Tag Archives: Directing

Rodrigo Beilfuss, artistic director and actor

Rodrigo Beilfuss is a Brazilian-born Canadian actor-director with a German last name, who trained in England and now calls Winnipeg, Manitoba his home. He is the artistic director of Shakespeare in the Ruins.

Shakespeare in the Ruins. Photo Clarence Abrams.

Growing up in Brazil, Beilfuss envisioned a career as a diplomat. He was well on his way after being accepted to law school, but he faced a fork in the road when he was also accepted to a cultural exchange program in Winnipeg. He chose Winnipeg thinking he’d return to Brazil, and a career in the foreign service after the cultural exchange was completed.

As part of his cultural exchange program, Beilfuss was introduced to the works of Shakespeare; he fell in love with the Bard’s words and soon traded his pursuit of a diplomatic career for a one in theatre.

Beilfuss admits that when he was first introduced to Shakespeare, he didn’t understand much of the language. However, his realization that he was not alone in his struggle to comprehend Shakespeare’s work ultimately gave him the confidence to work through it. “Ironically, Shakespeare gave me a sense of belonging – everyone was confused; everyone was terrified,” says Beilfuss.

From Winnipeg Beilfuss traveled to Stratford, Ontario and England where he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His master’s thesis research at LAMDA examined the process, and cultural impact, of performing Shakespeare in different languages – a natural topic for Beilfuss, whose first language was not English.

Beilfuss’ was also accepted to Stratford Festival’s prestigious Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre training program and the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction.

Beilfuss went on to perform at the Stratford Festival for three seasons and was assistant director to Graham Abbey in a fourth.

In this episode of The Performer Podcast our conversation begins with the story about a production of “Macbeth” at the Stratford Festival the day that three actors, including the lead, were unable to perform due to illness. The play went on with the actors and understudies scrambling behind the scenes, some covering two roles.

In “Macbeth,” Belfuss played Young Siward whom Macbeth kills in the final battle, shortly before his swordfight with Lord Macduff. The production was filmed and will be available for free, for three weeks beginning May 7th, as part of the Festival’s Shakespeare Film Festival

SHOW NOTES:
Website.
Twitter.
Instagram.
Cyrus Lane podcast
Lisa-Repo-Martell Podcast
Joseph-Ziegler Podcast
Stream Macbeth from the Stratford Festival as part of the Shakespeare Film Festival

Hamlet at the Rose Theatre Brampton with Pakistani-Canadian star Ahad Raza, directed by Haysam Kadri a graduate of the Birmingham Conservatory at the Stratford Festival.

Shakespeare In The Ruins website

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FOUR EPISODES WITH OTHER ACTORS FROM THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL
Click to Listen.

Charlotte Gowdy, Actor, Director


Charlotte Gowdy is a graduate of the National Theatre School in Montreal and Ecole Philipe Gaulier in Paris. As an actor, she’s played lead roles at the Shaw Festival and theatres across Canada.

These days she’s making a career transition, following her heart’s desire to direct!

As well as a career transition, Charlotte has gone through some personal transformations including quitting alcohol and becoming a vegan.

This episode is packed with great tips for actors and directors. Charlotte shares what she’s learned working with the critically acclaimed artistic directors Chris Abraham, Tim Carroll and Jillian Keiley.

Charlotte, who is also a competitive athlete, shares some of the secrets to maintaining a healthy lifestyle while working under the precarious conditions of freelance life.

She also discusses her work directing Anna Chatterton’s “Within the Glass” with Troubadour Theatre Collective.

SHOW NOTES
Charlotte Gowdy on Instagram
Charlotte Gowdy on Twitter
Troubadour Theatre Collective.
Anna Chatterton on Twitter
National Theatre School
Ecole Philippe Gaulier
Fanshawe College Theatre Arts
Sheridan College B.A. of Theatre and Drama Studies

BOOKS and THINGS. Click on the image for links:

The Plant-based Power Diet: 10 Simple Steps To A Healthier Leaner Energetic You by Leslie Beck.

Green for Life: The Updated Classic on Green Smoothie Nutrition
by Victoria Boutenko.

Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition
by Julieanna Hever and Raymond J. Cronise.

Nutribullet.

23 and Me

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Dennis Garnhum, artistic director

Dennis-Garnhum-Relevant

How do you raise ONE MILLION dollars for your theatre?

Dennis Garnhum is the Artistic Director of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario. Within a few months of taking on the new job he, along with development team, raised one million dollars for the theatre.

Garnhum Grew up in London, and he was thirteen years old when he first appeared on stage at the Grand.

Later he was an usher, stage manager and eventually, in 2004, he and his husband, Bruce Sellery (also from London) married in the balcony at The Grand.

Before arriving at the Grand, Dennis was the Artistic Director of Theatre Calgary since 2005 where, as well as developing new plays, he built some impressive partnerships with the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, the Shaw Festival and Bard on the Beach.

So our conversation leans towards the business of running a theatre and finding a life balance.

Show Notes
The Grand Theatre’s website

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