moved into a new role Obsidian Theatre artistic director Philip Akin was as Junior Business Representative (Interim) and Sigrid Velis is Equity’s awarded Equity Life Membership at the February new National Office Administrative Assistant (Interim). Honours Awards. summer 2014 Equity Quarterly 5 Transforming our world Nina Arsenault takes us on a wild journey of courage and self-discovery

Arsenault in The Crimson House, at Theatre de la Ville (Paris), a dance/ theatre/visual art piece created by Lemi Ponifasio and MAU

transition. Of course, the topics overlap, but mainly it was about Nina transgEndEr PErformEr my relationship with silicone – but in a serious way. Arsenault shook the Toronto theatre scene in 2009 with the debut of The Silicone Dairies, a one-woman show she wrote about her pursuit What is the reaction to your work as a transgender of beauty. It was at turns funny and painful, especially when describ- artist? ing the many plastic surgeries she went through to obtain “feminine I think in North America trans art and feminist artworks have been perfection”. Currently touring The Crimson House in Europe, and tied to social activism. In Europe, I think they are much more open the author of a new book, Arsenault shares her thoughts on what it to combining feminism with surrealism and more abstract works. I is to be a trans performer – and her hopes for the future. published writing and did social work in the trans community for nearly 10 years. For me to stay true to the kind of artist I wanted Is TRANS(per)FORMING Nina Arsenault: An to be I took opportunities abroad. I think that one way trans art- Unreasonable Body of Work an autobiography? ists are marginalized is that the community begins to demand It includes the performance text of The Silicone Diaries and some we make social activist art and only that. So there is sometimes poetry I wrote, but mainly it is written by 13 other people speak- resistance to a trans voice speaking about other subject matter – ing about my work – everyone from an Israeli biblical scholar who big picture questions – the nature of reality, memory, primal stuff speaks about some of the spiritual aspects of the work, Shannon about sex and death. I think it would be wrong to only allow Bell who is one of the world’s leading edge feminists, and my heteronormative artists to speak of those things. Especially as an former pimp, Todd Klinck. outsider in culture, it does give us a unique perspective. An autobiography is the over-arching story of one’s life. The Silicone Diaries really is seven stories I have about silicone. I What is your hope for the future of transgender wouldn’t even call it the story of my gender transition. It was theatre/performance? always so hard to get people to understand that – that a trans- It is difficult for me to answer that question. I work now with an sexual doing a one-woman show wasn’t just talking about her incredible Samoan artist, Lemi Ponifasio, and his company, MAU,

6 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 Transforming our world Nina Arsenault takes us on a wild journey of courage and self-discovery

40 Days and 40 Nights: Working Towards a Spiritual Experience, at SummerWorks 2012 in Toronto. A durational performance created by Arsenault

which is composed of Maori, Samoan and other Polynesian danc- What is your favourite experience so far as a ers and artists from all over the world. It was such a relief to meet performer? him and be told that he wasn’t interested in me as a trans artist. I think of it more as a long continuing exploration. One work leads He would never marginalize me that way. He was interested in into the next for me. The Silicone Diaries at the East Vancouver me as an artist. As someone who was exploring spiritual matters Cultural Centre was very special. 40 Days and 40 Nights: Working and ritual. He was interested in that I was multi-dimensional, took Towards a Spiritual Experience was very deep, especially because risks, and that I was pushing boundaries of thought. And I think it of the duration and discipline. Currently, I am dancing in a per- is important to point out that most trans women do not transition formance called The Crimson House, directed by Lemi. It is very because we want to be trans. We want to be known as the gender intense. I love it because the work is so utterly uncompromising we are. At a certain point, I had to acknowledge that I am a trans- about deep truths and also mystery. woman, but I was not interested in writing anti-transphobia plays. That work will be asked of someone better suited for it than me. What’s next for Nina Arsenault? That doesn’t mean I do not stand against transphobia or fight it I will continue to tour The Crimson House in Europe probably most days of my life. I have given a lot of talks to youth groups, for a few years. I would love to do it in North America as well. hospitals, police stations and universities. So I think I put my time In between, I am going to do a couple of films in the U.K. and in for social justice, but I also have to give myself the freedom an in my second production with MAU I will be performing Heiner artist needs to follow where their artwork wants to take them. Muller’s /Machine, playing both Hamlet and Ophelia. This I guess my hope for transwomen’s artwork is that people lose the premieres in July at the Avignon Festival in front of the Palais des good transwoman/bad transwoman dichotomy. It’s annoying to be Papes, and then onwards to a European tour of that work as well. seen as “an evil queen” just because as an artist you explore dark sub- And, I’m not sure, but I want to come back to Canada next sum- ject matter. I think it is important to remember that we all have things mer in something. I am hoping. EQ

rolling around our psyches and dreamscapes, but that doesn’t mean TRANS(per)FORMING Nina Arsenault: An Unreasonable Body of Work, edited by that one isn’t a civilized member of society who contributes to culture. Judith Rudakoff, is available on amazon.com.

summEr 2014 Equity quartErly 7 The world’s biggest and oldest queer theatre celebrates its 35th birthday Buddies in Good Times

