EQUITY QUARTERLY Spring 2013
War Horse Puppeteers Comedy on stage EQ Funny ladies
What’s so funny? Laughing all the way to the stage
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MEdIcInE? EQUITY QUARTERLY SpRIng 2013
voLUME 7 nUMBER 1
robin duke, Kathryn greenwood, teresa Pavlinek and Jayne EQ eastwood are Women Fully Clothed
6 the actors behind 2 President’s message 3 notes From arden r. rysHPan War Horse 4 letters to tHe editor 5 eQ moVes 8 Comedy on stage 16 eQ VoiCes 17 eQ BaCKstage 13 Are women as 18 Fondly rememBered funny as men? 20 eQ FlasHBaCK
Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. The deadline for coming issue: SUMMER 2013 EQ submissions is Monday, June 3, 2013. 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 wInTER 2013 – volume 7, 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 dESIgn & LAYoUT Chris simeon, performance in English canada. we represent more than 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, september Creative Western offi ce 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 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 and inside front cover: Herod brought down the house in the 2011 stratford shakespeare Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar. in front of the piano (l to r) laurin Padolina (kneeling), mary antonini, Bruce dow as Herod, Jacqueline Burtney, matt alfano and ryan gifford. Behind the piano (l to r) Kaylee Harwood (sitting at piano), dominique roy, Katrina reynolds, Jason sermonia and Kyle golemba President’s message
It is a humbling assessment of the readership level of this column that so many people were taken by surprise the last time we held a DUES REFERENDUM, despite it being announced here several months before it happened. A good number of members even called the office on the last day of voting to say they’d just heard about it. In hopes of catching the eye of a few more people, I have asked the editor to set the words DUES REFERENDUM in boldface caps every time that it appears in this column.
Members will recall that we last held a two proposals for decision. The first was aDUES phased-in REFERENDUM increase in in basic late 2011,dues over when the we course put forward of five years. The second was for smaller pre-approved increases keyed to inflation, to take effect in nine years, and every four years thereafter. While both proposals received majority approval, they did not receive the needed two-thirds support, and both were defeated. The goal of the proposed dues increase was to make up the inflationary loss of 29% of the value of the basic dues level since it was last adjusted. Today, that cumulative loss is around 33%, and the need for an increase has become even more acute. Despite cost-cutting that began even before the DUES REFERENDUM, including the eventual loss of two staff positions, those of you who read or viewed the recent NAGM reports will know that we ran a deficit last year, and will do the same again this year. Knowing full well that nobody wants to pay more dues (including me), but in recognition of the fact that Council has a responsibility to manage the finances of the association in a prudent manner, we will be conducting a new Some members have askedDUES why weREFERENDUM are conducting later a this year, or early next year. one. The answer is simple: we need to – our current basic dues rate is 14 years old now, and it no DUES REFERENDUM so soon after the last longer pays for what it used to. In fact, we have recently had to dip into emergency funds to pay the bills. Council cannot responsibly ignore this situation, and neither can the membership. We will be giving this plenty of discussion time, and listening carefully to what you have to say. If you have questions, now is the time to ask them. Talk to your regional Councillor, or write to me at [email protected]. In completely related news, four of Council’s major projects from last term have recently taken effect: a rebuilding of the advisory structure, a complete overhaul of the joining process, the final two independent/small-scale theatre agreements, and a brand new insurance plan. Info on these is all over the website, Council Connection blog (councilconnection.blogspot.ca) and recent issues of the Council Link. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with these updates to your association. Going forward, Council will be going back to our diversity discussions from a couple of years ago, assessing progress, and refining our course forward. We’ll also be taking a good, long look at dance represen- tation, and how we can improve it. And lots more, because there is never nothing that needs work. If you want to see these and other improvements continue to happen, we need the resources to do it. DUES REFERENDUM. ‘Nuff said.
Allan Teichman President
2 EQUITY QUARTERLY SpRIng 2013 Notes from Arden r. ryshpan
When Vanity fair magazine published an article in their January 2013 issue entitled “Of Moose and Men,” about whether or not Canada and Canadians were funny, it prompted a vehement response from both readers and other journalists. Given that editor Graydon Carter is Canadian, one might have expected more from him – a relevant article, instead of a rehash of boring tropes about our dour, polite nature, with liberal mentions of Tim Hortons thrown in for good measure. This is particularly surprising since the same issue contained an article about Martin Short, generally considered by his peers to be the most naturally and genuinely funny person in the business – and, might I add, Canadian. Given that half the funny people in Hollywood are Canadians, it seems passing strange that there remains any debate about whether or not we have sense of humour up here. Comedy, as anyone who has ever watched a dubbed film can tell you, usually doesn’t translate well, literally and figuratively. Which is a shame because you can tell a hell of a lot about a country by what makes its people laugh until they cry. Canadians seem to be better known for the comedic talent we export (like the above mentioned Short and all of his Second City/SCTV colleagues, just to name a few) than the humour that stays at home. This issue presents only a very small selection of the people who have chosen to stay in Canada and work in the comedic vein – and proves without a doubt that the article in Vanity Fair is just plain wrong. You’ll also see how humour, when combined with drama (or even tragedy) becomes even more potent, reinforcing the old adage that comedy is serious business. We hope that this issue of EQ offers you some new ways of thinking about the live performances you are laughing hysterically about. On that note, we asked some performers to tell us about the funniest theatre production they ever saw. You’ll find their answers on Page 16. As for me, the funniest piece of theatre I ever saw was a gibberish clown version of the Scottish play called MöcShplat, done by a small group of crazily talented people in Montreal back in the late 1990s. I don’t ever remember laughing as hard in the theatre as I did while watching that show. The nonsense language and visual humour mixed extremely clever with slightly demented in a way that has stayed with me all these years.
