Tag Archives: Drayton

Mark Crawford: Playwright, Actor



Mark Crawford is a playwright and actor.

His play “The Birds and the Bees,” which premiered in 2016 at the Blyth Festival and quickly became one of the most-produced Canadian plays of the decade, is now on stage at the Huron Country Playhouse II, running until Sept. 1, 2018.

In our interview we discuss the inspiration for writing the play and how working with actors in the rehearsals helped him “find the funny.”

Crawford, who grew up on a farm in Glencoe, ON. says that he didn’t watch much television in his youth, but has many fond memories of attending theatre at the Huron Country Playhouse.

As well as sharing the secrets behind his writing process, Crawford acknowledges the impact of production budgets on his artistic process.

He shares one of the best ever audition stories that changed his life but not in the way you’d think.

We discuss how he created his first play and the very first time he did a table read with actors.

Follow Mark on Twitter: @markjdcrawford

SHOWNOTES
Mark’s literary agent: Marquis Literary:
Ontraio Arts Council – Grants
Podcast with Nora McLellan
Mark’s other plays currently on stage:
“Bed and Breakfast” at Soulpepper until September 2.
“The New Canadian Curling Club” has been extended at the Blyth Festival, Sept. 18 – 21

Listen to Other Episodes

Mike Shara: Actor

Mike Shara is one of Canada’s most accomplished actors with multiple seasons at the Stratford Festival and the Shaw Festival.

In this interview he covers a wide range of topics from his time at the School of Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor to working with Yannick Bisson on the CBC Television series “Murdoch Mysteries.”

Mike opens up about the struggles he faced learning Shakespeare and how he overcame his fear of being perceived as a fraud. He worked hard to improve his craft and went on to work with the acclaimed directors Chris Abraham on “Othello” and John Caird on “Love’s Labour’s Lost.”

Mike’s worst audition story is a classic and he shares great advice on how to avoid blowing the audition before you even open your mouth.

Susan Gilmour: Singer, actress

Play

Susan_G

Susan Gilmour is an internationally acclaimed singer and actress.

She is currently performing in “Footloose” at the Dunfield Theatre in Cambridge, On. and will be appearing there again from Nov. 23 – Dec. 24 in “Sister Act.”

She’s best know for playing Fantine in “Les Miserables” on Broadway and at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre.

Susan also played Fantine in the Los Angeles production, where she was nominated for the Robby Award “Best Supporting Actress,” and she performed with the international Touring Company in Singapore, Cape Town South Africa, Hong Kong and Seoul Korea.

In the podcast we discuss the time, early in her career, Susan lost a job as a cruise ship entertainer, listen and find out why she was kicked off the ship.

Despite the cruise ship experience, Susan’s passion for singing pop music provided a foundation for her success in musical theatre along with her training at Grant MacEwan College, the Edmonton Musical Theatre and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

We also discuss her work at The Stratford Festival with director Peter Hinton.

Show Notes

Susan Gilmour’s website
“Footloose” runs until Oct. 30.
“Sister Act” runs from Nov 23 – Dec 24.
MacEwan University – Theatre Arts
Edmonton Muiscal Theatre
Citadel Theatre
The American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Special thanks to The Bruce Hotel where we recorded our conversation.
The Bruce is Stratford’s most luxurious hotel, offering unparalleled service.own-backyard-stratford-festival-4