Equity quartErly Spring 2015

PERSPECTIVES ON DIVERSITY STAGING THE FUTURE EQ ENDING HARASSMENT NOW

the Equity Census THE EQUITYCENSUS STAGING THE FUTURE

CULTURE & ETHNICITY | DIVERSE ABILITY | GENDER & SEXUAL IDENTITY Be a part of the biggest and boldest project ever undertaken by Equity – and all you need to do is tell us about yourself.

The Equity Census is a ground-breaking demographic survey designed to better understand and serve all Equity members. It will examine the diverse composition of Equity’s The Equity Census opens membership specifically focusing on diversity of culture and ethnicity, diverse ability and Friday, April 24. gender and sexual identity. The survey seeks to identify potential barriers to employment within the Association’s jurisdiction. Data gathered will be a powerful tool in collective bargaining for equitable representation of diversity onstage and in related hiring. The Equity Census Members will be given the option of providing their member number at the conclusion of the closes Friday, May 22. survey so that, for the first time, Equity will be able to analyze how diversity impacts members’ work opportunities and income-earned. The Equity Census is completely confidential A report on the survey and will be conducted by an independent research firm. Its findings will strengthen Equity’s advocacy efforts promoting live performance and inform recommendations for legislative will be published in the change promoting the vibrancy and continued relevance of the performing arts in . Summer EQ. What else do I need to know? +

Check and update Regular and Life Your privacy is Eligible members Any member your contact info at members in good important to us. without an email wanting to receive EQUITYONLINE standing, and with All responses address will receive a paper-version (www.caea.com) an email address provided are a paper survey by survey should ASAP. on file, will be completely Friday, May 1. contact Equity emailed a survey confidential and The completed 1-800-387-1856 invitation between will be reviewed paper copy should (416-867-9165) Friday, April 24, and only in aggregate be mailed back to as soon as Tuesday, April 28. format. Equity ASAP. possible.

Help Equity turn words into action. Your participation is essential for a successful result. Everyone Counts! Equity quartErly Spring 2015

VolumE 9 numbEr 1

(L to R) Jani Lauzon, Keith Barker, , Jeremy Proulx, , , and Monique Mojica in the all-Aboriginal EQ cast of at the National Arts Centre in in 2012

8 Diversity on 2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Canadian stages 3 NOTES FROM ARDEN R. RYSHPAN 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 13 the Equity Census 5 EQ MOVES 6 EQ VOICES 20 Keeping 17 EQUITY IN THEATRE workplaces safe 18 FONDLY REMEMBERED

Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. the deadline for coming issue: SummEr 2015 EQ submissions is monday, may 25, 2015. 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 Spring 2015 – Volume 9, number 1 craft, developments in the industry, Equity’s role in the workplace, and the important position live performance Each volume of EQ is published annually by canadian actors’ Equity association. 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, , 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 almost 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, fi ght September Creative Western Offi ce 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]

ON THE COVER: The Wild Party, based on Joseph Moncure March’s scandalous narrative poem, tells the story of a party to end all parties thrown by a couple of bored Manhattan vaudevillians and attended by guests of every conceivable class and sexual inclination. The musical (book by Michael John LaChiusa, music and lyrics by George C. Wolfe) does not specify culturally diverse casting. A recent production by Acting Up Stage Company in association with Obsidian Theatre cast Cara Ricketts and Daren A. Herbert as the profligate party hosts, deepening the examination of racial tension, sexuality, discrimination and traditional sex and race barriers President’s message

It’s spring, or at least that is what the calendar would have me believe. this, I’m still dodging black ice on cold, dark evenings as I bike home from work.) More importantly, it’s spring and it’s 2015, and that can mean only one thing: Council elections are just six(As months I write away. That’s probably not what you thought I was going to write, but it’s true, and Council is in full election-planning mode. Nomination forms will be going out soon, and you will also shortly see communications winding up toward an October vote. Backing up a bit, members will recall that in the last EQ we asked you to weigh in with your thoughts on implementing a system of rotating elections. The idea was that, rather than replacing Council all at once, we would stagger elections over a few years to promote greater continuity and momentum on Council. While those we heard from were largely supportive, at our meeting in February, Council decided to stay the course, and upcoming elections will remain country-wide for three-year terms. Concerns about possible cost increases and confusion for members were among the considerations that went into the decision. However, before we get to elections, we still have a lot to accomplish in the term. We recently completed a national survey on safe and respectful workplaces. In broad summary, I’ll say that the results were by turns illuminating, saddening, maddening and inspiring, and you can find the full report included a little further along in these pages. We’ve also published a comprehensive data breakdown online. The survey is, of course, hardly the last step to be taken on the topic, and our report also details some of the improvements we hope to make. The plan is to have them complete by the end of the year. Next up for a major initiative is a diversity research project, already under way by the time you read this magazine. This massive exploration of member demographics will provide us with the data we need to foster and track ongoing progress in this area. The action coming out of that research work will keep us busy for the rest of the term and well beyond. And, as always, there are numerous, smaller things on the go; for a rundown of those, I refer you to the online version of my report from the recent National Annual General Meeting in Toronto. And now back to elections… Equity is an organization proudly run by and for its members, and Council is the body that takes on that work. If you have an interest in seeing your professional association move with the times; if you have the energy and commitment to tackle complex subjects; and if you are the kind of person who looks beyond me to we, you would make the ideal Councillor. Drop a note to your regional Councillor – contact information is available at find out more about running for Council. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – there are times when being responsible for the well-being of a national professional association is extraordinarilyEQUITYONLINE challenging. – and But, if you’re up for a good challenge (and if you work in live performance, you’d better be!), then you have what it takes. Run for Council in 2015, and help Equity help its members!

Allan Teichman President

2 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 Notes from Arden r. ryshpan

the country we celebrated on its 100th birthday is radically different from the one whose 150th we are on the verge of acknowledging. In the few years after the Centennial, we instituted Canadian content requirements, redressed the imbalance in foreign ownership of many of our natural resources, and struggled to define a “Canadian identity.” Changes to immigration policies and the Employment Equity, Canadian Human Rights and Canadian Multiculturalism Acts have all been a result of public pressure on policy makers to redefine our values and ideals and ensure that they continue to adapt to our changing demographics. As much as we have grown as a country, some things – stubbornly – do not seem to be changing with nearly the same alacrity as others. Two of those things – harassment in the workplace and diversity – are two of the most important issues facing our industry and they are the subjects of this issue of EQ. In the magazine, you will find additional results from our harassment survey. Perhaps as a result of the spate of recent stories in the North American press, or perhaps because people have just had enough, it seems as though the time has come to truly tackle this canker in our midst. No one should ever be bullied, discriminated against or sexually harassed in the workplace. Your Council will be reviewing the survey results in detail, and in the coming months you may expect to hear about a national campaign to make it clear that we do not accept this kind of behaviour in our theatres anymore, and to provide our members with information on a simplified process for responding if something does happen to them. This country – which began with its First Peoples – has welcomed cultures from all over the world. The policies mentioned above have made Canada an attractive place for those seeking a better life or a safer place to live. While we see the results of these policies in most of the workplaces in the country, our own theatres are, in many cases, lagging behind. While we know anecdotally (or feel we know) what the actual situation is for many of our members, the truth is that we do not have any hard numbers. And without real metrics, all we can bring to conversations with engagers, funding bodies and government, is opinion. That is why Equity is undertaking a huge demographic census of our membership, asking questions about diversity of culture and ethnicity, diverse ability and gender and sexual identity. We ask you to take the survey AND agree to provide your member number so that we can analyze actual earnings and contractual information. Again, without that information, all we have is conjecture, not hard statistics. It is important for us to stress that this information will only be used in the aggregate to run statistics. No specific information about any individual member will be accessible or made available – to anyone. Information provided is completely confidential. In this issue you will see a number of your colleagues explain why they will take the survey. I encourage you to read their comments. We are aiming for 100% member participation in The Equity Census. Please make the decision to give your Association the data we need to go forward to lobby for needed improvements in our industry and our working conditions. I urge you to participate in this extremely important project.

