The Performers Podcast - Playwright, Robert Chafe

Playwright, Robert Chafe

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."

Previous Episode

Writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein: Come From Away

Irene Sankoff and David Hein are the co-writers of the hit Broadway show "Come From Away." We talk about how Irene and David interviewed people to create the foundation for the musical. They explain the development process, with theatre students at The Canadian Music Theatre Project, which is part of the Sheridan College Music Theatre Performance Program. They also worked with Goodspeed Musicals, a non-profit organization dedicated to musical theater based in Connecticut. Come From Away is a perfect intersection of David's love of folk music and Irene's love of Broadway musicals.

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Next Episode

Screenwriter Ken Cuperus

Ken Cuperus is an award winning screenwriter and producer. We met decades ago when Ken approached me after a performance at the Winnipeg Fringe festival, asking if I'd help his comedy troupe. A few years later Ken and his pals, known as the Brave New Weasels, were performing to sold out crowds at Fringe Festivals. We talk about the gutsy move to leave the comfort of being a big finish in a small pond, Winnipeg, to start with nothing more than one month's rent in Toronto. We also touch on working with Gene Simmons and Ken's worst pitch meeting.