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The Performers Podcast

The Performers Podcast

Keith Tomasek

A theater arts and performing arts podcast featuring interviews that inspire and empower performers, while encouraging the benefits of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Interviews with acclaimed actors, writers, directors and musicians sharing the secrets behind their success.
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Top 10 The Performers Podcast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Performers Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Performers Podcast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Performers Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

The Performers Podcast - Brooke Johnson: Trudeau Stories

Brooke Johnson: Trudeau Stories

The Performers Podcast

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04/26/16 • 34 min

Brooke is an award winning actor who, when she was in her teens, launched her career by working as a production assistant at the Shaw Festival, often driving actors to and from Toronto. She has an expansive career but I decided to focus our chat on her solo performance "Trudeau Stories." She met Trudeau at the National Theatre School of Canada where she was studying acting. They shared a dance at the school and their cheek to cheek moment sparked a relationship that lasted years. Brooke documented the relationship with Trudeau in a journal and in 2007 created the solo performance, "Trudeau Stories" based on her time with Trudeau. We talk about her time with Trudeau and how she developed the solo show.
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The Performers Podcast - Director, actor: Krista Jackson

Director, actor: Krista Jackson

The Performers Podcast

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01/18/16 • 42 min

At the age of 12 Krista knew she was destined for a life in the theatre. She left her Winnipeg home in her teens to study acting in Toronto, but after she found herself auditioning, with a dozen other young actresses, for a "Tide" laundry detergent commercial, she quit that scene and returned the theatre community in Winnipeg. Today she’s one of the busiest people in the business. In this episode we trace her path from actress to director and artistic director.
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The Performers Podcast - Magician, Author: David Ben

Magician, Author: David Ben

The Performers Podcast

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11/24/15 • 41 min

David Ben is a Canadian stage magician, sleight of hand artist, author, magic historian, creative consultant and former tax lawyer. David was educated at the University of Toronto (BA), the University of Western Ontario (LLB), and the London School of Economics (LLM). We talk about his decision to leave his law practice to practice magic. David is the rare magician who, like Ricky Jay or Teller, of the duo "Penn and Teller," has an innovative, approach to magic that at once respects the historic traditions of magic but pushes the art form forward. David's stage show "The Conjuror," had its world premiere at the Shaw Festival in 1996. The show had outstanding box office and critical reviews and has been mounted several time since then. His path to success was never easy, and he talks candidly about the time he seriously considered quitting the Arts because of the financial strain it put on his young family. If you saw "Possible Worlds" during the 2015 Stratford Festival season, you saw David’s magic integrated into the show thanks to director Mitchell Cushman.
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The Performers Podcast - Comedian: Ron James

Comedian: Ron James

The Performers Podcast

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11/01/15 • 50 min

Ron James is one of the most successful comedians in Canada.

With a comedian’s eye for satire and a poet’s ear for language, Ron cuts a wide swath through contemporary culture making him a stand out amongst stand-ups.

His path to success includes improvising with Second City, a stint on a TV show in the U.S., and his own shows "Blackfly" and "The Ron James Show" in Canada. His annual New Year's Eve special on CBC is a comedy tradition with over a million viewers from coast to coast.

Thanks to my sponsors: AnthroDesk The best sit/stand desk. Details here. Chefs PlateSave 50% on a week's worth of delicious food

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The Performers Podcast - Cole's Christmas Show Reviews

Cole's Christmas Show Reviews

The Performers Podcast

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12/15/14 • 3 min

Christmas is for kids so each year at this time we go see some holiday theatre. This year we saw "Shrek The Musical" at the Grand Theatre in London and "The Little Mermaid" at the Dunfield Theatre Cambridge. Young Cole hosts this special, holiday theatre podcast.
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The Performers Podcast - Writer, comedian: Johanna Stein

Writer, comedian: Johanna Stein

The Performers Podcast

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10/29/14 • 41 min

Johanna's YouTube, GoPro video "Momhead" was an overnight sensation, receiving 2,400,000 views in a few days. We discuss the steps that led to its success. The YouTube, GoPro video was featured on BuzzFeed, and subsequently Johanna was interviewed by major international news organizations.

Shortly after the video went viral Stein landed a deal to write a sitcom pilot for CBS.

The pilot is being produced with Will Arnett, and will be based on Stein's book "How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane."

I first met Johanna Stein when we were both performing at the Winnipeg Fringe Fetsival. We talk about how the Fringe was a launch pad for her career.

We also discuss the creative process that led her from doing stand up comedy to motherhood and then writing a book which served as the foundation for the viral video.

Thanks to my sponsors: AnthroDesk The best sit/stand desk. Details here. Chefs PlateSave 50% on a week's worth of delicious food

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The Performers Podcast - Drummer Dale Anne Brendon

Drummer Dale Anne Brendon

The Performers Podcast

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05/29/13 • 51 min

Dale studied music at Western University and jazz drumming at Humber College. These days she drums at North America's top repertory theatre company.
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The Performers Podcast - Writer, actor: Michael Healey

Writer, actor: Michael Healey

The Performers Podcast

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10/17/19 • 53 min

Michael Healey has gone from writing a play that debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival to having his work appear at the Stratford Festival. It's an impressive trajectory that includes writing "The Drawer Boy," one of the most-produced plays in North America.

Healey discusses everything from how he writes scenes to his process in the rehearsal room. Healey, who has suffered from depression, opens up about his path from the days he could barely get out of bed to his most productive and happy days.

I enjoy Healey's political comedy and his sense of humor truly shines in our chat.

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The Performers Podcast - Director, playwright, artistic director Gil Garratt
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05/24/17 • 41 min

Gil Garratt is the artistic director at the Blyth Festival, which focuses on new play development and work with rural themes. Plays developed at Blyth have been produced around the world, which is impressive especially considering Blyth is a rural town of 1,000 people. In our conversation Garratt shares his progressive thoughts on the Canadian dramaturgical and development process, adding that working on comedies can be the most divisive of all genres. I have witnessed, in the rehearsal of comedy, more relationships destroyed, friendships obliterated over the course of the comedy, than I have working in tragedy. Garratt graduated from the National Theatre School’s Playwriting Program and holds an Honours BA from the University of Waterloo, and an MA from the University of Guelph.
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The Performers Podcast - Playwright, Robert Chafe

Playwright, Robert Chafe

The Performers Podcast

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04/09/17 • 58 min

Robert Chafe is an award winning playwright whose work has been seen across Canada, the UK, and Australia. Two of his plays ("Tempting Providence" and "Butler’s Marsh"), were shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. His play "Afterimage" won the award in 2010. Robert is Artistic Director and playwright for Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, where he frequently collaborates with NAC English Theatre Artistic Director Jillian Keiley. In the podcast we discuss his transition from playwriting to writing a collection of short stories. Robert shares his experience seeing his plays on stage and watching the audiences’ reaction to them. He mentions that observing audiences has lead him to understand that "how I feel about my work actually has nothing to do with how an audience is going to experience it."
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FAQ

How many episodes does The Performers Podcast have?

The Performers Podcast currently has 121 episodes available.

What topics does The Performers Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Acting, Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Comedy, Podcasts, Arts, Theatre, Broadway and Performing Arts.

What is the most popular episode on The Performers Podcast?

The episode title 'Kahlil Ashanti, actor and ticketing innovator' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on The Performers Podcast?

The average episode length on The Performers Podcast is 42 minutes.

How often are episodes of The Performers Podcast released?

Episodes of The Performers Podcast are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of The Performers Podcast?

The first episode of The Performers Podcast was released on May 29, 2013.

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