In Solidarity,

Arden R. Ryshpan Executive Director

Just as this issue of EQ was going to press, Equity successfully concluded negotiations with PACT for a new CTA. The new agreement will require the collection of engagement statistics which will be jointly reviewed by both PACT and Equity in order to identify and share diversity best practices. Details about this will be included in the upcoming CTA ratification in June.

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 3 Letters to the editor

Equity quartErly wintEr 2015 Good value at the Letters on subjects of concern to Equity members will be considered for publication. CANADA LOVES FESTIVALS Fringe Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for those letters that may affect TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION AT THE RWB members’ employment. Letters that include artistic criticism of Equity members or letters that DROP BY KIM’S CONVENIENCE In some cities, it might be are antagonistic or accusatory, either implied or expressed, may be withheld or edited at the discretion of the editor. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily those of EQ true that “theatre compa- the Association. nies don’t receive much in PHOTO AND PRODUCTION CREDITS Cover: Photo: Racheal McCaig. The Wild Party (2015) by Michael John LaChiusa exchange for their entry and George C. Wolfe produced by Acting Up Stage Company. Directed by Robert D. McQueen with choreography by Stephanie Graham and fight direction by Michael fees” [The Festival Scene, Dufays. Cast: Rebecca Auerbach, J. Cameron Barnett, Dan Chameroy, Josh Epstein, Susan Gilmour, Sarite Harris, Daren A. Herbert, Sara-Jeanne Hosie, Lisa Horner, Sterling Jarvis, Winter 2015], but with the David Lopez, Larry Mannell, Stephen Patterson, Eden Richmond and Cara Ricketts. Stage managed by Carolyn Mykytyshyn assisted by Alice Barnett. Edmonton Fringe Festival, Page 1: Photo: Andrée Lanthier. King Lear (2012) by William Shakespeare produced by National Arts Centre English Theatre. Directed by Peter Hinton assisted by Lorne Cardinal the fees go a long way. In my with fight direction by John Koensgen. Cast: Keith Barker, Lorne Cardinal, Tantoo Cardinal, Ryan Cunningham, Meegwun Fairbrother, August Schellenberg, , Jani Lauzon, case, I received a large stage, , Billy Merasty, Monique Mojica, Jeremy Proulx and Gordon Patrick White. the festival scene Stage managed by Stéfanie Séguin assisted by Samira Rose and Erika Morey (apprentice.) audience seating for 180 peo- Page 5: Photo: André Reinders. A Christmas Carol (2014) adapted from Charles Dickens ple for six shows, plus a tech- with book and lyrics by Caleb R. Marshall and music and lyrics by Michael Doherty produced by Theatre New Brunswick. Directed by Caleb R. Marshall with choreography by nical rehearsal, printed tickets, volunteer support and more than Naomi Costain and music direction by Michael Doherty. Cast: Cormac Beirne, Eric Craig, Brandon Crone, Ellen Denny, Stuart Dowling, Martha Irving, Emma Murray, Rob Torr and 31 hours of technicians’ time. This last item alone, given to all suc- Shawn Wright. Stage managed by Tammy Faulkner assisted by Rachel Dawn Woods and Georgia Priestley-Brown (apprentice). cessful applicants, well exceeded the entry fees. Moreover, there Page 6: Photo of Philip Akin by Michael Cooper. Page 7: Top photo: Michael Cooper. Topdog/Underdog (2011) by Suzan-Lori Parks are abundant promotional opportunities created by being part of produced by Obsidian Theatre Company in association with Shaw Festival. Directed by Philip Akin with fight direction by John Stead. Cast: Kevin Hanchard and Nigel Shawn an established festival. The organizers successfully accommodated Williams. Stage managed by Meredith MacDonald assisted by Monika Seiler. Bottom photo: Greg Nixon. The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble (2013) by Beth Graham the different shows’ needs and I am grateful that they preserve this co-produced by Obsidian Theatre Company and Factory Theatre. Directed by Philip Akin. Cast: Lucinda Davis, Alexis Gordon, Karen Robinson and Peyson B. Rock. Stage managed opportunity to bring diverse stories to life through theatre. by Nicola Benidickson assisted by Lisa McKay (apprentice). – Mena Jewell, Director, Tobit Page 8: Photo: Tim Matheson. Confessions of the Other Woman (2012) by Valerie Sing Turner produced by urban ink productions, Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and Visceral Visions. Directed by Diane Roberts and Gerald Trentham with choreography by Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg and Gerald Trentham. Cast: Kevin Loring, Valerie Sing Turner welcome NEW MEMBERS and Matt Ward. Stage managed by Shannon Macelli. Page 9: Photo: David Babcock. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2009) adapted by Harry Standjofski from the novel by Lewis Carroll and produced by Geordie Productions. Directed by Dean Patrick Fleming. Cast: Deena Aziz, Glenda Braganza, Chip Chuipka, Atlantic Hannah Spear Alain Goulem, Nemanja Jevtovic, Julie Tamiko Manning. Stage managed by Melanie Colton Curtis Conor Scully St-Jacques assisted by Bonnie J More. Kirsten Rasmussen Page 10: Photo courtesy of Brenda Kamino. Bachelor Man (1987) by Winston Kam British Columbia / Yukon produced by Theatre Passe Muraille. Directed by Peter Hinton. Cast: Denis Akiyama, Terry Agnes Tong Keralea Pollock Jang Barclay, Leonard Chow, Brenda Kamino, Robert Lee, Ed Hong-Louie and Victor Wong. Jordan Jenkins Luke Marty Page 11: Photo of David C. Jones: Brandon Hart. Becky Johnson Gili Roskies Page 13: Photo: Sevan Abrahamian. Photo courtesy of David Ferry. Virgilia Griffith Scott Button Page 14: Photo: Alex Felipe. Ching Chong Chinaman (2013) by Lauren Yee produced Erik Gow Lorna Wright by fu-GEN Asian Canadian Theatre Company. Directed by Nina Lee Aquino with Ayinde Blake choreography by Carin Lowerison and fight direction by Richard Lee. Cast: Zoe Doyle, Katey Hoffman Brenda Kamino, Oliver Koomsatira, Richard Lee, Jane Luk and John Ng. Stage managed by Carlo Marks Kristopher Bowman Dini Conte assisted by Carin Crabtree (apprentice). Devon Hyland Chelsea Preston Page 15: Top right photo: Leif Norman. Sargent & Victor & Me (2014) by Deborah Patterson Lindsay Mullan produced by Theatre Projects Manitoba. Directed by Arne MacPherson with choreographer Eastern Opera Izaak Smith by Ali Robson. Cast: Deborah Patterson. Stage managed by Michelle Lagassé. Bottom left Nicolas Rhind photo: Brian Damude. Blood Wedding | Bodas de Sangre (2015) by Federico Garcia Lorca with Eva Barrie translation by Langston Hughes produced by Modern Times Stage Company and Aluna Theatre. Manitoba / Shaina Silver-Baird Directed and choreographed by Soheil Parsa. Cast: Lara Arabian, Steven Bush, Sochi Fried, Carlos Andrea Houssin Matthew James Donovan Gonzalez-Vio, Mina James, Derek Kwan, Jani Lauzon, Sebastian Marziali, Liz Peterson, Beatriz Pizano, Chiamaka G. Ugwu and Bahareh Yaraghi. Stage managed by Erika Morey. Jane Testar Beau Dixon Page 16: Top photo: Charles Hope. Love Lies Bleeding (2010) by Jean Grand-Maître with RobYn Slade Jamie Cavanagh music by Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin produced by Ballet. Artistic direction and Northern Alberta / NWT Connie Manfredi choreography by Jean Grand-Maître. Cast: Skye Balfour-Ducharme, Reilley Bell, Mark James Carson Reaume Biocca, Melissa Boniface, Nicole Caron, Laëtitia Clément, Emily Collier, Noëllie Conjeaud, Fenya Fitzpatrick Patrick Michael Doe, Mark Dennis, Jeronimo Forteza, Alexandra Gibson, Jennifer Gibson, Alla Salakhova Carole B. Thomas Victoria Lane Green, Yukichi Hattori, Asaka Homma, Jung Min Hong, Davidson Jaconello, Hayley Kezber Galien Johnston, Mariko Kondo, Matthew Lehmann, Scott Maybank, Kelley McKinlay, Jenna Dykes-Busby Kealan McLaughlin, Anthony Pina, Blair Puente, Sébastien Riou, Christopher Rudd, Nadezhda Southern Alberta Vostrikov and Tara Williamson. Stage managed by Deb Howard. Bottom photo: Cylla von Tiedemann. To Kill a Mockingbird (2014) by Harper Lee, dramatized by Christopher Sergel Jessica Zepeda Mabelle Carvajal produced by Young People’s Theatre. Directed by Allen MacInnis with fight direction by Tiana Leonty Len Harvey Siobhan Richardson. Cast: Hume Baugh, Lisa Berry, Matthew Brown, Mark Crawford, Joan Gregson, Thomas Hauff, W. J. Matheson, Jeff Miller, Jessica Moss, Tal Shulman, Noah Spitzer, Jenifer Alejandra Simmons Stage Management Caroline Toal and Rudy Webb. Stage managed by Kate Sandeson assisted by Lisa Humber. Joseph Recinos Sarah Barton Page 18: Photo of Irving Guttman courtesy of Equity. Photo of Joyce Campion by David Vivien Loader Justin Born Hou courtesy of . Alexander Baerg Emma Hammond Page 19: Photo of Bernard Hopkins by Michael Cooper courtesy of Stratford Festival. Photo of Brian Macdonald by Julius Ahn courtesy of Stratford Festival.