Arden R. Ryshpan Executive Director
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 3 Letters to the editor
Letters on subjects of concern to Equity members will be Update Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) considered for publication. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for those letters that may affect members’ A caretaker Board has been in place since late November 2012 following the employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity members or letters that are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied or expressed, decision of the CCA Board of Governors to suspend operations in October. may be withheld or edited at the discretion of the editor. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of the That Board, consisting of nine members of the former CCA Board, was tasked Association. with administering the closing of the offices and appropriate disbursal of any PHOTO AND PRODUCTION CREDITS property, including archival and financial records. Cover and page 11: Photo: David Hou. Jesus Christ Superstar (2011) by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber produced by Stratford Festival. The office has been closed since early December and any remaining financial Directed by Des McAnuff with choreography by Lisa Shriver and fight direction by Daniel Levinson. Cast: Matt Alfano, Mary Antonini, obligations are being supervised by ex-President Kathleen Sharpe and ex-Treasurer Jacqueline Burtney, Brent Carver, Mark Cassuis, Bruce Dow, Ryan Gifford, Kyle Golemba, Kaylee Harwood, Chilina Kennedy, Krista Leis, and Equity Executive Director, Arden R. Ryshpan. Certain members of the care- Mike Nadajewski, Marcus Silvanus Nance, Paul Nolan, Melissa O’Neil, Laurin Padolina, Stephen Patterson, Katrina Reynolds, Matthew Robert taker Board have agreed to invest time this spring into searching for new ways to Rossoff, Dominique Roy, Jason Sermonia, Julius Sermonia, Lee Siegel, Aaron Walpole, Jonathan Winsby, Sandy Winsby and Josh Young. Stage reinvent and resurrect the organization. The caretaker Board will re-examine the managed by Brian Scott assisted by Meghan Callan and Melissa Rood. situation when its mandate terminates in March 2014. Page 1: Photo: Ian Brown. Courtesy of Women Fully Clothed. Page 5: Photo: Derek Mortensen, Electric Umbrella Images Inc.The Caretaker (2013) by Harold Pinter produced by Persephone Theatre. Directed by Del Surjik. Cast: Chip Chuipka, James O’Shea and Henry Woolf. Stage managed by David Kerr assisted by Terri Morgan (apprentice). Pages 6 & 7: Photo of Dayna Tietzen: David Leyes. Photo courtesy of 2012 Honours Awards Caden Douglas. Photos: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg. War Horse (2012), based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, adapted by Nick Stafford in association with Handspring Puppet Company produced by The Equity received a lot of positive feedback about the 2012 National Theatre of Great Britain and David Mirvish. Original direction by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, movement and horse choreography by Honours Awards reception that took place on December 3, Toby Sedgwick and puppet design, fabrication and direction by Adrian Kohler with Basil Jones. Cast: Christy Adamson, Mairi Babb, Tamara 2012 at Daniels Spectrum in Toronto, Ontario. Events like Bernier-Evans, Brad Cook, Tatjana Cornij, Adam Cunningham, Melanie Doane, Caden Douglas, James Duncan, Troy Feldman, Neil Foster, Alex these take a great deal of planning and coordination to make Furber, Patrick Galligan, Bruce Godfree, Bryan Hindle, Addison Holley, Ryan Hollyman, Cara Hunter, David Hurwitz, Patrick Kwok-Choon, everything run smoothly. That said, Equity could not have Grant Landry, Richard McMillan, Araya Mengesha, Brendan Murray, Rahnuma Panthaky, Brian Paul, Geoffrey Pounsett, Ryan Reid, Dylan done this alone. We would like to extend a special thanks to Roberts, Sean C. Robertson, Brendan J. Rowland, Brad Rudy, Dayna Tietzen, Brendan Wall and Steven Yaffee. Production stage managed by our friends at the venue, Steam Whistle Brewing and Daniel et The John Gray. Page 8: Photo: Robert C. Ragsdale. Love’s Labour’s Lost (1979) by Daniel Catering for their hard work and generosity. William Shakespeare produced by Stratford Festival. Directed by Robin Phillips with choreography by Earl Kraul and fight direction by Patrick Crean. Cast: Paul Batten, Mervyn Blake, Domini Blythe, Richard Curnock, Max Helpmann, Martha Henry, Gerald Isaac, Keith James, Barbara Maczka, Frank Maraden, Richard McMillan, Richard Monette, Pamela Redfern, Alan Scarfe, Barbara Stewart, Gregory welcome NEW MEMBERS Wanless, William Webster, Ian White and members of the company. Stage managed by Martin Bragg assisted by Tom Montvila, John Atlantic Manitoba / Jonathan Logan Safiya Renee Ricketts Tiggeloven and John Wilbur. Michelle Bouey Nunavut Benjamin Mehl David Sklar Page 9: Photo of Antoni Cimolino: David Hou. Photo of Alisa Palmer: David Cooper. Ann Marie Doyle Tristan Carlucci Natalie Moore Saskatchewan André Morin Page 10: Photo: Marc J Chalifoux Photography. Agokwe (2012) by British Columbia/ Dorothy Carroll Joel Bernbaum Waawaate Fobister produced by The Agokwe Collective. Directed by Sarah Jane Pelzer Yukon Murray Farnell Aubree Erickson Ed Roy with choreography by Waawaate Fobister. Cast: Waawaate Jade Repeta James Pendarves Fobister. Production stage managed by Ryan Cunningham and stage Adam Bergquist Jason Priestley Southern Alberta managed by Tracy Lynne Cann. Northern Alberta/ Susan Coodin Kaitlyn Riordan Kendra Braun Page 12: Photo: Cylla Von Tiedemann. Goodnight Desdemona (Good NWT Morning Juliet) (1988) by Ann-Marie MacDonald produced by Ben Elliott Paolo Santalucia Aaron Coates Amber Bissonnette Nightwood Theatre. Directed by Baņuta Rubess. Cast: Derek Boyes, Bree Greig Kathleen Sheehy Julia Guy Beverley Cooper, Diana Fajrajsl, Tanja Jacobs and Martin Julien. Photo Ellie Heath Ontario Lopa Sircar Marcy Lannan of Ann-Marie MacDonald: Gabor Jurina. Raphael Kepinski Hannah Anderson Jen Smardenkas Page 13: Photo: Greg Tjepkema. Blind Date (2007 ongoing) by Rebecca Daniel Mallett Northan produced by Kevin McCollum and Alchemation with Rebecca Dana Luccock Erynn Brook Christine Watson Michaila Skye Northan. Cast: Rebecca Northan. Stage managed by Sean Bowie. Graeme McComb Ryan Brown Adam Wilson Page 14: By a Thread (1994) by Diane Flacks produced by Tarragon Daniel Pitout Justine Clark Aylson Workman Stage Management Theatre. Directed by Richard Greenblatt with choreography by Pam Demelza Randall Rachel Clark Arthur Wright Breanne Jackson Johnson. Cast: Diane Flacks. Stage managed by Jeanne LeSage. Patrick Sabongui Sam DiGiuseppe Tim Ziegler Dana Paul Page 15: Photos courtesy of Mirvish Productions. Dancing with Rage Lucy Pratt-Johnson (2013) by Mary Walsh produced by David Mirvish. Co-directed by E. Ontario/ Brett Donahue Quebec Andy Jones and Mary Walsh. Cast: Mary Walsh. Stage managed by Marisa Falcone Amy Steinman Victor Tilley. Outaouais Jay Baruchel Kira Guloien Jenna-Lee Hyde Page 16: Photo of Robin Duke: Ian Brown. Courtesy of Women Fully Charles Russell Western Opera Clothed. Konstantinos Haitas Catherine Lemieux Geoffrey Sirett Andrey Andreychik Page 18: Photo of Susan Douglas-Rubes: V. Tony Hauser. Photo of Ben Irvine Pippa Leslie Kevin Gordon Daphne Goldrick courtesy of Gabrielle Jones. Eastern Opera Hélène Joy Massimo Armstrong Page 19: Photo: Bruce Zinger. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada Raymond Accolas Sarah Koehn Cassandre Mentor Lisa-Dawn Pages 20 & 21: Photos courtesy of AEA, with the exception of Lily McEvenue Will Lamond Liana Montoro Nelsina Kilthau the printed documents and the photo on page 21. Photo: Andrew Ryan McKinny Ivan Lo Maggie Owen Julia Rooney Oxenham. Courtesy of Equity (Canada).
