A View from the Box - The Podcast

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode 16 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast! Spring has sprung which means some great new theatre coming up along with the warmer weather! Today, I get to talk to Heeyun Park 박희윤 who's playing the Moor Hen as part of Riot King TO's "The Moors". Heeyun Park 박희윤 is an actor, singer and creator based in Toronto, raised in Edmonton and born in South Korea. She won both the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Toronto Critic's Choice Award as Princess Mary in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Mirvish; Crow’s and MSC). Select Credits: WITCH (Soulpepper Theatre), Into the Woods (Koerner Hall), MONEY (WYRD), I Was Unbecoming Then (NextStage), Rosamund (Toronto Fringe), La Bête (Talk is Free Theatre). Heeyun is the composer and co-lyricist for Ye Xian: A Musical Retelling (Bad New Ideas 2024). Training: Acting at National Theatre School of Canada, Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at University of Alberta. You can follow Heeyun on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/park.heeyun/ If you'd like to hear Heeyun's Before You Go! episode, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello Everyone! Welcome to Episode 15 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. I'm so excited to have the father/daughter creative team behind "Kathryn: A Life Almosting" on the podcast today! Andrew Faiz (Book, Lyrics, Producer) has worked in television and radio, at newspapers and magazines, in documentary film and once was a hotel manager. He has been a public speaker, a lecturer, and a lay minister. Also a janitor and a short order cook. He is an award-winning poet, photographer, journalist, humourist, editor and columnist. Andrew has done a lot of different things for decades. He once had a theatre company. That’s when he first met Kathryn Albertson, in 1989. In between being a journalist, editor and news producer, Andrew wrote and directed the National Film Board documentary, Flemingdon Park: A Global Village. He did a profile of Kathryn Albertson for CBC Radio, which he then turned into a theatre script. Kathryn: As Herself, At Last. It played in Toronto and Winnipeg. Aromas, another one-woman play appeared on Toronto stages a decade ago. Zahra Faiz is an award-winning musician who has been making and writing music as long as she can remember. In high school, she created and lead a brass quartet. She won awards at the provincial level for brass quartet and solo trombone. Zahra studied piano, composition, and theory at the Royal Conservatory. She did a minor in music at university. No stranger to theatre, Zahra created and performed with McGill Student Improv. She co-founded an all-women’s comedy troupe and was on the founding creative team of the McGill Students Comedy Club. Zahra is thrilled to make her debut as composer for the stage with Kathryn: A Life Almosting. She is also the music director. Upcoming projects include an original show for which she is the book writer, lyricist and composer. You can find out more about the show and purchase tickets at: https://kathrynthemusical.com/ If you'd like to hear their Before You Go! episode, you can become one of my Patron on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello there! Welcome to Episode 14 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. Today, I am so pleased to have some of the talented performers who make up The Tita Collective on the show: Maricris Rivera and Ellie Posadas. Tita Collective is an all-Filipina collective composed of award-winning playwrights, comedians, musicians, dancers, theatre makers and actors, based in Toronto, Canada. We explore different mediums to tell the stories about the Filipin* diaspora. Individually, Tita Collective are : AP Bautista (Tell Tale Harbour), Belinda Corpuz (Narnia), Ellie Posadas (Scarborough), Alia Rasul (15 Ways My Dad Almost Died), and Maricris Rivera (Short Dances). You can find them on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/tita.collective/ https://www.facebook.com/titacollective If you'd like to hear their Before You Go! episode, you can join my Patreon here: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello everyone and Happy Family Day! I've got a great interview to share with you today with playwright Nicolas Billon. Nic’s literary vocation surfaced at the age of six, when he wrote and illustrated a story on index cards about a rampaging robot. He stapled the cards together and sold “Le Robot” to his mother for a tidy profit. Today, his work is known for its challenging subject matter blended with humour, twists, and deep humanism. The Elephant Song, Nic’s first play, premiered at the Stratford Festival in 2004; it has since been produced around the world and was made into a feature film in 2014. Several of his other plays, most notably Iceland and Butcher, have had major productions across Canada and internationally. Accolades include a Governor-General’s Award for Drama, a Canadian Screen Award, and a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award. Nic is a strong supporter of the serial comma and of Caryl Churchill’s adage that “Playwrights don't give answers, they ask questions.” You can find