Spring 2022

Farewells

3 September 2024
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Categories: Spring 2022

Farewells

We remember… today and always

Shimon Aviel
1946-2021

Shimon passed away suddenly on February 15, 2021. Born in Israel, he began his journey in acting and directing in high school productions. Acting in films, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science at the Weizmann Institute. Worked as a high school math and science teacher. He went on to establish a theatre school at Ben Gurion University. Later, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where he taught high school and was the theatre director. Finally settling in Montreal, Quebec. Adding to his repertoire: acting workshop coach, international moot court mentor, and founder/talent agent of Aviel Talent (January 1992-2021).

Shimon performed with Lyric Theatre, Dora Wasserman’s Yiddish Theatre and Alexander Hausvater. He spoke fondly and proudly of his memorable lead role in Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

In acting On Camera workshops, he would often entertain us with reenactments of the many roles he had played or burst into a song from Fiddler on the Roof to name a few. A few of us, his clients/students, called ourselves “The Shimonettes” because Shimon believed in us and always gave his support. We worked hard but also had fun in his workshops. He was a mentor to many, including Ernie Barbarash who went on to become a Hollywood film producer and director for Lionsgate. Shimon influenced careers of Hollywood entertainment lawyers, James Feldman and William Mercer (talent manager). As talent agent, Shimon mentored local/beginners such as Jennifer Finnigan, Melissa Galianos and Nicholas Wright.

Shimon himself had a strong presence on film including his role in Mother Night (1996) with Nick Nolte as Guard Bernard Liebman.

Shimon was a devoted and proud family man to grandchildren, Sarah and Ethan, children Josef, Ayala and Shira, and wife Tova.

I miss our lengthy phone conversations and the fun Hannukah/Christmas parties.

 Your “Shimonettes” know the show must go on and we thank you for always being there for all of us. It was an honour to know you. RIP Shimon, my mentor and my friend.

Donna Byrne

Lawrence (Zahab) Dane
1937 – 2022

“MY OBIT”

I made my debut on the world stage On April 3rd, 1937, in Masson, Quebec, a quiet little hamlet located on the north shore of the Ottawa River.  Born on the kitchen table, so I’ve been told.  I know, I was there, but, come on, I was too busy bonding, bawling and wailing, so I wasn’t taking notes.

On top of being blessed with a loving Mother and Father I had the added benefit of being the youngest of six kids which made it a slam dunk.  I had spoiled written all over me.  From there life could only get better – and it did.

Between then and my exit stage left on March 21, 2022,  I had the good fortune of becoming a member of a highly respected brotherhood of Canadian performers where I got to meet and work with hundreds of other struggling fellow actors.   They were all an inspiration to me.

I’m especially grateful to those wonderful actors who blazed a trail throughout the entertainment centers around the world.  They made it so much easier for us newcomers, when we were asked, “Where are you from?” we proudly proclaimed that we were from Canada.  The doors opened wide.

Along the way over those many years, I’ve experienced highs and lows in the acting profession.  Who hasn’t?

I’ve worked with some of the greats, near-greats and sadly – a few ingrates. 

I travelled the world.

In the midst of all that, I hit the jackpot.  I met and married my wonderful loving and supportive wife Laurel.  Bonus.  She deserves a Medal for Bravery.

In summing up, I could only describe my life’s journey as a grand life well spent.  I leave behind those who know I loved them and whose love I felt they returned in spades.

So. what happens next?  I can’t say for sure, but I am hopeful.  If you can believe what critics say, I shamelessly quote what the London Sunday Times Television critic wrote in his review of my first appearance on British T V in October, 1967, –

“An actor new to me, Lawrence Dane, impressed as one whom we should certainly see again.”

I’m working on it.  See you around.

Lawrence (Zahab) Dane

David Fox, CM
1941 – 2021

Enthralling, volcanic, inventive, quixotic, tender, shattering. A Titan.

Foxy was a sudden, full-bodied explosion of laughter.

David Fox was North.

His chiseled face, blue eyes and vulnerable bravado made him striking in countless roles on screen, but there was no question that his life’s passion was in Canadian theatre. Upon joining Paul Thompson’s collective creations in the early ‘70s, he became one of its chief progenitors.

The late Martha Henry said of him, “He brings his own air on stage with him.” Everyone who shared the stage knew what it was to be held there in a rarified atmosphere, sharing that air, his laser eye-lock, and that crackling, mesmerizing Fox vitality.

It made scant difference whether it was a well-paid gig (like the national tour of The Drawer Boy), his three one-off leading man stints in Stratford, or if it was a co-op at the Fringe, improv on a streetcar, a premiere at the Backspace, Extra-Space, Mainspace, in a park in Brockville, or an auction barn, or if it meant driving up to North Bay or Flin-Flon, or to take part in a new play reading in a shed on the dark side of the moon – David would hurtle his entire being into the challenge. And it did not matter if the play worked or not, if it was a full house or there was only a single soul watching, David would launch his (oft-reluctant) fellow actors out for a second curtain call with the pumped-fist gesture of a hockey player who’d just scored to win the Cup.

In a modest acceptance speech for his Dora-award winning performance of Angus in The Drawer Boy, David proclaimed: “I’ve spent my entire career in the Messy Middle of Canadian theatre, and I want my epitaph to read: ‘This is not a workshop!’”

All told, David may well have been the most honest, inquisitive, generous, maddening, inexhaustible, double-daring stoked furnace of an actor we shall ever know.

We, both audiences and actors alike, will now enter the theatre without him.  But…if a gun ever fails to fire onstage, I know we will hear Fox’s voice bellowing down from the northern heavens: “KA-BLAMMO!”

Our beloved David leaves his sons, Jason and Gavin, of whom he was in awe, legions of broken hearts, and a goldmine of memories.

Brooke Johnson

Martha Henry
1939 – 2022

“Mon apartement!” Martha Henry, as Ranyevskaya, exclaimed as she swept into her Paris apartment. This was an improvisation assignment John Hirsch had given to us second-year students at the National Theatre School.  We were to choose a character from The Cherry Orchard and place him/her in an invented situation. Martha had imagined Ranevskaya returning to Paris after selling The Cherry Orchard. She had draped herself in a shawl and her first words were in French.

I was dazzled. That was in Montreal in 1961.

In 1998, when I directed Martha as Ranyevskaya in The Cherry Orchard at Stratford, there was no French, no “ Mon apartement,” but a woman sitting  on a rolled-up carpet after the sale of the orchard, crushed by ineffable loss.

When she played Princess in Sweet Bird of Youth, also at the Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, a long “runway” of a stage, she wanted to play the whole first act, wearing only the bedspread, which covered the bed she had been laying in with Chance Wayne, played by Geordie Johnson. To cover both the actress and the stage, designer Astrid Janson gave us a burgundy velvet bedspread of remarkable dimensions. It required negotiation by the two actors in that act, Geordie and Martha. Much negotiation, as it spread across the stage. Geordie named it Bernice.

Martha’s work with The Birmingham Conservatory for Actors and The Langham Directing Program were among Martha’s proudest achievements. So many of those students came to her memorial. They were tearful, grateful and wonderfully rude singing a Newfoundland ditty she adored. I know the rigour, imagination and heart that guided her exploration of text has now been passed on.

And then last summer, Albee’s Three Tall Women. Alarmingly weak when she would arrive at the theatre, she gave, every single time, a blazing performance of such wit and sorrow that it remains indelible. She finished the run. A few days after the last show, she died. On her own terms. 

She was a mentor, colleague, and my friend.

Diana Leblanc

PS. In the current production of Richard III, now on stage at the Tom Patterson, directed by Antoni Cimolino, Colm Feore wears a coronation robe with an impressive train of burgundy velvet. I think they used Bernice for part of it.