Tyson James and Daniel MacIvor in a promotional photo for MacIvor’s Arigato, Tokyo, which had its world premiere at Buddies in Bad Times in 2013

8 Equity Quarterly summer 2014 The world’s biggest and oldest queer theatre celebrates its 35th birthday

Buddies in Good Times by Matthew Hays

A funny thing happened theatre festival, so it was a bit like a marathon – consuming several on the way to the creation of the world’s largest and oldest queer productions in a day was an intriguing way of taking in theatre.” theatre. As Jerry Ciccoritti tells it, it all began as a straight thing. Oiye says one of the greatest attributes Buddies has is clear ties Yes, you read correctly – straight. to the community. “I took over as AD shortly after it had moved “When Sky Gilbert and I first met, he was dating a woman,” recalls to Alexander Street [in Toronto’s queer village]. So there were clear Ciccoritti, the straight-but-not-narrow Toronto-based filmmaker. geographical ties to the community. I think we’re unique in Toronto In fact, it was Gilbert’s then-girlfriend who introduced the two in that we have a strong physical street presence. Other theatres at a party, and they hit it off. They began working with actor Matt are often just theatres, Buddies is also a nightclub and, while not a Walsh, and formed the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 1979, community centre, it invites all parts of the community in.” kicked off with a production of Gilbert’s Angels in Underwear Brendan Healy, Buddies’ current AD, says the theatre has (things were already sounding pretty queer). always been a very open place. And he has the story to prove it. So the name of the theatre wasn’t even a gay thing – which “When I moved to Toronto in 2001, I sent out letters to all the comes as something of a revelation to me, as I’d long assumed artistic directors in the city introducing myself. The only person the theatre’s name was related to the AIDS crisis. “Nah,” says who responded was then Buddies AD, David Oiye. We went out Ciccoritti. “We were good friends and working in the theatre was for coffee and he took the time to listen to me. It really meant a hard. So that’s how we came up with the name.” lot to me that he did that – it was a true kind of involvement.” At a certain point, Ciccoritti says it was time for him to move on. “I told Sky that I wanted to move on to my dream of working Breaking through polite in film, and right at that time Sky was coming out of the closet When asked what he sees as Buddies’ greatest achievement, and wanted to take Buddies in a queer direction. So I thought Healy argues the theatre “helped to break through the polite the timing was perfect!” (Citing longstanding issues with Equity, repressed middle class veneer that dominated (and sort of con- Gilbert declined to be interviewed for this article. Please see the tinues to dominate) professional Canadian theatre. For 35 years, sidebar for Equity’s response.) the company has been presenting theatre that is raw, sexual, and unapologetically queer. The biggest mistake that one can make Buddies was born about a space such as Buddies is to think that it has just liberated Thus the queer, Toronto-based Buddies in Bad Times was born, an queer people. Sure, it has been an essential force in the recogni- invigorating, exhilarating, exasperating, confounding, transgres- tion and celebration of LGBT lives in Canada – that’s obvious. But sive theatre – one which has proudly worn its label of being mar- what Buddies has really achieved is the liberation of Canadian ginal, defiantly operating from the trenches and decidedly outside theatre as a whole. It has been the gateway for countless inno- of the mainstream. In its storied 35-year history, the theatre has vative and alternative voices to enter into the mainstream such fostered such talent as Brad Fraser, Sasha Von Bon Bon, Damien as Daniel MacIvor, Tawiah M’Carthy, Waawaate Fobister, Nina Atkins, Sonja Mills and Darren O’Donnell – to name but a few – Arsenault – the list could go on and on. suffered near-fatal financial calamities, hosted performance events “These artists have brought new forms to the stage, have intro- in S/M dungeons and been threatened with granting cuts from duced new topics of investigation into the theatrical sphere, and all levels of government due to their boundary-pushing content. have literally rewritten the Canadian canon into a much more “I think the first thing that struck me when I saw a Buddies pro- diverse and contemporary body of work.” duction was how free-form it was,” says David Oiye, who served as And while many queer themes have worked their way into the theatre’s artistic director from 1999-2009. “The audience was mainstream conversations, Healy has a short and sweet response being very vocal. It was so far away from the experience of being in for those who might suggest there’s little need for a specific queer a regular theatre. I also first saw their productions during a Buddies theatre space. “I usually tell them to fuck off.”

summer 2014 Equity Quarterly 9 thE world’s biggEst and oldEst quEEr thEatrE cElEbratEs its 35th birthday

THE WAY WE WERE buddiEs’ artistic dirEctors sharE thEir faVouritE mEmoriEs

My first day as artistic director was marked by a tri- angle of events. It was April Fools Day. Buddies hosted a “packed to the rafters” reading by Jeanette Winterson, and the theatre was completely broke. It was a day that characterized much of my time at Buddies – terrific highs, devastating lows and subterfuge in between. Buddies (can’t live without them) in bad times (there will always be bad times). It was a fabu- lously complex day where the luminaries of what was soon to be the “Old Buddies” gathered with what was to become the “New Buddies.” It was a day of standing room only down below and legs dangling from the catwalk up above; it was a day where an interna- tional literary superstar was communing with an engaged

sarah garton stanlEy, 1997-1999 stanlEy, garton sarah Toronto subculture, and it all happened on a day that celebrates being made a fool of. So exciting. So terrifying. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: a per- fectly queer beginning to my time at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre – one of the most vibrant and important cultural institutions in Canada. I felt this on that day and I know it on this one.

