THE M AGA ZINE FROM AC TR A TORONTO VOLUME 24 • ISSUE 2 • FALL 2015 NEW LAW TO PROTECT CHILD PERFORMERS! President’s Message: Putting Solidarity into Action by David Sparrow ... New Law to Protect Child Performers ... How to Eat a Sandwich Like a Pro by James Gangl 4 ... 20 Equity and ACTRA talk of Enhanced Relationship by David Sparrow... 6 11 ... 12 ... 17 Members News ... 23 24 Welcome New Members ... Actors in Between by David Gale Show Up by Clara Pasieka ACTRA Toronto Council / ACTRA Toronto Staff ... 19 Your Council and Stunt Committee Election Timeline ... Highlights of Council Activity 2014 - 2016 ... Lives Lived ... 27 28 30 (L. to R.) David Macniven, Jack Newman, Shereen Airth, Richard Hardacre, Randi Shelson, Stephen Waddell, Clara Pasieka, Grace Lynn Kung, Nicole St. Martin, eresa Tova, Carole Paikin Miller, Don Lamoreux, MPP Paul Miller, David Sparrow (ACTRA Toronto President), Ferne Downey (ACTRA National President), Heather Allin, Barbara Larose, Leah Pinsent, Sue Milling, Art Hindle, Angelica Lisk-Hann, Donal Hansman, Karen Woolridge. (photo: Jag Gundu) PUBLISHER EDITOR STAFF EDITOR EDITORIAL COMMITTEE DESIGN and LAYOUT ADVERTISING SALES CONTRIBUTORS SEND EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE TO: JOIN THE TEAM NEXT COPY DEADLINE IS: December 1, 2015 Performers www.actratoronto.com PUTTING SOLIDARITY David Sparrow As you might expect, concern over evolving technologies and the internet are top of mind. How will we be compensated when everything is made for digital exploitation? e value our professional performers bring to a production doesn’t change based on the medium in which the production is exploited. Video on demand may replace conventional broadcasters but the content remains the same and performers should be fairly compensated and their residuals protected. As we said in 2007, “e internet is not for free!” HiStoRic Win On the cover, some great news: Bill 17 – a law to protect child performers in the province of Ontario – received Royal Assent in May! the new law protects all child performers and enshrines in law collectively bargained industry best practices. It is a big deal, and our reputation as organized and tenacious advocates was recognized by MPPs across all party lines. Dear ACTRA Toronto members, It's been a busy year on set, in the halls of government and in the offices of our industry partners, working to advance the ACTRA Advantage and to celebrate the value our professional performers bring to the economy and to productions large and small. Your dedicated Council and staff are working on many complex files, delivering on our Operating Plan of putting Solidarity into Action. Let me highlight a few for you: BARgAining e IPA expires on December 31st of this year. Negotiations with the CMPA and their partners, the major U.S. studios, will take place in October and November. ACTRA Toronto has held 15 focus groups with everyone from Background Performers to Stunt Performers, Principal Performers to Voice Performers, Diversity, Youth, Women and Senior Performers. Members shared their concerns about our largest agreement. (You can send your thoughts to ipa@actratoronto.com.) Our asks will be honed by our Bargaining Committee. cRiSiS AveRted e Ontario Budget was presented on April 23rd. ankfully, it maintained the domestic tax credit at current levels while eliminating the “grind” between the provincial and federal credits. at’s a good thing. However, it cut the foreign service tax credit from 25 per cent to 21.5 per cent. at was bad. But worse, the budget called for immediate implementation of those cuts on the very day it was announced. Projects already underway or substantively planned and budgeted were left trying to decide whether to reduce the number of episodes or seek a new location. Speaking with one voice helped to avert the immediate crisis. With our industry partners in FilmOntario, we made clear our concerns to the Ministers of Finance, Labour and Culture. Many meetings later and just hours before the budget was passed, the government agreed to “grandfather” projects already underway. it was an excellent outcome, conveying to foreign and domestic producers the stability of our industry and our region. PuBLic PoLicy e CRTC, a body whose mandate is to regulate Canadian broadcasting and communications and protect Canadian voices and culture, made some bizarre announcements which INTO ACTION e coming federal election on october 19, 2015 will give every ActRA member an opportunity to make to make their views known on the cRtc and on other arts policy – at the ballot box. are expected to make Canadian Content even more scarce on our screens. Case in point: a new pilot project modifies the Canadian Content points system drastically, so that the total points for Canadian key creatives may be as low as 2 out of 10 so long as 75% of the budget is spent in Canada. In theory, one Canadian actor could work on a Canadian-authored film, shot in North Carolina with a U.S. cast, a U.S. director and a U.S. crew and, as long as the post and some of the marketing was done in Canada, they might qualify for Canadian Media Fund financing, federal tax credits and count as Canadian programming for a broadcaster. Many of the CRTC decisions do not take effect until December 2016 so there is time to make our views known. ACTRA took part in the CRTC Let’s Talk TV consultations and will continue to make its objections known at every opportunity. AND, there is a federal election on October 19, 2015. e coming federal election on october 19, 2015 will give every ActRA member an opportunity to make to make their views known on the cRtc and on other arts policy – at the ballot box. counciL eLectionS In October, we will be holding elections for your 24 ACTRA Toronto Council seats. Voting will be held online. Make sure you take time to review the candidates. Decide who will best represent our collective voice on issues large and small. en vote and encourage other eligible members to vote too. To be eligible to vote, you must be an ACTRA Toronto Full Member in good standing by October 9th, 2015.To be eligible to vote, you must be an ACTRA Toronto Full Member in good standing by October 9th, 2015. Trying to build a performance career in Canada can be daunting. Training, networking, marketing, auditioning – committed, modern actors work full days. Many of the variables that affect our day-to-day business are outside of an actor’s control. at’s why i’m an ActRA member. As actors, our individual confidence may wobble occasionally but we’re all in this together and the union makes us strong. In solidarity, David Sparrow President, ACTRA Toronto New Law to Protect Child Performers Aer half a century of ACTRA’s efforts on behalf of culture’s most vulnerable contributors, Ontario has a law. What a remarkable historic achievement! ACTRA’s history protecting minors Film, stage, TV and commercials have always employed child actors. Jackie coogan, after whom California’s law to protect minors’ earnings is named, was one of Hollywood’s first child stars. He became a star aer appearing in Charlie Chaplin’s e Kid (1921) at the age of seven. Canada’s Mary Pickford was seven when she performed her first role on stage in Toronto in 1899. In Canada, ACTRA has been bargaining to protect children in the recorded industry since its early days. Protections for minors can be found in the 1966/68 edition of ACTRA’s National Commercial Agreement. Over the years, ACTRA’s minors’ provisions improved steadily through bargaining the IPA and the NCA. Substantive gains were made in the mid to late ‘90s and are improved with each new round of negotiations. In the early 2000s, the unions (ACTRA Toronto, DGC (Ontario), Nabet and IATSE) started a Health and Safety “Section 21” Committee with the participation of the producers association and the Ministry of Labour. As well as developing general safety guidelines for