Mal Isaac
1937- 2022

An early member of ACTRA, Mal Isaac spent most of his career in Saskatchewan but was respected far beyond the boundaries of the province. His love of sports found him venturing on a broadcasting career at the age of 21 when he began working at radio stations in Weyburn, Yorkton, Regina, and Sudbury, Ontario.

Mal went on to be a sportswriter at the Saskatoon Star Phoenix and Regina Leader-Postbefore joining CBC Sports in 1974 as both a radio and television sportscaster. He contributed to numerous sporting event planning committees, such as the Commonwealth Games, 2001 Memorial Cup, World Junior Hockey Championships, Curling bonspiels and multiple Grey Cups. Mal was fortunate to be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum; Football Reporters of Canada wing in 2003. 

Rob Vanstone, the Sports Editor of the Regina Leader-Post wrote of him, “Mal Isaac extracted every precious second from 84 years that were a gift to everyone who knew and loved him. He survived five heart attacks, two quadruple bypass surgeries, one heart transplant and a stroke — all with nary a word of self-pity. He wouldn’t engage in self-congratulations, either, even when so many of us were lined up to applaud him. We will miss him so much.”

I met Mal at a [Regina] Pats game not long before he retired. He was not sitting in the press box. He was sitting up in the nose-bleed section taking in the game. He was a truly decent man and expected that of others.

Mal is survived by his soulmate Vivian, his children Erin (Eddie), Scott (Michele) and Kim (Paul), and his grandchildren Abby, Gillian, Andrew, Malcolm, Zoe, Evan, Mitchell and Taylor.

Alan Bratt

Jason Joniec
1974 – 2022 

Catherine Marshall
1980 – 2022

When Jay (Jason) Joniec and Cat (Catherine) Marshall headed out for one last day at the beach, they did not set out to be heroes. But heroes do not look for acts of heroism to perform, they simply respond. They help costumers through doorways with heavy clothing racks, like Jay, or give an infectious smile to someone having a bad day, like Cat. Small, individual acts of kindness and a deep love of life made both Cat and Jay unforgettable to all of their family, friends and colleagues on set and off.

Cat, a beautiful visual artist, was a flight attendant for Air Labrador before joining our on-set family. Her joy and positivity spread like wildfire wherever she went.

Jay was a wanderer – he was the kind of guy who would find a niche and wiggle into it. He travelled extensively, always returning home to Brantford for a fix of his mom’s “amazing” cooking.

On February 11, 2022, while vacationing in Ecuador, Jay and Cat saw two children being pulled into the open ocean by a riptide. In a grand and auspicious act of courage, they responded, swimming into the surf and pushing the children back to the safety of the beach. Tragically, they were overcome by the sea and gave their lives to save two others.

Cat and Jay would not want us to remember them as heroes, but as friends, helpers, joyous people and lovers of life. They are missed.

Shereen J. Airth

Marguerite McNeil
1935 – 2021

Our much-loved actress, director and teacher Marguerite MacNeil has passed away. It is still hard to believe for her sisters Deanna and Laraine, her nieces and nephews, her longtime housemate Carroll Godsman, her dear friends, and her theatre and film families. Life with Dee Dee was phantasmagorical, as she would say when she was delighted with something. She was born in Glace Bay, NS, had six siblings in a household full of music and a love of the arts. At age 18, she and her sister Carol moved to New York City to study acting and perform in Off-Off-Broadway productions. They both fell in love and married actors while living there.

Dee Dee was a storyteller both onstage and off. She shared tales of the vibrant East Village in the ‘60s, such as meeting Bob Dylan and James Earl Jones. She performed in Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days in London’s West End and continued her career in Toronto before returning to Glace Bay in the late ‘70s. She founded The North Wall Theatre in Glace Bay, mentoring many people while creating long-lasting friendships with artists of all ages. I met Dee Dee when Bryden MacDonald, Mary Lou Martin and I wrote a soap opera parody called Our Miserable Lives. 

Over three decades, Dee Dee appeared with most Atlantic theatre companies. She played in Neptune Theatre’s productions Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Weekend Healer in which I had the honour of playing “Linda Lou” to her “Betina.” Her film credits include the original My Bloody Valentine, Marion Bridge, The Scarlett Letter andThe Divine Ryans. In 2011, she won the ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performance in Rhonda’s Party. Her wildest fame came while she was in her 80s, playing her “Margarite” character in the iconic hit series, The Trailer Park Boys.

Both generous and irascible, she was a force of nature who could easily command an entire room for great lengths of time. Our world will not be the same without our Marguerite. We miss her terribly and will remember her well. “Keep working,” she would say. “It is important. The work is important.” She was an original.

Kathryn MacLellan

Candy Palmater
1968 – 2021

Farewell, Candy Palmater.

December 25, 2021, will never be forgotten. A great sadness happened in the early morning hours on this day; the passing of Candy Palmater. The world darkened abruptly without Candy’s glorious light, and her love for all people and for life in general.

Though she had many ailments most of her life, they never impeded her impeccable work ethic. As time sped by, she embraced the assistance of her cane, and at times her wheelchair, but she was never apologetic nor embarrassed, nor was she compromising.  Every set, every stage, every hotel room, every studio she graced, accommodations were made without issue, and inclusion for everyone with mobility needs was birthing.

Candy’s wide achievements on television, radio, comedy stages/festivals, acting in shows such as The Trailer Park Boys, Run the Burbs, The Candy Show, Forgive Me, Call me Fitz, Sex & Violence,and other shows such as, co-hosting CTV’s The Social, The Candy Palmater Show on CBC Radio, The Next Chapter, and Because News, just to name a few. Her body of work was vast. We had many new projects coming in 2022…she just completed the content for her first book, “Running Down a Dream, coming in fall 2022 with Harper Collins Canada, which will be published posthumously.

She travelled the globe speaking about love, kindness, self-acceptance and equity. She emotionally and educationally impacted thousands of people. Even at her comedy and hosting events, she managed to sneak into everyone’s psyche, impacting learning by way of understanding ourselves in this game of life.

If you ever heard Candy speak, either publicly, at the government level, as a proud supporter of unions, teaching at college and university, or during her 10-year position as senior management Mi’Kmaq services for the Department of Education in NS, she treated every single person fairly, respectfully (no wonder she left the practice of law, where she was the first Mi’Kmaq person to be hired by a private firm. Candy was also the first Indigenous person to graduate as valedictorian of her law class at Dalhousie University), but she kept running down her dream. She is deeply missed.

Two famous quotes by Candy: “You are Enough.” and “You can never have too much Candy.”

What a loss. I miss her.

Denise Tompkins

Kenneth Welsh
1942 – 2022

Remembering Kenneth Welsh

Your life before I knew you: Edmonton. NTS. Stratford. Hamlet. Chicago. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. New York The Real Thing. Frankie and Johnny in the Clair De Lune. Mike Nichols. Kathy Bates. Kevin Kline. Glenn Close.

The first time I saw your work: Empire, Inc. Terrifying. Riveting.

Again, both things in Love and Hate. Then beautiful, soft, and deeply moving in Margaret’s Museum.

The epic movie and television career. From Twin Peaks to Cate Blanchett’s father in The Aviator to The Kids in the Hall last year (and your genuine joy at the cast knowing who you were).  All the awards hiding in your basement. IMDB says you graced 249 productions. And they have no inkling of your stage career.

A legend.

Some of our own collaborations: your singular Standup Shakespeare. Your definitive Jacob in Leaving Home and Of The Fields Lately. Under Milk Wood (possibly the greatest performance I’ve ever witnessed). You and Eric Peterson in The Sunshine Boys. Your Player King in Rozencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. A Child’s Christmas in Wales. A Christmas Carol. All of The Coal Mine Theatre salons you performed in for us.