Nic on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/nbwriter.com If you'd like to hear Nic's Before You Go! episode, join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Welcome to Episode 12 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. I'm so thankful to have Kate Martin, who is not only currently performing in but is also associate directing Shakespeare BASH'd's current production "Troilus and Cressida" Kate Martin is a theatre artist and educator raised in rural Saskatchewan and based in Toronto. Previously with Shakespeare BASH'd, she played Emilia in The Two Noble Kinsmen, Lorenzo in the staged reading of The Spanish Tragedy, Annabella in the staged reading of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, and was the assistant director for The Tragedy of King Lear. Elsewhere, Kate has performed with Young People's Theatre company and Crane Creations Theatre. She has been twice Dora-nominated within Outstanding Ensembles. Kate holds her BFA in Acting from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can find Shakespeare BASH'd on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shakesbashd/ And you can find Kate at https://www.instagram.com/katemartin___/ If you'd like to hear Kate's Before You Go! episode, you can join my Patreon here: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Welcome to Episode 11 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. I'm so excited to have Natalia Bushnik and Kathleen Welch back on the show to talk about their new Horror Theatre Festival "Dead of Winter" Founded by Natalia Bushnik and Kathleen Welch in 2021, spindle collective formed through our shared passion in the telling of original, immersive, horror-theatre works. Based in what is colonially known as Toronto, we believe in working collaboratively in the space to create a cohesive world by interweaving storytelling devices and site-specific creation. Pulling inspiration from folklore around the world, we are committed to confronting the uncomfortable. To learn more about the festival and snag what few tickets remain, click the link here: https://eldritchtheatre.ca/winter/ To hear Nat and Kat's Before You Go! episode, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Happy Holidays everyone! Welcome to Episode 9 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. Inspired by my appearance on Stageworthy's year end roundup, I wanted to do a little year-end review for A View from the Box - The Podcast! My guest is very special, it's my fiance Kyle! Kyle has seen 57 out of the 146 shows I've seen this year, and we have a blast! We talk about some of our favourite shows from the year and what it's been like for Kyle to see so much theatre. We hope that you have a safe and happy holidays, and hopefully you can get out and see a show! See you at the theatre!

Well hello there! And welcome to episode 8 of season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. Today, my guest is Clyde Wagner of TO Live! Clyde Wagner is the President and CEO of TO Live, one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organizations, which programs and operates three iconic civic institutions in Toronto: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. Appointed in 2017, Clyde has overseen the merger of all aspects of the three venues—which include seven theatres and an art gallery—into one entity as TO Live. He established a purpose-driven mission for the organization focused on inclusion, diversity, equity, and access, and has spearheaded a new strategic plan centered on building creative community hubs through TO Live’s venues in downtown and uptown Toronto. Clyde oversaw a historic naming rights partnership with Meridian, Ontario's largest credit union, that included an investment of $30.75 million over 15 years to TO Live—one of the largest agreements of its kind in the arts and culture community in Canada. An internationally accomplished producer, Clyde's previous experience includes Senior Producer, Park Avenue Armory (New York). He was the first Producer and General Manager for Luminato Festival Toronto and served as Executive Producer in charge of all production until leaving the organization to join TO Live. Clyde also founded a mobile tech startup and was an Associate Creative Director for eLUXURY.com, an ecommerce platform owned and launched by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) that was the largest luxury website at the time. Clyde received his MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and his BA from Queen's University. You can find TO Live on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/TOLivebook https://www.instagram.com/tolivegram/ https://www.tiktok.com/@tolivetok If you'd like to see Clyde's Before You Go! Episode, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello everyone! Welcome to episode 7 of A View from the Box - The Podcast! I am thrilled to have been able to chat with one of my favourite performers, Virgilia Griffith. Virgilia Griffith is an actor based in Toronto. Winner of the Meta Emerging Artist Award for Gas Girls by Donna Michelle St. Bernard. Winner of the Dora Mavor Moore awards for Outstanding Performance for Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears. She was also a Dora Mavor Moore