In this week’s episode, I sit down with Ellen Denny & Emilio Vieira. Ellen Denny & Emilio Vieira are two Toronto based actors, playwrights, and the creators of “february: a love story” which will be available to stream from February 14th to March 7th. In our conversation today we discuss the main different iterations of this piece and what they learned about themselves and the project through each one, how they began working together as collaborators and their process both individually and as a team when it comes to writing, and the importance of trying to remain as flexible and mindful as possible when pursuing any sort of creative project right now. We also discuss the advice they would give other artists who are looking to form new collaborations or work on new projects in the industry, how we can keep ourselves motivated through the difficult parts of any creative process, as well as where they hope to see theatre and live performance in Canada headed in the future.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Hailey Gillis. Hailey Gillis is a Toronto based performer who most recently was a part of the Musical Stage Company’s “Porchside Songs” & “Virtual Uncovered” series as well as Crow’s Theatre’s “Ghost Quartet” live steam. In our conversation today we discuss how she has navigated the pandemic as an artist and how it’s shaped her relationship to performing in the “new normal”, the different projects she has worked on in the past 8 months and what she has learned from the experience, as well as the difference of blending theatre/on camera as opposed to filming theatre. We also discuss the importance of community and transparency in our industry right now, the connection we need to establish with new audiences through these new artistic mediums that are being created, as well as the communication and collaboration she is so excited to be seeing within the theatre industry in Toronto.

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Chris Tsujiuchi. Chris Tsujiuchi is a performer, musical director, accompanist, and cabaret artist. In our conversation today we discuss his experience navigating the pandemic as an artist, his work with the Musical Stage Company as a part of “Porchside Songs”, and the benefits that can be gained through virtual programming with regards to accessibility. We also discuss this year’s “A Very Christ-erical Christmas Cabaret (Covid Edition)”, the ways in which he has had to pivot to move his annual Christmas cabaret online, as well as what he has learned through the process and how he hopes to see the industry continue to evolve in the coming year.