Incredibly, all the above things pale for me compared to our friendship. To being your friend.

The way you called my name whenever you saw me. Always with an exclamation point.

The way you took me in at my Nadir and let my healing begin.

The way you were with my kids, Theo, Rosie and Henry.

The way you read at Diana’s and my wedding.

The way you welcomed us every weekend of the pandemic to swim and have lunch, and how Henry never departed without a HotWheel from “the bucket of cars!”

The way you spoke of your son. The way you spoke of Lynne.

The way you played Happy Birthday to me on the trumpet over the phone, every year without fail, and the hundreds of phone calls we had, each of us Glenn Goulding the other whenever we needed to.

The way we spoke of Shakespeare together, the way we loved him.

Your bottomless well of stories, speeches and songs, and your laugh.

Your sadness at the sad things.

Your never-ceasing-grasps at something higher than what we are.

This picture is the very last time I saw you. It is like you knew. Knowing you, you did. I wish I did.

I love you, Ken. Shakespeare is lucky to meet you.

Ted Dykstra

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Applause!

3 September 2024
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Categories: Spring 2022

Applause

Eden Summer Gilmore won the UBCP/ACTRA Award for Best Supporting Performance – Female for her role in The Good Doctor.

Congratulations to the 2021 UBCP/ACTRA Award recipients

The 2021 UBCP/ACTRA awards ceremony celebrated 10 years of showcasing top B.C. talent during a live-streamed event on November 20. The evening began with a star-studded virtual red carpet with Sabrina Furminger interviewing nominees and special guests. Awards were presented in six performance categories: Christopher Shyer won the Best Lead Performance – Male award for his role in Debris – Solar Winds and the Best Lead Performance – Female award went to Camille Sullivan for Hunter Hunter. Hiro Kanagawa won the Best Supporting Performance – Male award for his role in Deeper I Go and Eden Summer Gilmore won the award for Best Supporting Performance – Female for her role in The Good Doctor. Brent Miller won the Best Voice Performance award for his performance in Lego Ninjago, and stunt performers Yusuf A. Ahmed, Brett Chan, Andrew Chin, Aliya Iskakova, Jennifer Li and Derick Vizcarra won the Best Stunt Performance award for their performances in Kung Fu – Pilot. The Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award was presented to Candus Churchill in recognition of her distinguished career and commitment to the advancement of women in the industry.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the UBCP/ACTRA Awards, all past nominees were sent certificates recognizing their nominations. “We are so proud of our members and the work they do” said UBCP/ACTRA President Ellie Harvie. “For the tenth year in a row, this awards show has given us the opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate the extraordinary individuals who have worked tirelessly to bring their exceptional talent, emotion, and innovative storytelling to our screens.” If you missed this year’s virtual ceremony, you can view it online.

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Foundation honours Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell with Performing Arts Award Laureate

Rita Shelton Deverell

ACTRA member Dr. Rita Shelton Deverell received a 2022 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA) for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. The laureates of the GGPAA for Lifetime Artistic Achievement recognize artists who have made an indelible contribution to cultural life in Canada and around the world. A television broadcaster, performer, scholar and activist, Rita has stood out for her innovation, creativity and inclusion. Driven by her commitment to social justice, she has focused on telling the stories of those whose voices are often unheard. Rita co-founded VisionTV, the world’s first multifaith and multicultural network, and is one of the first Black women in Canada to be a television host and network executive. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2005 and named ACTRA National Woman of the Year in 2018. An inspiring mentor, Rita is a role model for young artists, students and audiences alike. Said Dr. Deverell on receiving her honour, “I am very grateful to Jean Yoon and the ACTRA Diversity Committee for putting me on the path to this wonderful recognition.”  Link here to watch her GGPAA announcement video. ggpaa.ca

Jackie Richardson as an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada

Jackie Richardson

ACTRA member Jackie Richardson was appointed an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada in November 2021 for her contributions as a Canadian jazz legend, and as a leader and mentor to young performers in her community. Jackie’s career in music, film and theatre spans more than five decades. Known as Canada’s reigning queen of jazz, blues and gospel, she has toured across Canada and around the world performing with renowned artists such as Ray Charles, Anne Murray, Dr. John and Celine Dion. Jackie has won a Gemini Award and a Dora Award for her acting and has received a Maple Blues Award for lifetime achievement. Appointments are made by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada. gg.ca

Simu Liu. Photo: Carlos Reyes & Irvin Rivera/Meshell Studio/NBCUniversal

Simu Liu wins People’s Choice Award for action movie star of the year

Simu Liu took home the award for best action movie star of the year at the People’s Choice Awards in December 2021 for his role as the title character in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The ACTRA member and Kim’s Convenience star was the title performer in Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi, which also won in the action movie of the year category. The movie has been a huge success and has grossed over US$432 million worldwide. votepca.com

Winners of the 2022 ACTRA Awards in Toronto

The 20th annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto were presented virtually on March 5, 2022, on ACTRA Toronto’s YouTube  channel. Angela Asher won Outstanding Performance – Gender Non-Conforming or Female Voice and Joshua Graham won Gender Non-Conforming or Male Voice. Kelly McCormack won Outstanding Performance – Gender Non-Conforming or Female and Dayo Ade won Outstanding Performance – Gender Non-Conforming or Male. Karl Pruner, ACTRA Toronto Past President, presented ACTRA Toronto’s 2022 Award of Excellence to Art Hindle.

Karen Robinson announced that Sphère Média and Sienna Films’ Sort Of was the recipient of the Members’ Choice Series Ensemble Award. Award-winning Stunt Coordinator Angelica Lisk-Hann presented the inaugural ACTRA Toronto Stunt Ensemble Award to the team behind a big rig stunt in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Stunt Coordinator Dan Skene accepted the award on behalf of the stunt ensemble. Said ACTRA Toronto President David Gale, “Our awards showed yet again that we have the breadth of outstanding talent to authentically tell any story, and as the Stunt Ensemble competition proved, if it’s action you want, we have that, too.” actratoronto.com

ACTRA MANITOBA’s GOLDEN BOY AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

Mandeep Sodhi, Shannon Guile, Cory Wojcik and Terry Ray. Photo: Paul Little

Cory Wojcik and Mandeep Sodhi won ACTRA Manitoba’s 2022 GOLDEN BOY Audience Choice Award for Most Outstanding MIP short film, Not Funny, on April 23. The Member Initiated Production (MIP) Award, also called the Golden Boy Award, is presented annually at the MIP Showcase by ACTRA Manitoba to the “Most Outstanding MIP member-producers.” The award was presented by ACTRA Manitoba council members Shannon Guile and Terry Ray at a fun-filled evening at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain. It was ACTRA Manitoba’s first public event since the pandemic began. The award was presented by ACTRA Manitoba council members Shannon Guile and Terry Ray at a fun-filled evening at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain. It was ACTRA Manitoba’s first public event since the pandemic began.

Sandi Ross Awards in Toronto

Beans writer-director Tracey Deer and TallBoyz II Men comedy troupe members Vance Banzo, Guled Abdi, Franco Nguyen and Tim Blair were honoured at the Sandi Ross Awards, which were live-streamed on the ACTRA Toronto YouTube channel on November 12, 2021. During the one-hour broadcast, ACTRA Toronto Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chairs Janet Rose Nguyen and Chattrisse Dolabaille hosted a discussion with the winners about pursuing a creative career, what advice they would have given to their younger selves, how to advocate for more diversity and inclusion while integrating activism into art, and what’s up next for all of them. The Sandi Ross Awards celebrate one individual and one company/organization each year whose work demonstrates a commitment to inclusion on screen.

