#63 Michael Whitfield

The Title Block Live September 3 2020

On September 3, 202, we held a panel entitled Sustainability in Design. The UN has named this the Decade of Action, our last chance to create the transformation to a livable future. What does it mean to align our practices with a 1.5 degree Celsius global temperature rise? This event focuses on the aesthetics of climate-friendly sustainable design in theatre, as a core design practice and as part of a larger equitable green recovery. Panel members include Logan Raju Cracknell, Kendra Fanconi, Paul Fujimoto-Pihl, Lauren Gaston, Elia Kirby, Ken MacKenzie, and Edward T Morris. The moderator is Ian Garrett.

The Title Block Live August 6 2020

On August 6th, 2020, we presented what proved to be another important discussion about todays theatre in Canada or Turtle Island: Grounding Indigenous Art & Design On Mixed-Raced Teams: A conversation reflecting on creating spaces and processes for Indigenous Theatre with anti-appropriative practices and inter-Nation collaborations. Our panel included performer Yolanda Bonnell, sound designer/composer Mishelle Cuttler, costume designer Samantha McCue, and projection, set and lighting designer Emily Soussana. The panel was led by Fire Creator, Indigenous Theorist and Cultural Evolutionist, Kim Senklip Harvey.

#63 Michael Whitfield

This time the final conversation from my trip in Vancouver at the end of 2018. Michael Whitfield was the head of lighting design at the Stratford Festival for over 25 years from the mid 1970’s through to the early 2000’s., so he is perfectly placed to round out our discussion about the history of the design of the festival stage. He is also has designed opera across North America and we talk about his take on the important communication strategies when building your show in a team.

The Title Block Live July 9 2020

This week a special presentation of The Title Block Live, presented in partnership with The Associated Designers of Canada on Supporting a BIPOC cast with your design. A panel of fantastic Canadian theatre designers and artists discuss several questions around how our designs and collaborations can support or hinder the flourishing of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in live performance. This weeks panal consists of Carmen Alatorre, C.J. Astronomo, Sammy Chien, Deanna H. Choi, Rachel Forbes, Camilia Koo, Sage Paul, Kimberly Purtell, and Emily Soussana, and is moderated by Michelle Ramsay. Please go to designers.ca [https://designers.ca] for more information about the ADC. All members of the panel were paid a honorarium by the the ADC to sit on the panel. The Title Block and Michael Kruse did not accept any fees for this.

#62 Conor Moore

Conor Moore in the pentultimate interview from my trip to Vancouver and Victoria in December of 2018. We talk about his early schooling at Queen’s University and UBC and his breakout as a projection, lighting and set designer at Bard At the Beach and other great Vancouver based companies. Conor was persuing his Masters of Socialwork in Labour studies at Simon Fraser University and is very active in the labour movement of the Canadian theatre scene, so we talk about this shift in his focus and his great work advocating on behalf of Vancouver and Canadian designers in several forums. You can see his portfolio at conormooredesign.com [https://conormooredesign.com/]. Links Queen’s Dan School of Drama and Music [https://sdm.queensu.ca/undergraduate/drama/] Tom McGee [https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/author/tom-mcgee/]and Kat Sandler [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Sandler%2C%20Kat] UBC MFA Theatre design [https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/graduate/mfa-theatre-film/design-production/] Carmen Alatorre [https://www.carmenalatorre.com/] Headlines Theatre [https://theatreforliving.com/legacy.htm], Theatre for Living [https://theatreforliving.com/index.htm] and David Diamond [https://theatreforliving.com/tflbook/tflbook.htm] After Homelessness [http://www.theatreforliving.com/past_work/after_homelessness/index.htm] Bard on the Beach [https://bardonthebeach.org/], Falstaff [https://www.straight.com/article-333113/vancouver/bard-beachs-falstaff-always-interesting-little-more]directed by Glynis Leyshon [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Leyshon%2C%20Glynis] Alan Brodie [https://www.thetitleblock.com/episodes/2018/2/13/45-alan-brodie] Robert Gardiner [https://www.thetitleblock.com/episodes/2020/4/19/60-robert-gardiner] The Pipeline Project [http://firehallartscentre.ca/onstage/the-pipeline-project/] produced by ITSAZOO [https://itsazoo.org/]and Savage Society [https://www.savagesociety.ca/] Dr. Silver, A Celebration of Life by Musical Stage Company and Outside the March Theatre [https://musicalstagecompany.com/shows/dr-silver-a-celebration-of-life/] Peter and the Starcatcher at the Artsclub Theatre [https://www.vancouverpresents.com/theatre/peter-and-the-starcatcher-grand-adventure/] Kevin Lamotte [https://www.thetitleblock.com/episodes/2014/4/16/episode-3-kevin-lamotte-part-1] Shaw Festival [https://www.shawfest.com/] Jock Munro [http://artsalive.ca/en/eth/design/transcript_jm.asp] Louise Guinand [http://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=Guinand%2C%20Louise] Vancouver Design Forum [https://vancouverdesigners.org/] Associated Designers of Canada [https://www.designers.ca/] SFU Labour Studies Program [http://www.sfu.ca/labour.html] Prof. Kendra Strauss [http://www.sfu.ca/labour/about/people/kendra-strauss.html] IATSE [https://www.iatse.net/] Canadian Actors Equity Association [https://www.caea.com/] Precarious work and Theatre and the Arts [https://whoareweproject.com/open-learning/lets-talk-about-precarious-work-in-the-arts]