Life in Stages with Joel Greenberg

I first saw Barbara in a Toronto production of The Dining Room. I was completely  taken with her performance, her warmth, her clarity. I hoped that I would have  the opportunity of working with her, and in 2006 we finally did get to work  together — The Arab-Israeli Cookbook provided the opportunity. And I’ve  followed her career since then. Theatre audiences will know Barbara from her performances in A Doll’s House  (Belfry Theatre, Victoria), Calendar Girls (Royal Alex, Toronto/MTC, Winnipeg),  Half Life (Tarragon Theatre, Toronto), Criminals in Love/Escape from Happiness  (Factory Theatre, Toronto). Film and Television audiences will recognize Barbara from Learning to Love Again,  Skinwalkers, Hyper Cube, The Boys, Murdoch Mysteries, Best Laid Plans, Little  Mosque on the Prairie and Wonderland. 

Brad is among the most produced and prolific Canadian playwrights. Born in  Edmonton, he won his first playwriting competition at the age of 17. He hasn’t  stopped writing since. Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, which premiered at  Alberta Theatre projects PlayRites in 1989, after being developed by Workshop  West (Edmonton), launched an international career with productions that  followed in Toronto, New York, Chicago, Milan and London. The play has been  translated into many languages and has recently been produced in Athens, Sao  Paulo and Buenos Aires. The film version, Love and Human Remains, won Brad a  Genie Award in 1994 for Best Adapted Screenplay. Poor Superman, Martin Yesterday, Snake in Fridge, Cold Meat Party, True Love Lies  and 5 @ 50 followed – as have many, many more. Brad’s two musicals are Outrageous (composed by Joey Miller) and Prom Night of  the Living Dead (composed by Darrin Hagen).Do yourselves a favour and check out Brad’s complete professional history - you  can find him at www.Bradfraser.net.

Drew’s tally of theatre, film and television credits is daunting, and this thumbnail  sketch barely scratches the surface. Fourteen seasons at the Shaw Festival include roles in The Devil’s Disciple, The  Playboy of the Western World, Cavalcade, The Front Page and Cyrano de Bergerac.  Elsewhere, and right across the country, Andrew has performed in Cymbeline and  Richard III (Stratford Festival), Blithe Spirit (Neptune Theatre, Halifax), Stuff  Happens (Studio 180 Theatre/Mirvish Productions), The Philadelphia Story (MTC,  Winnipeg) and Travesties (Vancouver Playhouse). Andrew’s film and television appearances include Fahrenheit 451, Lizzie Borden,  Untitled History Project, Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Night Before,  The Morning After, Anne with an E, Designated Survivor, 12 Monkeys, Orphan  Black, Trailer Park Boys, Missing, Degrassi: the Next Generation and The  Associates. 

Many of my guests have discussed the paths they followed through careers both  linear and pin-ball like. Allan Stratton begins by stating that he was raised by a  single mom in Bruce County, Sarnia and London. He has lived in Manhattan, Montreal, Vancouver and Switzerland — but mostly in  Toronto. Allan began his professional life as an actor, moved on to playwriting (I ‘met’ Allan  by directing his very successful play, Nurse Jane Goes to Hawaii — we didn’t meet  at the time, and it’s likely that until reading this, if he does read it, he won’t have  known that our separate paths crossed), and then he spent a few years as head of  an arts school. Since 2000, Allan has been a novelist. His books have won awards and have been  published in over 20 countries — look him up to get the full picture.

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 in England, where he trained at the Bristol Old Vic  Theatre School. He returned to Canada to play Troilus at the National Arts Centre.  Thereafter, Ben spent 14 seasons at the Shaw Festival, 10 seasons at Stratford, 4  with the National Arts Centre and 2 with Theatre Plus, in Toronto. In addition, Ben  has played in theatres across the country, and he has appeared in various  Canadian television series and TV film specials. 

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 festival credits are Henry VIII,  The Music Man, Orpheus Descending and Hamlet. Elsewhere, Jon has worked at the Blyth Festival, Canadian Stage and Soulpepper. Law and Order: Toronto, Republic of Doyle, Murdoch Mysteries and Nikita  represent some of Jon’s tv and film work.