Congratulations to the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards winners

Transplant (CTV) led the television honours, winning eight Canadian Screen Awards including: Best Drama Series; Best Lead Actor, Drama for Hamza Haq; Best Lead Actress, Drama for Laurence Leboeuf; and Best Supporting Actress, Drama for Ayisha Issa. The fifth and final season of Kim’s Convenience (CBC) took home three Canadian Screen Awards: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee for Best Lead Actor, Comedy; Jean Yoon for Best Lead Actress, Comedy; and Andrew Phung for Best Supporting Actor, Comedy, marking his fifth win in this category. Kaniehtiio Horn won Best Supporting Actress, Comedy for Letterkenny. The Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor, Drama was presented to Tim Rozon for Wynonna Earp (CTV Sci Fi Channel). Best Performance, Children’s or Youth was presented to Saara Chaudry for Lockdown (Family Channel). The Best Stunt Coordination Award was presented to John Stead for Pretty Hard Cases. The Canadian Screen Award for Best Guest Performance, Drama Series was presented to Tamara Podemski for Coroner (CBC). The Best Lead Actor, TV Movie was presented to Luke Humphrey for I Was Lorena Bobbitt (CTV Drama Channel) and Best Lead Actress, TV Movie to Samora Smallwood for Death She Wrote (CTV Drama Channel).The award forBest Sketch Comedy Program or Series went to Tallboyz (CBC): Guled Abdi, Vance Banzo, Tim Blair and Franco Nguyen. Film honours were presented to Joshua Odjick for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Wildhood and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in Night Raiders. Miss Persona (Treehouse TV) won the Shaw Rocket Fund Kids’ Choice Award and CTV Sci Fi Channel’s Wynonna Earp took home the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award. ACTRA is a proud sponsor of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television’s Canadian Screen Awards. The April 10 Canadian Screen Awards broadcast can be viewed on CBC Gem. Link here to the full list of winners. academy.ca

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Spotlight on Juanita Peters

3 September 2024
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Spotlight on Juanita Peters

Juanita Peters directing Vinessa Antoine and Shalini Deshwal on Diggstown. Photo: CBC

Koumbie

In conversation:
Juanita Peters and Koumbie

This year our union has named Nova Scotian member, Juanita Peters, ACTRA National Woman of the Year. Juanita was a journalist in the 80’s and 90’s and has countless film and television acting credits. In recent years, Juanita has expanded her creative interests into directing. She has directed shows like Diggstown and Studio Black, and, last year, directed her first feature, 8:37 Rebirth. Juanita is extraordinarily passionate about creating change in our industry.

The only barrier is and always will be the “gatekeepers.” As women, we have to find ways to tell those important stories from our perspectives and on our terms. As Black women, we have so many barriers.

Juanita Peters

Koumbie: You’ve been an ACTRA member for 20 years, how would you say the industry has changed over the last two decades? 

Juanita: The acting world I started in is so different from today. I like to think I had something to do with that, especially in the Maritimes.

Educating agents and professionals about what a director might really want [in casting performers] was quite the task. Just because the script doesn’t say “Black,” “Asian,” etc., doesn’t mean they can’t be considered. Is the actor promoting milk or phones, the Internet, etc? We do that. Is the role for a doctor, a lawyer or a mother? We do all those things too. I actually had to say this to have people think differently about who they were sending into auditions.

A director wants their product to look authentic. Give them choices.

Juanita Peters directing Brandon Oakes on the set of Diggstown. Photo: CBC

K: What piece of advice would you give yourself when you were just starting out? 

J: I would tell myself to continue trusting my instincts.

There have been so many instances in my life where I’ve thought of something, even penned it, and it came out later by a bigger engine. Most people might get upset, but I thought “yeah, I knew that was something special.” 

I’ve also absolutely loved what those creators were able to do with it. I would tell myself to not give power to fear that it won’t be good or that it won’t be good enough.

I would tell myself to “enjoy the journey.” That’s what it is. A journey that will take you up and down and around. You have to trust that all of it will have value in the end and enjoy the ride. 

On the set of 8:37 Rebirth, Pasha Ebrahimi, Juanita Peters, Glen Gould. Photo: Steve Wilsack

K: What role do you think had the biggest impact on you and your career and why? 

J: I’m not sure one thing in particular has impacted me and my career. I would say it has been a series of things, including the people I’ve met, and stories I’ve heard from family and friends.

There are also those moments in life where you take a chance and walk through a door that you have no idea is going to have an impact on your future. But people are the reason why I do what I do. I’ve always been interested in human nature and all the complexities.

I could live without a lot of things, but I know I could not live without people, engagement, conversation, possibilities.

K: What do you see as the biggest barrier to Black women in the industry today? 

J: The only barrier is and always will be the “gatekeepers.” As women, we have to find ways to tell those important stories from our perspectives and on our terms. As Black women, we have so many barriers. Perception is just a small part of that. Producers can’t always see the value in our stories or how they will resonate with others, because it’s not their world. We need more female producers in decision-making seats.  

Actor Glen Gould consults with director Juanita Peters while filming 8:37 Rebirth, a gripping drama about an Indigenous artist confronting his past.

K: Did you have any mentors over your career? What role do you see mentorship playing in our industry? 

J: I’ve had so many mentors in my career, but I have to say filmmakers like Sylvia Hamilton, Lulu Keating, Doug Pope, and Thom Fitzgerald were the very first people who invited me into that circle of artists. These mentors made you feel safe.

True mentors give you the space to investigate what “you” can do. They guide you in a way that is supportive to your creative growth so you can feel confident in your choices and direction. Mentorship is key. Find that person you trust, who can help guide you. Even if it’s a phone call.

K: What’s next for Juanita Peters?

J: My mother asks this every year but with a different inflection than most people. She thinks I’m too busy, but I think it’s more fun to do new things rather than just think about it. Yes, even at my age, my mom is still a huge supporter and source of inspiration (smile).

I’ve got a few projects in the percolator and I never say no to new adventures.

An ACTRA member for 20 years, Juanita Peters has performed in over 30 films and television series, including Sex & Violence, Forgive Me, Splinters, Hobo with a Shotgun, Cloudburst and the Emmy-nominated Homeless to Harvard. Juanita’s director credits include the CBC Television series Diggstown and Studio Black, and the feature film 8:37 Rebirth. For more than 15 years, Juanita served as a journalist and news anchor in the Maritimes and hosted four seasons of the CBC documentary series, Doc Side. Juanita is a founding member of Women in Film and Television (Atlantic) and Nova MultiFest, Atlantic Canada’s newest multicultural festival. She has served on the boards of Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), Playwrights Atlantic Resource, Matchstick Theatre and the Robert Pope Foundation. In recent years, she has worked for the Council on African Canadian Education and also as Knowledge Lead for the Home for Colored Children Restorative Inquiry.

Koumbie began her acting career on two of Halifax’s longest-running TV series, Mr. D and Trailer Park Boys, and has expanded her creative interests into directing, writing and producing. She directed her first feature-length film, Bystanders, in April and has won several awards for her short films. Koumbie is Vice President of the ACTRA Maritimes Branch Council.

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Embracing our Creative Drive

3 September 2024
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Categories: Spring 2022

Embracing our Creative Drive

John Cassini plays Max Matteo on the set of Break a Leg.

John Cassini

There is nothing worse than having an unquenchable thirst to create but having to wait for permission to do so.

Ever since I became an actor back in the late ‘80s, I have been creating work for myself and for others. Whether it was putting up plays, founding theatre companies or making indie films, waiting for permission never made much sense to me.

I think I was also keenly aware that exploring my own voice in self-generated projects is another way of becoming a better actor. The freedom to explore without the gun-for-hire pressure eventually allows me to bring more of myself to other people’s work. As Miles Davis once said, “Man, sometimes it takes a long time to sound like yourself.”