Sasha Von Bon Bon and Kitty Neptune in Who’s Your Dada in 2008

10 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 thE world’s biggEst and oldEst quEEr thEatrE cElEbratEs its 35th birthday buddiEs’ artistic dirEctors sharE thEir faVouritE mEmoriEs

One of my favourite memories from Buddies happened during My first year on the job, I was diagnosed Rhubarb (the performance festival started by Buddies) in 2003. I had with testicular cancer and had to undergo invited several Czech artists to come and take part in the festival with surgery and treatment. As one can imag- two pieces over the three weeks of the festival. They took over the ine, it was a very emotional time and I space and infused the festival with a crazy Eastern European Bohemian often felt quite isolated throughout the quality that seemed a perfect fit. At the same time, another alternative experience. Lonely. But, during that time, performance festival had invited one of my fave queer artists – William I also experienced profound moments Yang, an older Asian photographer and storyteller from Australia – to of beauty and clarity. One of those their festival to present his latest slide performance. As would often moments happened during a Rhubarb happen during Rhubarb, people knew that Tallulah’s was the place to show. It was one of those wonderfully meet up after their shows and hang out and have a drink, whether bizarre and idiosyncratic Rhubarb shows: they were in the festival or not. And so it was that William heard of chaotic, rough, bold, and brilliant. It was Buddies and came by the happening queer artsy bar to have a beer a packed house and the building was after his show. In those days the changeover from Rhubarb to the vibrating with that very specific Rhubarb Tallulah’s Fundraiser Saturday Dance nights was a crazed procedure energy. It can be overwhelming. As I sat which required the entire bar and front of house staff to stack chairs, there, through the haze of my isolation daVid oiyE, 1999-2009 daVid gather stray beer glasses and generally clear the deck in preparation (or perhaps because of it), I was able to for the screaming hordes of club kids who had no idea a theatre fes- really see the courage that it took for tival existed. (I’m not sure that some of them even knew that theatre those people to be on that stage speak- existed, but I digress.) So there it was, that in one corner Patricia was ing their truth. I was able to really see trying to keep a Czech choreographer from doing acrobatics on the the love and support that it took for a

stairs, while some of the dancers were chatting in Czech with a Buddies 2009-PrEsEnt hEaly, brEndan group of strangers to come out and wit- tech I had known for many years who, it just happened, was born in ness this raw and personal expression. Prague; and in another corner, looking entirely happy and at ease was And I felt connected – for the first time William Yang, a revered queer visual and performance artist, with a in a long time. I understood why I bus pan helping to collect stray beer bottles and pint glasses. And I love theatre: it gives me a way out thought to myself, “Buddies really is the coolest theatre in the city.” of my solitude.

Artistic Director Brendan Healy (foreground) in rehearsals for the world premiere of PIG by Tim Luscombe at Buddies

summEr 2014 Equity quartErly 11 buddiEs cElEbratEs its 35th birthday buddiEs has had somE issuEs with Equity in thE Past

Brendan Healy has chosen to pursue a career without join- Equity’s executive director Arden. R. Ryshpan: Membership in ing Equity so he can maintain independence and control Equity should never be an impediment to anyone’s career or over the way he works. “Equity has struck me as a poten- artistic freedom. We just overhauled our membership require- tial impediment to my freedom as a artist,” he says. ments to afford for more early-career opportunities for per- formers before they become Equity members. We hope that we have resolved this problem in a way that allows artists at In the Gay Heritage Project, (L to R) Andrew Kushnir, Damien Atkins all stages of their career to join the Association as the right and Paul Dunn set out to see if there is such a thing as gay heritage choice – not their only choice.

Buddies is a company that devel- ops and supports artists who are emerging, who work in very marginalized contexts, and who are often not exposed to nor particularly interested in operat- ing within “professional” frame- works. “Consequently, we con- stantly need to be flexible and accommodating to our artists in order to effectively support them,” says Healy. “Flexibility is not necessarily something that Equity does well.”

Sky Gilbert’s memoir Ejaculations from AR: The theatre landscape is changing. And we have to change with it. the Charm Factory chronicles how We need to confront complicated issues, such as diversity, head on. If Equity interfered when Buddies moved we dig in our heels, we will become irrelevant and then all the truly ben- into their current home at 12 Alexander eficial and hard won things that Equity provides to its members will be Street. Healy wasn’t at Buddies at the lost. But bargaining partners need to work with us too. Our relationship time, but it was a very difficult time for with PACT has changed significantly over time and we look forward to a the company, unnecessarily so, he says, continuing this dialogue with them in CTA negotiations. and he is not totally sure whether Equity has ever fully acknowledged this.