4 Equity Quarterly Spring 2015 EQ Moves Live performance across the country

(L to R) Shawn Wright, Cormac Beirne and Martha Irving in Theatre New Brunswick’s 2014 production of A Christmas Carol

After six years as artistic director of Toronto’s Buddies in Bad Shaw Festival executive director Elaine Calder will be retiring in Times Theatre, Brendan Healy will be stepping down in September September. Calder first joined the Festival as executive director 2015. A search committee has been formed to find a successor. in 1990 for four seasons, and returned to the position in 2012.

Gil Garratt is the new artistic director of Ontario’s Blyth Festival. Toronto’s Theatre 20 recently announced its new leadership team. Garratt has been involved in Blyth Theatre for 14 seasons in vari- David Keeley is artistic director, Nora McLellan is associate ous roles, including actor, director, playwright, dramaturge and artistic director, and Brian Goldenberg is executive director. administrator. Ari Weinberg will become the new artistic director of the Platypus Theatre co-founder and artistic director Peter Duschenes Winnipeg Jewish Theatre on June 1, 2015, replacing interim artis- is a recipient of a 2015 Chalmers Arts Fellowship from the Ontario Arts tic director Kayla Gordon. Council. Duschenes will travel across Europe and North America work- ing with musicians, puppeteers and storytellers to research new mod- Kristian Clarke joins Equity’s senior staff in June as the new els for interactive audience experiences through music and theatre. Senior Projects Manager. He will be responsible for initiating and implementing projects for enhanced member service. Upcoming Stratford Festival has moved from the stage to the screen with activities include harassment education outreach and diversity/ three productions filmed in HD. King Lear, King John and Antony inclusion-related initiatives. and Cleopatra will be playing in cinemas across Canada and around the world. The Festival plans to film all of Shakespeare’s Thomas Morgan Jones is the new artistic director at plays over the next 10 years, creating the first North American Theatre New Brunswick, taking over from Caleb Marshall, collection of the canon. who served as artistic producer from 2009-2014.

Spring 2015 Equity Quarterly 5 Philip Akin on EQ Voices The Equity Census

“I have never understood the reticence of people avoiding a true snapshot of how things actually are.”

I suspect that the first question that will come up regarding any kind of substantive change actually occurring in the industry. this survey is, “Why?” I have never understood the reticence of people avoiding a true It would seem that this information should already be avail- snapshot of how things actually are. We use all kinds of demo- able but, in fact, it is not. PACT has not been able to get a com- graphics in the production of theatre in this country, and yet we prehensive response to its diversity survey, and unless you are balk at looking at how we hire, what our boards and staff look a diverse company receiving money from the Canada Council like, and indeed, what is the diversity makeup in the gender split. Equity Office, no diversity stats are collected. (If you are part of And while this census won’t give Equity or anyone else a com- the Canada Council Equity Office funding, you must provide a prehensive baseline, it will give us the most detailed insight into breakdown of the race of your board and staff, etc.) And the Ad not only what the membership looks like, but how that member- Hoc Assembly’s survey – an advocacy group of diverse companies, ship is being hired. And that is a huge first step. artists and allies working to initiate change throughout the theatri- cal ecosystem – is still in the nascent stage. How we describe ourselves It would seem that the councils would be the place to start, but Now, the idea of self-identification can be seen as a bit of a land- there doesn’t seem to be the will there for anything other than mine just waiting to blow up in our faces. All of us have words that gender statistics. And that’s fine as those are very important as well. we choose to use in a self-description and other words that we But we find ourselves in 2015 with no baseline, few metrics, strongly shun. For myself I would never describe myself as African and nothing other than anecdotal evidence as to how we look + a hyphen anything. My mom would never have used my favou- as an industry. Without a baseline we will never know if there is rite, “Black,” to describe herself. She was always “Coloured.”

6 Equity Quarterly Spring 2015 And all those words have a strong emotive lock on us. They are Kevin Hanchard and Nigel Shawn Williams extremely personal. So personal, in fact, that I have had some in Topdog Underdog extremely passionate conversations in the office about the words by Suzan-Lori Parks, that I just talked about. And, at the end, we all stay with what directed by Philip works for us. Akin and produced by I would urge you to consider how you have described yourself Obsidian Theatre and on a site like Casting Workbook. There you will find 33 categories, Shaw Festival and we click those that apply because it gives producers a filter by which to find us. Much the same process would be in place for this census. It is personal, confidential and will provide aggregate statistics. In 2002-2003, I was a Dora Juror in the General Division and I tracked, as best I could, the number of diverse actors that I saw that season. It came in at just over 12%. This year, I went to the first day of the Theatre Ontario Showcase and the black actors stood at 4%. But these are still estimates and best guesses, and that is no longer enough. This is truly necessary information that has not, and seemingly will not, be available from any other source. This information is one of the building bricks to under- standing where we have to go in this country to keep theatre alive and robust. And, a growing theatre with renewed audiences are essential for us all, so I strongly urge you to participate and be part of this bold initiative.

Philip Akin is artistic director of Obsidian Theatre Company in Toronto. An Equity member since 1975, he was made a Life Member in 2014.

Alexis Gordon and Karen Robinson in The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble by Beth Graham, directed by Philip Akin and produced by Obsidian Theatre and Factory Theatre

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 7 Equity members say lily-white casting is still an issue – and point to solutions to the problem Walking the Walk on Diversity

(L to R) Valerie Sing Turner, Kevin Loring and Matt Ward in Confessions of the Other Woman by Valerie Sing Turner and produced by urban ink productions, Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company and Visceral Visions, 2012