My first foray in the film world of not waiting for permission was directing/producing a short film in 2000 called Freedom Park shot in around Venice, California written and starring my brother Frank. Fab Filippo would do some boom operating for us, Jennifer Beals was our stills photographer and I somehow while guest starring on NYPD Blue convinced one of the camera operators/DP’s to shoot it. Hollywood titans Frank Marshall and Kathy Kennedy opened up their account at a camera rental house to me as well. It was a beautiful reminder that when you take the initiative to create, overwhelming support finds you.  

The desire to create also came from some pretty dark nights of the soul for me. I spent many a night in Los Angeles lying in bed awake, emotional and heartbroken that I was not getting the opportunities I felt I was ready for. (“If they would only come see my play!”)

Whether it was putting up plays, founding theatre companies or making indie films, waiting for permission never made much sense to me. – John Cassini

This heartbreak inspired the film Break a Leg, which I produced, played the lead role in, and co-wrote with my brother Frank in 2002. It is a black comedy about an L.A.-based actor who is willing to go to any length to book a job, including “breaking a leg” of his competition. I received a lot of funny looks at auditions when it started playing on cable. And countless nods of understanding.

Ruth Lawrence (centre) on location in St. John’s, NL directing the feature film Little Orphans with cast Kyra Harper and Emily Bridger.

Producing indie films became my training camp to becoming an on-set creative producer-for-hire on TV movies. – John Cassini

As it turned out, producing indie films became my training camp to becoming an on-set creative producer-for-hire on television movies, which I have and continue to love doing.  

Producing and acting in the feature film Daughter (Amazon Prime, CBC Gem) turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my career thus far. A true labour of love. Initially written by Anthony Shim as a one-act play, it is the latest project we developed out of the Railtown Actors Studio in Vancouver. Daughter opened the B.C. Spotlight at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in 2019 to over 600 people. The feeling I experienced during that incredible night of community was only matched by the collaboration and support we experienced during the making of the film.

DOP Rodrigo Iñiguez with Ruth Lawrence directing the short series We Are Here in St. John’s, NL.

I have always been curious about the creative drive within ACTRA performers across the country. A number of performers are finding ways to optimize their voices on both sides of the camera. Hailing from Newfoundland, Ruth Lawrence, who directed the series The Adventures of Gay & Lou, recently starred in the feature Under the Weather and guest starred in Hudson & Rex, also recently stepped behind the camera to direct her debut feature Little Orphans.

Little Orphans marks the feature debut of St. John’s, Nfld. director Ruth Lawrence.

I love storytelling. Its power to bring a community of people together to experience (stories) together is magical….All of the creative elements come together in film…
– Ruth Lawrence

Following 15 years of steady acting work, Ruth noticed the parts available to her began to dwindle. For Ruth, being a filmmaker means she can tell the stories she is interested in seeing on screen: “I had already done some writing for theatre, I had directed some professional productions, and I had taken a number of filmmaking classes and workshops through NIFCO (Newfoundland Independent Film Makers Co-Op) and the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival. My very first film was hard as it took me over three years to finish — and it was only three minutes long! I knew I had to become a more efficient creator if I wanted to keep doing it.” Ruth acknowledges that producing is a tough gig: “You are always last to be paid, if you ever get paid,” but also goes on to say, “I love storytelling. Its power to bring a community of people together to experience (stories) together is magical….All of the creative elements come together in film…”

Jonathan Bédard and Fred Nguyen Khan from the upcoming web series Kung-Fu Kerfuffle.
Shijia Jiang, Tobie Garceau, Guy-Carl Dubé, Fred Nguyen Khan and Louis Turcotte on the set of the short film The Burglar.

Montreal-based actor, stunt performer and fight choreographer Fred Nguyen Khan, whose credits include Outriders, Transplant and Street Legal, says he is addicted to comedy and martial arts: “Unless I am doing mo-cap work, I do not get a chance to professionally use my martial arts experience as often as I would like. This is why I love making my own projects where I can control the action design. I get to control the timing and musicality of a fight scene. The same applies to comedy, which is why most, if not all, of my content is a mix of action and comedy.”

Omari Newton during a workshop he led in 2016 for his company, Boldskool Productions, at the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre. Photo: Jessica Hallenbeck
Omari Newton was a feature speaker at the TEDxWhistler virtual event in 2021.

Creating my own work is like throwing my own party — I get a say in who is invited, what music gets played, and who gets to stay.
– Omari Newton

Omari Newton says he feels lucky when he lands an acting gig. His credits include Corner Gas Animated, Continuum, and ReBoot: The Guardian Code. Omari also says he likes to be in a position where he has more creative control: “Sometimes show business feels like a series of exclusive parties that I am not invited to. When I am lucky enough to land a gig, it feels like my name was somewhat arbitrarily added to a party guest list, which is always a nice feeling. Though I enjoy myself while I am at the party, I know it will end soon (they all do), and I try not to get tossed out while everyone is still dancing. Creating my own work is like throwing my own party — I get a say in who is invited, what music gets played, and who gets to stay. Sure, my party will end eventually (again, they all do), but at least I got to dance with my people – to the tunes I selected – for a little while.”

Agam Darshi (pictured far right) directing Donkeyhead on location in Regina, Saskatchewan.

To have an idea and see it through to the end is a powerful gift you can give yourself. – Agam Darshi

Agam Darshi agrees that embracing our creative drive provides us with an empowering experience where we get to control the narrative: “To have an idea and see it through to the end is a powerful gift you can give yourself.” Her acting credits include Sanctuary and The Flash, and she is the (first-time) writer-director and star of the dramedy feature Donkeyhead, shot in Regina, Saskatchewan. “Creating my own work brings joy and meaning in ways that, sometimes, acting cannot. I create to give all of myself an opportunity to express myself and to be heard.”

Though Agam’s creativity is driven by desire and passion, frustration motivates her too: “I believe the media in the West does not accurately reflect the world in all of its beautiful diverse colours. I create because I want to see more diversity on screen.”

Directed, written by and starring Agam Darshi, the Donkeyhead cast includes Stephen Lobo, Sandy Sidhu, Huse Madhavj, Kim Coates, Marvin Ishmael and Balinder.

Creating has become such an integral part of my existence. – Anthony Shim

Another actor turned writer-director is Anthony Shim, also the producer of the aforementioned feature Daughter, says: “Creating has become such an integral part of my existence.” His performance credits include 21 Thunder and The Man in the High Castle. One of Anthony’s hardest — but most rewarding — creative experiences has been working on his second feature film, Riceboy Sleeps, which he is currently completing: “I had a portion of the film take place in South Korea and we shot in this small town that my grandfather was born and raised in. It was impossibly challenging, stressful and terrifying, but ended up being one of the most magical and rewarding creative experiences I have ever had. I felt like the movie gods were really looking out for us. And now it’s captured on film forever!”

Anthony Shim directing Riceboy Sleeps on location in Gangwon-do, South Korea. Photo: Youngbae Son
Anthony Shim with John Cassini at the premiere of Daughter at VIFF in 2019.

I wouldn’t know how I would process anything that happened to me, if I couldn’t turn it into art.  – Fab Filippo

“I wouldn’t know how I would process anything that happened to me, if I couldn’t turn it into art,” says Fab Filippo, who most recently co-created, wrote and directed the critically acclaimed CBC and HBO Max dramedy Sort Of. Inspired to explore his creativity, he started writing for two reasons: “When I was young there was a person who believed in me and made me feel like what I had to say was worth something. Whether it is a parent or a friend, these people in your life are essential.” Reason two was when Fab started acting professionally (like many of us), he did not like the feeling of waiting to get to work: “Personally, I need to work or I am unrooted. I discovered writing and it was something I could do without anyone having to give me permission to do it. I could just go to work every day, by myself if I had to, and get better and better at it. It made me feel like I had agency”

Fab Filippo (right) directing Sort Of on location in Toronto. Photo courtesy of CBC.
When Sort Of, co-created by Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo, debuted last fall on CBC and HBO Max, it marked many firsts: the first non-binary lead on Canadian TV, the first queer South Asian Muslim to star on Canadian prime time.