the industry, they developed a Child Performers Guideline. e Guideline covered both live and recorded entertainment. But it was a guideline only, a best practices recommendation informed by ACTRA and Equity’s agreements, but not a legal requirement. ACTRA Toronto began talking to MPPs to alert them to the risks minors face working without firmer legislative protections. In 2005, ACTRA Toronto presented a brief to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Arts and Culture proposing Status of the Artist legislation. e brief included strong recommendations to develop legislation to protect child actors to the same extent that they are protected under ACTRA’s agreements. In 2007, MPP Cheri di Novo, a former child performer, proposed a bill to protect child actors. In 2013, MPP Paul Miller presented Bill 71. ese previous attempts at legislation died as most private members’ bills do: casualties of the political process. In 2014, MPP Paul Miller tried again with Bill 17, which became the legislation we have today. grace Lynn Kung and clara Pasieka celebrate the unanimous passage of ird Reading of Bill 17. (photo: Jag Gundu) e Protecting Child Performers Act comes into force on February 5, 2016. e legislation protects child performers in five essential areas: tutoring, income protection, parental supervision, age-appropriate work hours and health and safety. Between now and February, agreed amendments and rules and regulations will be written. After half a century of ACTRA’s efforts on behalf of culture’s most vulnerable contributors, Ontario has a law. What a remarkable historic achievement! INTERVIEW WITH THERESA TOVA ACTRA’s Children’s Advocate Since 1992, ACTRA’s Children’s Advocate, eresa Tova, stands out in has been unrelenting in her defense of child performers. Staff Editor Karen Woolridge asked Tova to look back at the battles and the victories leading to Bill 17 becoming law. Karen Woolridge: You’ve been defending child performers since when, eresa? eresa tova: My own kids since 1992 and for the union since 1993 or 1994. eresa Tova K: How did you become aware of the risks child actors face? t: By the time my son was seven and my daughter five they both had agents and were working in the biz. In the first year, I ran into so many problems. e producers I was working with as a parent didn’t know I was an actor and that I knew the rules. Anyway, I had three grievances in the first year. K: What sorts of violations? t: One time, I was shooting so I sent my daughter to her set with a chaperon. She had four or five days on this movie and she was kept overtime every single day. I told my chaperon it wasn’t allowed but they would go to her and say, “Is it ok…?” e time they kept my daughter five hours into overtime, I went ballistic. I called Production, “Where is my daughter?! You promised she would be home by now.” I threatened to call the police. I called the union. ree grievances and we won every one. ose were the bad old days. K: How did you move from Stage Mom to Children’s Advocate? t: Eda Zimler, who was Stewart at the time, called me in and said, “You obviously understand what should be happening, and you’re right. Would you think about doing this for all kids?” So I took over as the Children’s Chair and I created a Children’s Committee. I was on set one time as the Children’s Chair. I saw six-month-old babies with fake prosthetic ears in hot velvet costumes in the sun in the middle of the summer. We grieved that production and got a financial settlement that allowed us to produce an educational pamphlet for parents called Just Say No. We had so many horrible situations. But the one that sticks out most for me - there was a four-year-old child who’d been on a set for two or three days and had bonded with the woman playing her mother. But she hadn’t met the male actor yet. is is what Production decided to do to get their shot: they had the male actor come out, didn’t introduce him, or prepare the child for what he was about to do. e actor was instructed to come up to the child, with camera rolling, place a gun in the child’s hand and force her to shoot the woman playing her Mom. Squibs, blood, everything. Totally freaked the child out to the point where an IATSE crew member pulled the plug on the generator and called ACTRA. Sarah Polley, Award of Excellence recipient, takes a special interest in Samantha Weinstein, winner of the ACTRA Award in Toronto for Outstanding Female Performance at the age of 10. (2006) (photo by Jag Gundu) New Law to Protect INTERVIEW WITH THERESA TOVA ACTRA’s CHILDREN’S ADVOCATE... continued Soon aer, I was asked to sit on the IPA bargaining team for the ’95’96 agreement. At the time, our minors’ section was nowhere near what it should have been. Tutoring was not what it needed to be, nor age-appropriate work hours and breaks, nor healthy food. I brought parents into the union for the first time to hear their concerns. We created a list of 21 proposals for minors alone. My biggest help was Sarah Polley. We sent her our 21 proposals, asked for her opinion and asked whether, if she had experienced any of these things, would she write us back with support for our proposals? Well, bless her soul! Each time the producers said, “You don’t have any evidence,” I swear, I had a file of back-up documentation from Sarah with dates, many of them from that very year. We got 17 of those 21 proposals passed and the remainder in subsequent negotiations. I remember going down to the hotel lobby, the morning aer we got agreement on the 17 provisions, and going up to some of the producers and saying, “I’m a little in shock that we got what we got from you guys. ank you.” And one of them said, “We all have kids.” It was the right thing to do and the right time to fix it. But when you talk about ACTRA’s agreements, the best thing we ever achieved was the language in the preamble to the minors’ section. K: Fortunately the baby was found. t: Yes. So Tabby took the next step and said, “Parents of non-union performers need help too.” So we made presentations in libraries for the general public and said, “is is what you should ask for.” So bless Tabby for bringing that to the table. It really does take a village (to raise a child). I remember nathalie gauthier, an agent, who’d been a child actor from Montreal. She called us about parents using their child’s money to pay the mortgage and it was because of her that we got the Minors’ Trust started, using the California model. I’m very proud of all our collaborations: with agents, our incredible staff, our Presidents and Councils, educators, police, our elected champions: MPPs Cheri di Novo, Peter Tabuns, and Paul Miller. K: “e parties agree that they shall be guided in all respects by what is in the best interests of the Minor, which shall always prevail…” t: Always. e kids come first. K: Were you involved in the collaboration with the Ministry of Labour that led to the Child Performers Guideline, the precursor to the law we have now? t: Yes. I remember (staffer) Indra Escobar and I meeting with Don Brown from the Ministry of Labour. Our workplaces and categories of work were new to Don because he came from a background of hard hats and asbestos. We were talking about kids spending long days under hot lights and missing school. We showed him our agreements and the first Health and Safety Guidelines for the entertainment industry were basically taken from ACTRA’s agreements, verbatim. K: There was a news story that got Tabby Johnson fired up about protecting non-union child performers. t: It was a non-union casting call for babies for an unspecified film. An unsuspecting parent took their infant and handed him off to somebody they’d never met who said, “I’ll just take the baby in the room and audition him.” And the parent waited and waited and waited and the person had stolen the baby and le through a back door. Tabby Johnson fields questions