nominee for Outstanding Female in an Independent Division for her performance of Honesty directed by Jordan Tannahill. Selected credits include: Shaw Festival 2025, Blues for an Alabama Sky and Murder-on-the-Lake, Rosmersholm (Crow's Theatre), Three Sisters (Obsidian theatre/Soulpepper Theatre, Our Place ( Cahoots/ Theatre Passé Muraille), Queen Goneril/ King Lear ( Soulpepper Theatre Company), Serving Elizabeth (Stratford Festival), 21 Black Futures (Obsidian Theatre Company/CBC Gem), Contractions (Studio 180), Guarded Girls ( Tarragon Theatre/ Greenlight Arts), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom ( Soulpepper Theatre), The Wedding Party ( Crow's Theatre), Other Side of the Game (Cahoots/ Obsidian Theatre), Da Kink In My Hair ( Theatre Calgary/ Nac), Up The Garden Path ( Obsidian Theatre). If you'd like to hear Virgilia's Before You Go! Episode, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello everyone! Welcome to episode 6 of season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast! I'm excited to share with you my conversation with Heather Marie Annis! Heather is a Toronto based actor, playwright, clown, therapeutic clown and Blue Jays fan. She is Morro of the award winning comedy dup Morro and Jasp and Co-Artistic Director of Up Your Nose and In Your Toes Productions. She will be appearing in Theatre Gargantua's upcoming production of Dissonant Species. You can find Heather on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/heathermarieannis/ If you'd like to hear Heather's Before You Go! Episode, become one of my Patrons on Patreon: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

It's spooky season! So it's only fitting that my guest this week runs the spookiest theatre in Toronto! Eric Woolfe was born the bastard child of an itinerant sideshow contortionist, and a door-to-door alienist. He began his career at the age of eight and three quarters, when a national famine forced him to follow his mother’s twisted feet into show business. Following failed careers as a learned pig tamer, flea circus promoter, and gaffed armless calligrapher, he formed Eldritch Theatre after losing a bar bet. He is now an actor, writer and puppeteer, as well as being a noted spiritualist huckster. He is often visited by the ghost of his beloved miniature schnauzer, Schubert, who offers Mister Woolfe valuable career advice, such as “You should chase more squirrels,” and “You better hide in the basement when there is thunder outside.” Mr Woolfe has my credits, projects and award nominations, but his favourite by far is George A Romero’s maritime western zombie masterpiece, Survival of the Dead. You can find him on socials at: https://www.instagram.com/ericwoolfe/ If you'd like to hear the hilarious Before You Go! episode with Eric, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Hello there, dear listener, and welcome to Episode 4 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. Today's episode is just a quick chat about what I've seen this fall, what you can still see on stage right now, and what I'm looking forward to this fall. Also a Happy Thanksgiving to those of you here in Canada. I'm so thankful for all of you and for your support with everything I do. If you'd like to help support A View from the Box - The Podcast, you can become one of my Patron on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox

Well hello there! Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 2 of A View from the Box - The Podcast. I am so happy to get to have Makram Ayache on the show today. He's chatting with me today about his new show "The Green Line" which is on right now at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, as well as his Dora Award Winning "A Witch in Algiers" and much more. Makram Ayache is a Governor General Literary Award Finalist and Dora award-winning playwright, performer, director, and producer based in Toronto. His playwriting explores representations of queer Arab voices and aims to bridge political struggles to the intimate experiences of the people impacted by them. Ayache was selected as one of six breakthrough artists in Toronto in the Toronto Star in 2023. His play, "The Hooves Belonged to the Deer" was selected as one of 10 best productions in Ontario in 2023 by the Globe and Mail and won an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for “Outstanding Independent Production” in Edmonton in 2023. Previously, His Governor General nominated play "The Green Line" (Downstage and Chromatic Theatre) garnered four Betty Mitchell Award Nominations, winning two including "Outstanding New Play." Most recently, Ayache has written an adaption of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" titled "A Witch in Algiers" (Shakespeare in the Ruff)m which garnered the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play in 2025. Alongside writing, Ayache directs, most recently directing the development showcase of "Small Gods the Musical” with Theatre Sheridan and Factory Theatre. Photo by Shane D'Costa. You can find Makram online at: https://www.makramayache.com/ And on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/m_makram90/ If you'd like to hear Markam's Before You Go! episode, you can join my Patreon at: https://patreon.com/AViewfromtheBox