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 kinds. Many seasons at Stratford have included  roles such as Bottom, Lancelot Gobbo and Donalbain. Elsewhere, Paul has worked  with Factory Theatre (Toronto), National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre (Montreal),  Tarragon Theatre and the Citadel Theatre (Edmonton). Playwright credits include The Gay Heritage Project, High Gravel Blind and  Offensive Shadows. 

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 Stone Angel (Canadian Stage), Hello,  Dolly (Citadel Theatre, Edmonton). Nora’s work in film and television has included Son of a Critch, Cardinal, Saving  Hope, Orphan Black and The Associates.

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 his first projects as Artistic Director at Canadian Stage. (He continued as  Artistic and General Director until June 2018.) After spending 3 seasons as Resident Director at the opera studio of the Paris  Opera-La Bastille, he was appointed Director of the Atelier du Chin, in Colmar,  France. Numerous opera productions include Larmes de Couteau and Alexandre  Bis by Bohuslav Martinu, Lucia di Lammermoor (Oper Frankfurt), and Die Trilogie  dee Frauen (Staatsoper Hamburg). Matthew was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French  Ministry of Culture in July 2008.

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, she has performed in  Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Tartuffe, King Charles III, Fallen Angels and A  Streetcar Named Desire. Television performances include Fellow Travellers, Street Legal, Orphan Black, This  is Wonderland and The Road to Avonlea. Total Recall, Twins and Dreamcatcher are  but a few of the many films in which Rosemary has performed.

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 designer, are the 2009  Siminovitch Prize in Theatre and The Herbert Whittaker Drama Bench Award for  outstanding Contribution to Canadian Theatre.  International acclaim has included the Village Voice Obie Award, the GLAAD  Award for Outstanding Theater, four Citations of Excellence in the Arts of Puppetry  from the American Center of the Union Internationale de la Marionette. In 2019 Ronnie was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2024  he received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime  Achievement in Theatre. He is the recipient of the Emmy Award for Excellence in  Puppetry. To learn more and to discover Ronnie’s full professional biography, check him out  at johnlambert.ca. 

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 support the podcast. That he found me without my having to figure out how/where sponsors hide out, is all the more delightful.

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’ve had the good fortune to see him play in as wide a range of  theatrical styles as one can imagine. There’s nothing he cannot do and, in fact, has  not done. A foundational presence at the Shaw Festival has included roles in St. Joan, The  Madness of King George, The Intellectual Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and  Socialism, Faith Healer, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Pygmalion, Nothing Sacred, The  Seagull and Translations. His performance in Picnic remains a standout for me - a role that played against so  many strong, powerful characters that have dominated his stage career. Film and television credits include Workin’ Moms, Frankie Drake Mysteries,  Murdoch Mysteries, Passchendaele, Road to Avonlea and Dieppe. 

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 followed different paths, and since  launching Life in Stages, Jody has provided many insights about the project. At  the same time, she has asked many questions that attest to her careful  attention to all my guests’ conversations.  Rather than restricting Jody’s comments and questions to our one-on-one  chats, I invited her to step into the Host chair for this episode. I can’t think of a  more fitting way to conclude Series 2.

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, you’ll also learn that Robert’s career extends well beyond  performing and engages with timely social and political causes. It’s no back-handed compliment to add that Robert is among the most Canadian of  personalities that I’ve had the very good fortune to have met and to have  worked with. Listen to all that he has to say in Episode 26 – this is time very  well spent. 

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 that too often prides itself as a country with no star system at all. I  think that Seana puts a lie to that tiresome boast.

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 training ground. And  as he discusses the path he followed, a path that is as geographical as it is  developmental, we travel from the West right across the country with  substantial stops along the way. Finally, it’s Toronto that has claimed Allen as  one of its own, and I know that you’ll find our conversation both engaging and  revealing. 

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 Toronto and on tour, was her opportunity to refine both her  writing and her audience engagement chops. And as an actor, i.e., one who  can actually learn others’ lines of dialogue and create a character without a  red nose, Rebecca is as committed and focussed as she is when she is  creating her own work and, by extension, her own world.