at an ACTRA Toronto information session for parents. Child Performers Shirley Douglas, Shannon Kook-Chun, Amariah Faulkner, and Elizabeth Van Wyck spoke at a Queen’s Park press conference in 2013 pressing for legislative protections for child performers. K: How has ACTRA changed the way it monitors child safety? t: Our Stewards read the script and flag scenes which could be of concern and address it with Production before the shoot. We work with our Stunt Coordinators when there are athletic requirements. For example, a parent will say, “Sure my child plays baseball.” But they don’t realize their child will be sliding into home plate at five different camera angles for 10 takes each for eight hours straight. K: Tell me about getting Bill 17 passed into law. I hear Canadian Media Production Association’s (CMPA) Chief Negotiator Reynolds Mastin joked about “getting Tova’d” at a Christmas party. What was that about? t: Let’s just say I don’t give up easily. e passage of Bill 17 was ground-breaking, and there are a lot of people to thank. I’ve visited parliament and the legislature many times in my leadership role at ACTRA. I’d never seen anything like this. To see all three parties come together. When Shirley douglas spoke to Committee about Bill 17, all the MPPs were awed. Her experience on Wind at My Back, which employed a number of children – well, she told them about children being tutored in the paint shed where the crew were wearing protective masks but the kids were not. She was very persuasive. And the wonderful clara Pasieka, YEAA’s Co-Chair, talking about her experiences as a young teen actor asked to do sexual content she had not even experienced yet. How angry she was at her mother for not letting her do it and how thankful she is now that her mother put her foot down, knowing she wasn’t old enough. To have those two voices at Committee. ey heard us loud and clear. e law covers stage work as well. I’m very proud that Equity worked side-by-side with us and really made some important conceptual changes. And the fact that both producer organizations (Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) and the CMPA) came onside as well was the icing on the cake. K: What’s next? t: We’re taking a new look at our Minors’ Trust. Should children have more than 25 per cent of their income le when they turn 18? Also, we’re helping other countries which don’t have a performers’ union to learn from our standards. And always, always - education. Because children grow up and soon there’s a whole new crop of cutie-patooties. While the act will require monitoring to make sure that it does what it’s supposed to do, it will become law and be implemented on February 5th, 2016. We need to make sure the law is interpreted in the way it was intended. We will be working hand-in-hand with our industry partners. e Act to Protect Child Performers, as it’s now called, has to work in concert with education law, health and safety law, labour law, and labour law. Not everything in the law is going to make everyone happy. But everything in the law is to there to protect the child. We want filming to happen as much as anyone. I was interviewed for a legal magazine and the interviewer said she knew unions worked hard to get people to become union members, but questioned why ACTRA would work so hard for non-union people. And I said, “but don’t you know that’s what good unions do? We fight for the protection of ALL workers.” K: We raise the floor. t: is is what we do. It is the best of what we are. New Law to Protect Child Performers ASK TABBY AND TOVA Scams: ose ads that you see in newspapers – “We’re looking for babies.” Oh gosh. Or maybe your kid is begging, “I wanna be on that cartoon, Mummy.” Parents do less research about companies advertising like that than they do buying new shoes. Google the company plus the word “scam.” If they have a history scamming people, you’ll find it. ere are so many scams, in the acting school world, in the modeling convention world, where people, and I’m not exaggerating, will charge parents $3,000 to “make their four-year-old a star.” Agents: A good agent can really help protect you, provide a buffer between your child and exploitation. Get an agent who has signed on to the Entertainment Industry Coalition’s (EIC) Code of Conduct. Check out ACTRA Toronto’s agent dire c tor y for EIC and TAMAC agents, t hen ask around. L in k to ACTRA Toronto’s agent dire c tor y : w w w.ac t ratoronto.com/performers/agents-directory/. Balance: I want parents to remember that their kid’s childhood is more important than the business or the money. We have kids starring in big TV shows up here and then running off to do pilots in L.A. when they’re eight years old. How do you find balance in a life like that? checking in: Sarah Polley, at one of our Members’ Conferences, asked the kids if they wanted to be there and encouraged parents to check in with their kids on a regular basis. Interests can change at this age. Kids shouldn’t be there if they don't want to be. Stay with your child: Don’t leave your child unattended on set! Nobody knows your child’s needs better than you - whether your child is scared or needs to go to the washroom. ink of a set as being like a construction site. A set is nothing like a daycare. to view all the Ask tabby and tova videos go to ActRA toronto’s youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ActRAtoronto WELCOME New Members Fall 2015 SARAH ABBOTT DAVID ABEZIZ REMI ADEYINKA M J AGRA JONAH AIN SAM AL ESAI JORDAN DARRIUS ALLEYNE JON AMBROSE BUDDY ARBUCK EVA AVILA IMAN AYORINDE MATTHEW NICHOLAS BACIK AMIR BAGERIA ALESHA BAILEY RYAN BAINBRIDGE ALYSSA BAKER LEEANN BALL FODE BANGOURA ANNA CLAIRE BARTLAM SAVANNAH BASLEY RACINE BEBAMIKAWE IAIN BECKING ROBERT BELLISSIMO LAURA BENSON SOMA BHATIA ASHLEY BLACK JOSH BOGERT KRYSTINA BOJANOWSKI OLGA BRAN JESS BROWN KIP BROWN JULIA BRUCE DYLAN BRYSON CALYSTA CAMACHO AUDREY CAMPBELL AGUEDA CARDENAS SARAH CARMOSINO LEONIDAS JOHN CASTROUNIS ASH CATHERWOOD EDWARD CHARETTE ANDREW CHOWN JADON CLEWS JORDAN COLLALTO DARYL C. COLLISON OLIVER COWSILL JOEL COX CAMERON COX NEIL CRAIGHEAD DAVID DANTES TAYLOR DAVID CANAAN DAVISON LUCAS DE MARINIS JAMIE DENNIS JEFF DINGLE MATTHEW JAMES DONOVAN AINSLIE DREW-BROOK MACY DROUIN AARON DURAND LUCY EARLE CASSANDRA TRINITY EDGAR ETHAN EDWARDS NABEEL EL KHAFIF JONATHAN ELIOT NNEKA ELLIOTT LUKAS ENGEL TALIA EVANS CAM FERGUS TAYVES FIDDIS EMMA FINDLAY LOLA FLANERY GARY FOO JOHN FRAY JOEL GAGNE ELIANE GAGNON CODY GALLANT LUKE GALLO JULIA GARTHA JAMES GODFREY ADAM D GOLDHAMMER VICTORIA GONCALVES ALEXIS GORDON JAMIE GOSSE CHRISTO GRAHAM HANNAH GROSS KRISTOPHER GRZELLA JOCELIN HAAS ISIAH HALL CARRAY HAMMOND ALEXIS HARRISON DAVID HAWKINS RYAN V. HAYS BRIAN HERZOG PETER HEWITT ELEANOR HEWLINGS JULIA HLADKOWICZ ELLARY HOFER KEVIN HOFFMAN ANNIKA HUDGIN KSENIJA IKONIC ELLIOTT INGRAM CHRIS IP MATTHEW ISEN TED JEFFERIES BOB JET KEITH C JONES SEAN JONES MORGAN JONES EVANGELIA KAMBITES JAY KEE NATASHA T KHAN TARA KOEHLER KAITLIN KOZELL KRISTEN KURNIK NIRVAAN KWAN MATT LANDRY CASEY LANGELAAN ADAM LANGTON PARKER LAUZON STEFAN LAWRENCE ROGER LEAVENS CRYSTAL LEGER COLIN LEPAGE BROOKLYN LIPKE BRENT LISTER STEVE J MACDONALD LEKE MACEDA-RUSTECKI MADISON MACGREGOR AVA MACGREGOR ELLE MACGREGOR KYLA MADEIRA MEGAN MANE TAYLOR MCKAY KEIRA MCNEICE CAMERON MCPHAIL DINA MESCHKULEIT MELINDA MICHAEL SAMANTHA MICHELLE TONYA (T.J) MILNE ALEX MOKHTARZADA AVIVA MONGILLO SAM MORA-DAVISON JORIE MORROW MICHAEL MUSI MITCH MYERS SYDNEY ALEXANDRA NEILLY GARY NEUMANN CLAUDENE NEYSMITH NERIS NIELSEN ABIGAIL NOLET JASON OLIVEIRA MARKWELL OTTOLINO-PERRY VANESSA OUDE-REIMERINK MITCHELL PAHAD BRIANA CAITLYN PALMER BIRVA PANDYA CHRISSY PARASKEVOPOULOS JUNG JIN PARK COREY PASCALL DIPAL PATEL ANDREA PEARL BAILEY PELKMAN JESSICA PERKINS DEREK PERKS MILA PETCHERSKAIA KAKKI PETER JAMES PATRICK PETTITT MELANIE PHAN CARLOS PINDER CHRIS PINEDA DANIEL POLICELLI KERALEA POLLOCK EMILY POPE COLE PROMANE LAUREN PRYCE TALON QUEFFELEC JULIAN RAIMONDO MATT RAYMOND JOSEPH RECINOS DINA RENON JON RHYS GEORGE RIDOUT CAITLIN ROBSON SPENCER ROBSON XANDER ROSS ANDREW ROTILIO BRENNA RUSSELL KATIE RYERSON PHILLIP SAMUEL DANKA SCEPANOVIC “Unlike most conventional banks, Creative Arts truly understands my work, finances and future goals as a Canadian performer.” Adamo Ruggiero By artists. For artists. Adamo Ruggiero has been acting professionally for years. A veteran performer, with credits including Degrassi: The Next Generation, Make the Yuletide Gay, The Neverending Story and The Next Star, his accomplished career features stage, film, TV and PSA credits. Adamo was one of the first performers to join Creative Arts. He has his finances with the credit union, as well as a number of other accounts to support his day-today banking needs. “I trust Creative Arts with my finances and thank them for being an ally to the Canadian arts community.” Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union Main Floor, 625 Church Street Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1 416.642.6749 | 877.643.3660 www.creativeartscu.com Our Streng th Is In Numbers PORTER SCHAEFER DANTE SCOTT ROBYN SGARLATA KIM SHAW KIMBERLEY SHONIKER CALWYN SHURGOLD MADISYN ROSE SIMOES GUGUN DEEP SINGH MCKENZIE SMALL SEAN SNELL MICHAEL SOFOS DAVE SOKOLOWSKI DANIEL SOLOKHINE HANNAH SPEAR EVAN SPERGEL HEATHER SPRENGER JAKE STERN DARCY STEWART IAIN STEWART RISA STONE VICTORIA SULLIVAN JULIE ANNE TAMILIA ETHAN TAVARES JAKE TEEL DANA THODY JASMINE RENEE THOMAS AVERY TRASK BRIANNE TUCKER VIKKI TZAKAS JESSICA VANDENBERG MITCHELL VERIGIN GALINA VLASOVA ENZO VOCI ROMAINE WAITE CONNIE WANG JENNA WARRINER DAVID ALEXANDER WEBSTER JENNA WEIR MACKENZIE WHITE TONY WHITE APHRA WILLIAMS BARRINGTON WILLIAMS CATHERINE WREFORD BRADEN WRIGHT PAUL WYERS ANDRIS YERKAVITS ALEXANDER ZAICHKOWSKI REGINA ZHVANETSKI CALEB ZILLA CHRIS ZONNEVILLE ACTORS IN by david gale Above: Krystal Hope nausbaum plays Amanda on Between. 12 ACTRA TORONTO PErForMErS Something is definitely rotten in the town of Pretty Lake. e body of everyone over the age of 22 is lying in the streets, the town is quarantined and the kids are in charge. Spoiler alert? not so fast. on Between, the new canadian series broadcast on city and netflix, these events occur in the first two episodes and establish the show’s premise. Created by writer/director Michael Mcgowan (Still Mine and Score: A Hockey Musical), Between is notable for a few reasons. Filmed in southern Ontario, Between has a large and diverse ensemble cast of 61 mostly young actors and all but one is Canadian. e series premiered in May, broadcasting one new episode a week on City in Canada and Netflix internationally. Releasing Between in this manner was an experiment for Netflix. Typically Netflix posts entire seasons on their SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) service, even with their own original programming. This weekly broadcast style avoided spoilers in Canada and created a global buzz and possibly a new model for Netflix. e young cast of Between (including a newborn) had to contend with significant life events in the series. I interviewed ACTRA Toronto performers Jesse carere, Shailyn Pierre-dixon, Kyle Mac and Krystal Hope nausbaum to discover how they managed life and death on Between, the Netflix experiment and being a young actor. A veteran of multiple television series including Skins and Finding Carter, Jesse Carere plays Adam, the smartest kid in high school. With so many young actors involved, I asked Carere about professionalism on set. Jc: I think what’s interesting about actors, even young kids… there’s something about them that is almost old… [It’s] the fact that they're working in such a professional environment and in such a big production… Even the little kids… they come in and they’re really sweet and they do their [acting] thing and they’re really good and it’s like they’re mini adults. dg: What is it like to be on a Canadian show broadcast globally week-to-week on Netflix? Jc: It feels big, like we were making a show for everyone in the world. We were told off the bat that… it would come out everywhere that Netflix exists… We had to separate that while were making it though so that we didn’t get wrapped up in that or feel the pressure. dg: Where were you in your career when you landed this part? Jc: I hadn't worked for two years and then the past year’s been pretty nice to me so I'm just grateful. FALL 2015 13 dg: What did you do during the time you weren't working steadily? Jc: I was in Los Angeles going into audition rooms a lot and trying to make impressions. I made a lot of friends… my home is split between here in L.A… But that’s what everyone tells you, that it’s not easy. You have to put your work in. So I understand that. I just have to figure out how to pay the bills now. One of the younger cast members who’s making an impression is 12-year-old Shailyn Pierre-dixon. It’s been a remarkable year for Pierre-Dixon. Besides starring in Between, she played Young Aminata on the mini-series e Book of Negroes. dg: Was playing Young Aminata’s extreme emotions hard for you? SPd: I found it very difficult. I had to break down too. At the end… I realized that they wouldn't have chosen me for the role if they didn’t think I was right for the role. On Between, Pierre-Dixon’s character, Francis, lives on a farm with her older brother Gord. I asked Pierre-Dixon about handling the deaths of Francis’ family members. SPd: I had to get into the character and feeling how my character felt, because my father dies. And it’s just hard for Gord and Francis. ey also have their grandfather who died… (e other actors) did help me a lot… and cheered me up if I didn’t feel the mood… Everyone on set was great. With the adults gone, Pierre-Dixon’s character was forced to do grown-up jobs. She talked about Francis’ work in the town. SPd: She helps around the orphanage and when she’s not (there) she’s either with her brother or on the farm. So she does have a really big job in the storyline. Which I find really cool because I just love the farm. dg: What were your favourite scenes to shoot? SPd: I got to shoot with a tiger. dg: Were you frightened? SPd: No, I had a few scenes actually. It was a very calm tiger, it was old. It didn’t really care. It was more like, ‘Okay, I'm here. I know what I’m doing. I’m just walking around.” dg: Do you think it was an ACTRA member? SPd: Umm, I don’t know. Kyle Mac plays Ronnie, one of Between’s most extreme and misunderstood youths. A finalist on CBC’s reality show Triple Sensation in 2007, Mac has since made a career in film and TV playing brooding bad boys with heart. I asked Mac about landing this role on Between. KM: Before this one I didn’t work for six months or more. is part was kind of a total fluke. I had actually prepared something totally different from what Ronnie is in the show. I had sunglasses and I was doing this super cool, drug-dealing, quick-talking, super slick dude. And Michael McGowan said, “You can throw out those sunglasses and… pretty much everything you’re doing and just approach it again”… Michael gave me a little more backstory and I did it one more time, and I got the part. I never had a callback. Mac is possibly the only actor who’s been a series regular on two Netflix series: Hemlock Grove and Between, both shot in southern Ontario. I asked him what effect being on these shows has had on his social media life. KM: I joined Twitter and Instagram for the show. For the first time in my career I get a bunch of messages from fans and weird fan art pictures. But the fan interaction, how closely you can interact so quickly, I think is fascinating. And it’s also rewarding to respond to somebody. We’re dealing with some teens, so the reactions are so ecstatic.