Stageworthy

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes Steven Hao , actor, director, and artistic director of Puckers Theatre Company . Currently in his second season at the Stratford Festival , Steven shares his journey from Victoria, BC, to the national stage, performing in acclaimed productions like Anne of Green Gables , Forgiveness , Salesman in China , and Romeo and Juliet...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Emily Dix , artistic executive director of Bygone Theatre and the lead behind their mixed use affordable arts space, The Bridge. Emily shares the company’s journey from its beginnings in classic theatre to its evolution into original Canadian works that blend vintage aesthetics with contemporary themes. She discusses her...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby is joined by actor, singer, and producer Michael Esposito II . Michael discusses the challenges and rewards of mounting Daniel MacIvor's solo play, Monster , which he is producing and performing in Kelowna, B.C. He shares the creative process of integrating projections and music into the show to make it feel more like an immersive &qu...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Michael Kras , playwright, director, and one of Canada’s busiest magic designers. Michael has designed magic and illusions for theatres across the country and is the resident magic and illusions lead for the North American tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . He also joins the Tarragon Theatre’s Greenhouse Residen...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Chloë Whitehorn , who is currently based in Kingston, Ontario. Chloë, a former actor, discusses her journey to becoming a prolific writer, focusing on themes of women's rights and mental health. She talks about how her plays—which include The Pigeon , Blood River , and Fall After Midsummer —are driven by characters and t...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby is joined by Courtney Stoltz , the production manager for a new community theatre company in Kenora, Ontario, called So I guess we're doing this . Courtney shares her journey from actor to production manager. She provides a look into the theatre scene in Northwestern Ontario and the experience of taking their original play, Finding Ri...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby is joined by Liz Buchanan , a Hamilton-based actor, writer, and director who is also the artistic director of 9M Theatre . Liz shares her journey as a playwright and performer, focusing on her two Hamilton Fringe shows Gnomes A Traumatic Comedy (2023) and Liz A Traumatic Comedy (2024). She discusses her long-standing fascination with...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by playwright Chelsea Woolley . Chelsea discusses her latest play, Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs , which is being produced by Nightwood Theatre. She shares the fascinating, eight-year journey of the play's development, from its original concept to a workshop production with theatre students, and the challe...

About This Episode: In a solo episode of Stageworthy, host and producer Phil Rickaby discusses the looming threat to Canadian theatre and arts due to government funding cuts. He reflects on the recent mandate that all government departments, including the Canada Council for the Arts, must find 15% in savings, which will result in significant cuts to arts programs. Phil explores why the arts in Can...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby is joined by Toronto-based actor Virgilia Griffith , who is currently appearing in two shows at the Shaw Festival: Blues for an Alabama Sky and Murder on the Lake . In this conversation, Virgilia discusses the unique demands of each production and how they complement one another, keeping her acting practice fresh and present. She shar...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Iain Moggach , former Artistic Director of Theatre by the Bay in Barrie, Ontario. In this thoughtful conversation, Iain shares his journey from actor, administrator, and ultimately artistic director, reflecting on what it means to build theatre outside of a major city centre. He speaks to the unique challenges and opport...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Nancy Kenny , an actor, writer, and producer whose latest show, I Don’t Feel Pretty/Chu pas cute , will have readings at the 2025 Halifax Fringe Festival. In this warm and insightful conversation, Nancy shares the deeply personal inspiration behind her show, the balance between humour and vulnerability in storytelling, a...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Evan Bawtinheimer , a Toronto-based, Dora Award winning playwright. Evan shares the inspiration behind his play award winning play, Patty Picker. In this candid and thoughtful conversation, Evan opens up about playwriting, his journey of personal growth and mental health, and why vulnerability and connection are central...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby is joined by Michelle Langille , an actor, director, and burlesque performer whose journey has taken her from Toronto to Cape Breton. In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, Michelle talks about her roots in musical theatre, what it means to redefine success on your own terms, and how returning to a smaller community r...

About This Episode: This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes ted witzel , Artistic Director of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre , to discuss the company’s 2025–2026 season and the vital role Buddies plays locally and globally. In this wide-ranging and passionate conversation, ted talks about the curatorial ethos behind the season, how queerness informs both aesthetic and practice, and why...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes Aisling Murphy , theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail . In a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, Aisling shares the journey from musical theatre student to one of Canada’s leading theatre critics. They discuss her early roots in Baltimore, her move to Canada, and how a moment of personal upheaval redirected her path from performing to cr...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes a nnemieke wade , Executive Director of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). annemieke shares insights from her first six months in the role, her vision for TAPA’s future, and her deep commitment to building frameworks of care and collaboration in Toronto’s arts sector. From revitalizing artist support programs to reimagining re...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby brings you a fourth and final Toronto Fringe Extra episode, featuring interviews with 4 Toronto Fringe Artists, in advance of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running July 2-13 at various locations around Toronto. In this episode: Ronit Rubenstein , creator and performer of Things My Dad Kept SHOW INFO AND TICKETS: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/thin...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes Rachel Kennedy and Laura Paduch , the co-leads of the Toronto Fringe Festival . With the 2024 edition just days away, Rachel and Laura share insights into what makes this year’s festival unique, including the exciting new partnership with Soulpepper Theatre, the return of beloved venues, and the community-building magic that Fringe fosters year...

This week on  Stageworthy , host  Phil Rickaby  brings you a third Toronto Fringe Extra episode, featuring interviews with 4 Toronto Fringe Artists, in advance of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running July 2-13 at various locations around Toronto. In this episode: Laura Piccinin , co-creator and producer of the new musical Apothecary SHOW INFO AND TICKETS: https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/apot...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby welcomes Ben Yoganathan , a Toronto-based actor, writer, and director whose latest work, Zeitgeist , will premiere at the 2024 Toronto Fringe Festival. In a lively and wide-ranging conversation, Ben shares the inspiration behind Zeitgeist , his theatre journey from Guelph to Toronto, his experience with unconventional venues, and his recent creation res...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby brings you another special Toronto Fringe Extra episode, featuring interviews with 4 Toronto Fringe Artists, in advance of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running July 2-13 at various locations around Toronto. In this episode: Emma Golden the writer and producer of the true Halifax story, Potato Potato SHOW INFO AND TICKETS: https://fringetoronto.com/fring...

This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby assembles a who's who of Toronto theatre podcasters, to talk about Toronto Fringe, shows you should see, the Next Stage Festival, ticket prices and much more! This episode features podcasters: Alison Mullings from Creative Full Time Janine Marley from A View From the Box Alexandra Lean from Being Dramatic Ryan Borochovitz from Cup of Hemlock Theatre Podc...

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby brings you a special Toronto Fringe Extra episode, featuring interviews with 4 Toronto Fringe Artists, in advance of the Toronto Fringe Festival, running July 2-13 at various locations around Toronto. In this episode: Dawna Wightman, playwright and performer in HOODY, an edgy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood for people who have kept their child soul....

This week on Stageworthy , host Phil Rickaby presents a solo episode. With the Toronto Fringe Festival on the horizon and multiple episodes currently in production, Phil takes a moment to reflect on the state of Canadian theatre, the importance of building audiences, and the challenges facing the industry today. In a passionate and thought-provoking monologue, he explores the need for better marke...