Creating content is especially rewarding as I often find it’s an unconscious extension of myself – my psyche.
– Julian Black Antelope

According to Julian Black Antelope, if you live in Alberta and want to work in the business, you have to be versatile. From acting to writing, directing and stunt work on productions such as Prey, Hold the Dark, Tribal, Joe Pickett, Hell on Wheels and the much-anticipated Grendel, Julian pretty much has all the bases covered. He describes his recent experience of being a creator and showrunner as: “Taking an idea and manifesting it into a reality, which became my first television series, Secret History. It wasn’t easy. It has been a torch I’ve carried uphill for no less than 10 years. But my persistence (mostly stubbornness) paid off because now I’m going into my second and third seasons, with more projects on the way. Creating content is especially rewarding as I often find it’s an unconscious extension of myself — my psyche. Sometimes it’s exorcizing demons to make change for personal growth, while other times it’s creating the ‘world’ I want to see. Speaking as an Indigenous person, creating for me means I am in the driver’s seat — putting Indigenous talent in front of the lens and in key production positions.”

Julian Black Antelope directing on the Secret History set, speaks to DOP Ian Lister. Photo: Herd of 1 Media

Julian also believes being creative is a natural mental state to be in: “I see it as a workout for your soul. We see it in our children who are always in a creative state of mind. I mean, have you ever heard of a child who doesn’t want to colour and draw the world around them?”

Julian Black Antelope is the creator, host, producer and director of the 13-part APTN series Secret History: The Wild West.

Creating our own passion projects fuels our greater purpose and commitment as artists. – John Cassini

I couldn’t agree more with Julian… and all the others for that matter. Storytelling is a major part of our DNA. Creating our own passion projects fuels our greater purpose and commitment as artists. Purpose is everything. Purpose that inspires a commitment to explore, to “know thyself” and find our voice while serving a story. I believe creating promotes our overall well-being while bringing us closer to finding ourselves. For us, what better way than through the work.

If you can, avoid the temptation to make that last audition – or the next audition – the primary focus of your artistic journey. Keep picking up that colouring book. We became performers because we have something to say. Say it. We’re listening.

John Cassini, co-wrote with brother Frank (right), co-produced and stars in Break a Leg.
John (centre with glasses) producing on the set of Daughter. Photo: Greg Massie 

John Cassini is an award-winning actor, a producer and one of Canada’s sought-after acting coaches. He is a Lifetime Member of the renowned Actors Studio in New York and is the Artistic Director and Co- Founder of Railtown Actors Studio in Vancouver, B.C., now in its 10th year. John’s credits span from Hollywood big-budget films to indie productions. In 2018, John was awarded the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Achievement and, in 2020, he won the UBCP/ACTRA Award for Best Lead Actor for his performance in Daughter. John serves as the UBCP/ACTRA Vice President, is Chair of the Principal Performers and the Performers who Create Committees as well as the Member Education program. John was born and raised in downtown Toronto, and loves living in Vancouver, which he now calls home. He remains an eternal optimist evidenced by remaining a die-hard Leafs fan.  

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Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

3 September 2024
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Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

Peter Balkwill

Among the arts, puppetry and puppeteers are a breed unto their own. A unique kind of performing artist who is willing to forsake the spotlight and allow the focus of their efforts to rest not on themselves, but rather on an inanimate object that is begging life.

There is a quality among these performers that makes them kin; a familial interest to stay connected to that innate, childlike instinct to play, to imagine other worlds and engage within them.

Among this family is a pioneer of the craft who was profound in his vision, an artist who managed an esthetic that would become a brand name in puppetry: Jim Henson.

Canada has become a “go-to” destination for any kind of camera-related puppet activity.

Professor Henson (professor is the moniker attributed to the Victorian puppet masters of Punch and Judy shows) is the creator of The Muppets, which were the foundational teachers of literacy amongst many of us. He is also the creator of a puppet within this style called the Fraggles; a breed unto their own. Fraggle Rock debuted in 1983 and was a co-production between multiple companies, including the Jim Henson Company and CBC Television. Much of the original series was filmed in Toronto over five seasons, creating a legacy of puppeteers for film and television in that region. Canada has since become a “go-to” destination for any kind of camera-related puppet activity.

Kira Hall, Aymee Garcia and Ingrid Hanson, puppeteers of Marjory the Trash Heap.

Not only is Calgary situated with a state-of-the-art film centre, but the region also holds one of the most established puppet-theatre scenes in Western Canada.

So, in the fall of 2020, AppleTV+, in co-production with the Jim Henson Company (among others), started searching north of the 49th parallel for a possible location to film Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, a reboot of the original series. It was a tricky task as the current COVID pandemic had created a shortage of sound stages in Toronto and Vancouver, which led the production team to start searching in other locations. They began looking at Calgary as a possible site and started with a simple inquiry of the city’s ability to house a major television puppetry program. They discovered a hidden gem outside of the established markets. Not only is Calgary situated with a state-of-the-art film centre, but the region also holds one of the most established puppet-theatre scenes in Western Canada, home to companies like the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Green Fools and Calgary Animated Objects Society. But there are two major differences between puppetry for theatre and manipulating for film and TV – the camera and the use of a monitor to find yourself within the world.

Frank Meschkuleit. Photo: Dina Meschkuleit
Uncle Travelling Matt was performed by Frank Meschkuleit and Kevin Clash, later voiced by Dave Goelz who created the character in the original series. Frank also puppeteered Boober, who was also later voiced by Dave Goelz. Photo courtesy of Apple. Photo Courtesy of Apple.

Frank Meschkuleit recalls part of his training preparing for the role of Junior Gorg for the original Fraggle Rock series included a roast chicken, a bottle of wine and a stack of old Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton VHS tapes.

The producers needed to bring in some veterans, some tried-and-true puppeteers of the film industry. To lead the charge, they enlisted Frank Meschkuleit, a cast member from the original series, to act as puppetry co-captain and to puppeteer many major characters. Frank came to puppetry through physical theatre training and had done some incidental work on some Muppet projects before working on the original Fraggle Rock. He recalls part of his training preparing for the role of Junior Gorg for the original Fraggle Rock series included a roast chicken, a bottle of wine and a stack of old Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton VHS tapes: “Just do that.” he was told. “It was both the simplest and most complicated training I’d ever received as a performer.” There is truth to this in puppetry. Before production began, Frank arrived to train the Calgary puppeteers alongside another Fraggle veteran and executive producer of the current project, John Tartaglia. Together these two amazing artists helped to create an environment that would provide the foundation for a new family of Fraggle puppeteers to emerge.

Jordan Lockhart and Anna Cummer filming the flutterfly sequence in episode seven, “Flight of the Flutterflies”. Photo: John Tartaglia.

Jordan Lockhart cut his hind teeth training at the Sesame Workshop in NYC and was ready to help “preserve what made these characters special while carefully updating them for a 21st century-audience.”

Within this family was Jordan Lockhart, who came from Toronto to bring life to one of the main Fraggle Five: Wembley. Jordan cut his hind teeth training at the Sesame Workshop in New York City and was ready to help “preserve what made these characters special while carefully updating them for a 21st century-audience.” He recalls working in Calgary with “easily the best crew I’ve ever worked with hands down!” He was also impressed with the local puppeteers and how “they all supported each other like a family and helped one another shine.” Adding to the energy, the project was host to 25 puppeteers all told, creating, as Frank remembers, “that feeling of wonder and delight again, where each wide shot has a dozen tiny stories told by the puppets in the background.”