… When I’ve used Twitter and tweeted Michael J. Fox and he responds to me, it’s amazing! One of the most moving and encouraging performances comes from Krystal Hope nausbaum who plays Amanda. Nausbaum has Down Syndrome and nearly didn’t get seen for the part. I asked Nausbaum to explain why. KHn: It was supposed to be for a character that was male. My friend Dylan… also auditioned for that role. ey also wanted a female to audition for it, to see if the Netflix people would do a female part. So I auditioned for it and I blew their minds and I got it. e production agreed and they rewrote the part for Nausbaum. I asked Kayla if starring on Between has changed her auditions. KHn: A lot of people out there just don’t know what people with Down Syndrome are like. And they discriminate [against] them. And it’s actually unfair because the people that don’t have disabilities are playing disabilities roles… It’s hard for me so I fight that every single day, because there’s not a lot of roles for people with my disability. dg: Does your agent ever send you out for roles not calling for people with disabilities? KHn: Yes. Recently my agent said that they are doing a 15th season of Degrassi and they’re looking for a role for someone… who has short hair. And I have short hair. And I auditioned but it’s not supposed to be someone who has a disability. I never got the role. dg: Have you been recognized on the street? KHn: Yeah! One time I was out having dinner and one person came up to me and said, “Were you on Between?” I said,” Yeah, I’m on that show!” ey said, “ I’m starting to watch it and I really love it.” Season 2 of Between is in the works but the future of Pretty Lake residents remains a mystery. One thing is certain, if these four young actors are any example of our next generation of actors, ACTRA Toronto can look forward to a bright, diverse and inclusive future. neW AcRonyMS What is SVOD and AVOD? These are revenue models for online video content. First there was TVOD (transactional video on demand). The consumer pays a transaction fee and iTunes, for example, rents it to you or delivers it to you to own, known respectively as Download to Rent (DTR) or Download to Own (DTO) or Electronic Sell Through (EST). As we move into bargaining the IPA, you might hear about SVOD and AVOD. What are they? SVOD is subscriber based video on demand. The consumer pays a flat monthly fee for unlimited access to, for example, Netflix programming. AVOD is advertising supported video on demand. An example is YouTube. The consumer watches video content for free but the content contains advertising. A portion of the ad revenue is paid to the content provider. The New Media Sub-Committee and the Bargaining Committee are looking at fair models to pay Use Fees to performers on SVOD and AVOD distributed content. “ It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home.” ~ Author unknown Belynda Blyth Sales Representative Your Key to Success Bus: 416-699-9292 Cell: 416-371-3717 bblyth@ rogers.com www.belyndablyth.com ACTRA member since 1985 RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd., Brokerage 2237 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON M4E 1G1 ACTRA Toronto Council Who’s Who PReSident david Sparrow dsparrow@actratoronto.com PASt PReSident Heather Allin hallin@actratoronto.com vice-PReSident, MeMBeR-At-LARge Wendy crewson wcrewson@actratoronto.com vice-PReSident, coMMunicAtionS david gale dgale@actratoronto.com vice-PReSident, eXteRnAL AffAiRS Art Hindle ahindle@actratoronto.com vice-PReSident, MeMBeR SeRviceS Jani Lauzon jlauzon@actratoronto.com tReASuReR david Macniven dmacniven@actratoronto.com vice-PReSident, inteRnAL AffAiRS eresa tova ttova@actratoronto.com Shereen Airth sairth@council.actratoronto.com farah Merani fmerani@council.actratoronto.com Maria del Mar mdelmar@council.actratoronto.com catherine disher cdisher@council.actratoronto.com Richard Hardacre rhardacre@actra.ca taborah Johnson tjohnson@council.actratoronto.com Joel Keller jkeller@council.actratoronto.com Angelica Lisk-Hann alisk@council.actratoronto.com Jani Lauzon jlauzon@actratoronto.com colin Mochrie cmochrie@council.actratoronto.com John nelles jnelles@council.actratoronto.com Jack newman jnewman@council.actratoronto.com clara Pasieka cpasieka@council.actratoronto.com eric Peterson epeterson@council.actratoronto.com Leah Pinsent lpinsent@council.actratoronto.com nicole St. Martin nstmartin@council.actratoronto.com MeMBeR AdvocAteS And oMBudSPeRSon: taborah Johnson, Child Advocate tjohnson@actratoronto.com Jani Lauzon, Diversity Advocate jlauzon@actratoronto.com, ext. 6618 Shawn Lawrence, Ombudsperson slawrence@actratoronto.com, ext. 6604 ACTRA Toronto Staff is here for YOU. ActRA toRonto geneRAL contAct infoRMAtion tel: 416-928-2278 or toll free 1-877-913-2278 email: info@actratoronto.com Website: www.actratoronto.com Address: 625 Church Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 2G1 Sue Milling, Executive Director Michelle nagel, Executive Assistant Tel: 416-642-6716 coMMeRciAL AgReeMent inteRPRetAtionS Judy Barefoot, Director Tel: 416-642-6705 Kelly davis, Steward Tel: 416-642-6707 kdavis@actratoronto.com cathy Wendt, Steward Tel: 416-642-6714 cwendt@actratoronto.com coMMeRciAL Audition cALLBAcK inquiReS claudette Allen Tel: 416-642-6713 callen@actratoronto.com coMMeRciAL cHeque inquiRieS nancy dickinson, Examiner Tel: 416-642-6721 tammy Boyer, Examiner Tel: 416-642-6739 Lyn franklin, Examiner Tel: 416-642-6730 coMMeRciAL PAyMent inquiRieS Brenda Smith, Coordinator Tel: 416-642-6731 Laura McKelvey, Senior Commercial Coordinator Tel: 416-642-6728 coMMunicAtionS Karl Pruner, Director, Tel: 416-642-6726 Karen Woolridge, Public Relations Officer Tel: 416-642-6710 Luca de franco, Public Relations Officer - Web Tel: 416-642-6747 finAnce And AdMiniStRAtion Karen Ritson, Director Tel: 416-642-6722 indePendent PRoduction And BRoAdcASt dePARtMent Mimi Wolch, Director Tel: 416-642-6719 gail Haupert, Steward. IPA, Videogames. Staff Liaison: Voice, New Media Tel: 416-642-6709 ghaupert@actratoronto.com clare Johnston, Steward: IPA, Reality. Staff Liaison: YEAA, Health & Safety Tel: 416-642-6746 cjohnston@actratoronto.com Barbara Larose, Steward: IPA, CFC, Co-op, Student Films. Staff Liaison: Minors, Background Performers Tel: 416-642-6712 blarose@actratoronto.com erin Phillips, Steward: IPA, Animation, Audio Code, CBC, NFB, TIP, TVO, PSAs, Documentaries, Industrials. Staff Liaison: Stunts Tel: 416-642-6711 ephillips@actratoronto.com cindy Ramjattan, Steward: IPA, CityTV, CTV, TIP, Zoomer, New Media. Staff Liaison: Diversity Tel: 416-642-6738 cramjattan@actratoronto.com toRonto indie PRoduction Tasso Lakas, TIP Coordinator, tlakas@actratoronto.com Tel: 416-642-6733 MeMBeR educAtion couRSeS Holly Gray, Receptionist Tel: 416-642-6741 goRdon PinSent Studio BooKingS 416-928-2278 MeMBeR SeRviceS (dueS & PeRMitS) Indra Escobar, Director Tel: 416-642-6702 By James gangl How to Eat a Sandwich like a Pro My first career was in marketing. I worked as a brand manager for Hershey Canada, Unilever and Heinz so when I started auditioning for commercials I came at it from a marketing angle, thinking like The Client. The Client is the marketing department of Coca-Cola or McCain or BMO. ey’re the ones who appear at your callback and sit quietly in the room staring at their laptops. ey are the money. ey pay for the commercial and for them it’s all about messaging or what the commercial communicates to the consumer. A commercial actor’s job is to decode that message and translate it into a performance. Breaking down a script as both a marketer and an actor can give you a significant edge. Here’s how I do it: Sell the promise not the product Many products solve the same problem and therefore marketing is what differentiates them. Take two snacks, Snickers (a candy bar) and Protinis (single serve chicken strips). Both Snickers and Protinis solve the hunger problem but make very different promises. In a