Gina Wilkinson / Peter Donaldson

 Gina Wilkinson

 I never had a chance to work with Gina but we always had a chat when she came by our agent's office. Always a delight and always with a fabulous smile.

Peter Donaldson

Peter and I only worked together once years ago in a production of Souvenirs at Theatre Calgary. He never once laughed at me when I had to make my second act entrance dripping from head to toe in stage blood. I truly admired that since I would have laughed at me. He was a wonderful man.

 

Domini Blythe 1947-2010

 Toronto Star Obit

PlayBill Obit

What can I say. She was lovely. She was supremely talented. She was the devastatingly beautiful woman I got to work with in my first professional job.

We all played poker one night. She would always say something like "Darling I am so sorry that four of a kind beat your two pair" and take all my money.
I never minded because she was Domini Blythe.

I asked her once why she kept a couple of hundred dollars in her passport. And why she kept her passport with her all the time. She said "Darling you never know when you might have to run for the airport."

The story is told that while at the Citadel Theatre Lorraine Price's young son asked her why she said "Darling" all the time. Domini replied "Well Darling, it's because I'm affected."

I had not seen her for years but I will miss her.

Denis Simpson: November 1950 – October 22, 2010

the Obit

Well what can I say. Denis was an old,old friend. He was always first in line to help when we needed a powerhouse entertainer for Obsidian.
We worked together years ago on the Colored Museum which was produced at the Tarragon Theatre. There is still a picture up of the cast in the theatre.
He was the guy with the biggest heart and the widest smile.
For years we would laugh about an Irie restaurant that managed to take the full hour of our meal break to make some veggies on rice. We would look at each other and with the biggest most exagerated Jamaican accent we would proclaim "But Waaaaiiiitt" and then laugh.

I wish someone could have just said to him the other day.....But Waaaiiit Denis.

Abby Lincoln 1930-2010

Here is the obit from the New York Times

I don't care what they say about her Marilyn dress this is still my favourite album cover.

June Faulkner 1926-2010

June Faulkner

What a pleasure it was to have worked at TWP with June and Calvin.

Douglas Campbell 1922-2009

Douglas Campbell

Brenda Devine

Brenda Marie Devine




Back in the day when I had finished theatre school and went to the Shaw Festival as my first job I met Pam Rogers who would go on to be a life long friend. She introduced me to Brenda Devine and with assorted family and friends we had a bit of a brat pack that worked, played and ate prodigiously together. I didn't see much of Brenda over the last number of years. Chance meetings at a theatre or the subway but somehow she was always in my heart as a dear friend. The picture above is one I took of her on one of our many trips to farm country around St. Marys. She seemed translucent, ephemeral and yet so present. I will always cherish the memories of all of us sitting on Brenda's steps sipping coffee and scotch first thing in the mornings.


pectus pectoris teneo quoque tardus quam desidero

Trevor Rhone 1940-2009

I worked with Trevor Rhone in 1975 on a production of his play Schools Out for Black Theatre Canada. It was my first experience with a tumultuous, rambunctious audience and with the huge energy of the man himself. Obsidian was proud to have produced Two Can Play in 2005.

Some of the obits are here: The Gleaner & CBC

Mantee Murphy

In That Great Getting Up Morning

I just heard that Jack Medhurst passed away on December 18th.

Back in the day Jack was the man. He did it all. And in my years at Ryerson he taught acting, movement and makeup. Always the consummate professional. Over the years I would run into Jack in the oddest places. Yonge and Gerrard, Robson Street, the RTS reunion. Always at unexpected times.

About 8 months ago my friend Jesse said, as we were finishing up lunch, "Do you know where Jack is?". And I said oh yeah he is living down at PAL. Turns out he had moved out so I contacted Ryerson and eventually I found out that he had moved to a nursing home in Scarborough. I passed the information on and Jesse and his sister Cheryl looked him up. And so it was at the end of his life that Jack spent a huge amount of comradeship and care with Jesse and Cheryl who had been among his first students lo those many years ago. Cheryl sent me a package today that had the obit, photos and a very sweet note.

And so it got me thinking. Especially since there have been a number of "famous" people dying, that here was one of the grand old men of Canadian theatre and he was pretty much forgotten. Not by his students but by the world in general. Much like Bob Christie, David Harris {Actors' Company in Hoxton} or Larry Ewashen. All former teachers of mine. There were many more.

There are many others, who worked like we do, in this most ephemeral of arts and their legacy lives on in dwindling stories, old playbills and that life saving nugget of information that we use to solve a tricky moment on stage.

I start directing a new play tomorrow. As always we start with the best intentions, high hopes and the desire to create a lasting impact. And therein lies the dichotomy. Lasting impact in a transitory art. An art that can only really live in the memories of those who saw it. An art whose reality will forever be shaped by the context around that memory. A thousand versions of each moment spring forth.

And so what is left to do but to create and live each moment fully in the art. Realize that each performance is unique, precious and melts away like cotton candy.
To do as we did back in the day...ribs up, breath from the sides, head straight and turn 2, 3, 4.

Fade to black. Thanks Jack.

Reality Check

This is a hard post to write because things have just hit me.

I read this the other day in the G&M. The last name was familiar but I didn't think much more about it.

Well tonight I found out that this young man was the son of a guy I grew up with. I truly don't know what to say. I am hoping to get to the funeral this week.

But it left me wondering. Where is the arts response to this war? I have at least 10 Theatre Creator's Reserve applications for people to deal with their inner angst and personal struggles. Frankly they bore me. When are we, as artists, going to get our heads out of our collective navels and look around the world and have an opinion?
I don't even care if it is an opinion I loathe at least it will be better than seeing how much lint can collect in one place of the human body and then writing endlessly about it.

I yearn for art that has some balls.

R.I.P. Pte Michael Freeman

In That Great Getting Up Morning

Eartha Kitt


Harold Pinter


In That Great Getting Up Morning

C.A.S.H.

R.I.P -----> C.A.S.H.

The long running, very hip and cool podcast comes to an end.

Miriam Makeba

Before the great singers of Mali or Ladysmith Black Mambazo were known there was Miriam Makeba. She even married Stokely Carmichael and how cool was that back in the day

Miriam Makeba  R.I. P

Soweto Blues, Pata Pata,

Mbube

Sunday Quickie

Splurge: From the Met /Arts Journal

Just a few ideas for getting the word out on your show

updated...... Isaac Hayes died today

My favourite song was "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" but it isn't on Youtube so I leave you with this.