AR: I wasn’t working at Equity then either. But clearly there was a schism between Buddies and the Association over issues that still resonate, like membership and what constitutes professionalism. I have no doubt that my colleagues felt they were making the best decisions they could at the time, as I believe did Buddies’ founders and supporters. But we can only make a difference in the here and now. I believe that this EQ issue demonstrates how committed Equity is to the principle of inclusion. EQ

12 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 canada’s quEEr thEatrE scEnE

Teiya Kasahara (top) and Julia Morgan in the world premiere of Canada’s first lesbian opera, sTATe When the Sun Comes Out

OF THe ArT giVEn thE massiVE changEs dianE flacKs, in attitudes towards the LGBTQ communities – much of that writEr, actor due to queer artistic voices and representations – Equity What is your favourite memory of a queer chose to ask several renowned artists for their take theatre production? on queer performance art. The answers are The first thing that comes to mind is seeing Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Good as diverse as they are fascinating. Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). It was so subversive and funny and full of outrage and yearning – all the elements that are enticing about theatre from any outsider’s perspective. Also, nerdy. And I guess the other would be participating in Rhubarb back in the day, when Sky Gilbert ran Buddies. It was populated by freaks and queers – wild straight and gay artists who not only had something to say but were passionate about the power of theatre – big, bold choices, lots of chaos and colour, sexy and full of integrity. And no money. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? Well, we want more women, definitely. It really is pathetic how few female ADs there are in Canada, and how little it’s changed. And that’s bad for all art forms. But despite gaining a foothold in “mainstream” theatre, queer theatre is still alive and well and looking to redefine what theatre from an LGBT perspective means. The answer to that is complex and probably contentious, but I think queer theatre is as relevant today as ever. Sure, when I look back on the sea changes that have occurred in Canada since I first participated in Rhubarb in the late 1980s, I am gobsmacked. It’s massive. So, queer theatre can now tackle even more specific and subtle issues – there is always something to fight for and about. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? The same as my hope for theatre’s future in general: that it has one. But I am very optimistic. Sure, we gulp down entertainment in bite-sized, glow-in-the-dark, screen-ensconced pieces, but that means an audience needs live human drama even more! The more compartmentalized we become, within our like-minded social media hives, the more we need a live, dangerous, human experience.

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Kris JosEPh, actor What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? I have two that come to mind, and both are united by the same background idea. The first was a semi-pro production of Ottawa’s Toto Too Theatre – an original creation by Simon Lalande and Matt Miwa called If Love Demands Foundation, This Is Me Burning It. The then-artistic-director, Lawrence Aronovitch, programmed the piece because he wanted to push Toto Too past their traditional mould of gay plays for middle-aged white men. My guess is that this was as far as he could have taken it. Simon and Matt created a gorgeous portrait of a BDSM (Bondage and Discipline/Dominance, Sadism and Masochism) relationship. It started as a consensual D/S relationship, but became abusive as the dominant partner began to abuse the power dynamic. It was a very bold departure from the company’s typical material, and showcased a couple of young gay artists who were in the emerging stages of their careers. It was not an Equity production, but easily could have been. Sadly, it seemed to be a bit too much for the community and (moreover) too much of a departure from the goals of an otherwise community-focused theatre troupe… and so the company hasn’t attempted much like it since. The second was Buddies in Bad Times’ production of Nina Arsenault’s The Silicone Diaries. It stands out for me because it is the finest example I’ve seen in Canada – thus far – of provocative queer theatre. It premiered in 2009, and I am hard-pressed to think of many other examples of trans stories on profes- sional Canadian stages. It’s a raw and deeply personal piece of work that catalyzed discussions about sex work, body image, plastic surgery, and trans issues and yet – somehow – framed it all in themes of courage and evolution and self-esteem that were universal. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? This is a deeply conflicting question for me. At the base level, I think it is safe to say that we’re in the midst of trying to understand (once again) what queer theatre is. Should queer theatre be a reflection and celebration of our existing community, or should it don activist work boots and shine lights in dark corners? Ultimately it can do both those things, and everything in between. There is a role for a theatre to play as a community rallying point, and so there will (and must) be remounts of Kilt for as long as there are audience members (or actors) who identify with those stories and who feel reflected by them. I do think, though, that we can do much, much more. I’m tired of seeing queer theatre companies continue to explore the struggle of the Gay White Male. My overwhelming reaction to yet another play where a white man comes to terms with his sexuality is “aren’t we past this?” I want to see women’s stories, and stories about gender, and stories about polyamory and kink. I want stories where gender and sexuality issues are compounded with other minority statuses. I want to see a lesbian professional theatre company – just one, after all these years, would be nice. I want to see trans artists embraced in every area of our professional theatre. I’m vocal on that front, but that’s not a manifesto that serves our totality theatre, so I’m not radical about it. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? It’s easy to think that the “basic struggle” for equality has been won, but the same stereotypes and “old guard” mentalities that serve as barriers to women and visible minorities on our stages also apply to our community. In the span of my own career, I’ve never played a queer character that I didn’t create for myself. I “pass” as straight so I “get” to play heterosexuals (and am highly-praised for the “believability” of my heterosexuality, as if that is the standard by which queer actors should be judged), but I also have professional colleagues who are quietly told they’re too faggy to work regularly. I’m hard-pressed to name proud, out lesbian actresses in this country. We are very far from seeing trans artists on our stages. I would love to see trans actors be offered any opportunity to perform in our professional theatres, let alone in situations where they would get to put their spin on cisgendered roles. So: I want to see the walls come down. There are still too many of them.