recent Snickers campaign, a bunch of dudes are doing dude things with their pal Godzilla. ey’re hanging at the Last year I got paid $6,000 to eat a turkey breakfast sandwich. I also sold car insurance, beer, breakfast cereal, real estate advice, financial services and hardware. If it sounds like I’m bragging, I am; i eat a sandwich like a pro. beach, ogling girls, dancing at a house party and finally one of the dudes says, “Godzilla’s actually pretty cool.” His pal responds, “Except when he’s hungry.” Cut to Godzilla on a rampage, crushing cars and liquefying buildings with his laser breath. e tagline appears: “You’re not you when you’re hungry.” Snickers isn’t selling a snack, they’re promising a better you through hunger relief. Protinis has a spot featuring Olympic medalist Hayley Wickenheiser rushing to pack lunches, hitting the ice and working at a computer late at night. Protinis are touted as “e Official Snack of Everything” but Protinis is not selling us a snack either. Protinis is promising us time savings. When breaking down a commercial script, articulate the promise not the product. This will highlight the brand’s positioning and inform your performance. At your next audition for Voss Artesian Water don’t chug the bottle; Voss promises class. In contrast, at your Gatorade audition chugging the bottle might underscore the promise of rapid rehydration. When acting in a commercial, sell the promise not the product. Play the Promise not the Product identify the marketing tactic to inform your performance Marketers use a long list of tactics to get us to buy their products. Identifying the tactic will help the actor raise the stakes in the scene. Here are the most common tactics used: fear: If you don’t use this acne cream your friends won’t see you, they’ll only see your pimple. Shame: If you don’t buy this insurance your family will be le with crippling debt. James Gangl is an actor, writer and improviser. He does research for the hit CBC radio show on advertising Under the Influence and recently won the Kari Award at the Bessies for best actor in a commercial. Catch him in between your favourite TV show. twitter.com/jamesgangl Social Ascendance: People in the know drink this whisky. entitlement: You work hard so you deserve this vacation. Morality: Because you love your cat you’re going to feed her the very best cat food. Once the tactic is identified, the actor’s job is to turn the screws. In the Snickers example, marketers use fear, implying that you become a monster when you’re hungry. We therefore see all the actors laugh at Godzilla’s jokes when he is satiated and fear for their lives when he’s hungry. Conversely, Protinis appeals to Mom’s sense of morality: a good woman does it all, kids and career. e actress’ job here is to illustrate how Protinis helps her excel in all areas of her life despite the demands of her day. Marketing uses tactics to manipulate us into buying product. As actors, we turn up the volume on those tactics through performance. But how loud should the volume be? Articulating the Promise and identifying the Tactic finally leads us to the true acting challenge, namely, nailing the tone. Spokesperson, man-on-the-street, and walk-andtalks deserve their own paragraph because the actor becomes the brand. ese are the spots where at some point the actor stares directly down the barrel of the camera and tells you why they love their razor, or car, or reverse home mortgage. ink of the Canadian Tire guy or the Roll Up e Rim guy. e key to nailing tone here is to imagine who you are talking to and why you are talking to them. In the case of a razor blade, you’re probably just talking to your buddy. It’s no big deal, you just like the razor. If you’re selling life insurance, you’re probably talking to your spouse and it’s because you’re concerned about the future. e actor must be trustworthy and, unless instructed otherwise, your job is to inform your audience, not to hard sell them. We circle back to the same acting imperative: Be Real (while looking directly down the barrel of a camera). nail the tone is is where the actor’s chops come in. In general, be real. Tone varies wildly and hence playing real will bring the promise and tactic of the commercial to the surface. Despite using drastically different tones, most commercials are comedic. For example, Nissan touts its fuel economy by making the gas station seem like a horror movie, saving with Scotiabank allows parents to escape from their kids, and Cadbury creates a fantastical laboratory that distributes chocolate from air balloons. All of these examples are comedic but their tones are entirely different. If the copywriter and art director have done their jobs correctly, a world will be created around the actor. All that is required of the actor is a true and honest performance. Always start real and the director will steer you towards a smaller or bigger performance. Obviously, not all spots are comedic. Life Insurance, Mental Health Services, Legal Advice all tend towards a more stoic tone but the job is the same. Be real! Screen grabs from James gangl’s award-winning cheerios commercial, How to Dad. http://bit.ly/1gr237R Putting it all together: How i ate a sandwich professionally In an hour and twenty minutes I got paid $6,000 to eat a sandwich professionally. Looking at the script through the client’s eyes and translating the marketing message into a real performance helped me nail that role. Here’s a summary of how I did it using the pointers suggested above. e Client wasn’t selling a Turkey Breakfast Sandwich, they were promising a great way to start the workday. Picture the sun rising and me in a crisp business suit taking the second bite of a turkey breakfast sandwich. Putting the promise into performance, I enjoyed the sandwich while looking crisp and alert, ready to tackle a day at the office right after a delicious breakfast. e tactic was entitlement. I’m good at what I do so I deserve a great breakfast. Translated into performance, this was all about what I was eating. With each take I tried to taste something different. Was that a bit of tangy cheese? Mmmm, that turkey sausage patty is super savoury! Wow, that English muffin is so… god this is good! Finally, the tone was a simple slice of life. The spot featured different workers from all walks of life enjoying the same breakfast. Hence, I avoided hamming up how much I enjoyed the turkey. I just enjoyed it. When some flour from the English muffin got on my lip, I brushed it off. I was real. By understanding the Client’s promise, tactic and tone I ate that sandwich like a pro. And now you can too! Equity and ACTRA talk of enhanced relationship Two unions represent the interests of professional performers in English-speaking Canada: ACTRA covers work in recorded media and Equity covers live performance. However, the lines between those mediums are blurring in our fast-evolving digital universe. Many producers of live performance are looking to expand their audiences by streaming or recording their productions. ACTRA Toronto has been working closely with Equity in those cases, but as the media landscape continues to change, questions on how best to encourage the creativity of producers and performers while protecting our Intellectual Property has folks talking. Working together isn’t new. Many professional performers are members of both unions, and we’ve been working together to see important legislation like the new Protecting Child Performers Act passed here in Ontario. Last December, we were able to revisit and update our longstanding Reciprocal Agreement (RA), rolling out the modernized and streamlined ACTRA/Equity RA to our respective memberships in January. And we continue to lobby governments together to improve conditions for artists in Canada. Now we’re discussing the possibility of a closer, more-enhanced relationship, examining how our two unions can