8 Equity Quarterly Spring 2015 Equity mEmbErS Say lily-whitE caSting iS Still an iSSuE – and point to SolutionS to thE problEm wALKING tHE wALK ON DIVErsIty

by matthEw hayS Deena Aziz – lead researcher and originator of The Equity Census – in Geordie Productions’ Alice Through writing in Canadian Notes and Queries the Looking Glass, by magazine in 2008, writer Kamal Al-Solaylee was asked to address Lewis Carroll and adapted by the crisis facing the Canadian theatre milieu. The crisis setting off Harry Standjofski, directed by Dean Patrick Fleming alarm bells was that theatre audiences were advancing in age, while younger people were not picking up the habit of going to the live theatre. “Death was everywhere,” Al-Solaylee, a Ryerson journalism professor and former Globe and Mail theatre critic, stated with brutal bluntness. The lobby, he suggested, “looked more like the setting for an organized activity at a seniors’ home than the inner sanctum of a flagship theatre.” He went on to suggest a connection between dwindling, aging audiences and a lack of diversity on stage. “I was the youngest audience member by at least 20 years and the darkest by as many shades. Where were all the ethnicities Toronto trumpets as a mark of its world-class, cosmopolitan identity? Maybe they knew better than to show up at an event to which they were neither invited nor welcomed.” But since that article appeared seven years ago, many Equity members report that little has changed, and that any moving for- ward on the issues surrounding the casting of non-white actors has been glacial, at best. A number have stories from the trenches of their battles for hopeful change, others are assessing which The lily-white state of casting calls past initiatives have actually proven productive, and as you read David C. Jones, another Vancouver-based theatre artist and critic, this, Equity is embarking on a major survey to ask its members says Sing Turner is absolutely correct about the lily-white state what their opinions and experiences have been in regards to of casting calls. “If you look at all the casts of all the plays over diversity around issues of culture and ethnicity, diverse ability the past few years, you can see how hard it would be for a non- and gender and sexual identity. Caucasian actor to get a role. And once you subtract the roles for Vancouver theatre artist Valerie Sing Turner says things really servants, magical people, sex workers and criminals, that number are that dire. In fact, she suggests that “95% of what’s on stage is drops significantly.” white,” echoing Al-Solaylee’s sentiments. “My belief is that while The seeming inability of Canadian theatre to change is espe- we don’t live in a blatantly racist state in Canada, we do live in a cially strange, Jones argues, when one looks at the demographics place where white affirmative action is practiced. It’s happening in major urban centres. “Theatre is rapidly becoming irrelevant. on an unconscious level.” Most urban centres are now 50% to 60% non-white. Most white Sing Turner says the problem is acute, but is solvable. “Until people work alongside people of colour. The only place you can Canadians and Americans acknowledge that we live in a society go to have an extremely white experience in Canada is by walking of white privilege, we can’t really get anywhere.” through a theatre door.”

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 9 Equity mEmbErS Say lily-whitE caSting iS Still an iSSuE – and point to SolutionS to thE problEm

Bachelor Man by Winston Kam, produced by Theatre Passe Muraille in 1987, was the first production by a mainstage company that was written by an Asian Canadian and featured only Asian actors. It opened the doors for Asian Canadian playwrights and performers by knocking down stereotypes and offering challenging roles. (L to R) Leonard Chow, Denis Akiyama, Terry Jang Barclay, Ed Hong-Louie, Brenda Kamino, Victor Wong and Robert Lee

Jones, who writes reviews for a number of publications, including “When people say they weren’t able to find anyone of colour, the recently closed online opera, theatre and dance magazine The that says to me that they simply didn’t have enough artistic Charlebois Post, says that several years ago he began to comment vision. And if you don’t have a strong enough artistic vision, on the racial makeup of the cast of every show he saw. “I would then you’ll fail.” mention if there was a person of colour in the cast, but I would also note if the cast was all-white. I was just reporting on that fact, but Responding to the lack of diversity some people freaked out at me on social media. My response was, In response to this clear lack of diversity, the lobby group Equity ‘Why are you so upset? Am I lying or making this up?’” in Theatre (EIT) has hired University of Toronto professor Michelle Jones says that people “got very defensive, as if I was blaming MacArthur to conduct a research study to examine past initia- them personally. Obviously, this isn’t because of any one single direc- tives to figure out which ones were most effective in enhanc- tor or casting agent, but if we don’t all start making an effort, how is ing gender diversity. MacArthur points to Rina Fraticelli’s 1982 any of this going to change? If everyone keeps saying, ‘It’s someone report, The Status of Women in Canadian Theatre, as a land- else’s responsibility,’ then the status quo will continue. And that can’t mark, in that it pointed to a distinct gender-gap that indicated continue, because if we keep casting only white actors doing white men outnumber women in director, playwright and artistic direc- plays, Canadian theatre will go the way of the Passion Play.” tor positions. Sadly, Rebecca Burton followed up with a 2006 Jones says many actors of colour are burned out by years of bad study, that indicated not much had changed. A Playwrights experiences trying to get roles. “Right now, when a director puts Guild of Canada theatre survey taken in 2013/14 indicated that out a casting call, they’re going to have to do more than simply the numbers actually represent a regression from Burton’s 2006 say, ‘Open to all ethnicities,’ because no one believes you. And if report. MacArthur says part of her job as a researcher is “to ask no actors of colour show up to your auditions, what about calling why these statistics persist and to identify strategies that can be the acting schools and asking them who the actors are who have undertaken to change them.” promise and who are non-white? Or call the companies whose But MacArthur says the research she’s doing has led her to mandate it is to cast diversity.” study initiatives from around the world, and that is providing good Sing Turner adds that change requires a lot of hard work. “It reason for hope. “There have been many successful initiatives, takes work to find people who are out of your immediate circle. which have varied by context. One that stands out to me is Tonic You have to first acknowledge you have a limited circle. People Theatre’s Advance program, currently under way in the U.K. In don’t even seem to realize they are working within their own circle, 2013-14, Tonic partnered with 11 different theatre companies or bubble. They say, ‘I didn’t intend to exclude people.’ It’s not across the U.K. in order to identify equity barriers and establish the ignorance that bothers me so much as the wilful ignorance. specific and individualized action plans to redress them.”

10 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 Equity mEmbErS Say lily-whitE caSting iS Still an iSSuE – and point to SolutionS to thE problEm

MacArthur says the initiative was primarily about gender Advocating for change equity, but the lessons could apply to other areas of diversity. Armed with accurate data from Equity’s diversity survey here in “They looked at issues such as how to better support pregnant Canada, Equity will be able to advocate for change – such as what actors, how to foster more work by women writers, and how to recently happened in the U.K. to tie funding directly to diversity. increase the numbers of women lighting designers, depending on In 2014, Equity U.K. made it a key priority to get point-of- the theatre company and its individual needs. The participating contract equality monitoring of onstage talent introduced at companies then committed to action plans in order to address theatres receiving public funding. This involves asking actors to their respective equity issues. It’s too early to assess the long-term complete a form when signing a contract and making their own outcomes of the project, but its scope, focus and methods are assessment of what diversity definitions best describe them. quite groundbreaking and provide models that could be adapted “In the autumn of 2014, when Arts Council England announced in Canada.” a new initiative on diversity, we questioned them very publically MacArthur aims to have her report ready by the spring, “I think about whether this would include diversity monitoring of actors,” raising awareness is the first step in making positive change,” says Martin Brown, Assistant General Secretary Communications she says. “This research, which is the first stage of the Equity in and Membership Support, Equity U.K. “After some obfuscation, Theatre initiative, will help to foster dialogue between theatre they acknowledged that it would, but then did nothing about practitioners, audiences, and policy makers on the local, provin- it. So Equity got together with U.K. Theatre [which represents cial, national, and international level. It is really the first step in funded theatre managers], and drafted a model monitoring form developing targeted action plans to redress [gender] inequities and presented it as an industry-agreed pro-forma. Initially they in Canadian theatre.” resisted adopting it, but then their Chair, Peter Bazalgette, made In the U.S., SAG-AFTRA published their first ever extensive survey an unexpected statement in December to the effect that, in the of the employment situation faced by LGBTQ actors in film and TV. future, funded theatres would have to justify their level of on- Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief operating officer and general stage diversity or lose funding. counsel of SAG-AFTRA, says the study, published last year, turned “That gave us another opportunity to put pressure on Arts up some very interesting revelations. “I Council England to insist on diver- was surprised at the magnitude of the “The only place you sity monitoring – as without that feeling that there is explicit bias on the can go to have an monitoring data there could be no basis of sexual orientation. Over 50% of extremely white reliable diversity data on which to experience in the LGBTQ respondents said they’d expe- make funding decisions.” Canada is by rienced discriminatory conduct.” walking through The result? Bazalgette has said Having commissioned the survey, a theatre door,” that monitoring will be introduced Crabtree-Ireland says it simply under- says David C. this year. lines the importance of having such data. Jones Valerie Sing Turner urges all Equity “This survey included the responses of members to participate in the upcom- heterosexual members, who confirmed ing survey about diversity, despite the they had seen instances of discrimina- feelings of alienation some people of tion against LGBTQ performers. This colour may have. “It’s like when an confirms that the bias is not just in the election comes up, and I talk to peo- heads of LGBTQ performers, and that ple who say they aren’t voting. If you leaves us with work to do. If we don’t don’t vote, as far as I’m concerned, have data like this, we have nothing to you don’t have a right to complain. go on. Now when a casting director says It’s very important for people to make there isn’t a problem, we have very real sure their voices are heard.”

data to back up our argument that in Matthew Hays teaches film studies at fact there is. It’s hard to convince people Marianopolis College and Concordia University in Montreal. His articles have also appeared in to fix a problem when they don’t see a The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The problem in the first place.” Guardian, The Walrus and Vice.