14 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 somE of canada’s most ProminEnt quEEr PErformErs rEflEct on whErE wE arE – and whErE wE’rE hEadEd

VEEna sood, actor What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? I don’t have a particular “queer theatre production” favourite. I judge theatre and productions on how I was affected. I don’t come away from a show saying “that was a really good gay play” or “that was a really good people-with-disabilities play,” etc. I have enjoyed many productions where the subject matter was queer, but that was because the issues were universal to all people, not just gay. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? I find that mainstream theatre has been in a “please the subscription audience” mandate for decades, and sadly that does not seem to include queer-based material. There are a few plays that manage to emerge into the mainstream, but again, it’s because their emotional life is universal. I wish more work was theatre-first, and that “queer” came further down the list. If the subject is engaging to everyone, so that a straight audience can see the overriding theme of humanity, rather than it being a show for “someone else” or a “gay play.” What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? It would be nice to see theatre companies not be segregating their choices based on labels and categories i.e. a “gay” play, or a “multicultural” play, etc. What is the point of theatre, if it’s not to enlighten and move your thinking forward? If more theatre companies were to produce material based on its mes- sages, rather than what will please the masses, all theatre would improve because it would challenge society’s mainstream norm. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a part of a theatre company that was “gay Indians in Canada” only. I like to participate in theatre that encourages all types, genders, sexualities, and conditions. The human theatre! This is my hope for the future of queer theatre.

Paul wElch, actor, writEr, dirEctor, arts Educator What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? One of my favourite memories was seeing Whale Riding Weather at Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company. It was the first story I had seen presented on stage where I felt a sense of under- standing of the potentiality of this story, and it excited me that I felt some sort of connection to the piece. It struck me in many ways, and it really was a fantastic production and design. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? To be honest, my exposure to queer theatre is still relatively minimal. Queer plays are sometimes programmed or produced by independent theatre companies, but it’s few and far between. I’d love to see more queer content, but I’m not sure if my desires or needs are reflective of the rest of the theatre-going demographic. It is, as you can appreciate, a complicated question – you wish to explore art, and serve your target audience in a positive, life-enriching way. But the only way you can do this is if they attend the theatre and witness the piece, and that can be tricky. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? My biggest hope is that we can foster a community where bold artistic risk is welcomed and can thrive, where people are encouraged to experiment, to try, to push boundaries, and play with nar- rative forms to portray these uniquely queer stories. It would be great to have rich, queer works produced regularly in Calgary, with audiences who are open to being truly challenged and willing to come visit and dig deeper, even if at the end of the day it’s not their cup of tea.

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Jonathan sEinEn, actor, dirEctor and Playwright What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? The most outstanding queer theatre piece I saw was Nina Arsenault’s The Silicone Diaries at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. That piece combined for me many of the elements of theatre that I am drawn to – a moving and authentic performance, connected autobiography, a compelling performer, a stylish design, an effective integration of video. Her unique, incredible story as a trans woman and the life she’s led up to that moment had me on the edge of my seat. So grateful this piece exists. In your opinion, what’s the state of queer theatre today? I think it has a bit of an identity crisis, like the whole community in general. I think we are at a place when we are divided in many ways, to do with money and class and race and technology and I think we have to move past identity politics to find ways of linking up. An emphasis on stories from a white gay male perspective remains, and a lack of stories from queer women and people of colour. But I do see this changing. I also feel like what our theatre community generally needs to find is more ways of connecting and linking both producers and audiences. Making work from a identity-specific starting point, I feel, has run its course, and has created a silo effect, where each community looks out for their own voices. Which makes sense, when the most established and attended and funded theatres are still primarily run by white straight people. And I witness some attempts to branch out and invite more diverse voices into those spaces. However, they are still coming in as “other.” I believe that the way forward must lie in collaborations between people who identify differently, so that the work on our stages better reflects the diversity of our sidewalks. My hope would be that that shift would also see a shift in audiences. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? That we move beyond identity politics. That we create space for underrepresented voices. And that theatre continues to carve out its own niche; the strength and power of live performance in an era of mediatised interaction is unique.