Jordan Lockhart is the puppeteer of Wembly, Anna Cummer the Flutterfly. Photo courtesy of Apple

Anna Cummer is no stranger to working within the world of the animated cosmos.

Among this throng of hectic Henson activity was a local Calgary cohort of puppeteers, which included a wide breadth of experience within puppetry but also film and TV in all forms. Anna Cummer is no stranger to working within the world of the animated cosmos. Anna is the voice of Strawberry Shortcake in the Berry Bitty Adventures series. With an impressive training pedigree capped with a master’s degree from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in the U.K., Anna went right to work with the Fraggles true to the empowered Henson Company mandate – she began to “play”. As part of the background of Back to the Rock, all of the Fraggles are always trying to steal the scene; “we grabbed a bunch of props and costume pieces and just went to town riffing off each other. It was incredibly fun and added wonderful texture and interest to the scene as a whole. Incredibly effective.” It was easy enough to bring these creatures to life as Jim Henson was an inspired designer: “he knew how to build them: the Ferrari of puppets.”

Aymee Garcia and Peter Balkwill with Fraggles Pierogi and Beaky de Shnoz. Photo: Ingrid Hansen

On the day Professor Henson passed – May 16, 1990 – DerRic Starlight decided to dedicate his life to puppetry.

Another puppeteer who stands as an incredible legacy to Jim Henson, and who came full circle into Fraggle Rock, is an Indigenous puppeteer named DerRic Starlight. He remembers growing up with the Muppets as a child on the Tsuut’ina Nation just west of Calgary: “On the reserve, the only clear signal we could get was CBC.” On the day Professor Henson passed – May 16, 1990 – DerRic decided to dedicate his life to puppetry. Since that day, he has manipulated on several projects with the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) but even more impressively he has created his own brand of “Nuppets,” a family of native puppets. He has toured and performed on every reserve in Canada, carrying across the country the spirit that so impacted him as a youngster. As a result of working on Fraggle, DerRic was selected from thousands of applicants to continue his training for three weeks with the Jim Henson Company in Los Angeles, “Working with these puppets is to be on the biggest, most important puppet stage in the world.”

Fraggles Red, Gobo, Boober, Mokey and Wembley. Photo courtesy of Apple
DerRic Starlight with Fraggle Pat. Photo: Ingrid Hansen

As part of the background of Back to the Rock, all of the Fraggles are always trying to steal the scene.

If one believes in shifts in the matrix, then this is what happened to Calgary when the Fraggles came calling. It added gasoline to the fire of puppetry already happening in this region and put it all in front of an international, mega-audience. The impact of that “Rock” has spawned the newly formed Calgary Puppeteer Collective, which is currently creating and launching its own pilot of a new series called Windchasers (working title). All of this is an amazing continuum of one person’s idea to create worlds to reach people through the art of puppetry and now Calgary is ready to rival any market to be part of the production of world-class puppetry for film and television.

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock — Official Trailer | Apple TV+
Peter Balkwill with Toodles. Photo: Ingrid Hansen

Peter Balkwill is a Calgary-based actor and producer known for Fraggle Rock, From Naughty to Nice and Blow Out. When not performing, Peter is an Assistant Professor of Acting and Drama in the School of Creative and Performing Arts at the University of Calgary. In theatre, he works as a founding Co-Artistic Director of the Old Trout Puppet Workshop, the Education Director of the Canadian Academy of Mask and Puppetry and the Co-Artistic Director of the Festival of Animated Objects, also in Calgary. Peter has been an ACTRA member since 2006.

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You’re in Good Company

3 September 2024
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You’re in Good Company

ACTRA members: front row: Andre Anderson, Dylan Bailey; Second: Linda Carvery; Third: Carol Bezanson, Chris Cuthbertson; Fourth: Silvio Vaca-Talbot, Patti Davidson.

Marie Kelly

ACTRA performers bring their A-game to every commercial production they work on. In our “time is money” industry, professional performances that only ACTRA members can deliver are undeniably invaluable to any production.

Not only does their skill, training, professionalism, energy, and dedication to the craft translate on screen – ACTRA performers have a gift. They have the extraordinary and intrinsic ability to: memorize lines; bring characters to life; and think on their feet while ad-libbing with everyone around them. The industry uses this gift to create world-class, award-winning commercials.

Before a performer actually lands a roll and clocks-in on set, a big part of their work takes place during the audition process — on their own time and their own dime.

In fact, due to the very nature of commercial work, ACTRA members are in constant ‘audition mode,’ often working at the industry’s beck and call: receiving and memorizing scripts with little time before an audition; setting aside family responsibilities and personal commitments; getting themselves to in-person auditions; setting up virtual audition rooms or putting themselves on tape.

Marie Kelly, ACTRA National Executive Director and Lead Negotiator; Ron Lund, ACA President and CEO; Eleanor Noble, ACTRA National President.
ACTRA member Oliver Boyle posts, “YES to stability in the industry and respect for performers.”

ACTRA performers deliver maximum screen impact in minimum time.

When the time comes for the commercial director to call “action!” on set, ACTRA performers deliver maximum screen impact in minimum time. And sales spike for advertisers. 

For decades, advertisers and advertising agencies have respected and valued the work ACTRA members deliver for their clients.

But this past year, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) and its advertising agency members made the unconscionable decision to attack ACTRA members — the most loyal, dedicated, and precarious workers in the commercial industry.

Thinking they can bully ACTRA members into submission, the ICA is seeking to strip away the ability for commercial performers to make a living and plan for their futures. Their strategy seems to be more about breaking our union than it is about working with our professional performers to create high-quality commercials for their advertising partners.

Today we stand on the shoulders of those who were once forced to work long hours for as little as $15 a day.

This backward thinking reminds me of our roots and the early struggles of our union when, in the 1940s, radio performers took on a commercial industry that was paying “a dollar a holler.” Today we stand on the shoulders of those who were once forced to work long hours for as little as $15 a day. ACTRA’s founding members fought very hard to ensure every member who steps onto an ACTRA set is safe and compensated fairly. And, in 2007, our members took up the fight again by going on strike in our film and television sector for the first time in our union’s history. ACTRA won – securing ground-breaking digital media provisions in the Independent Production Agreement (IPA).

These were fights we chose to take on because we had to. We did not choose today’s fight with the ICA.

What the ICA doesn’t know is that ACTRA has faced bullies before, and we know our strength lies in sticking together. As valued and respected industry stakeholders, ACTRA advocates for fair pay, safety, diversity and basic minimum standards for everyone. But when someone tries to rip away the minimum protections we have as workers, we will fight – fight hard – and fight together.


Advertisers want commercials that get results – through performances that ACTRA members deliver.

In this spirit, I thank Eleanor Noble, National President and Chair of the National Commercial Agreement (NCA), and our National Council for leading the charge for fair, safe, and respectful working conditions free of harassment in all its forms. I also thank and respectfully acknowledge members of our NCA Negotiating Committee. No matter what was thrown at them over the last year, our team acted professionally and strategically and stood strong.

On the Spot: In conversation with ACTRA and the ACA. Ron Lund, President of the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA), and Marie Kelly, ACTRA National Executive Director, talk about why advertisers agreed to a renewal of the National Commercial Agreement (NCA) – one of the reasons is because advertisers want commercials that get results–through performances that ACTRA members deliver.

Thanks also to our members who turned out in record numbers for an overwhelming vote of support for ACTRA and our one-year renewal agreement with the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA).

We have many friends, including talent agents and managers, across the country who are standing with us. We have a partner with the ACA, who represents Canada’s principal advertisers – major companies, brands, most large banks and governments. The ACA recognizes the value ACTRA performers bring to commercials and wants to continue working with ACTRA’s top talent to build their brands.