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 11 actor putting on blacKFacE haS many SEEing rEd

Blackface controversy in Quebec by matthEw hayS

quEStionS around a Quebec production’s use of sketch. “We can guarantee you that the creators of 2014 Revue blackface – makeup to make a white actor look black – continue et corrigée harbored no ill intentions,” she told the Gazette. to be asked several months after the performance took place. But perhaps most stinging was the reaction of TRV artistic It’s a controversy that won’t seem to die down, in part because director Denise Filiatrault, who said that because of the contro- the people who pulled the stunt have insisted, rather defensively, versy, the company would simply stop depicting black characters that there is absolutely nothing racist about the use of blackface. in their year-end review. This, of course, struck many as a bizarre The show opened on November 25, 2014, for a seven-week statement to make, considering it was made without a hint of run and two-week extension at Montreal’s Théâtre du Rideau irony: Why wouldn’t the TRV simply consider hiring a black actor? Vert (TRV). The Revue et corrigée is a French-language series In an open letter to Marcotte, Equity’s executive director Arden of sketches that pokes fun at the events of the past year. One R. Ryshpan and ACTRA’s national executive director Stephen sketch in particular had a white actor playing popular Montreal Waddell let the theatre know how they felt about the use of Canadiens hockey star P.K. Subban, who is black. The actor blackface. donned blackface for the sake of the impersonation. “We are writing today to express our profound dismay that The first reporter to write about it was Pat Donnelly, then the TRV would support a production in which a white actor appeared Montreal Gazette’s theatre critic. Her December 5th review of the in blackface portraying an Afro-Canadian sports personality,” the show lamented that blackface had again made an appearance in letter read. “We condemn blackface as an anachronistic discrimi- Quebec, and Donnelly made specific reference to the fact that natory practice that has no place in our modern, diverse society. white francophones don’t seem to have an issue with blackface. We urge TRV to publicly state that your theatre will never again “I have discussed it with francophone colleagues who just don’t permit blackface on your stage.” seem to get why it’s inappropriate to reinforce a stereotype that Gazette writer T’Cha Dunlevy wrote a feature story about the harkens back to the days of minstrel shows,” she wrote. “As if we controversy in February, when media pundits and theatre crit- never had black slavery in Quebec.” ics were still passionately arguing about it. “Marcotte’s entire This led to a media firestorm, in which many black artists defence, and the thrust of most opinion pieces written in support and culturally diverse allies in Quebec’s performer community of TRV since, hinge on the assertion that the sketch was con- confirmed that, yes, they did indeed find the use of blackface ceived and performed in good faith,” Dunlevy reported. “What offensive. Some columnists shot back, saying there was no hurt such a position omits, however, is a sensitivity to how the piece intended and that everyone should just learn to take a joke. was received – not just by the largely white, francophone audi- Céline Marcotte, the TRV’s general director, insisted in a public ences attending the show, but the people of colour to which every statement that no malice or racism had been intended by the instance of blackface, directly or indirectly, refers.” EQ

12 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 you don’t Know whErE to go until you Know who you arE

David Ferry directing a workshop for The Postman with (L to R) author Joseph Pierre and actors Natasha Mumba and Roy Lewis

EVEryBODy COUNts

canada iS onE oF thE great mul- Every Equity member is urged to take part in this unprecedented ticultural countries of the world – yet our stages have been slow research project. It will give us a powerful tool to use in collective to reflect the diverse spectrum of Canadian society. bargaining, and inform our advocacy efforts for social and Equity supports the creation of a live performance environment legislative change. This is the first such project to be initiated by that reflects the diversity of the community in which our members an entertainment union in Canada, and our colleagues in other work. It is time for us to take action, and it all starts with under- jurisdictions (and countries) are taking note. A summary report standing the composition of our membership. on the survey will be published in the Summer EQ. Starting Friday, April 24, you will be invited to take part in The We asked some Equity members why they support The Equity Equity Census. This innovative demographic survey seeks to bet- Census and what action they’d like to see to make our stages ter understand and serve our members – especially in the areas more diverse. of diversity of culture and ethnicity, diverse ability and gender and sexual identity. The survey will examine how members self- identify and how they are perceived. Data collected will be used David Ferry, actor and director to determine potential barriers to employment. “ ...the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, Equity members will also be given an opportunity to provide was and is, to hold, as ‘twere, the mirror up to nature; to show their member number so that we can examine how diversity spe- virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age cifically impacts work opportunities and income-earned. and body of the time his form and pressure.” – Hamlet

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 13 you don’t Know whErE to go until you Know who you arE

Hamlet’s reference to showing “the very age and body of the Oliver Koomsatira, actor time his form and pressure” particularly resonates with me. For It’s important for Equity to have a current understanding of diver- that means to me that all theatre makers have the responsibil- sity because theatre is supposed to reflect the reality in which it’s ity to reflect back to their audiences the society in which we live. immersed. If our theatre doesn’t reflect the Canadian reality in all For myself, living in Toronto its diversity, then it fails in staying (where, in 2011, the National Oliver Koomsatira in current. With the issue of theatre Household Survey indicated that Ching Chong Chinaman by audiences dwindling down, if we 49.1% of Toronto’s population Lauren Yee produced by don’t discuss reflecting Canada’s the fu-GEN Asian Canadian is composed of visible minori- diversity consistently, we’re Theatre Company, 2013 ties; i.e. 1,264,395 non-whites), ultimately cutting off a large it is essential that the theatre I segment of potential theatre- do puts the mirror up to that goers who don’t see themselves nature, to show my age and onstage. Equity has a responsi- body, that form and pressure. bility to its members to ensure I think we members of Equity that equal opportunities exist for do already have, collectively, a everyone and that no one faces good sense of our diversity in discrimination. It therefore needs live performance in Canada. to understand the current reality We know what it is in reality of diversity in live performance. and what it is/isn’t in practice. The whole purpose of the In order to shift the balance to census is to figure out if mem- better reflect this society we bers of diverse backgrounds are live in back to our audiences, given equal work opportunities. we will never move the produc- In order for Equity to do this, ers – who seem not to be on members need to provide their board unless Equity has data to member number when they back its argument. This is why answer it. Therefore it’s essential I support the Equity initiative for the census to know which to collect information about active members have been our cultural backgrounds, our hired in order to paint an accu- gender, our self-identification rate picture. In Montreal, visible in terms of sexual preference. minorities make up 30% of the That is why I am happy to population; in Toronto, 47%; participate in the census. I too in Vancouver, 51.8%. To be will make sure to provide my able to identify who among our member number when prompted. I hope my very many broth- members identifies as diverse and see whether they have access ers and sisters within Equity who come from beautifully varied to work equitably can only be done with actual data. Since the cultural/sexual orientation/gender realities will feel the same way. information will remain confidential, it’s a risk-free process. Equity, thus armed with this data, can then engage in a proactive As the Canada Council for the Arts recently stated, diversity dialogue with our producing partners in theatre. needs to be at the centre of our values and actions. With this phi- Hopefully from this we would see the emergence on all our stages losophy, I think casting against the indicated or implied ethnicity of a truly reflective imagining of reality back to the society we sit in. of a culturally specific role (race-bending) should stop. Theatres An imagining that is wrought in open and accessible audition rooms, who cast homogeneously could incorporate more diversity to casting searches, programming and rehearsal halls. With hiring poli- normalize non-Caucasian faces onstage. Theatres who consis- cies based on nothing else than using the best person available. tently cast diversely could be encouraged financially and through I know that the skill to be superb is already there throughout our public recognition. An online database could be created so direc- membership regardless of cultural background, gender or sexual iden- tors can find diverse performers. Theatres could start to recognize tity. Those artists sit in a larger society that is this brave new world that that the desire to have more diversity onstage is coming from is today’s Canada. Hamlet, no less, demands that we hold the mirror all angles: performers, media and the general population. It is up to that Canada. What right do we have to deny her/him? therefore no longer a risk, as previously thought.