4 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 EQ Moves Live performance across the country
Persephone Theatre’s 2013 production of Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker. (L to R) Chip Chuipka, James O’Shea, and Henry Woolf
After more than 10 years with The National Ballet of Canada, Nathan Medd will be the new managing director of the National executive director Kevin Garland will be retiring in June 2013. Arts Centre’s English Theatre. Nancy Webster has returned to In December 2012, Kevin was named one of Canada’s Most Young People’s Theatre in the new position of executive director. Powerful Women (Arts and Communications category) by the After serving as interim artistic producer, Stephen Drover is the Women’s Executive Network celebrating the professional achieve- permanent artistic producer at Rumble Productions in Vancouver. ments of women across Canada. Valerie Brooksbank is Equity’s new administrative assistant in the Western Office. Valerie takes over this position from Jessica Longtime Equity member Kenneth Wickes was awarded the Wadsworth who left the Association in February. Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his more than 50 years of service to Canadian theatre, board work National Office administrative assistant Karen Killian has announced that she will retire in May 2013. She has worked for Equity since 1996 for the Actor’s Fund, and for being one of the founding advocates and plans to focus on her extraordinary crafting skills while retired. for Performing Arts Lodges of Canada. Hugh Neilson became the new general manager of Jennifer Tarver is the new artistic director of Toronto’s Necessary Persephone Theatre in the fall of 2012. He joined the Angel Theatre Company. Tarver takes over from Daniel Brooks, Saskatoon theatre company after acting as managing who was with the company for nine years. director of the Young People’s Theatre in Toronto. spring 2013 Equity Quarterly 5 Turning life-size puppets
How the actors of War Horse helped an audience suspend disbelief into living, breathing horses
Actors take on a variety of different roles in their careers – but it’s not often they are asked to perform as a horse, let alone grab hold of a life-sized puppet made of strips of cane and aluminum to become that horse. “They really are works of art, and our job was to embody them and bring them to life,” says Dayna Tietzen, one of 12 actors who became full-size horse puppeteers in the Toronto Mirvish production of War Horse, which wrapped up in January, 2013. War Horse tells the story of a young soldier and his horse, Joey, and how they made it through the First World War. Along the way Joey befriends another horse, named Topthorn. To make both Joey and Topthorn come alive, three actors worked a life-size horse puppet, Clockwise from top left: Dayna Tietzen; Caden Douglas; Topthorn (L to R): Brendan J. Rowland, Adam Cunningham and Sean C. Robertson and Joey (L to R): each responsible for manipulating a different portion of Brad Cook, Bryan Hindle and Caden Douglas; We were never trying to hide the the animal. These teams of actors were then rotated puppeteers, but we wanted to make the audience see the horses, says Tietzen; through horse and ensemble tracks due to the physical The actors worked with life-sized puppets made of strips of cane and aluminum demands of the show. “We were never trying to hide the puppeteers, but we wanted to make the audience see the horses,” says Tietzen. “We had to make them as real as possible – give them breath – prove to the audience they were alive.” Like most of the others who performed as horses, Tietzen had no previous experience as a puppeteer. Playing horse Topthorn’s hind – “Believe me, I’ve heard all the jokes about a horse’s ass!”– Tietzen said her training as a dancer helped with the role, but the true test was learning to coordinate movements with the other two actors playing Topthorn with her. “There was absolutely no ego involved. We had to be teammates.” Caden Douglas, who played the same position as Tietzen, but in Joey –– remembers hearing about the show and thinking there wouldn’t be anything in it for him. “I went to the first audition and it was a lot of fun. I thought it would be really interesting for whoever got it, but I put it out of my mind.” When he got the role he saw that a truly eclectic mix of performers had been selected. All were quick learners and adaptable, and all were starting from scratch. To prepare, the puppeteers began training two weeks before the rest of the cast, learning rudimentary puppetry,
6 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 turning life-size puppets
How the actors of War Horse helped an audience suspend disbelief into living, breathing horses BY BARB fARwELL
as well as building up their strength with exercise. They also played games to enhance their spatial awareness – which is how an animal senses the world around them. In addition, they were given homework to research topics such as horse anatomy, movement and the First World War. To see horses in action they visited stables north of Toronto to meet mixed breed horses like Joey. Since Joey travels from the farm to serve in the war, they also had the chance to watch the more militarized horses of the Toronto Mounted Police. (They also watched a lot of YouTube vid- eos of horses – which came in handy for Tietzen, since she is allergic to horses. “I love horses, but I’m horribly, horribly allergic. I’d have to pop out the Reactine!”) Besides learning how to move like a horse, they also had to think like a horse. All sentimental human atti- tudes had to be left behind, and they had to keep their thoughts simple and specific, says Douglas. “Do I like this? Is it a threat? Is it food? Do I like where this person is in proximity to me? Horses don’t like people being behind you – that’s why they’ll kick you.” Under the guidance of master puppeteer Mervyn Millar, each three-member team took what they learned to create the physical action and “emotional tell” of the head, heart and hind of the horse. For example, the actor working the head would use the angle of the neck and the ears to show whether the horse was agitated or maybe just listening. The “heart” would use the front legs, and bend their own knees ever so slightly to show the breathing of the horse and signal whether the horse was calm or excited. And the “hind” would use the back legs and swish or raise the tail to show the horse’s state of mind. Tommy Luther, who originated the role of Joey’s “heart” for the National Theatre of Great Britain, was also on hand to guide the actors, says Douglas. “Why did you do that?” Douglas recalls him asking. “Then he’d say, ‘A human would do that, not a horse.’ ” “The growth we had was incredible. We started out as three people wearing this weird thing made of cane, and got better as we went on,” says Douglas. “We learned how to collectively breathe together, and to be open and present to what the other actors were doing.” EQ
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 7 Theatre artists reflect on the art of comed
What’s so funny? By Matthew Hays Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director of the Stratford Theatre Festival, has never forgotten the “amazingly funny” production of Love’s Labour’s Lost that he saw at Stratford as a teenager. (L to R) Richard Monette, Alan Scarfe, Gregory Wanless and Paul Batten
8 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 y and making people laugh
What’s so funny? By Matthew Hays most simple. The revelation is in the text. That can be tough to do.