ACTRA members bring quality and stability to the commercial sector.
– Maurice Dean Wint

Canada’s best and most memorable commercials have featured ACTRA performers for almost 60 years. Our union is 79 years old and, today, we are 28,000 members strong. Our time is now to ensure commercial sets in Canada remain ACTRA sets for decades to come.

That’s why You’re in Good Company with ACTRA.

In solidarity,
ACTRA National Executive Director
Marie Kelly

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Strength in Solidarity

3 September 2024
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Strength in Solidarity

Sitting: Marie Kelly, ACTRA National Executive Director and Lead Negotiator; Run Lund, ACA President and CEO; Eleanor Noble, ACTRA National President. Standing: ACTRA bargaining committee members: Jocelyne Zucco; Keith Martin Gordey, Theresa Tova, Sue Milling; Judy Davey, ACA; Reg Pearson, Moderator.

Eleanor Noble

As gig workers in a precarious industry, the kind of stability ACTRA provides to its members is essential in having any kind of security. ACTRA attains this through bargaining our collective agreements.

Becoming a union member legitimizes and proves you are a professional performer. As soon as you become an ACTRA cardholder, opportunities through auditioning open up. Once you start generating an income, benefits such as eye care, dental healthcare, massage therapy, physiotherapy, mental health therapy and more become available. It also begins the growth of a retirement savings plan for your future financial security. And, most importantly, working under a union contract through ACTRA assures fair wages and safe and respectful working conditions.

Eleanor Noble (centre) with commercial bargaining team members Scott Farley and Tenisha Collins.
Marie Kelly, ACTRA National Executive Director and Lead Negotiator; Run Lund ACA President and CEO; Eleanor Noble, ACTRA National President.


We recognize there is still much work to be done to improve respect in the workplace.

We recognize there is still much work to be done to improve respect in the workplace. We have made progress over the last five years in this regard, broadening diversity and inclusion and setting rules to diminish abuse of power. ACTRA recently met with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) to discuss issues faced in our industry regarding dignity and respect. We also continue to pursue our Hair and Makeup grievance with the help of Jenn Paul, ACTRA National’s new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Director. Many of you may know Jenn from the ACTRA Toronto office, where she previously worked as the Industry Relations Specialist for Anti-Black Racism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and we are elated to have her working with us on the national level.

Recently, we have been through some very emotional and challenging rounds of bargaining, and we have been making positive headway.

Unexpectedly, over the last year, we have come up against a different kind of bargaining, one that threatens to bust our union.

Unexpectedly, over the last year, we have come up against a different kind of bargaining, one that threatens to bust our union. Thankfully, we achieved a renewal of the National Commercial Agreement (NCA) with the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA). However, the Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA) did not want to find an agreement with ACTRA. Rather, they broke away and are set on disregarding and disrespecting our collective agreement. The ICA demanded major cuts to our TV residuals and voiceover rates, placed bargaining conditions that would have reduced the scope of our agreement, created instability in the commercial industry across Canada, and incorrectly stated our NCA had expired and no longer existed. This was transparent bad faith bargaining, using tactics designed specifically to break our union

Watch the first episode of our new Know Your Lines video series in which ACTRA National President Eleanor Noble breaks down the who’s who in the commercial industry. New episodes and additional information about our renewal NCA can be found here: actra.ca/stability/members.

What we do together as a union matters.

We have currently filed a claim with the Ontario Labour Relations Board and have reached out to union allies, advertisers and advertising agencies across the country to counter the attack and bring stability back to the commercial sector. We wish to express our thanks and gratitude to all eligible NCA voters for their resounding YES vote to a strike mandate, which provided us leverage in the fight, and again for the resounding YES vote to ratifying the renewal NCA.

What we do together as a union matters.

Our union is about strength, solidarity and pride. Together and unified, we shall succeed in protecting our livelihood.

Make no mistake, we are in a fight against these union busters. But our union is about strength, solidarity and pride. Together and unified, we shall succeed in protecting our livelihood. We know the value in 28,000 ACTRA members across Canada and the ACA does as well. The ACA has proven to be a great partner. Please follow ACTRA’s regular Bulletins for updates and information about the ongoing process to protect our commercial sector.

In other news, we were very proud to announce Juanita Peters as ACTRA National’s 2022 Woman of the Year on March 7 ahead of International Women’s Day. Please join me in congratulating Juanita. You can learn about her incredible journey and contributions to the industry in her Q & A by Koumbie.

In early May, a Summit was held in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre, hosted by Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodríguez. The three-day event included thought-provoking plenary discussions involving artists and cultural industry leaders from across the country. The primary focus was on the future of the arts, the impact of Canadian culture both domestically and internationally, and the sector’s recovery as we gradually emerge from the pandemic. It was thrilling to be amongst so many Canadian artists and cultural leaders, including performers, musicians, singers, dancers, technicians, writers, directors, producers, visual artists and museum workers. The conversations were rich and provided a sense of the challenges facing different elements of our industry.

Strength in numbers! Keep sharing your social posts to support stability in Canada’s commercial industry.
Eleanor Noble and Minister of Canadian Heritage, Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, meeting during the National Culture Summit in May.

The realization that income averaging for artists at tax time would be helpful in allowing us to sustain a better living were discussed and offered up as solutions moving forward.

A common theme was an appreciation for the government recognizing us as gig workers and providing emergency benefit initiatives when the initial Covid-19 lockdowns began. The realization that gig workers are not eligible to contribute to or receive Employment Insurance and that income averaging for artists at tax time would be helpful in allowing us to sustain a better living were discussed and offered up as solutions moving forward.

There was also significant focus on the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11 (read a related ACTRA news release here). We heard from representatives of media giants, such as YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, who expressed their industry viewpoints while also explaining the nuances of their algorithms. Artists in the room explained that Canadian content is not highlighted via current algorithms, and it is hurting us. However, these media giants claimed nationality has nothing to do with algorithms, success or attention and that algorithms are not created by country. Artists were not in agreement with this explanation, provoking much heated debate, with many arguing that if media giants have the capability to control harmful and bad content and push positive messaging forward, they could equally support Canadian content through that very same system.

On behalf of ACTRA, I urged Minister Rodríguez to act quickly to pass Bill C-11 so we may all benefit from a long-overdue modernization of the Broadcasting Act.

In addition to participating in the plenary discussions, I had the opportunity to meet with Minister Rodríguez one-on-one. We discussed media giants paying their fair share into our economy and equalizing obligations between foreign and traditional broadcasters. On behalf of ACTRA, I urged Minister Rodríguez to act quickly to pass Bill C-11 so we may all benefit from a long-overdue modernization of the Broadcasting Act. ACTRA will continue our lobbying efforts and public advocacy work until we see this important bill passed.

As we adjust to measures stemming from the pandemic, the ACTRA National Council will be meeting in person this June for the first time since 2020 before Covid protocols changed how we work and meet. We will be taking all precautions, including daily testing and following all health and safety recommendations set in Ontario. We are looking forward to bringing our branches together in solidarity as we have in the past.

Union solidarity is the base upon which we can build and sustain a livelihood doing what we love to do and what we do best.

Now, more than ever, understanding the significance of having a union behind us, especially given the precarious nature of our industry, coming out of a global pandemic, and the attack on our union by the ICA, is essential. Union solidarity is the base upon which we can build and sustain a livelihood doing what we love to do and what we do best. Without ACTRA and our collective agreements, we wouldn’t have fair working wages, protections, security, healthcare benefits, pension plans, or safety measures.

ACTRA is a leader in our industry. Let’s stand proud, stand strong, stand unified.

In solidarity,
Eleanor Noble
President of ACTRA National

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