(L to R) Chip Chuipka, Kris Thom Allison accompanied by pianist John Hughes Joseph and Nathan Howe in in the 2014 production of Elegies: A Song Cycle. Persephone Theatre’s 2014 Fourteen years ago Allison was in the Canadian Stage production of Equivocation by production of Outrageous! a musical based on the life Bill Cain. Interestingly, Joseph of queer artist Craig Russell, which really connected says he’s never had the chance with audiences, both gay and straight to play a queer character that he didn’t create for himself

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tEiya Kasahara, oPEra singEr What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? It was being a part of the world premiere of Canada’s first lesbian opera, When The Sun Comes Out, commissioned by the Queer Arts Festival. Composer Leslie Uyeda created the role of Solana, a gender-bending love-them-and-leave-them type, with me in mind for the role. It vocally fit like a glove and dramatically it allowed me to express what was truly in my heart. It pushed opera beyond its usual heteronormative limits and allowed the politics of queerness to take centre stage. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? Within queer communities we are still establishing a canon of our shared stories that showcase an unfiltered and uninhibited sexuality. However, it seems that these provocative works tend to remain within the queer community and either do not interest the non-queer community or are perceived as gratuitous and unnecessary for mainstream consumption. To be heralded as art that is queer enough, these works tend to have to fit into acceptable parameters for queerness – be sexually risqué or stereotypical. Yet, both of these types of works can limit and dilute the audience. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? As queer artists and producers we are still searching to create works that push us beyond a gay and lesbian archive, while making room for queer creativity on our terms. I would like to see queerly produced, directed and performed works that enable interconnection not only throughout the queer community, but through communities period. Queerness is about fluidity, and the term queer was never meant to be stagnant or defined. I want to see queer theatre being as queer as it can be, which for me means pushing audiences to a point where they feel as though they, any of them, can see a piece of themselves on stage. What connects us, is our humanity, and our desire to hear and witness a complete spectrum of stories that we can relate to, even if it is just a little a bit. thom allison, actor What is your favourite memory of a queer theatre production? Certainly my favourite queer theatre production of something I have been in would be Outrageous! I was so aware of what telling that story and the connection people had to Craig Russell meant. It was a mainstream, mainstage musical about a queer artist, based on the life of a queer artist, written by queer artists, music direction by a queer artist, filled with queer artists, designed by queer artists. And yet people had such love for the show, and people, straight and gay, still want to talk about how it affected them 14 years later. Ironically, my memory of a show I wasn’t in was Poor Super Man at CanStage. I had never seen or imagined seeing gay nudity/sex onstage. And it was an audience that was sexually mixed and they were riveted. That’s when I really became aware that times were changing. In your opinion, what is the state of queer theatre today? I like that it’s not being cleaned up for critics or audiences. And it’s not shocking just to be shocking. It feels like something has been freed and people are really letting the muse of what it means to be queer in the 2010s reveal itself with the triumphs, the warts, the hurts, the bruises, the joys and the squeals. What is your biggest hope for the future of queer theatre/performance? This is a tough one. Part of me wishes that queer theatre would just become theatre one day and doesn’t need a separate label. But then I revel in the possibilities of the queer fantasia when it’s allowed to live as its own animal with its own rules and scale and mythical magic. I just want the straight and/or gay artists who find themselves working in queer theatre to keep exploring what that is and keep discovering and re-discovering for themselves what defines that. EQ

summEr 2014 Equity quartErly 17 Fondly Remembered

Peter Haworth 1927 – 2014

By Marcia and Tom Williams and friends

Although Peter Haworth began his career as an English teacher, “I marvelled at his he became an outstanding actor and writer. As a writer for CBC encyclopedic recollec- radio, he adapted plays by Chekhov, Ibsen, Brecht, and Shakespeare tions of theatre person- and wrote documentary series on Captain Cook and Sir Ernest alities and productions in Macmillan, among others. As an actor, he performed on radio, tele- story, gossip or raunchy vision and at major Canadian theatres, with his final performance limericks. For an out- at the Vancouver Playhouse in Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband. wardly Edwardian gen- “The first time I met Peter, at CBC in 1976, I instantly liked him. tleman complete with a He took a genuine interest in me, a production secretary at the born-in-Canada toffey English accent, he could be a riot of fun. time, and we became close friends. I admired his immense talent, “We used to spend an off-hour once a week at Sikora’s Classical his intelligent mind, his charm and humour, and the myriad wide- Records stuffing our purchases into bags that we would hide from our ranging projects he created for radio. And I admired his obvious wives. It was a conspiracy that, like a play in repertory, repeated itself love for his wife, Betty Phillips. so often that it became obviously as transparent to our spouses as “I remember recommending Peter to a friend who was making roles played nightly on stage. But we persisted for years in the fantasy a documentary about Arthur Erikson. Peter voiced the narration that we were getting away with subversive devilry.” — Don Mowatt. and my friend called him ‘the man with the golden voice.’ He Peter was presented with the Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement certainly did have a magnificent voice; I still hear it in my mind.” Award by the Union of BC Performers and is in the Walk of Fame — Dagmar Kaffanke-Nunn at Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre.

