Theatrical danger is actually just a fear of being uncomfortable. That’s not true-life threatening danger. And I LOVE making people uncomfortable in the theatre.

“[The Indigenous peoples] have been treated very much like a distant cousin to the family of Canada, and we should be right at the centre of that family. We do not want to be treated like a distant cousin when we have so much to contribute, so much to offer…

When the world came to a standstill with the Covid-19 pandemic, Erinn Dearth and Dan Beckmann, the founders of the Spring Theatre in North Carolina, said that nothing was going to stop them from putting on a show. “We were not ever going to not do something,” said Dearth. “We knew we had to provide opportunities when the pandemic hit.”

The thing I’m most keenly sensitive about from all this is we’ve all been experiencing some degree of trauma on the spectrum of trauma. I recognize that and have seen it manifested in myself and in others. It manifests in unexpected ways and it has heightened our reactions to so many things.

“Two things to never do: 1. Never be afraid to ask for help with auditions! Your theater friends are here to guide you! 2. Never, ever, ever give up on pursuing what makes you happy.”

“As the institutions have funding and infrastructure, it should be their responsibility to look at the landscape and figure out how more people can be engaged in the field – giving artists with institutional affiliations the opportunity to contribute to those conversations.”

I’ve always hesitated between pursuing a life in the arts and working in social justice. The arts won but I will no longer work on projects that reinforce the status quo. I will no longer apologize for harping on about race and politics. Whatever the future holds, I will be a different person in it.

“No matter what, you cannot lose hope. Theatre will be back. And in the meantime, use this time to do something that you've always wanted to do or create something that you've always wanted to create.”

I did a lot of outdoor activities. I was literally turning into Candide without the optimism angle. I was tending my garden, I was growing tomatoes and clearing parts of the property, sort of a physical manifestation outside the home that I was hoping to achieve for myself on the inside.

“The industry isn’t going to wait for you. Go out and show it who you are and how you plan to change the world.”

This has been a good chance for me to learn and to do a lot of reading about the BIPOC community and what’s been going on with them. But also some policies such as Defunding the Police and learning about this, and it has been very eye opening.

“I’ve never been great at giving advice, so I’ll just say this: try not to be discouraged. The theatre is coming back. It will always come back. It may take some time, but people will always want to be entertained and experience the thrill of being in a live audience. The energy in a theatre is like nothing else and could never truly end.”

The actor must take the audience on an emotional journey and feel like there’s danger. I tell my students when I’m writing or directing in the theatre or acting, I want my audience to pay for the whole seat but only sit on the corner of it

I’m still on the heels of generations of artists and BIPOC artists who have really tried to mobilize this conversation for decades before me. I’m just riding that wave along with them in terms of this generation. It’s a deeply personal conversation when it comes to the representation of the kinds of stories or the kinds of artists that we want…

I have very little patience for people getting excited, almost defining themselves through Covid for their achievements. I’m thinking, “No, no, every generation has something that will be trying.” Yes, this is new as it hasn’t happened to our generation obviously, but we can’t define ourselves by it.

“I encourage young artists to use what I call my 3 R's as they start to enter their artistic journey: RELAX, RELATE, RELEASE.”

I tell this to my students all the time: “We are too poor, too over worked, too tired in this industry for you to be here for anything less than a love of theatre, and a love of making theatre.” Covid has really reminded of that…

“If you feel like you're losing your desire to create, consider taking a break and spending some time alone with yourself, eyes closed, electronics off, breathing deep. If you feel like your work needs to stay at that level, then own that peace of mind - it's an important aspect of your art.”

“I have every faith that when the doors of the theaters re-open, we will be bursting with enthusiasm, new ideas, and a burning desire to share our gifts.”

“Hustle is the name of this game. Don’t sit around waiting for things to come to you. Make your own space in the place.”