14 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 you don’t Know whErE to go until you Know who you arE

Jani Lauzon, actor Deborah Patterson in her one-woman play, I have been advocating for inclusivity in our industry for over 20 Sargent & Victor & Me, which was produced years. If there is one thing I have learned it’s that “stats” matter. by Theatre Projects Manitoba in 2014 If you want to make change, present the stats to back your argu- ment. Let’s gather the stats and if we have achieved what we set out to do, then great. But I don’t think we have, and we need the stats to prove it so that continued change is possible. Equity has the potential to be a leader in this area but I feel it is my responsi- bility as an individual to support the process. I can’t just demand change if I am not willing to be that change. I know there is the argument in our industry that self-disclosing will hurt an actor’s career. I get it; we want to be seen as actors, period. Labels are hard to shake. But the industry sees us as we are, whether we like it or not. We can’t change that, but we can stand up, be counted and demand to be included. In regards to making our stages more diverse, audience educa- tion would be helpful. The demography is shifting and audiences are more supportive in general, but we still butt up against the need for administrative structures to cave to subscriber sensi- bilities. The other issue is training, which I know is not part of Equity’s jurisdiction. But I see it as a systemic problem. Very few of our training institutions are boasting diversity in their graduating years. Kudos to the ones who are for we are all richer as a result.

Jani Lauzon and Bahareh Yaraghi in Blood Wedding (2015) by Deborah Patterson, actor Federico Garcia Lorca, produced by Modern Times Stage Company If our work is to remain vital and relevant to our audience, we and Aluna Theatre need to reflect the diversity of our audience onstage, not because it’s politically correct or “the right thing to do” but because with- out a plurality of voices we aren’t able to tell the whole story. Diversity broadens our perspective. This census allows Equity to measure current practices and identify areas for improvement, thereby strengthening the relevance of the work we do. We should never shy away from challenging our assumptions in order to think critically about our artistic choices. Why would I not self-disclose? As a performer I know that the way I walk now, which is called a “disability,” is actually a strength. I recognize that not many people would agree with that statement, but that’s just one of the many assumptions about dis- ability that needs to be challenged. And if this cripple can “step up” to that challenge, so can you. I’m against the idea of imposing quotas or enforcing compli- ance. As an actor, I want to be well cast and to work with direc- tors who are excited about working with me. I also don’t expect abled actors to turn down work as a character with a disability. (Honestly, how would anyone ever win an Oscar?) We need to continue to promote the idea that diversity is a strength, that a lack of diversity onstage is a display of disrespect, if not con- tempt, for the plurality of Canadian society. Our publicly funded arts councils give us money to provide artistic experiences for all Canadians, not just the white, middle class, able-bodied, straight, cisgendered ones. We need to take seriously that obligation.

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 15 you don’t Know whErE to go until you Know who you arE

Yukichi Hattori, dancer and choreographer Yukichi Hattori (top) as Elton Fan Diversity is something every person on earth should with (L to R) Jeronimo Forteza, be interested in. As art has to represent and lead the Davidson Jaconello and Christopher citizens, this is something about which we have to Rudd in the Alberta Ballet’s have a broad point of view. Since Equity represents production of Love Lies Bleeding, based on the music of Sir Elton the performers, this is not a subject in which you can- John and Bernie Taupin not be interested. We all have to earn our place in art. Complacency has no room in performing arts and whoever fails to keep growing, learning, expressing and listening has to move on to something else. Being part of this census for the organization that is representing and protecting us is essential. I feel that theatre needs to adapt to the times. When the economy is doing well, we can afford big produc- tions in big theatres and people have enough time and money to go watch the show. Nowadays, those kinds of performing arts organizations and audiences are very small. We need to perform where people are, for what they can afford, and reflect who they are. The entire business will have to adjust its way of thinking. Diversity only comes from tolerance and spontaneous spirit.

Hume Baugh, actor As the association for stage performers in this country, we need to traditional” casting has not taken hold in our major theatres as much make sure we know who our members are, to make sure that we as one would hope it might have. Diverse communities are much represent all members with equal strength, and that we advocate better represented in smaller, independent theatre production, but for diverse communities that are not adequately represented on generally we are behind where we should be in presenting on our our stages at present. A theatre culture that does not accurately stages an accurate reflection of the wonderful diversity we see in our reflect/represent its audiences will not find them. society. We have a responsibility as theatre workers to agitate and Equity desires to take effective action in representing diver- educate, to strive for relevance and fairness in the representation of sity in our membership. A first, absolutely necessary, step is to diversity on our stages, with the broadest possible understanding of gain a better, more accurate idea of just who our membership is. what diversity can mean right now. EQ With this information, we can begin to take effective and meaningful action. It is impor- Hume Baugh as Bob Ewell in tant that as many members as possible fill the Young People’s Theatre out this particular survey: 100% participa- 2014 production of To Kill a Mockingbird tion is our goal. The scope of this project is groundbreaking, and the more that members respond, the more accurate and powerful the data will be. The data will all be kept strictly confidential; I’m going to disclose whatever information is asked in the survey, and pro- vide my member number at the end to make sure I’m represented, and I encourage my fel- low members to do the same. I would like to see theatres and produc- ers operate with a more contemporary and nuanced understanding of the diverse possi- bilities in casting. What has been called “non-

16 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 Addressing the gender gap

There is something happening on Canadian stages that The website will be key to promoting the fourth component just doesn’t add up. While the majority of audience members of the plan – social action. These are micro-events to keep the are female – around 70% – women are not seeing themselves gender discussion top-of-mind, and can take any form – from play reflected on stage. readings to letter-writing campaigns by female audience members During the 2013/14 season, less than 25% of the work on letting their local theatre company know that they are not seeing Canada’s stages was written by women. When you specifically look their stories reflected on the stage. at Canadian work – 30% was written by women – still extremely low One of these events, called a “Hack-a-thon,” was held this considering more women make up the membership of the Playwrights March to encourage the creation of more web content about Guild of Canada (PGC) than men. And what’s even more alarming – Canadian women in theatre. There were nine host locations, and that percentage has been dropping over the last three years. together with people joining in on their own, more than 500 “Now is the time to do something about this,” says Rebecca pages were created and edited on various wiki sites, including Burton, co-organizer of Equity in Theatre (EIT), a national initiative Theatrewiki.ca and Wikipedia. to help remedy the gender inequity in the theatre industry. “This has Although PGC is spearheading Equity in Theatre, a steering been a passion of mine since I worked on a 2006 national report called committee has been formed with representation from across the Adding It Up: The Status of Women in Canadian Theatre, which gave theatre industry, including Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, us some cold, hard facts on the low numbers of women working as Artists Driving Holistic Organizational Change, Associated artistic directors, directors and as produced playwrights in Canada.” Designers of Canada, Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Since EIT was launched last fall, Burton, who is Membership Ontario, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Literary Managers and Professional Contracts Manager at PGC, and co-organizer and Dramaturgs of the Americas (Canada), Pat the Dog Theatre Laine Zisman Newman, an associate artist and dramaturge with Creation, Playwrights Theatre Centre, and the Professional Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, have created a four-part plan to Association of Canadian Theatres. get the theatre community involved and find ways to address the EIT has also received funding from Canada Council for the Arts, the gender gap in the industry. Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council. In addition, Jennie Egerdie, who received a Metcalf Foundation Performing Arts Taking action Internship, is helping Burton and Newman with the project. The first component is a research project that looks at the initia- “Bottom line – we want to improve the production rate of plays tives that have taken place in both Canada and other western, by women,” says Burton. “Not only would this provide increased English-speaking countries to address this imbalance, and to com- opportunities for women artists, it would create a healthier theatre pile a series of “best practices” to help shape EIT. The research industry with a more balanced and inclusive vision of our society.” project, which came out this spring, also looked beyond the the- atre world to other professions, such as law and engineering, to see how these fields are striving to create gender equity. Take action now! The second component is a one-day symposium on April 27 • If you would like to take part in the April 27 Symposium, in Toronto to examine the research results, and discuss ways of submit your bio and photo to the database of women removing the barriers for women working in theatre. “The sym- theatre practitioners, or read the research report “Achieving Equity in Canadian Theatre: A Report posium is open to everyone, from artists to stakeholders, and by with Best Practice Recommendations,” please visit the end of the day we hope to have a first draft of a strategic plan www.eit.playwrightsguild.ca. for moving forward,” says Burton. • To find out more – please email [email protected], The third component is the creation of a dedicated EIT website visit EIT on Facebook, follow EIT on Twitter at www.eit.playwrightsguild.ca. “This will be the hub for every- (@EquityInTheatre), or call PGC at 416-703-0201. thing, from our calendar of events, to a database of women the- • To read the 2006 national report, Adding It Up: The atre practitioners,” Burton explains. “Too often we hear people Status of Women in Canadian Theatre, go to: say they don’t know any women working in theatre – now they www.playwrightsguild.ca.sites/default/files/AddingItUp.pdf. will know where to find them.”