strengthen the political power of Canadian artists in live and recorded media while at the same time helping both organizations to better thrive in the 21st century. These joint committee discussions are still in their very beginning stages. Only time will tell what form a new relationship will take, however, a stronger strategic alliance, the sharing of expertise, resources, benefits, space and staff are all on the table for discussion. We are definitely two unique and successful organizations, similar in some ways and quite different in others. ere is a lot to discuss and research. At this time, no decisions or commitments have been made. In the end, the guiding principle will be to ensure real benefit for the members of both organizations and for the arts in Canada. We’ll keep you abreast of our discussions as we go along. Decisions leading to an enhanced relationship will only be undertaken through consultation with our respective memberships and with elected National and Branch Councils. Any major change to the governance of either organization would be put to a referendum of our respective memberships. Until then, if you’ve got any questions or helpful information, send it along to jointcommittee@actra.ca. David Sparrow President, ActRA toronto Member News change to Member By-Law Cool Day Jobs in the Biz Q - A casting director would like me to direct an audition session next week. does ActRA have any rules about this type of work? e Independent Production Agreement (IPA) contains a Statutory Declaration for Casting Directors. It says that C a s t ing Directors and those they employ are not eligible to work on an ACTRA Performer c ont r a c t or B a ck g rou n d voucher on that Production. ACTRA’s By-Laws set out the Work Rules by which every member should govern themselves. Some of those rules ensure that members in a position to engage or negotiate terms for performers do not have an unfair advantage over other members seeking work. ese rules extend to members who are agents too. Q - does the same apply if i’m running auditions for a radio commercial or a cartoon? Yes. e same rules apply in the Voice and Commercial world. If you’re hired by production or casting to direct an audition, cast or engage other members you should recuse yourself from auditioning or accepting a role. e purpose is to ensure a level playing field, no undue influence and no wasted time for your fellow performers. Q – Has ActRA negotiated a rate for being a reader? Yes. The rate for taking part in another Performer’s IPA audition is currently $30.35 per hour or $152.25, whichever is greater (IPA A2804). The r a t e f o r t a k i n g p a r t i n a n other Performer’s commercial audition is currently $81.50 per hour with a guarantee of $326.50 which includes four hours work time.( NCA 908) Both types of work require ACTRA contracts. Member News New membership card a big hit ACTRA Toronto is feeling the love for its new hard-plastic membership card. e card is a first step toward a smartcard able to connect with the membership database. ACTRA Toronto also has a long-range dream to make the membership card capable of functioning as a paperless Background voucher. We dream big. Another reason to carry your membership card at all times Of course you bring it to set each time. And you carry it with you so you can get your MAP discounts, right? www.actra.ca/main/members/member-benefits/map-discounts/ But how about this? A member lost her wallet. A good person picked it up, found her ACTRA membership card, and called ACTRA to find out if they could return it to her via her union. Nice person. Happy member. Bargaining Committee Announced Six ACTRA Toronto members have agreed to serve as team members or alternates on the IPA Bargaining Committee: david Sparrow, catherine disher, grace Lynn Kung, Shawn doyle, Sarah gadon and Rick Howland. is is time-consuming, challenging work. If you see these wonderful people, please give them your thanks. david Sparrow catherine disher grace Lynn Kung Shawn doyle Sarah gadon Rick Howland Member News ACTRA Awards Submissions e ACTRA Awards in Toronto will be held on Friday, February 19, 2016 at the Carlu. Submissions are open now but will close on November 1, 2015. Go online to submit at: www.actratoronto.com/performers/community/the-actra-awards-in-toronto/actra-awards-submission/ Any Toronto member in good standing may submit a performance by a Toronto member in good standing. The performance must be in a principal role. The first public exhibition of the program must have occurred between November 1, 2014 and October 31, 2015. Do your p ar t to ma ke sure outst anding C anadian p erformances get the recognition they deserve! Train professionally on camera for film acting • Diploma Programs - Earn a diploma in 4 months • Certificate Programs - 1 month training • Create Film Scenes for your demo reel working with Award Winning Director • Part time classes - evenings and weekends - for kids, teens and adults • ACTRA Member receive 10% discount Young Artists Award L.A. Congratulations to ACTRA Toronto member emilia Mccarthy who won the 2015 Young Artists Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries, Special or Pilot (Young Actress) for her performance as Taylor Dean in Disney Channel’s Zapped, shot in Vancouver. Your Council and Stunt Committee Election Timeline October 21 – ballots distributed October 2 – candidates statements due November 20 – ballots returned September 25 – nominations close December 1 – newly elected Councillors join Council with voice but no vote for 2 meetings January 5, 2016 – Election of Treasurer and VicePresidents. Election of 12 National Councillors and 6 National alternates. HIGHLIGHTS OF COUNCIL ACTIVITY 2014 - 2016 ACT YOUR AGE (AYA) CHILD PERFORMERS Actors Don’t Retire video Actors’ Gym Holiday Cabaret Bill 17 becomes law! AGENT OUTREACH CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Parent Information Sessions Creation of Toronto Talent Agents Association Background Talent Agents meet Background Casting Directors AWARDS COMMITTEE ACTRA Awards in Toronto, as fabulous as ever under new Chair Member Conferences, now with free childcare Nicole St. Martin COUNCIL Katie Boland at CRTC CRTC Flash Conference video Low-Budget Digital Guidelines Let’s Talk TV public consultations Maria del Mar BACKGROUND Apprentice Caucus re-invigorated Full Member Background Committee formed AABP Caucus continues strong CastingBackground.ca DIVERSITY COMMITTEE CastingDiversity.ca talent database goes National Diversity Casting Go-See Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival Deaf Film & Arts Festival CFC Actors Conservatory makes diversity commitment BARGAINING Stratford Agreement Soulpepper Agreement NCA deal – full day rates restored for online commercials! TiP rates increased Farah Merani 28 ACTRA TORONTO PErForMErS ey’ve been busy! LooK WHAt tHey’ve AccoMPLiSHed! A big thank-you to this Council as their term winds up. David Gale EDITORIAL COMMITTEE STUNT COMMITTEE Performers on Set – quarterly newsletter taken to sets and available online Performers magazines twice yearly CastingStunts.ca Concussion education and baseline testing New ACTRA Toronto Stunt Award Stunt Committee promotional clip reel Angelica Lisk-Hann FINANCE COMMITTEE Clean audits Balanced budget MEMBER SERVICE Aer-hours hotline Help with Worker Health and Safety Awareness AFBS Financial literacy workshop New hard-plastic membership card CastingACTRA.ca ORGANIZING Torontofilmworkers.com video and website promoted to L.A. Industry Relations hires ACTRA Advantage Research Project Northern Ontario satellite office Mayoral candidate industry roundtable Zaib Shaikh appointed City of Toronto Film Commissioner New reciprocal agreement with Equity Changing Workplaces Review TORONTO ACTRA WOMEN’S COMMITTEE TAWC Youth Retreat TAWC panel on harassment Nell Shipman Awards BravoFact commits to 50% gender