The Most Popular Intermission Articles of 2018
We worked with so many talented contributors this year. We offer sincere thanks to our writers and readers for continuing to support theatre in Toronto, and beyond. Below are the ten most-read Intermission articles of 2018.
The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2018
1. Tony Nappo, “Spotlight: Kim Coates”
Kim Coates in Jerusalem. Photo by Dahlia Katz
““No” is a word Kim isn’t afraid to use. In fact, I do an imitation of him that consists ONLY of saying the word “no” over and over and over, which he seems to get a real kick out of. I understand this side of him. The only power an actor ever has when trying to carve out a career for themselves is the power to say no. It is the hardest muscle for actors to develop because most just want to work. And most want to work in film and television as quickly as possible, where the pay is considerably higher than it is in theatre. So why didn’t Kim want to jump into it, like every single other actor on the entire planet starting out?”
2. Nathan Carroll, “The Problem With “The Show Must Go On””
Cape Spear Lighthouse in Newfoundland. Photo by Andrew Scanlon.
“When I was a teenager, with dreams of starring in musicals and working at the Stratford Festival, I told myself that all I would ever need to feel fulfilled was the ability to make a living as an actor. In the past year I have starred in musicals, worked at the Stratford Festival, and made the majority of my income from performing, yet I have been fighting mental illness that’s strong enough to defeat all of my coping methods and strategies. The fact that happiness doesn’t always accompany my success fills me with deep shame.”
3. Maija Kappler, “Telling the Story of the Murder Trial that Changed the Country”
Lynne Harper, left, and Steven Truscott, right
“Wanting someone to blame after such a horrific event is an instinct Cooper investigates in the play, rather than outright condemns. Harper’s death was so shocking, and she was killed in a way that was so gruesome, that it was natural for Clinton residents to find comfort in identifying the supposed perpetrator.”
4. Christine Brubaker and Jennifer Wigmore, “Actor Training in Canada: An Appeal for Change”
“As acting teachers, we need to be on the forefront of this learning. Mental health accommodations are an increasing reality in our programs. As teachers, we know we all have a lot of work to do confronting our biases and privilege when dealing with race, gender, power, and inclusion. In 2018, knowledge, skill, and technique are required to work with these young artists, but so too is understanding that success and experience as a professional performer can no longer be the only measure for teaching a vulnerable practice.”
5. An Anonymous Actress, “A Story”
Jim Coat / CC-by-NC-ND 2.0
“A white piece of paper with a large black line across it. Tarnished. Damaged goods.
That is how I described myself to my therapist when I told her.
I am a woman. I am a young, queer woman who loves the arts. I’ve never wanted to do anything with my life but spend it creating and performing. So I do it. I am lucky and I know this.”
6. “Seven Women or Non-Binary Artists You Probably Don’t Know But Should”
“As part of Storefront Theatre’s Feminist Fuck It Festival, we asked the festival’s five curators to tell us a female artist they think more people should know about. Some are in the festival, some aren’t, but they’re all worth checking out.”
7. Kevin Michael Shea, “The Case for Accepting Unsolicited Scripts”
Books and scripts – all day, every day. Photo by Sarah / CC BY-NC_ND 2.0
“Indeed, putting the onus on playwrights to have their work performed in order to be considered by a theatre is a rather large barrier to access. Since almost no theatres in this country accept unsolicited scripts, ambitious playwrights basically have no choice but to self-produce, frequently in a poorly paid, semi-professional context. In this way, theatres have passed some of the labour of play development onto artists themselves.”
8. Maria Vacratsis, 10 Reasons Why Fame is Different after Sixty
Brenda Robins, Clare Coulter, Maria Vacratsis, and Kyra Harper in Escaped Alone. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.
“Your stunt double only has to execute getting out of an armchair in less than forty-five seconds.”
9. Kristen Thomson, Forgetting the Fear
Kristen Thomson in Every Brilliant Thing. Photo by Dahlia Katz
“I used to isolate myself backstage and cry after we performed for our first audiences. The energy they brought into the room utterly rocked me. I hadn’t learned how to work with that energy—it would distract me and confuse me, consuming me like a tidal wave. I knew I had to perform the show as it had been directed, but that I also needed to let the audience into the experience. Where do I place my energy? How do I integrate theirs?”
10. Bryn Kennedy, To the Theatre School Graduates of 2019
Graduation by Alan Light / CC by 2.0
“I wrote this because I had thoughts rolling around in my head about a very difficult period of my life. I wrote this because I wish that someone had said these words to me. I wrote this because I needed to process what had happened. And I thought it was possible that this year, there might be someone else who would need to as well.”
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