Anne Mirvish 1919 – 2013

By Paul Elliott

I had known Anne So many industry people expressed doubt at Anne’s inclusion Mirvish for many in the musical – but she proved them very wrong. She was no years as a sculptor, “gimmick” casting. She gave a performance of character, warmth the wife of the great and fun. Ed Mirvish, and as a She also changed the atmosphere in the rehearsal room. In friend. One day over those days smoking was permitted in the theatrical workplace… lunch she told me but Anne threatened to wear a facemask when rehearsing that she was also an unless this practice of smoking ceased. The thought of a Fairy actress – and as she Godmother in a mask playing a scene with ballerina Karen Kain was perfect for the part of the Fairy Godmother in the pantomime as Cinderella focused every smoker’s mind (including me!) and Cinderella, I offered her the part there and then! smoking was banned! Ed encouraged Anne to accept and a deal was struck so that in The production opened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in December 1984 in the company of Karen Kain as Cinderella, Ross Toronto followed by Hamilton Place and The Arts Centre in Petty as the Prince and Geoffrey Hughes, a star from Coronation Ottawa – all a big success! Street, as Buttons, Anne began rehearsals in Toronto for this excit- It was the last time Anne Mirvish appeared on stage… hope it ing theatrical adventure. wasn’t my fault!

18 Equity Quarterly summer 2014 Jack Merigold Life Member 1922 – 2013 In By Ann Swerdfager Memoriam 2013 “Jack Merigold was a multi-talented man of the theatre,” said Antoni Cimolino, artistic director of the , where Jack was part Helen Beavis of the first stage management team. “He worked as an actor and direc- tor but made his greatest contribution as a stage manager. His work in Jessica Booker the early years at Stratford with Tyrone Guthrie and Michael Langham Leo Burns brought discipline as well as joy to our creative process. Over many Adam Cope years, his boundless energy and puck-like spirit enlivened our theatres.” The Stratford Festival dedicated the 2014 production of A Craig Davidson Midsummer Night’s Dream to Jack, noting that he played Puck at Len Doncheff the beginning of his career. Jack was born in Hamilton in 1922. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second Susan Douglas-Rubes World War and helped produce Air Force comedy shows. When he returned to Canada in 1946, he Sharon Dyer completed the two-year voice and acting course at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory, and then helped form the People’s Repertory Company, which toured Ontario from 1948-49 with a converted war- Max Ferguson time dental truck carrying eight people and four theatrical sets. Scott Freethy In 1953, Jack was hired as an assistant stage manager by Tyrone Guthrie for the Stratford Festival’s inaugural season. He became Guthrie’s stage manager and their working relationship Stella Gaye stretched beyond Stratford to include 12 productions in New York and four in London. He also David Glyn-Jones travelled coast to coast as a stage manager for Spring Thaw. Maurice Good As an actor, Jack worked with Lorne Greene at the Jupiter Theatre and performed at the Eaton Auditorium, the Royal Alexandra Theatre and the Belmont Theatre. Kevin Gray

Ed Harrington Sharon Dyer 1941 – 2013 Greg Kramer Lotfi Mansouri By Jim Betts Jack Merigold There is an iconic story about the wonderful Sharon Dyer, how in Anne Mirvish 1978 on opening day of Windsor at The Charlottetown Festival, David Warrack wrote her a new song in the afternoon that she Byron Nease performed that same night. David remembers her fearlessly striding Huguette Oligny downstage to read the lyrics off cue cards in the pit, and how “she brought down the house!” Peter O’Toole I was fortunate to work with Sharon many times, always marveling at her energy, her sense of Jean-Louis Roux humour, and her passion for giving an audience everything she had. Frank Savino I was amazed to learn many years after working together on Thin Ice in Muskoka in 1987 – where, among her many characters, she played the goalie of the Soviet hockey team – that even then she had August Schellenberg begun to suffer the effects of the Parkinson’s disease that would eventually force her off the stage. She Erskine Smith refused then, as she did for the next couple of decades, to let her health challenges slow her down. She was also a writer, and wrote herself a show based on the life of Marie Dressler, who, like Richard Thornton Sharon, was a larger-than-life powerhouse performer. Peeta Jane Torokvei Sharon spent her last few years in Long-Term Care, and I was honoured to be part of the Smile Theatre team that revived Sweet Marie, and saw it performed for Sharon and her fellow residents. Suzanne Turnbull Sharon was only a shadow of her former self, but she lit up like a teenager that night, and seemed Jenny Turner to revel in being an active member of the theatre community again. It was a wonderful night, made all the more poignant by the fact that Sharon passed away two weeks later. Vanessa Walton-Bone Somewhere up there, Sharon is belting out duets with Ethel Merman – and I think I know who’s Barbara Wheeldon making the most joyful noise! summer 2014 Equity Quarterly 19 EQ Backstage Health and Wellness