Spring 2015 Equity Quarterly 17 Fondly remembered

Irving Guttman 1928-2014 – Life Member by nancy hErmiSton

Irving Guttman was an icon of the operatic community – and his conductors of his time in a influence was felt throughout Canada and the world. Not bad career that spanned over for a young man born in Chatham, Ontario, and raised in New 55 years. Brunswick. When he was 14, his family moved to Montreal, and One of his special gifts it was there that a school chum convinced him to go to the opera. was to recognize great It was love at first sight. voices – experienced and Irving once told me that he remembered desperately trying to young. He also knew what think of ways that he could get into the world of opera. He went roles to give those voices, to the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, but, as he said, he had no how to nurture them, and voice, couldn’t play the piano, and only played the oboe a bit – but how to bring incredible he had a passion for the operatic art form that could not be dis- casts together for perfor- suaded. He was eventually sent to assist Dr. Herman Geiger-Torel, mances. He would also remain a life-long mentor to these singers, stage director and head of the Canadian Opera Company, and his helping them make transitions to the next phase of their careers. career took off. Very early in his career he became artistic director The list of Canadian artists, singers, directors and conductors that of Vancouver Opera, then Edmonton, Winnipeg and later Regina. Irving supported reads like a who’s who of Canadian opera. In addition to stage productions, he directed 65 live opera pro- We will miss his humour and passion – and waiting for his ductions for the CBC. He worked with all of the great singers and phone call after the show to discuss our performance.

Joyce Campion as Saunders in Fallen Angels at Stratford in 2005 Joyce Campion 1923-2014 by marti maradEn

Joyce Elaine Campion Joyce fell in love with the theatre and it fell in love with her. was born in Ireland She began her professional life in Ireland and England but spent in 1923 into a lov- most of it in Canada and occasionally the U.S. No ill, no misfor- ing family. Her father tune could overwhelm if “Doctor Theatre” was present in her life. was a clergyman Indeed, after suffering a devastating fall during a rehearsal for a who fell in love with play I was directing in 1995, Joyce’s determination to return to her her mother when he beloved profession not only resulted in her rejoining the produc- heard her sing beauti- tion later in the season, but led to many more years of delightful fully. Joyce was born performances. As her director and close friend, I was deeply dis- on her mother’s birth- tressed by her injury and remain eternally grateful for her recovery. day and was soon We were all thrilled to see her subsequent triumphs – among them joined by her brother her literally scene-stealing maid Saunders in Fallen Angels and her and best friend, Brian miraculously appropriate final role, Anfisa, in Three Sisters. (later, also a clergy- Joyce never retired, regarding herself as an actor to the end. man), with whom she got up to countless escapades, often Though her last years were very difficult, she always found com- fondly recounted. fort in talking about the theatre, reciting her beloved Yeats and She attended Alexandra College where, according to her diary amusing her friends with the comic poem “If I Were a Lady.” And at age 11, she adored riding (Prince and Quicksilver were her there were many friends – deservedly so. All of us miss her and favourite horses), played hockey, appeared in The Pied Piper and will lovingly remember her great generosity, her fierce loyalty, her was frequently disciplined for talking too much. irreverent wit and her joy in being a working actor.

18 Equity quartErly Spring 2015 Bernard Hopkins 1937-2014 – Life Member IN by Sara topham Bernard Hopkins as mEmOrIAm Cardinal Pandulph Love was the theme when we gathered in in King John at 2014 Stratford to celebrate the life of Bernard Hopkins. Stratford in 2004 Jean Archambault From Antoni Cimolino’s story of Bernard telling Bruce Armstrong him, “If we in the theatre cannot love each other, what hope is there out in the world?”; to Lucy Edward Atienza Peacock’s recounting of how his love of laughter James Bailey drove him to extraordinary lengths to return a Richard Bauer teddy bear; to Seana McKenna’s reminder of his James Biros deeply held belief that if we don’t find a way to Kristen Bishopric approach each other with love onstage, then it will show in our eyes; to the poem, chosen by hundreds more in spirit, sending love from afar Patricia C. Brown Bernard’s husband Ian White, culminating in the while doing the work that he taught them to do Anna Cameron line: “What will survive of us is love.” with integrity and courage. Joyce Campion The theatre on that day was full of love – Bernard will always be a part of our commu- Les Carlson audience members who loved his work; directors nity because of what he taught us and what we, who loved knowing that if Bernard was onstage in turn, will teach others – hand to hand, heart Ken John Grant the play would be alive; actors who loved being to heart, with humour and passion, wit and joy, Dermot Grice with him in a rehearsal room, or on a stage, and above all, love. Love of the work, love of Linda Griffiths or in his dressing room, laughing and learning learning, love of life, and of each other. Irving Guttman about acting and life. Some were there in body, “On, on, on …” Ruth Harcort Tom Harvey Brian Macdonald 1928-2014 Peter Haworth Bernard Hopkins by richard mcmillan Dorothy Hosie Kirk Inman Brian was the lithe and graceful Master of Rhythm and Movement. His colourful and bal- Margaret Ma anced use of action, blocking and stagecraft Brian Macdonald mesmerized audiences throughout the world. Paul Mackan I had the pleasure of working with Brian Walter Massey on three productions at the Stratford Festival: Diane Nyland Proctor Candide, The Mikado and The Gondoliers. Brian assembled an amazing artistic team including the Gerard Parkes brilliant designs of Susan Benson, who contin- Gene Pyrz ued to collaborate throughout most of Brian’s Mickey Rooney dance, musical theatre, acrobatics and clown- Stratford Gilbert and Sullivan run. What a run Arla Jean Sillers it was! The Mikado alone ran for three seasons ing. His ability to choreograph a production was Donald Sinden at the festival, toured Canada and the United unmatched. He spent many late nights moving States, was videotaped for the CBC, had an pennies around on his bed, each one represent- Elaine Stritch extended run on Broadway and played at the ing a performer, in order to perfect the blocking Aileen Taylor-Smith Old Vic in England. Brian was nominated for two for upcoming rehearsals. Robert Glen Thompson As I look back at that time with Brian, there’s Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical and Ralph Waite for Best Choreography of a Musical. something else I remember. To the best of my Eli Wallach An important and integral part of Brian’s recollection, he never once raised his voice in Richard Whaley vision was creating an ensemble of performers anger. To me, that’ s another indication of his with diverse artistic backgrounds: opera, mime, greatness.