Comedy is a funny thing. When people talk about putting on a play, they often immediately Sometimes laughter generated on stage comes from what seems talk about what’s wrong with it. You should celebrate the faults in like an obvious place, other times it is utterly mysterious. In the a play. Just do the play. spirit of understanding what makes us laugh so hard from a num- ber of different perspectives, Equity Quarterly asked five different Performance: Acting funny Canadian theatre artists about their take on comedy from five Alisa Palmer, Artistic Director, English Section, unique perspectives. National Theatre School
Shakespeare: The Bard’s barrel of laughs Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director, Stratford Shakespeare Festival The reason Shakespeare is still funny is because he was far less drawn to the specifics of country life or city life than many of his contemporaries. Ben Johnson, for example, would lampoon things that he would connect with. As funny as that can be, it becomes somewhat like a Comedy is often thought of as the lesser cousin of tragedy or high school play – the jokes are drama. Comedy is much harder to direct and perform. It has to be funny for the classmates and executed with rigour but look effortless. In order for a comedy to no one else. Shakespeare was work well, you have to take it seriously. That speaks to its power. far less drawn to those kinds of You have to investigate the comedy like it’s a drama. allusions and to things that are far more universal. I think the biggest mistake people make when approaching But I think one of the main reasons Shakespeare is still funny comedy is to try to be funny, or to try to be original. If you’re is because he’s had such a huge impact on the world. We see focusing on doing it the way no one else has done it, then you the world through his eyes. Language has changed a great deal may well lose sight of what makes it funny. The role of teaching in 400 years, but Shakespeare shaped much of it. There’s a kind comedy is basic – the easiest entry points are the dramatic ones. In of gravitational pull towards Shakespeare, so many words and a really good comedy, you’ll see all the emotions running through phrases that are now commonplace came from him. people, from surprise to dismay. I think if there’s been a shift in how Shakespeare’s comedies Comedy is good for political analysis because it’s often how sur- are done, I think it’s that there’s a far greater use of different vivors survive. The root of comedy that survives over time is about disciplines, different manners of performances – the freedom to addressing a shift of power – someone loses it, or someone’s gaining introduce clowns, for example. I think that’s a really good thing. it. That’s why Chaplin and Keaton are still funny. We identify with the I think the biggest challenge with putting on a good Shakespeare have-nots. You can’t really separate comedy and tragedy. I think that play is getting out of the way. The reality is these are monumental comedy that reinforces our worst instincts won’t last. An old woman works of art. You’re a conduit for that. I think Shakespeare is not slipping on a banana peel isn’t funny. The underdog has a greater funny when the actors and directors have not gotten out of the appeal – your empathy needs to be engaged. I think once you’ve got way. Keep in mind, his least funny comedy is better than most an audience on board with the underdog, then it becomes subversive. good comedies. When you’re left laughing like crazy is when it’s People are engaged with people who are beaten down.
spring 2013 Equity Quarterly 9 Theatre artists reflect on the art of comed
Both photos: Waawaate Fobister in Agokwe
Aboriginal Theatre: Native act Waawaate Fobister, actor, choreographer, playwright A lot of native theatre has both comedy and tragedy. Comedy is a good way in – it’s a way to bring audiences in to what it is we’re trying to express. It’s tricky, though, because tragedy and hard times are so strongly present in so many native lives. It’s hard not to write about tragedy – it affects the lives of a lot of artists. The trick is to write about these things without seeming like you’re whining or complaining. How do we get audiences to understand? How do we get them to join us in this journey in a because it’s a coping mechanism. Life on the reserve is still hard. human way? The fact is, a lot of our stories are still not taught in Laughter is the best medicine. schools, so the theatre has been a very important way for us to There are certainly things that are not considered funny for address these issues and stories. native artists, and that you can’t really joke about. Native people We’re getting produced more now – still not enough, but more getting raped by priests, that’s just not going to be funny. The – so that means there’s more room for nuance and different ways people who this happened to are still alive, and everyone is still of telling stories. Drew Hayden Taylor is a native playwright who healing. Being raped as children happened to a lot of our people, uses comedy a lot, and that reaches mainstream audiences. I use and it has had a ripple effect. It happened to people in my family, comedy too, but there’s also tragedy wound up in it. who are still living with the impact. I’m dealing with the impact, When I go back to visit my family on the reserve, we spend a as my grandmother and mother were both abused. There’s just lot of time laughing. There’s a lot of pain there, but we laugh a lot, nothing funny about it.
10 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 y and making people laugh
Make them laugh, and before they know it they realize they’re in queerland. Now, that didn’t hurt a bit, did it?
Musical comedies: Sing it with laughter surprised that mysticism still exists for many directors. And that Bruce Dow, actor, singer mystery extends to musical comedy. There’s lots of contemporary When I studied acting at the University of British Columbia I Canadian drama being written. We’re very comfortable with the learned early on that theatre is theatre and acting’s acting. The serious, dramatic side of things. The cross pollination isn’t there. People see comedy as mysterious, and they feel the same way world of the play tells you your mode of communication, but about musicals. I think we haven’t understood that these things I don’t really differentiate if you’re doing musical theatre, or are all part of the same world. Chekhov, or Shakespeare, or Brad Fraser. If the world of the play Comedy comes from a place of desperation. The characters tells you to sing, or to speak in blank verse, you enter into the are so desperate that we as an audience identify with their plight. psychological world of the play. Obviously, there are aesthetic With every character I’ve played who turned out to be funny, it’s differences, but a comedy is in most respects the same as drama. the extremes – the comedy comes from a desperate place. I think Your character has wants and needs, and your character has to the biggest mistake you can play comedy with is approaching it be authentic. as comedy, or approaching a musical as a musical. You need to For a country that has defined stand-up comedy in the last 20 approach it as a play. You’re going to get lost in the music the years, comedy is not something we understand in our theatre. same as you would get lost in Shakespeare’s text. If you go for All theatre should feel like it’s in the moment, and truthful. I’m the joke, it won’t be funny.
