EQUITY QUARTERLY WINTER 2011 LIFETIMES LIVED ON STAGE SenioR aRTiSTS’ ReSeaRCh PRoJeCT EQ SWITCHING PLACES FOR A GOOD CAUSE Embracing the stage at any age “ Retirement is never a question. retire from what?” — actor gordon PinsEnt, 80 ii EQUITY QUARTERLY WINTER 2011 EQUITY QUARTERLY WINTER 2011 EQ VOLUME 4 NUMBER 4 6 Hitting the stage 2 PReSiDenT’S MeSSAGE for a good cause 3 NOTES FROM ARDEN R. RYSHPAN 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 8 How are our 5 EQ MOVES senior artists 16 EQ VOICES faring? 18 FONDLY REMEMBERED 12 Tales from a 20 EQ CLASSIFIEDS lifetime on stage 21 EQ FLASHBACK Equity members can submit letters to the editor via email at [email protected]. The deadline for submissions Subscriptions are available at an annual rate of $35, including GST. is Monday, February 7, 2011. EQ reserves the right to edit for length, style and content. EQ Publications Mail Agreement No. 40038615 EQ Equity Quarterly (ISSN 1913-2190) is a forum to communicate to Equity members the activities of EQ is published four times a year by Canadian Actors’ Equity association. WINTER 2011 – volume 4, Number 4 the Association and issues of concern to the Association. With the exception of the editorial staff, the national offi ce views expressed in solicited or unsolicited articles are not necessarily the views of the Association. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Lynn McQueen 44 Victoria Street, 12th Floor, Toronto, ON M5C 3C4 EDITOR Barb Farwell Canadian Actors’ equity association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live Tel: 416-867-9165 | Fax: 416-867-9246 | Toll-free: 1-800-387-1856 (members only) performance in English Canada. We represent more than 5,500 performers, directors, choreographers, [email protected] | www.caea.com DESIGN & LAYOUT Chris Simeon, fi ght directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance, and support their creative efforts Western offi ce September Creative by seeking to improve their working conditions and opportunities by negotiating and administering 736 Granville Street, Suite 510, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1G3 collective agreements, providing benefi t plans, information and support and acting as an advocate. Tel: 604-682-6173 | 604-682-6174 | Toll free: 1-877-682-6173 (members only) Coming issue: SPRING 2011 woffi [email protected] FRONT COVER: Eric Peterson as Patrick and Carolyn Hetherington as Clara in the Necessary Angel Theatre Company production of Half Life (2005), the story of an older couple rediscovering beauty and love in the twilight of their lives. Half Life has played to almost 85,000 people at every major theatre centre in Canada, and on tour to Australia and Scotland ABOVE: John Pierce and Gordon Pinsent in A Hatful of Rain, the first play ever staged at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, 1958 President’s message Confession is good for the soul. I hope. I need to confess something. For several years now, I have been hiding something from you. The time has come to get it off my chest, so that we all can move on from this dark time. You know those occasions when you have variously written to me, or called, and asked for some information about how to do something, or what certain fees are, or how you can claim insurance benefits for something, etc.? You know how I’ve responded by telling you that I’ll look into it and get back to you? You remember how sometimes it took a week or so while I researched the matter? I… I haven’t actually been researching anything. Not really. I’ve been going to the website or calling the national office to confirm who it is that deals with insurance, or membership, or opera agreements, or whatever. Sometimes I’ve waited a few days to give the illusion of actual effort, perhaps dabbed a few droplets of “sweat” on my brow to suggest fevered exertion. Finally, I’ve told you that my “research” has uncovered that you need to call such and such a person. I admit it. I have been handling these questions just as if it weren’t something you were perfectly capable of doing yourself. As though a simple call or email to the office, by you, could not have uncovered the information you needed, and done so in much less time. Just as if Equity staff is only helpful to me. As though only I possessed the one three-ring binder to rule them all. I can’t maintain that fiction anymore. It’s not fair to you, the members I am supposed to serve. You have the right to prompt and knowledgeable service (it even says so in our policy manual), and I commit to no longer standing in the way of you achieving that directly, and on your schedule, not mine. Enough with the