Life in Stages with Joel Greenberg

Ben is in his 50th year as a professional actor. And as weighty as this is, his family  history that is equally striking.  To take nothing away from Ben, himself, his lineage traces back to his maternal  grandparents, Sir Lewis Casson and Dame Sybil Thorndike. Ann Casson and  Douglas Campbell are his parents. And his ‘inheritance’ extends to his siblings, of  course.  Back to Ben: his career began...

Jon and I met in the early 90’s at the University of Waterloo where he was among  the students who, years later, performed in The Laramie Project, the play that  launched Studio 180 Theatre.  Following his training at the National Theatre School of Canada, we worked  together again on Our Class. Many seasons followed at the Stratford Festival,  where he continues to perform. Among his many festiva...

Paul juggles a career as playwright and actor with effortless dexterity. Having  trained at the National Theatre School, Paul understands the value of being both  on and offstage, although as a playwright it can be fairly argued that he is as  present as anyone, maybe even more so.  Paul’s capacity to move between classical and new work is further proof of a  natural affinity for stages of all kin...

Among the country’s most versatile actors, Nora has performed in every style, just  about everywhere in Canada.   Listing many of her theatre credits will illustrate her range: Measure for Measure  (Arts Club, Vancouver), John (Company Theatre, Toronto), For the Pleasure of  Seeing Her Again (Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon), The Matchmaker (Stratford  Festival), The Heiress (Shaw Festival), The Sto...

Matthew has worked in both opera and theatre for the past 20 years. Born in  Canada, Matthew has spent much of his professional life in Europe, where his  theatrical work includes the French-language premieres of Dancing at Lughnasa,  by Brian Friel, Nightingale and Our country’s Good, by Timberlake Wertenbaker.  His translation of Fernando Krapp Wrote Me This Letter , by Tankred Dorst, was  among...

Multi award-winning actor, Rosemary’s resume is its own mini-series. The range of  her theatre, television and film credits is more than this brief snapshot can fairly  provide.  I first saw Rosemary at the Centaur Theatre, in Montreal, where her performance  in Wit stays with me still. Raw, uncompromising, visceral — all these words barely  convey the power she brought to the stage. Additionally,...

Ronnie is one of Canada’s foremost theatre artists, credited with creating some of  the world’s most elaborate and provocative puppetry. Ronnie Burkett Theatre of  Marionettes was formed in 1986, continuously playing to great critical and public  acclaim on Canada’s major stages, and as a guest company on numerous  international tours abroad.  Among Ronnie’s many awards as playwright, actor and de...

Currently Co-Artistic Director of Harold Green Jewish Theatre, Avery has an  extensive resume as an actor both in Canada and beyond.  In Canada, Avery’s performed in Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Hairspray,  Sunset Boulevard and Little Shop of Horrors.   Internationally, Avery was seen in Man of La Mancha, Candide, Pirates of  Penzance and The Pajama Game among many others.

Thanks to Zieglerwealth.com -- and continued thanks to all those who help, and have helped, to keep Life in Stages moving forward since our launch exactly one year ago, I'm thrilled to introduce you to this season's sponsor -- and Life in Stage's first season sponsor, in fact:  http://Zieglerwealth.com , owned by Tim Zeigler, contacted me during Season 2 with his generous offer to supp...

Introducing each of my guests is one of the challenges coordinating the roster for  Life in Stages . The artists who accept my invitation to sit down and talk about their  professional and personal stories represent the finest artists in the country. Each  background is rich, varied, intriguing.  Jimmy Mezon is no exception — in fact, his depth and range are nothing short of  intimidating. And I’v...

Joel Greenberg has an announcement to make regarding a third season of Life in Stages.

Welcome to the final episode in Series 2 – but please note that Series 3 is on  its way.  This week, our guest host is Jody Howze. I met Jody in the mid-80’s when she  was a student in the Theatre Programme at Humber College and I was the  Programme Director. After graduating from Humber, Jody performed in several  professional productions that I directed.  Our friendship has continued as we’ve fo...