Bruce Dow (centre) as Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar
spring 2013 Equity Quarterly 11 ThEATRE ARTISTS REfLEcT on ThE ART of coMEdY
tanja Jacobs as Constance ledbelly in the 1988 debut of ann-marie macdonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) produced by nightwood theatre
LGBTQ Communities: The thing that interests me is, as queers we always had one Homo humour foot inside the mainstream, one foot out. And that meant we Ann-Marie MacDonald, were always judiciously placed. Because the artistic perspective is actor, novelist, playwright always about being inside and out at once. It’s a privileged posi- Things have changed so much tion, as well as being an oppressed one. And that makes good art, for people who are gay, it’s quite and very good comedy. Comedy is often about flipping things, amazing. I remember when we turning them around, taking mundane situations and making were doing gay stand-up all them look different. It’s about challenging perceptions. Comedy those years ago, we were all is by its own definition expansive. outlaws. We and the audience When I wrote Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), it understood that we were all in was one of the first Canadian plays with same-sex kissing. So it was pioneering in its own way, but it had universal themes. I just wrote this together. We’re oppressed, something I believed in. I worked to try to invite the widest possible but we get it! There was a fantastic sense of belonging. In those audience in. I hooked them in with the story, then hit them over the clubs, where the audience was predominantly gay or gay-friendly, head with the queer stuff. I always did that instinctually. Laughter is we would use ourselves as comic grist in a safe environment. We the best lubricant. Make them laugh, and before they know it they could lampoon ourselves and it would be safe. There was a sense realize they’re in queerland. Now, that didn’t hurt a bit, did it? I think of us being a minority. queer writers had to be a bit crafty, like immigrants. Before anyone The outlaw position has changed. You’ve got Rosie O’Donnell, knew it, the new cuisine became samosas that people were lining up Ellen DeGeneres, it’s very, very different now. Queer culture has for. We had to be radical and persuasive all at once. EQ cross-fertilized with everything else. Tina Fey is as queer as anyone Matthew Hays is a Montreal-based journalist whose work has appeared in – it’s become like a world view. We were queer commandos, but The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, The New York Times, The Daily Beast and The Canadian it seems like it’s safe to come out of the bunker now. Theatre Review.
12 EQUITY QUARTERLY SpRIng 2013 hUMAn ABSURdITY wITh A fEMInInE pERSpEcTIvE Canada’s funny ladies
BY cYnThIA MAcdonALd
ThE fIRST ThIng you learn about women in comedy is that they’re not exactly keen on discussing “women in comedy.” “I don’t think there are a lot of articles being written about what it’s like being a lady doctor, or a lady teacher, and no one’s going to the men and saying hey, what’s it like, guys?” says Calgarian playwright and actor Rebecca Northan. “So to continue this con- versation reinforces a kind of division between us.” Toronto’s Diane Flacks, another acclaimed writer and per- former, echoes Northan’s skepticism. She wonders “if the 1980s want their topics back,” and says the very idea “raises a question of difference and doubt that is suspect.” Flacks and Northan are right. Through the years, female come- dians have survived historical criticism from such diverse naysayers as Jerry Lewis, Christopher Hitchens and Del Close. They’ve now arrived at a point where, as comedian Robin Duke says, “a laugh is a laugh, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman.” More women are now exploring human absurdity onstage than ever before. Some of the material they mine (childbirth, meno- pause, whether gladiator sandals can ever look good) is uniquely feminine. But in a world where things such as men’s studies and men’s health are, in fact, emerging fields, it may be worth asking whether the sexes do look (and laugh) at life in different ways. And different places.
Taking it up a notch Robin Duke is a veteran of comedy clubs, most notably Second City. But her much-loved sketch revue Women Fully Clothed has always taken place in an elegant theatre – and that’s the way she likes it. “Women may feel more comfortable going out with girl- friends to the theatre; I know I would much rather go there,” she says. Female audience members can sometimes receive unwanted attention in clubs, or be targeted for mockery by onstage comics. “So we made a choice not to do our show in clubs, and took it up a notch to make it theatrical,” says Duke. The five women (Duke, Jayne Eastwood, Kathryn Greenwood and Teresa Pavlinek) who comprise Women Fully Clothed (WFC) rebecca northan offer a show that’s gentle and sunny. “We don’t go for edge, and in Blind Date we don’t go for mean-spirited,” says Duke. “Anybody can pull wInTER 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 13 Human absurdity with a feminine perspective
good. I don’t think mean-spirited comedy makes people come back again and again,” Northan says. “You might laugh in the moment because you think, I’m glad that’s not me. But that’s not a warm laugh. That’s a cold, disjointed laugh.”
Compassion is key Compassion is important in what Northan does, since she can’t tell what kind of psychological vulnerability her “date” will bring to the stage. “There was one guy in Toronto who told me he’d just gotten dumped a week before,” she says. “He was supposed to go to the show with his girlfriend, but decided to go on his own anyway.” Northan and her guest took a time-out from the action, in which the star confirmed that her guest was willing to continue. “I think he got about four phone numbers after the show,” Northan laughs. “Women thought he was so brave, and they had great empathy for him.” None of this is to say that women are naturally “softer” as comedic actors – Northan points out that she acquired her ethical stance from her male mentor, Theatresports founder and “spon- taneous theatre” guru Keith Johnstone. “Keith always said, treat audience members like you would treat a houseguest.” And it could easily be argued that Canada’s most piercing – and prominent – comedian is in fact a woman: Newfoundland’s redoubtable Mary Walsh, now touring the country with her solo show, Dancing with Rage. In the show, Walsh resurrects charac- Diane Flacks in By a Thread at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto ters well-known from her hit CBC television show, This Hour has their pants down and say a dirty word. But we don’t go for that 22 Minutes, including Marg Delahunty, Connie Bloor, and Dakey laugh; we go for the higher joke.” Dunn: the last one a man, and an oft-crude one at that. Much of the show is autobiographical, with bits about book “When you’re a woman dressed up as a man,” says Walsh, clubs, Botox and multitasking. It is, of course, unapologetically “you can say things that a male comedian might not be able to. female. When WFC started 10 years ago, says Duke, “we con- Dake says things I’ve heard men say about women, that they stantly got emails from women saying, ‘you’re saying exactly would never say publicly. But when I say it, I’m sending up that what I’m thinking. My life went by onstage!” notion. It’s obvious to everyone that it’s satire.” Rebecca Northan also expresses a preference for humour that Back when she was younger, Walsh found that playing charac- isn’t aggressive or injurious in nature. In her improvised play Blind ters like Dakey gave her comic freedom she otherwise didn’t have. Date, Northan plays a woman whose suitor hasn’t shown up for “When I was 18, I wanted to play older women and I wanted to their appointed rendezvous. To remedy the situation, she plucks play men, because they could say things,” she says. “As a younger a random man out of the audience – and proceeds to have an woman, you were an object, just something to be viewed. How onstage “date” with him for 90 minutes. It’s a show that’s never you looked was so important – is my stomach sticking out? Where the same twice, and one that’s invariably hilarious. are my breasts? I felt that pressure, and I gave into it. So being a “Our number one rule is that absolutely everything we do man or older woman gave you a voice, because you were beyond onstage is in the service of our guest, and it’s to make him look that gaze.”