Spring 2015 Equity quartErly 19 It’s your right Safe and Respectful Workplaces By Allan Teichman

As mentioned in my President’s column, this topic has been a policies on safe and respectful workplaces. A similar number know difficult path to navigate. Most workplace legislation assumes sta- of our brochure on the topic, but 70% have not read it. 80% ble workplaces and stable employment. In other words, circum- report awareness of the safe workplace provisions of the agree- stances that look nothing like ours. It doesn’t mean that work- ments under which they work, however they also say that engager place law doesn’t apply in our context – it does – but it also means explanations of in-house policies are only irregularly provided. that we can’t As men- simply choose tioned, one an off-the- of our key rack approach goals was to and it’s done. determine the Work last prevalence term and dis- and nature cussions earlier of workplace in this term harassment were use- and similar ful to get a issues. It is a general grasp sad statistic of the topic, that half of however all women and of the occur- 37% of men rence data we report hav- had came only ing been the from the very target of that few mem- sort of behav- bers who had iour. Over half reported issues mention hav- to us over the years. We instinctively knew that these represented ing experienced it on more than one contract, with three-quarters of only the tip of the iceberg, and that more complete information the incidents reported occurring in the past five years. Of those who would be needed to do our work well. were a target, 70% experienced personal harassment and 30% expe- Specifically, Council recognized that two major pieces of the rienced sexual harassment, with an overlap of 12% who reported that puzzle were still missing. The first was a comprehensive under- the incident included both. Just fewer than 5% reported discrimina- standing of workplace problems across time and disciplines, and tion in the workplace. While both men and women report personal the second was a firm sense of what members needed by way harassment is most prevalent, the rate of sexual harassment experi- of assistance from their association. To collect this information, enced by women was more than double that reported by the men. Council initiated a survey in early February of this year. In 43% of the occurrences, the instigator was a director, with We received responses from 1043 members, providing results just over 30% reported as a performer, 6% as stage management, indicative of the broader membership within a small margin of and another 6% being from theatre administration. In terms of error. Just fewer than 70% of respondents were performers, and context, rehearsal is where roughly two-thirds of the incidents we had good representation from directors and stage managers as occur, with about 15% occuring during the performance period, well. 56% of respondents identified as female and 40% as male. and in all other contexts in minor numbers. We also had representative participation from all groupings from Actions taken in response to hostile behaviour included direct dis- 25 to 70 years of age. cussion with the aggressor, or reporting to either the deputy, the SM, Roughly 95% of respondents indicated that they highly value the engager, or Equity. However, 45% of those who experienced having a safe and respectful workplace, and they generally feel inappropriate behaviour took no action to end it. Regrettably, most (83%) that engagers support respectful workplaces. Half of the who did act reported partial or no improvement as a result, and only respondents were aware of Equity’s complaint process and our in about 13% of cases did the behaviour cease.

20 Equity Quarterly Spring 2015 The need to enact a steamy love scene onstage is not licence to presume that anything goes, nor licence to presume that the same permission for physical liberties extends beyond [ rehearsal or performance. ]

This brief summary of the responses is only a sliver of the infor- to their work, and it is important to them that support and response mation we received. You can find a much more complete data not mean the creative environment is unduly suppressed. breakdown on our website. Council and a small committee are working with a consultant In the final main section of the survey, respondents were invited to develop a comprehensive strategy for future improvement. to contribute toward a solution in their own words. We asked Specifically, the survey results suggest we target our efforts members what they considered to be the most significant chal- toward the following two main goals. lenges to dealing with the problem, and solicited input on pre- A sharp reduction in the incidence of inappropriate workplace ferred education and association resources to assist them. This behaviour through: brought in over 1,600 comments, shedding a lot of light on the • effective education for members and our engager partners on raw data. expectations for workplace behaviour Of the 701 responses we got to the “biggest challenge” • active collaboration with our engager partners on ensuring this question, 256 specifically mentioned worry about losing jobs if information is available in each workplace on a consistent basis they spoke up. A sizable percentage of these respondents were Improved awareness of and access to effective response mech- even concerned about being fired from an existing contract. anisms to address inappropriate workplace behaviour through: Apprehension about personal repercussions was mentioned in • effective education for members and our engager partners 111 responses, and a further 48 cited worry about other detri- mental effects in the rehearsal hall or onstage. In short, there is on legal and contractual requirements for investigation and a lot of fear out there, a fact amply demonstrated in the graphic response accompanying this article, which shows the frequency of key • active collaboration with our engager partners for ensuring words used by respondents in describing the challenges they face that information on in-house response policies are regularly in responding to hostile workplace issues. Linked to that fear is a presented in each workplace strong desire for anonymity in reporting. • enhanced training and protocols for Equity’s front-line staff Knowing where to draw the line on behaviour was also a sig- • improved tracking and follow-up of workplace complaints nificant concern for members. Depicting the full range of human • revisions to Equity’s safe workplaces brochure interaction onstage, warts and all, is what we do for a living, and • education and empowerment of deputies and stage manage- our work frequently runs roughshod over all the behavioural lines ment to assist and respond as needed that can be drawn with ease in a corporate environment. • access to discreet professional advice for members who want And yet, there clearly is a line to be drawn; members were quite to discuss what they are experiencing and explore options for unified on that. response The requirement to yell at and belittle another character • engaging an outside professional, when needed, to oversee onstage, does not mean it is appropriate to do the same to col- workplace investigations and formal complaints leagues offstage. The need to enact a steamy love scene is not We also want improved Equity-based options for response licence to presume that anything goes, nor licence to presume to occurrences. This includes considering a system of flagging that the same permission for physical liberties extends beyond member records when allegations of harassment are made, but rehearsal or performance. The desire to direct and coach and elicit the complainant does not wish to engage the formal complaint topnotch performances cannot come at the cost of beating artists mechanism set out in bylaws. We hope this will enable Equity to down. And our precarious employment situation does not mean recognize and respond when members exhibit a repeated pattern that members ought to be expected to do whatever it takes, or of inappropriate behaviour. put up with whatever is dished out. These proposals will be going forward to Council in the next As a general statement, members do want Equity’s assistance in short while. There is still a ways to go before we have final plans improving the workplace situation, and in responding to adverse for implementation, but we are confident that these and other occurrences. However, they are also very concerned about the proactive and responsive steps will provide our members with nature of the help, and that the “cure” not be worse than the prob- what they are looking for: a safe, supportive and respectful work- lem. Members value maintaining an open, give-it-a-try, approach place where they can both dare and soar.

Spring 2015 Equity Quarterly 21 Equity quartErly

EQUITY COUNCIL ELECTION 2015

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This new feature allows members Equity is dedicated to the election of a Council that is representative of to log in to EQUITYONLINE and the diverse membership of the Association. We actively invite and encourage securely pay dues by credit card members from all demographics – particularly those who self-identify on the basis of ability, age, ancestry, belief, ethnicity, gender, health, or sexual in a few simple clicks. orientation – to seek nomination for election.

The 2015 election will see elections in all electoral regions, with the same composition as in the 2012 election. Twenty-two members, representing each of Equity’s 13 geographical and discipline-based regions, will form the next Council in Council November of this year. Connection blog ELECtION tImELINE: June October 7 Visit Equity President Allan Teichman’s • Nomination forms mailed to the • Voting by telephone and Internet blog sharing the doings of Council Equity membership begins with the Equity membership. June 22 October 22 • Nominations open Visit www.caea.com for more information. • Last day to come into good August 31 standing and be eligible to vote • Nominations close October 30 september • Last day to vote Want to receive an electronic • All-candidates meetings across the version of EQ? country October 31 • Election results announced Equity offers electronic access to Equity september 25 Quarterly. If you would rather read an online • Last day for members to update November 29 and 30, electoral regions version of EQ – login to Member Only zone December 1 on EQUITYONLINE (www.caea.com) and October 1 • First meeting of new Council update your EQ delivery options. • Election ballots mailed to • Election of Council President and membership officers

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