Ellipses Thinking...

Whether wearing the hat of scientist, educator, journalist, speaker ... or even entertainer, Dan Riskin has always been committed to bringing science and the natural world to life for others and doing so by bringing his wide-open curiosity to the game.  Dan's desire to help people tap into the fact that science is fun and surprising and hilarious and exciting, has helped him to build a multifacete...

  While acknowledging that part of being in a stage of life where she is both conscious and intentional about sharing her wisdom, Canadian film icon, Anne Wheeler, joyfully continues to learn every day and in every way; the belief that we keep going when we keep growing. Anne's storytelling palette rich in historical narratives has always been inspired by the lives of everyday people finding their...

In her daily life and professional path, Hannah Beach has always been drawn towards the bubble of play. She is deeply committed to the idea that "play is where we discover ourselves".   Travelling the country, as educator, author, emotional health consultant or keynote speaker, Hannah channels her heart's wisdom to share the power of relationship and play in children of all ages. Her best-selling...

Whether from the podium surrounded by the swell of musical notes brought to life by an ensemble of artists in front of her or in the rehearsal hall exploring and honing possibilities fully alongside an ensemble of musicians or kneeling in conversation with a young audience member who sees in her, the possibility of a future as a musician, even a conductor, Cosette Justo-Valdéz inspires. My recent...

Joyful, curious and optimistic by nature? Absolutely! New York based artist Rachelle Krieger firmly believes that there is something to learn in all situations and through her bold and vibrant, colour-filled and playful visual art she expresses her ever present wonder with the world unfurling all around us.   Her work recently exhibited in a collection described by curator Charles A. Ridley II as...

Joyful, curious and optimistic by nature? Absolutely! New York based artist Rachelle Krieger firmly believes that there is something to learn in all situations and through her bold and vibrant, colour-filled and playful visual art she expresses her ever present wonder with the world unfurling all around us.   Her work recently exhibited in a collection described by curator Charles A. Ridley II as...

Inspiration has a way of coming swiftly and if fortunate to be in the right place and time it may be received by an open and available imagination. Such is the experience of Anne Lindsay, who clearly relishes these moments when the voice that arrives invites her to lift up her violin and translate the language of the muse to the musical voice of her life.  For Anne, the violin has found many voice...

In the summer of 1968, when Tamar Griggs was studying art and dance in New York City, she accepted an invitation for a short sailing holiday in the Mediterranean.  Much to her surprise, that brief respite would lead to a year at sea, complete with a shipwreck on the coast of Spain before hitchhiking across the Atlantic Ocean. Carried by three different boats across thousands of nautical miles, she...

Putting one foot in front of another is what Marty Chan learned many years ago, when as a child of hard working immigrant parents, who prioritized chores and help at the store over homework, became anxious that he wasn't at the same reading level as his peers, leading him to develop imaginative strategies that have come to serve him throughout his successful writing career. His books, stage plays,...

While most of my podcast guests share their identification as artists and creators, I remain committed to including within that ensemble, conversations with people who feel the fire of creativity within themselves and encourage it's light and warmth to be expressed on a daily basis, personally and professionally.  In curating these recorded gatherings, I hope these conversations might resonate jus...

In the case of his first formal play, Rocko and Nakota: Tales From the Land, theatre artist Josh Languedoc has come to realize that while the play was first produced in 2018 professionally, he had been carrying in pieces for many years, being unpacked and revealed gradually along the way. Josh, a proud member of the Saugeen First Nation, now lives as a guest in Treaty 6 Territory as an Anishinaabe...

The role of mentor suits Jenna Rodgers' love of partnership whether she's sitting alongside a playwright in the supportive role of dramaturg, as the leader of an artistic ensemble somewhere in the midst of bringing a story to the stage or in the past few years as a mother of two, learning how to best respond to the wild wonder of early childhood; an improvisation unto itself.  While her profession...

For the past decade, Toronto-based singer songwriter, Jordan Hart has been engaged in an adventure in letting go; no small task for someone who admittedly holds tightly to the controls every time he enters the studio.  His tendency to lean towards the idea of perfection, has been anchored in a desire to connect deeply with his listeners. Lately, Jordan has begun to dance more freely with the idea...

The transformative work of the Writer's Collective of Canada is anchored in the core belief in the power of seeing, hearing and inviting ourselves to know one another better. Shelley Lepp joined the WCC as a volunteer facilitator in 2018, then Co-Executive Director in 2019, and early in 2024 stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer. Shelley holds a Master's Degree in Adult Education and Co...

New Season Launches Oct 11

Shannon Litzenberger is keenly committed to the exploration and rehearsal of new ways in doing and being in the practice of art and living. As a dancer and performance maker, her work explores our relationship to land, the politics of belonging, and the forgotten wisdom of the body. She collaborates frequently with the wind in the leaves collective and has been an invited resident artist with majo...

Stephen Nachmanovitch, an accomplished and classically trained violinist, has for years been espousing the life affirming power of stepping away from the notes on the sheet to explore the freedom of playing between, within and around the notes, of music, art and life as one beautiful composition. He performs and teaches internationally at the intersections of multimedia, performing arts, ecology a...

Brent Allan has always led with heart, art and a deep passion to make positive impact on the world he encounters.  Drawing strength from his early personal experiences during the dark days of the HIV crisis in Edmonton, Toronto and Vancouver, Brent has come to be recognized globally as a highly respected and sought after advocate and crusader for people living with HIV, through education, the arts...

Vern Thiessen's curiosity is forever leading him to the untold story, inspiring plays that have embraced theatres around the world. Thiessen, one of Canada's most produced playwrights, a recipient of numerous awards and honours, including Canada's Governor General's Literary Award, for Einstein's Gift in 2003, continues to seek out those places where a drama might find breath and lead to a life on...

Throughout these conversations on the creative process, the idea of play features heavily. There's an incredible joy in the experience of inviting our imagination to a party of our own making and then hosting it as the guest of honor.  If we believe that the innocent creative child we were when we were small, remains alive within us, then play at any age opens the door to our freedom to express ou...

Fred Keating has a long and multi-faceted career in theatre, radio, TV and film in character roles and as a host, motivational speaker and podcast producer/host. I consider Fred to be a dear friend and celebrate him as one of my personal mentors and as someone who left an indelible imprint on me as a young artist and educator. He has always led with generosity, and this was certainly the case in o...

Throughout her career as an educator in Toronto and then Victoria, Karen Close aimed to inspire her students through literature and visual arts; she loved to witness young people become better able to articulate themselves and to share their understanding with others through their writing and art making. Karen passionately believes in the importance of storytelling to give us a way to know ourselv...

When a previous guest recently reached out to say that I simply had to speak with Jan Alexandra Smith, who in his words "is one of Canada's finest actors and directors", I thought, "what wonderful idea."  For nearly 35 years, Jan has been stepping onto stages in roles that have entertained, challenged, surprised and thrilled audiences across this country. The work itself has fueled her passion for...

From early childhood as a member of the Whitefish Lake Atikameg First Nation in Treaty 8 territory, Roseanne Supernault has held the medicinal impact of story as a deep, core belief; one that guides and strengthens her in both life and art. In honoring her own storytellers, wisdom keepers, mentors and teachers she gratefully acknowledges the shoulders she stands upon and is coming to understand he...

Since 2005, Christy Morin has been the heart of Arts on the Ave in Edmonton, Alberta.  Arts on the Ave actively celebrates its unique neighbourhood community north of the downtown core as "a place whose "personality" is vividly expressed through the arts; possessing a dynamic momentum, "an arts pulse" where the artist and community continually engage." At the core of the organization, or more accu...