14 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 mary Walsh in two of her personas from Dancing with Rage
“Everybody is funny in Newfoundland. I mean, if you’re not funny in Newfoundland, you might as well drown yourself.”
Now that Walsh is 60, the same age as her famous and funny alter stuff is autobiographical,” she says. “I find it more difficult and ego, the irascible Marg Delahunty, she can play that older woman frightening than writing fictional stuff.” with far less effort. In the early moments of Dancing with Rage, Marg “Difficult” and “frightening” aren’t words traditionally associ- takes to the boards, doffing her famous warrior princess costume in ated with comedy, but to Flacks they’re integral to the process. favour of a black bra and heavy-duty pair of Spanx. Noting the stub- Her play Bear with Me sprang directly from her experience of born bulge of a muffin top, Walsh-as-Marg hilariously elects to bind it becoming a mother with partner Janis Purdy; Sibs centres around with a thick black strip of hockey tape. It’s a scene that elicits guffaws sibling rivalry and a Jewish funeral. But even before turning to of recognition in female audience members, many of whom might her own life for inspiration, Flacks deftly wove painful topics such silently be asking: hmm, why haven’t I thought of that? as disability (Random Acts) and sexual abuse (By a Thread) into tapestries that were surprisingly bright and colourful. Not some iconic goddess “For me,” she says, “comedy has always been a tool to get The scene works beautifully, but opens Walsh up to a familiar at something else: a tool to make the audience comfortable, to charge levelled against pioneering comic artists such as Phyllis shock them, to engage them and to know that they’re with me. Diller and Joan Rivers in the 1970s. These women were notorious Because when you make people laugh, you know that they’re for mocking their own flawed bodies, leading feminists to accuse hearing you; they’re with you, and willing to go on the journey.” them of self-loathing. Walsh disagrees. “Comedy is making fun of things. If you see other people’s foibles but are blind to your own, Going to dark places that puts you in a rather uncomfortable position with your audi- Mary Walsh also goes to dark places in Dancing with Rage. In the ence, doesn’t it? You’re not some iconic goddess on a pedestal!” show, Marg Delahunty isn’t merely a jolly sword-swinging virago; Diane Flacks also grew up in the wildly permissive orphanage she’s also a middle-aged woman suffering from a debilitating eye known as Canadian comedy. She still looks like the ponytailed disease, eager for a last look at the baby she gave up for adop- kid who crafted tragicomic solo shows such as Myth Me and By tion more than 40 years ago. “Sometimes the critics haven’t been a Thread over 20 years ago. Since then, however, her life has very nice about that,” she admits. “it’s like, get off the stage and taken numerous turns, expected and otherwise – some of which keep doing the funny. But I wanted to know who Marg was, in have worked their way into her material. “Now, a lot more of my the same way you want to know who Batman is.”
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 15 EQ Voices What is the funniest theatre production you have ever seen? I saw a production of Love’s Labour’s Lost at Stratford when I was a teenager that really had an impact on me. It was one of Robin Phillips’ productions. It was so beautiful. I was actually getting the jokes! It struck me that theatre is a form “When you make people laugh, of communion. I left feeling smarter, and more accepted, you know that they’re hearing and part of humanity. – Antoni Cimolino I saw a production of [Michael Frayn’s] Noises Off at you – they’re with you, and Stratford many years ago. I do love a good farce. What’s so funny about that show is the actors are just like the willing to go on the journey.” characters in the show – they are desperate to put on a good play. The audience believed it when the characters Walsh cites her own mother (as well as Mary Tyler Moore) as were screwing up their lines. – Bruce Dow a role model for her particular brand of dark humour, carved and The very first time I saw Second City and watched John shaped as it was on the hardscrabble eastern Rock. “Everybody is Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy and Gilda Radner perform funny in Newfoundland,” she says. “I mean, if you’re not funny a parody of Canadian plays. It was smart and funny and sad in Newfoundland, you might as well drown yourself.” all at the same time. Nothing has come close to that first Both Walsh and Flacks have also written work that can be exposure to comic theatre. – Robin Duke described as political or activist in tone, sometimes explicitly femi- Timothy Findley’s Not Wanted on the Voyage, adapted by nist and sometimes not. “This Hour has 22 Minutes always had that Theatre Smith-Gilmour. I don’t think people would nec- double side,” says Walsh. “(Creative producer) Gerald Lunz used to essarily think it was comic, but it had a kind of brilliant say, well, it’s not necessarily funny, but at least it’s important.” dark humour that I adore. And Anne-Marie MacDonald’s Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) was so Generally speaking, says Flacks, a humorous play can’t be wholly smart and funny. – Diane Flacks funny anyway; if it is, it just won’t work. “It’s going to be a five- course meal, whereas it’s tapas in a comedy club. Not to disparage The first show I ever saw where I thought I was going to die tapas, because it’s awesome! But when an audience sees a play, because I was laughing so hard was a production of Private Lives at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. Noel Coward they don’t want something that’s solely tragic or solely comic. You had it all – the elegance, the wit, but also the physical com- always need to mix them, to provide a full experience.” edy. Good comedy is about unlikely juxtapositions – this is Which is perhaps why all at once a show with great sophistication, and then there’s the performers discussed here a pillow fight in it. – Ann-Marie MacDonald are so funny: none of them Mump and Smoot make me laugh every single time. Their seem to be driving frantically show is really structured, with space for improv. I think that toward jokes, all of which comedy has to have an element of danger. The last Mump arise organically from their and Smoot show I saw was hilarious, and I was a sobbing material. Canada’s female mess by the end of it. We need to release our pain some- how, and one of the best ways to do it is through laughter. comedic actors are regularly – Rebecca Northan cutting through the absurd, the pompous, and the unjust A production of [Wayne Specht’s] The Number 14 I saw 18 in our society with laser preci- years ago at the Shaw Festival. It was expertly executed. What struck me was how hard the audience was laughing – the kids sion. Their observations cer- in the audience were crying with laughter. – Alisa Palmer tainly produce laughter; but more significantly, they repro- Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters was a very profound show for me. I saw a production at Winnipeg’s Prairie Theatre duce life. “Isn’t that what it’s Exchange. Up until that point, I had thought, ‘Well, we’re like?” says Mary Walsh. “Life. Indian, we can’t do much.’ It was at this point I realized how It’s so hilariously, poignantly, oppressed I was, how I’d grown up thinking I was worthless. heartbreakingly... lifelike!” EQ I realized that, and thought, ‘Fuck that! I don’t want to do Cynthia Macdonald is a freelance nothing, I want to do something!’ – Waawaate Fobister robin duke journalist and arts critic in Toronto.