charade! Yes, of course, Council does know how things work, but we only hear about how things operate. You deserve the right to connect with the people who do this stuff every day. I herewith disclose my four secret keys to the vast storehouse of knowledge and expertise that is the Equity staff: I use 1-800-387-1856 (Toronto) or 1-877-682-6173 (Vancouver) or caea.com to answer 95% of every question you have ever asked me, and 1-877-772-7797 for insurance issues. These talismans have served me well over the years, and I know that they will be able to do the same for you. There, I’ve said it. Let the healing begin. All the same, I don’t want to end up like the Maytag Repairman, so drop me a note now and again, wouldja? For old times’ sake. Allan Teichman President WINTER 2011 2 EQUITY QUARTERLY Notes from Arden R. Ryshpan I went to Stratford this summer with a very, very old friend and, prior to seeing 80-year-old Christopher Plummer command the stage in The Tempest, we spent the afternoon in the company of one of Equity’s other senior members. (Hello, Teddy. I hope you are well!) As we sat in his lovely gar- den, he told us wonderful stories about his international travels in the company of “Larry and Vivien.” Yes… that “Larry and Vivien.” Between the fabulous conversation in the after- noon and the exceptional performance in the evening, I had more fun that day than I have had in a long time, thanks to two of our more senior theatre artists. There are not that many other sectors of our society where those on the other side of traditional retirement continue to work regularly and produce at such a high level of quality. If there was mandatory retirement in the arts and culture, we wouldn’t have recent work from novelist Michael Ondaatje or filmmaker Don Shebib and we would have lost 20 odd years of work from short story writer Alice Munro and painter Alex Colville. And Plummer would have been put out to pasture some 15 years ago. What a diminished world we would be living in. Many of our senior artists began their working lives before the creation of retirement planning vehicles like RRSPs or mandatory contributions through a collective agreement. And honestly, it was no easier to save money on a freelancer’s earnings back then than it is now. There are happy stories, but many of our senior colleagues cannot boast of such continued success. The findings of the Senior Artists’ Research Project bring those other stories into sharp relief. After a three-year-long project, spearheaded by the energetic and dedicated Joysanne Sidimus (a former ballet dancer but still very active and sought-after for her knowledge of George Balanchine’s work) the results of the research are available on our website. Commissioned and sponsored by over a dozen associations that directly represent artists or organizations that support their needs, the rec- ommendations stemming from the research will have us all working toward creating an organization to identify needs and source services for Canada’s senior artists. Seniors are generally the most disadvantaged demographic in our country. For the most part, senior artists are right at the bottom of even that disadvantaged group. Without a company pension and with minimal savings, approximately 60% are at high-to-moderate financial risk. With nearly 40% having no extended health care benefits, many are at risk of serious health issues. At least 10% are in precarious housing situations, either spending too large a percentage on rent or mortgage or unable to make ends meet, sometimes not having enough food in the house. To sit back and see the pioneers of our industry slip into isolation, hunger and poverty simply isn’t right. This is an issue for all of us to be concerned about, as some day we will all be “senior artists” and we all want to ensure that we reach the twilight of our careers with some level of comfort and ability to continue to practice our craft. In light of the Senior Artists’ Research Project report, Equity has begun lobbying various levels of government to respond to the concerns raised by the research and to help us establish and support the programs we need for our community. Arden R. Ryshpan Executive Director WINTER 2011 EQUITY QUARTERLY 3 Letters to the editor and giving many Canadians their first taste Canadian theatre timeline LETTERS on subjects of concern to Equity sparks discussion of live theatre. Many people have told me members will be considered for publication. Letters must be signed, but names will be withheld on request for I found it interesting that the only reference what it meant to them to see this company those letters that may affect members’ employment.