Hosted by Joel Greenberg, Life in Stages is a series of weekly conversations with established performing arts professionals – actors, directors, writers, etc. – who discuss their lives, careers, challenges, triumphs, and not-so-triumphs. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron or sending an e-transfer to jericalifeinstages (at) rogers (dot) com.
Currently Co-Artistic Director of Harold Green Jewish Theatre, Avery has an extensive resume as an actor both in Canada and beyond.
In Canada, Avery’s performed in Guys & Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Hairspray, Sunset Boulevard and Little Shop of Horrors.
Internationally, Avery was seen in Man of La Mancha, Candide, Pirates of Penzance and The Pajama Game among many others.
Thanks to Zieglerwealth.com -- and continued thanks to all those who help, and have helped, to keep Life in Stages moving forward since our launch exactly one year ago, I'm thrilled to introduce you to this season's sponsor -- and Life in Stage's first season sponsor, in fact: http://Zieglerwealth.com, owned by Tim Zeigler, contacted me during Season 2 with his generous offer to support the podcast. That he found me wit...
Introducing each of my guests is one of the challenges coordinating the roster for Life in Stages. The artists who accept my invitation to sit down and talk about their professional and personal stories represent the finest artists in the country. Each background is rich, varied, intriguing.
Jimmy Mezon is no exception — in fact, his depth and range are nothing short of intimidating. And I’ve had the good fortune to see him pla...
Joel Greenberg has an announcement to make regarding a third season of Life in Stages.
Welcome to the final episode in Series 2 – but please note that Series 3 is on its way.
This week, our guest host is Jody Howze. I met Jody in the mid-80’s when she was a student in the Theatre Programme at Humber College and I was the Programme Director. After graduating from Humber, Jody performed in several professional productions that I directed.
Our friendship has continued as we’ve followed different paths, and since la...
Robert Thomson may be among the busiest and most sought-after actors in the country. “May”? Change that to ‘Is”.
His list of accomplishments is as long as it is varied, which is to say that it’s mighty long. Theatre, film, television – he has mastered them all, and his commitment has taken him behind the scenes of projects that are fueled by a passion with no restraint.
In our conversation, you’ll also learn that Robert’s caree...
Seana is yet one more guest whose professional resume approaches the magnitude of an anthology. It’s entirely accurate to say that she has done just about everything that one can imagine an actor accomplishing. Trained at the National Theatre School, Seana has played every major theatre in the country, has added film and television to her credits, and has achieved star status in a country that too often prides itself as a coun...
I’ve known Allen for more than 20 years, but until we met recently, I had no idea that, in addition to being Artistic Director at both Young People’s Theatre, Toronto, and the Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, his career as an actor was his principal focus.
As another guest who came up through the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School, Allen reinforces the fact that this was a first-rate training ground. And as he discusses the...
Anyone fortunate enough to have seen “Blind Date” has already met Rebecca Northan, although speaking with her is an altogether calmer experience than watching her interact with an audience. Speaking with her from Edmonton, where she was on tour with “Goblin: Macbeth”, I learned that clown work is merely one of many skills that Rebecca has developed throughout her career.
Second City, in Toronto and on tour, was her opportunity...
Tom has as varied a resume as any actor you are ever likely to encounter. In fact, when we first started our conversation, I said that I felt an urgency to cover enough ground to fairly represent him. Tom’s easy manner removed any concern I may have had.
We talked soon after he had returned from Ottawa, where he was performing in “Salesman in China”, the same production that premiered at the Stratford Festival this past season...
Maria began her career (and her life) in the United States. But once she had a taste of life in Canada, both personal and professional, Toronto soon became her home base. And I met Maria when we worked together on a production of “Lend Me a Tenor”, at Theatre Aquarius – and that was probably about 30 years ago. Maria has worked in every medium and she has criss-crossed the performing landscape with an enviable agility.
Our co...
Nancy is originally from Winnipeg, studied at Queen’s University and then trained at The National Theatre School, in Montreal. She was among the first members of the Young Company at the Stratford Festival, which soon led to the creation of Soulpepper Theatre Company, of which Nancy is a founding member. (She continues to represent the Founding Members on the Soulpepper Board.)
Nancy has worked across the country, although her...
Jonathan and I met at an audition. I didn’t cast him, but I knew that I wanted to work with him one day. Before I had that opportunity, I saw My Own Private Oshawa, his revelatory solo play about his escape to Toronto and his life as a young gay man finding his way.
The Normal Heart and My Night with Reg are recent plays that, finally, allowed us the shameless pleasure of working together. Jonathan has much more to fill in bet...
Morris’s recollection of how discovering theatre transformed him is both moving and chuckle-worthy. Like so many of my guests, he underlines that, for him, the work is a necessity. For survival, sure, but much, much more than that: Morris makes it clear, without having to say it literally, that he cannot be doing anything else with his professional life.
Playwright, director, actor – Morris works, and has worked, across the cou...
Jessica is my older daughter, so let’s get that on the table and move on.
Jess discusses her college years at McGill, where she focussed on Political Science and Women’s Studies. But it was her passionate involvement with both theatre and music – strictly extracurricular – that defined four years spent on a student-driven campus, where she was inspired by like-minded friends.
Theatre school in New York followed and the exploi...
Ted is among our guests who has accomplished just about everything one can imagine a theatre artist achieving. As an actor, a musician, a writer, and more recently a producer, Ted demonstrates the widest possible range with an inexhaustible energy to match. In our conversation, he discusses the projects that have brought him a very public profile.
Ted goes further and reveals that seeing his name on a West End marquee yielded...
Sharry and I met and worked together for the first time as company members in the Summer Festival of Arts in Montreal, 1969. I directed Sharry on productions of The Fantasticks, America Hurrah, and Oh, What a Lovely War! The festival was fertile ground for many of us as we did our best to start professional careers.
Sharry takes us through her training in London, her return to Canada, where she performed in a variety of music...
Patrick’s career might have been in the Law, following his father and grandfather before him, had he not found himself in a university production about the same time that he was writing the LSAT. As he will tell us, Chekov upended him and reshaped his professional life.
A long-serving member of the Shaw Festival company, since the early 2000’s, Patrick’s first years in the profession were a mix of regional and local (i.e., Tor...
Corrine joins me as the first of our new season’s guests. Although we haven’t worked together before, I have certainly seen her work in many Toronto and Shaw Festival productions. And we have met socially a few times, enough for me to recognize that Corrine’s passion for the theatre, as both performer and attendee, is intense. In the best way, of course. Perhaps this accounts for her many awards, coast-to-coast.
In this episo...
Series 2 of Life in Stages begins with Mike engaging me in conversation about my thoughts and responses to Series 1’s 11 episodes. We discuss how a first time opportunity played out, what was learned and what changes might be implemented in this follow-up series.
It’s also a fun conversation between new, best friends.
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.