16 EQUITY QUARTERLY SpRIng 2013 Equity’s new EQ Backstage insurance plan
Here are the highlights of Equity’s new “core” insurance to work and need it most. In the past the maximum amount plan, provided through the ACE INA, which took effect on April 1. you could receive was $450 a week, or $750 if you were under The previous insurance policy included year-round accident the enhanced plan. In the new plan the maximum has increased coverage, but only “on contract” sickness coverage. to $1,500. “Accident” is narrowly defined to include injury resulting from Income replacement is essential if you find yourself in a situ- a violent external force – violent enough to cause damage. In ation where you are sick or hurt, and still need to pay your bills. insurance terms, “sickness” means more than getting the flu and The increase in the maximum is a significant improvement to not being able to work. For example, if you fell on your knee or the benefits. It now pays 60% of the pre-disability earnings for hit it and injured it, it is considered an accident, and you would up to 52 weeks for sickness, and up to 104 weeks for accident. have been covered for it whether you were working or not. But That means members can receive up to $78,000 while sick and if your knee gave out due to years of wear and tear, that type of $156,000 while injured. injury is considered “sickness” and not an “accident” – so the old Naturopathy, homeopathy, Chinese medicine and nutritional plan would only cover you if you were working. guidance are now included under the plan, to the same maximum With the new plan, working eight weeks in the previous year will as other paramedicals. entitle you to year-round sickness coverage. (Weeks worked under Amateur, Festival, Collective or Benefit & Fundraiser contracts do not count towards your eight week minimum.) If you haven’t worked eight weeks in the previous year, you still receive year-round accident coverage, but sickness cover- This is the first major overhaul to Equity’s insurance plan since 2003. age will only be available to you The Basic and Enhanced plans have been streamlined into one plan, when working. Each year you will and most importantly, Equity Members are able to obtain year-round receive a notice, along with your coverage, which has never been a possibility until now. tax receipt, letting you know if – Aaron Willis, Second Vice-President you qualify for the year-round sickness coverage. Additional benefits In order to deliver the year-round sickness coverage and improved Many members would like dental insurance but didn’t realize the income replacement provisions, premiums have risen slightly. significant cost of the premiums required to support this insurance. Previously, services such as massages were completely covered Combining dental insurance with other coverage such as additional while on contract, although there was a $25 annual deductible. health for members and families can be more economical (and pro- These services were rarely available off-contract. vide peace of mind) by providing these valuable services for a set Now there is a 50% co-payment of the cost of the service if you monthly premium – a payment schedule many find advantageous. are off-contract and eligible for year-round coverage. If you are on- If you are interested in purchasing additional health, dental and contract, you will have to pay 15% of the cost except when work- prescription drug benefits, the Actra Fraternal Arts & Entertainment ing under a Level 4 contract, in which case the full cost is covered Plan has been extended to all Equity members at a 15% discount. You in recognition of the higher premiums. For example, if you have a can learn more by visiting www.caea.artsandentertainmentplan.ca. $100 physiotherapy session, you will be reimbursed $85 from the insurance company if you claim while on contract, $50 if you claim Equity members will find brochures outlining the new core insurance while off-contract, or the full $100 if on a Level 4 contract. policy and supplemental options accom- panying this issue of EQ. The brochures New important benefits are also available online at www.caea.com An increase to the income replacement insurance will provide or by calling Equity at 1-800-387-1856 meaningful support when members are sick or injured and unable (416-867-9165 in Toronto).
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 17 Fondly Remembered Susan Douglas-Rubes 1925 - 2013
By Gayle Abrams
The world lost an American accent. Picking the name Douglas out of the phone- incredible woman on book, Susan Douglas started a new life. January 23, 2013. The word “No,” however, was not something Susan was familiar Susan Douglas- with. Rubes, a life full of In 1969, she convinced Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to go accomplishments – backstage to meet her beloved Jan after his opening night at the a beloved mother, National Arts Centre. Susan could persuade people to do abso- actress, producer, lutely anything. She was relentless! Susan may have been tiny in founder of the Young stature but her mark was indelible on anyone that was blessed to People’s Theatre have her in their lives. of Toronto, first president of the Family Channel, head of CBC Susan was very special to me. A force of nature and an inspira- Radio, a recipient of the Order of Canada, a Tony Award, and an tion to me and so many. Our families enjoyed years of cherished Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto, to memories in Collingwood and Florida. name a few. Susan’s achievements are countless. Susan left a legacy on the Canadian entertainment industry Her biggest accomplishment was the love of her life, Jan Rubes, that will endure for generations. Her tenacious manner, love and her children and grandchildren. passion for our business have started the careers of so many tal- Susan was born in Vienna as Zuzka Zenta, but emigrated from ented playwrights, television and radio actors, artistic directors Czechoslovakia to New York City at age 13. Not knowing a word and producers – and the list goes on. of English, she spent her summer watching numerous movies a Susan Douglas-Rubes... a life lived to the fullest, fondly remem- day so that by the time school started she spoke English with an bered, never forgotten. Bravo! Daphne Goldrick 1930 - 2012
By Gabrielle Jones and Annabel Kershaw
Daphne Goldrick packed power. Onstage and off. A feminist, Largely as a result of her perse- deeply politicized, highly intelligent and opinionated, she was verance, the Western Office determined to make a difference. was established. Her mother, Dorothy, was also an actress and Daphne was In her later years, Daphne immersed in theatre from an early age – a family legacy her faced serious health issues and daughter Gabrielle Jones continues today. Although widowed at through it all, showed enor- an early age with three children, Daphne managed to carry on in mous grace – and on one occasion, her unwavering commitment her chosen profession – no easy feat in the early 1960s! Daphne to her fellow artists. During one of her stays in hospital, Daphne, told her children that people would routinely ask her, “Yes, but who at the time was taking some strong pain medication, began what do you really do?” The answer was – everything. to hallucinate. She became convinced she was working on a non- She acted on stage, film, television and radio. She wrote, union film set in Burnaby. She got out of bed and roared down the taught, directed, mentored and volunteered – and rattled hall to the nurses’ station where she made sure that every single Canadian Actors’ Equity. Daphne was a passionate advocate of staff member had signed an affidavit indicating that they had their Canadian artists and the emerging theatre scene in Canada, and proper breaks and recorded all applicable overtime. Only then did particularly her beloved Vancouver. Acutely aware of how dis- she agree to return to her room. connected regional members felt, Daphne pushed the regional Daphne Goldrick, the powerhouse, never shied away from a agenda hard as the lone national Councillor from Vancouver. fight and wherever she is, she is no doubt fighting for us still.