equity Toolkit 2.0 mentorship produces Girl Couch VOICE COMMITTEE CastingVoice.ca New voice booth in the Gordon Pinsent Studio Audiobooks research Catherine Disher YOUNG EMERGING ACTORS’ ASSEMBLY PARADES COMMITTEE (YEAA) Pride Parades Labour Day Parades YEAA sells out ReelWorld Mega TiFF party trends city-wide Clara Pasieka Colin Mochrie at World Pride FALL 2015 29 Daniel John Paul Conley Jonathan Crombie 1946 - 2015 1966 - 2015 Dan Conley, son of John and Pauline Conley of Windsor, passed away suddenly, but peacefully, in his Toronto home. Survived by his loving wife, Robin Leigh, brother Shawn, sisters Kathie and Erin, nephews, nieces, loving Aunt Joan and Uncle Gus orburn. Dan attended the University of Windsor, Faculty of Drama, acted at the Stratford Festival eatre and was the recipient of the 1970 Chalmers Apprentice Award. Dan leaves behind a long career in the film/TV industry as an ACTRA member and a 35-year I.A.T.S.E. 873 member. In a career he loved dearly, he brought smiles to every set he worked on. A man of charm and unending warmth, he filled his life with loyal friendships. His memory will remain in the hearts of those fortunate to have known him. There will be a memorial celebration of Dan's life in Toronto in September. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the ACTRA's Fund of Canada would be appreciated. Robin Leigh Jonathan Crombie was one of those rare people who could ruin your night simply by leaving. As an actor, he was very accomplished. ere was the Gilbert Blythe thing, of course, as well as his stellar work at Stratford, his stint as the best-looking male Skippy’s Ranger, and his stirring turn as the Colonel in Satherby’s Request. He soared on television in Mount Royal and Slings & Arrows, and on Broadway as the other Man in the Chair. But when I think of him and the thirty-plus years we worked, ate, drank and played together, I think of the absences, the many dreary evenings that would have been saved had he just walked through the door in his baseball cap and torn jacket, with the ubiquitous knapsack slung over his shoulder that contained, I assume, all of his wordily possessions. Unfortunately, he was hard to pin down. Jonathan would participate only if the event were spontaneous, and so there was a kind of ongoing lie in which of all of his friends were complicit; that all dinners and parties and movies and outings, n o m atte r h ow c are f ul ly pl an n e d, were impulsive, spur-of-the-moment things. Even so, when invited, Jonathan would reply, “I’ll be there, or whatever.” “Or whatever” was his get-out-of-jail free card and he played it constantly. He was on his own trip, that’s for sure. He thought deeply, and liked to ask the big questions. He didn’t like owning things, and was proud of the fact that he could move apartments by calling a cab. He was a very private man and, yes, eccentric, but loyal, generous and kind-hearted. He did not live life so much as wrestle it into submission, but he never burdened anyone with his problems. More than anything he was fun, and it is this extraordinary ability of his to twist life and work and the world in general into something supremely enjoyable that makes his sudden death at age 48 so hard to accept. A big thank you from all of us, Jonny. We’ll see you again soon, or whatever. Bob Martin co-wrote e Drowsy Chaperone and originated the role of Man in the Chair. He was a fellow member of Skippy’s Rangers with Jonathan and co-created Slings & Arrows in which Jonathan played Lionel Train. R J ADAMS DON BERNS JAMES BIROS JAAP BROEKER ANGELO CELESTE MARIO CORNACCHIA JAMES FLETT EILEEN GOLLERT LYNNE GORDON EDWARD L GREENSPAN ARTHUR HILL JOHN CLIFFORD HUNTER LISE LEBEL SHAUNE LEGRIS LILLIAN LEWIS LOIS LILIENSTEIN BRIAN MACDONALD ISRAEL SIMON ALEESHA SODHA ROBERT C. TERRIS STAN TULLY JOSEPH VIDA PATRICIA ANN WATSON Susan Petrie Alberta Watson 1951 - 2015 1955 -2015 I first noticed Susan in my sister's yearbook. She was extremely photogenic and her smile so warm and friendly. A year later, when I got to high school, Susan was starring in her own TV series for the CBC, Toby a Canadian take-off of Gidget. We became very close. Susan flung open the doors and windows of a brand new world for me and that was where I wanted to be. She was gorgeous, wise, an old soul yet naively honest and sincere, and so generous with herself. She introduced me to her friends, people in film, theatre, and television, glorious, exciting people. Elegant, intelligent and fierce was our Alberta Watson. Alberta was a magical performer, so talented, so compelling to watch. I first met her when I asked her to share some of her experiences at an ACTRA breakfast with emerging talent. She said yes before I’d f inishe d t he pitch. A l berta was willing to share not only the good things about having a career in the industry, but also what to be wise about, like following your own inner voice and asking for what you need. She’d just returned from L.A., her success in Spanking the Monkey something she took in stride. She was playing Senator Madeline Pierce in La Femme Nikita at the time and I watched just to see what she’d do next. Coincidentally we both got parts in Don Shebib's movie Rip-off. What splendid fun. Evenings before a day of shooting we read our scripts inside out and made sure we were completely prepared. It was magical to share my first professional acting experience with my best friend. roughout the ‘70s Susan’s career blossomed. She was dedicated and worked very hard and a lot, appearing in numerous films, television shows, and theatre productions all across Canada. She worked with Canada's greatest directors and writers, most memorably starring in David Cronenberg’s Shivers. She was a Canadian star. There was always talk about going to L.A. and sometime in the early ‘70s she finally went. At this time she also met and fell in love with aspiring director Allan Eastman. ey had a dream to produce a film that Susan would star in and Allan would direct, and that would be their calling card in L.A. However, when they got to Hollywood, fate intervened and her dream faded. Susan’s last professional acting job was in 1977. She returned to Canada briefly for her marriage to Myles Reiss in 1981. Late this April, I got a call from Susan’s husband that she had passed away on April 16th. He was shattered. She was 63 years old. ey had been together for 37 years. With him, Susan found the love and trust that were so important to her. Actor Derek McGrath, who had known Susan even before I had, said “I was in love with her then." I thought for a second and replied, "So was I." Ann Evans With my first large role, I called her for advice. She said, “You’ve done all the hard work, just have fun and play.” at’s the kind of woman she was, always putting things into perspective. I remember how much she loved her dog, how much she delighted in her relationship with her husband Ken, how much she loved him. I remember how warm and welcoming her home was, that she enjoyed watching figure skating, especially the Olympics, and how proud she was of Canadians who stood up, helping others to reach farther. I particularly noticed her strength and honesty during the 2006 IPA negotiations. She was a strong supporter of performers’ rights and of what we are due. Each morning of negotiations I looked forward to seeing her determined, proud face. Somehow she helped make it possible to go back at it, over and over again. Even when facing difficult battles of her own, she never let her union down, never let her fellow performers down. She was a force of nature - gracious, brilliant and generous to the last. We lost Alberta on March 21, 2015. I miss you, my friend. Your star shines bright on all of us. Heather Allin Past President, ACTRA Toronto For more information, check out www.actratoronto.com ACTRA Toronto Performers 625 Church Street, 2nd floor Toronto,ON M4Y 2G1 40070196