Week 7 The Shawn Kerwin Project The photos are beautiful. But if you ever worked with Shawn Kerwin you knew something was missing. Her hair. Kerwin, who is a freelance set and costume designer, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. Her first reaction was surprise. She had always been healthy and there was no family history of cancer. She was also surprised by one of the first questions her oncologist asked. “Do you have a benefits plan?” Fortunately, Kerwin has a health plan through where she teaches. It would cover the cost of an expensive medication to help boost her immune system during chemotherapy. At the time this medication was not covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Week 27 “I immediately thought – what would I have done if I was just a freelance designer,” says Kerwin. “I wouldn’t be able to stop work. And it would have cost me $18,000. It hit me how lucky I was and how vulnerable I would be if I was only working as a freelancer.” So when her university colleagues asked if there was anything they could do, she said they could donate to the Actors’ Fund of Canada (AFC). “I felt really strongly about this. After all, we are teaching and training people to go into a field where it is already hard to make a living. You work from contract to contract. What happens if you get sick?” The AFC provides emergency financial aid to performers, writers, directors, stage managers, designers, technicians and others in the cultural industry recovering from illness, injury or other Week 32 circumstances causing severe economic and personal hardship. Kerwin also decided to document her journey. She asked photographer Steven Jack to take a photo of her every week – no matter what she looked like or how awful she felt. “I treated it like a production, except this production was about me.” She wanted to turn the photographs into something positive and help raise money for the AFC. “If I could make something positive happen because of having to deal with this disease, it would make me feel better,” Kerwin says. “No one wants to deal with cancer – but I felt physically good whenever I discovered that someone had made a donation.” Week 38 So when the Grand Theatre in London, where Kerwin had worked on productions, decided to raise money for the AFC – they displayed a revolving gallery of some of the photographs, called The Shawn Kerwin Project. In the photos, Kerwin is often laughing or being silly. “I thought it would be good for people to see someone with cancer being a goofball – to see that it is not just about being fearful, even though fear is something you have to deal with. There are so many ways to get through this, and I wanted to get through it in a positive way.” The photos are also posted on the AFC website. As of May 2014, The Shawn Kerwin Project has raised more than $12,500. May 29, 2014 In February, Kerwin went through her last radiation treatment. She is doing well, and her hair is start- ing to grow back. “But I’ve got a way to go before I need a haircut and get my energy back,” she laughs. Kerwin’s not sure how long she is going to continue taking her weekly photos. “Maybe I’ll con- tinue until I have the MRI that says I’m cancer-free.” To anyone thinking of making a donation to the Actors’ Fund, “Do it!” says Kerwin. “It will make me feel better!”

To see The Shawn Kerwin Project and find out how to make a donation to the Actors’ Fund of Canada go to www.actorsfund.ca or call 1.877.399.8392.

20 Equity quartErly summEr 2014 EQ Flashback Looking back on a landmark by Matthew Hays

As Brad Fraser knows only too well, a life in the theatre can be murder. And it was just that topic that led him to change course over a quarter century ago. Then in his late twenties, the play- wright was working on a script about a group of young people – both queer and straight – who were looking for intimacy while living in Edmonton. It all changed when he went canoeing with his best friend near the spot where a murdered young woman’s body had been found. “That got me to thinking, ‘What would it be like to find out your best friend is a serial killer?’ It blossomed from there.” And blossom it did. After an Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP) production in 1989, word got around about the violence, nudity, simulated sex and graphic dialogue packed into Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. Critics and audi- ences alike swooned, and the play went on to Toronto, Chicago, New York, Milan, Sydney and London. Time Magazine declared it one of the top 10 plays of the year. Fraser says the sensation the show set off wasn’t entirely a surprise. “I think all of my plays are going to be sensations but it rarely pans out that way. I knew this one was special though and I fought a great many battles with people who wanted to turn it into something other than what it is and I think that gave the script a flavour that an audience can feel. Also, when Urjo Kareda read an early draft while he was at the Tarragon and replied that he hated it and the serial killer thing would never work I figured I was on to something.” The process leading up to the play’s premiere was just as intense. “The first rehearsal period was hell,” says Fraser. “The director who’d been assigned to the show, not by me, was not dealing with the material and all of the actors were frantic, each of them sure this would end their career. A great deal of off-stage drama ensued, certain people behaved very badly and, long story short, the director quit about a week before opening. Bob White, assistant AD at ATP at the time, stepped in to reassure everyone and keep it going but the whole institution and everyone in it was quite unhappy with the show.” Then came the previews. “Everyone approached the first preview like a death sentence. I’ve never been so frightened or demoralized “Every once in a while a play comes along that really makes people in my life. That first audience was a fundraiser for an AIDS charity, there were many queer people in the audience, and the reaction to re-evaluate what a play can be and the sort of affect it can have on the play was through the roof. Laughs literally stopped the show audiences, with themes that are universal enough to speak to future repeatedly and the response at the end was overwhelming. I felt generations,” says Fraser. “I think the fact that Remains deals with vindicated and relieved in a way I hadn’t felt before or since.” young people searching for what they think is love only to realize And the play’s success continues: 2014 has seen 25th anniver- what they should be searching for is themselves will always resonate sary productions in Rome, Rio, New York, Toronto and Memphis. with certain people. I’m very grateful to have written such a play.” summer 2014 Equity Quarterly 21 Equity quartErly What to find at EQUITYONLINE WWW.CAEA.COM ECouncilQ NEW Pay Dues Online Connection blog This new feature allows members to log in to Council Connection blog EQUITYONLINE and securely pay dues by credit Visit Equity President Allan Teichman’s blog card in a few simple clicks. sharing the doings of Council with the Equity membership. Visit www.caea.com for more information. 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