18 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 Walter Carsen, Honorary member IN MEMORIAM 1912 - 2012 2012 Steve Adams BY chRISTophER nEwTon Frank Aldous Paul Anthony There’s something magical about getting Irene Arsenault to be 100 years old. Walter Carsen got Bernard Behrens there and it seemed totally appropriate. He loved being alive and all his philanthropy Rene Boutet pointed to a wonderful understanding that Rachel Browne life is utterly precious, incredibly strange, Robert S. Buck and perhaps a little wayward. “Art,” said Walter Carsen Walter, “helps us to be better people.” Patrick Conner It was through a generous response to Jackie Crossland art that Walter found a way to enlarge his Marc Desormeaux own life. He had a summer home here in Niagara-on-the-Lake – two little houses Vanya Franck with a tennis court joining them together Daphne Goldrick – and it was down here that he became Jacques Gorrissen friends with Brian Doherty who founded William Haslett the Shaw Festival. It was in Brian’s memory Tom Hendry that Walter gave us the Rose Fund, a small Joan Hurley endowment by his generous standards, Walter Carsen, pictured here with Karen Kain, was a but it provided fresh roses every day in significant supporter of the national Ballet of Canada, Stuart Hutchison the lobby of the Royal George Theatre as and helped fund the Walter Carsen Centre in toronto Evelyn Lear that serves as the national Ballet’s headquarters a tiny remembrance of Walter’s admiring Catherine McKeever friendship with the man who imagined and brought to life our company. Tanit Mendes This was only the beginning of Walter’s generosity to The Shaw. Again it was typical that his Patricia Moffatt first large gift was money to rebuild the actors’ bar in the basement of the Royal George. What Paul O’Sullivan had been a rather grubby room with a table for a bar became a tiny cabaret theatre which served Victor L. Pinchin for many years as the social centre of the company. Walter fell in love with the Royal George and in the 1990s he transformed the theatre into what it might have been had the original own- Winston Rekert ers had a little more imagination and a few more dollars: a charming Edwardian Opera House. Terrence Slater This was typical of Walter. He made dreams come true. The Walter Carsen Centre for the Larry Solway National Ballet of Canada, the performing arts prize in his name, the gifts to the art galleries Morris Spector of Hamilton and Windsor were all gestures of pleasure in the dreams of artists. He underwrote (AKA Rummy Bishop) many productions at the ballet and he took great pleasure in the adventurous work that we did Steve Walker in Christopher’s Loft, the black box theatre that he funded at The Shaw. “Money is something to be spent,” said Walter to me one day when I was thanking him for another small dream made real. Of course I had to lean forward because Walter’s accent was often impenetrable and he was at the same time trying to get out of his car, which for anyone observing him was an extraordinary series of moves that I suspect James Kudelka may once have noticed. He always talked very fast and enthusiastically, for words, like his generous deeds, he saw as happinesses to be spread around. I feel so lucky to have known him and I know that we, as artists, are never thankful enough for the generosity of patrons such as Walter Carsen. Luckily he seemed to accept our self- absorption and believe that he could turn it into something more active and substantial. Perhaps his extraordinarily talented son, Robert, helped him to this understanding. Whatever the stimu- lus, whatever the motivation, this charmingly eccentric man stands out as one of the most magical, kindly, and generous of our benefactors: the Royal Walter.
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 19 EQ Flashback 100 years of AEA
Clockwise from top: Brandon Tynan and fellow actors rally during the 1919 AEA strike; Marie Dressler and Ethel Barrymore during the 1919 AEA strike; Ethel Barrymore as “The Spirit of Equity”; Equity magazine 1924; Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids ribbon; The “Women of Equity” bound for Wall Street in 1919
In the late 1800s and early 1900s the situation was very differ- Thanks to their tenacity, Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was ent for people working in live performance than it is today. There founded on May 26, 1913, by 112 actors at the Pabst Grand were no standard agreements in place and productions could sud- Circle Hotel in New York City to improve wages and working denly close without payment to the artists. Producers were not conditions in the American theatre. The first president was come- bound by minimum fees, and performers often worked unlimited dian Francis Wilson. rehearsal hours for little or no payment. In 1919, when theatre producers created the Producing There had been attempts at creating a union for actors in the United Managers’ Association and refused to acknowledge AEA, the mem- States, such as The Actors’ Society of America in 1896. Unfortunately bership went on strike. The demands included acknowledgement of it turned out to be more of a club than a union, and was unable to AEA, along with better rehearsal pay, an eight-performance week, negotiate on behalf of actors. It disbanded in 1912, but four mem- and holiday and Sunday pay. After 30 days, 37 closed productions, bers – Charles Coburn, Frank Gillmore, William Harcourt and Milton 16 prevented openings and a loss of $3 million, the strike was settled Sills – continued to fight for a new organization. and the producers signed a five-year contract.
20 Equity Quarterly spring 2013 Clockwise from top: letter of congratulations from Prime minister trudeau when Canadian actors’ equity association gained autonomy on april 1, 1976; Press release announcing the amicable separation of Canadian actors’ equity association from actors’ equity association; aea President theodore Bikel and Chairman of the Canadian executive Committee, dan macdonald, embrace at a special celebration marking Canadian equity’s independence. looking on are Canadian members (l to r): Jane mallett, Jennifer Phipps and Howard siegel
AEA has gone on strike once more since then, in 1960, to win The Canadian Connection a pension plan. In 1919, AEA was given jurisdiction in Canada. The first Canadian Throughout the last century AEA has stood up against blacklist- Equity Advisory Committee was elected on March 20, 1955, ing and segregation, advocated for arts funding, brought profes- consisting of Lloyd Bochner, Douglas Campbell, Robert Christie, sional theatre across America by negotiating the first Regional David Gardner, Eric House, William Hutt, Paul Kligman, Larry Theatre contract, helped stop the destruction of historic Broadway McCance, John Maddison, Grania Mortimer and William Needles. theatres, and raised funds for the battle against AIDS. In the after- On April 1, 1976, Canadian Actors’ Equity Association amicably math of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, AEA worked separated from AEA, transferring 2,000 members and adopting with other unions and employers to stabilize the industry and its own constitution and bylaws. Both unions pledged fraternal encourage tourism in New York City. cooperation, full reciprocity and “the full and free interchange of Today AEA represents more than 49,000 actors and stage man- their respective members across the international border.”
agers, and continues to fight for fair wages, employment oppor- To view a timeline of AEA’s exciting 100-year history, please visit: www.actorsequity.org/ tunities, and dignity and respect for all its members. AboutEquity/timeline/timeline_intro.html.
SpRIng 2013 EQUITY QUARTERLY 21 416-594-2627