Robert Thomson may be among the busiest and most sought-after actors in  the country. “May”? Change that to ‘Is”.  His list of accomplishments is as long as it is varied, which is to say that it’s  mighty long. Theatre, film, television – he has mastered them all, and his  commitment has taken him behind the scenes of projects that are fueled by a  passion with no restraint.  In our conversation,...

Seana is yet one more guest whose professional resume approaches the  magnitude of an anthology. It’s entirely accurate to say that she has done just  about everything that one can imagine an actor accomplishing. Trained at the  National Theatre School, Seana has played every major theatre in the country,  has added film and television to her credits, and has achieved star status in a  country tha...

I’ve known Allen for more than 20 years, but until we met recently, I had no  idea that, in addition to being Artistic Director at both Young People’s Theatre,  Toronto, and the Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, his career as an actor  was his principal focus.  As another guest who came up through the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre  School, Allen reinforces the fact that this was a first-rate train...

Anyone fortunate enough to have seen “Blind Date” has already met Rebecca  Northan, although speaking with her is an altogether calmer experience than  watching her interact with an audience. Speaking with her from Edmonton,  where she was on tour with “Goblin: Macbeth”, I learned that clown work is  merely one of many skills that Rebecca has developed throughout her career.   Second City, in Toro...

Tom has as varied a resume as any actor you are ever likely to encounter. In  fact, when we first started our conversation, I said that I felt an urgency to  cover enough ground to fairly represent him. Tom’s easy manner removed any  concern I may have had.  We talked soon after he had returned from Ottawa, where he was performing  in “Salesman in China”, the same production that premiered at the...

Maria began her career (and her life) in the United States. But once she had a  taste of life in Canada, both personal and professional, Toronto soon became  her home base. And I met Maria when we worked together on a production of  “Lend Me a Tenor”, at Theatre Aquarius – and that was probably about 30  years ago. Maria has worked in every medium and she has criss-crossed the  performing landscap...

Nancy is originally from Winnipeg, studied at Queen’s University and then  trained at The National Theatre School, in Montreal. She was among the first  members of the Young Company at the Stratford Festival, which soon led to  the creation of Soulpepper Theatre Company, of which Nancy is a founding  member. (She continues to represent the Founding Members on the  Soulpepper Board.)  Nancy has wor...

Jonathan and I met at an audition. I didn’t cast him, but I knew that I wanted to  work with him one day. Before I had that opportunity, I saw My Own Private  Oshawa , his revelatory solo play about his escape to Toronto and his life as a  young gay man finding his way.  The Normal Heart and My Night with Reg are recent plays that, finally, allowed  us the shameless pleasure of working together. J...

Morris’s recollection of how discovering theatre transformed him is both  moving and chuckle-worthy. Like so many of my guests, he underlines that, for  him, the work is a necessity. For survival, sure, but much, much more than  that: Morris makes it clear, without having to say it literally, that he cannot be  doing anything else with his professional life.  Playwright, director, actor – Morris w...

Jessica is my older daughter, so let’s get that on the table and move on.   Jess discusses her college years at McGill, where she focussed on Political  Science and Women’s Studies. But it was her passionate involvement with  both theatre and music – strictly extracurricular – that defined four years  spent on a student-driven campus, where she was inspired by like-minded  friends.   Theatre schoo...

Ted is among our guests who has accomplished just about everything one can  imagine a theatre artist achieving. As an actor, a musician, a writer, and more  recently a producer, Ted demonstrates the widest possible range with an  inexhaustible energy to match. In our conversation, he discusses the projects  that have brought him a very public profile.   Ted goes further and reveals that seeing his...

Sharry and I met and worked together for the first time as company members  in the Summer Festival of Arts in Montreal, 1969. I directed Sharry on  productions of The Fantasticks, America Hurrah, and Oh, What a Lovely War!  The festival was fertile ground for many of us as we did our best to start  professional careers.   Sharry takes us through her training in London, her return to Canada, where ...

Patrick’s career might have been in the Law, following his father and  grandfather before him, had he not found himself in a university production  about the same time that he was writing the LSAT. As he will tell us, Chekov  upended him and reshaped his professional life.  A long-serving member of the Shaw Festival company, since the early 2000’s,  Patrick’s first years in the profession were a m...