PODCAST · arts
The Title Block
by Michael Kruse
A monthly talk with Canadian theatrical designers about their philosophy and history.
Episodes
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The Title Block Live September 3 2020
On September 3, 202, we held a panel entitled Sustainability in Design. The UN has named this the Decade of Action, our last chance to create the transformation to a livable future. What does it mean to align our practices with a 1.5 degree Celsius global temperature rise? This event focuses on…
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The Title Block Live August 6 2020
On August 6th, 2020, we presented what proved to be another important discussion about todays theatre in Canada or Turtle Island: Grounding Indigenous Art & Design On Mixed-Raced Teams: A conversation reflecting on creating spaces and processes for Indigenous Theatre with anti-appropriative...
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#63 Michael Whitfield
This time the final conversation from my trip in Vancouver at the end of 2018. Michael Whitfield was the head of lighting design at the Stratford Festival for over 25 years from the mid 1970’s through to the early 2000’s., so he is perfectly placed to round out our discussion about the history of...
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The Title Block Live July 9 2020
This week a special presentation of The Title Block Live, presented in partnership with The Associated Designers of Canada on Supporting a BIPOC cast with your design. A panel of fantastic Canadian theatre designers and artists discuss several questions around how our designs and collaborations…
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#62 Conor Moore
Conor Moore in the pentultimate interview from my trip to Vancouver and Victoria in December of 2018. We talk about his early schooling at Queen’s University and UBC and his breakout as a projection, lighting and set designer at Bard At the Beach and other great Vancouver based companies. Conor…
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The Title Block Live June 4 2020
After a two week hiatus we are back with the Title Block Live for June 6 2020. This week a multi-disciplinary panel discusses collaboration in theatre design. The panel is also composed entirely of women, so that lens is applied to think about design in Canada. Our panel consist of: Kate De…
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#61 Mishelle Cuttler
This is the second to last interview from my BC interview trip at the end of 2018. Mishelle Cuttler invited me to her home in Vancouver BC and we speak about her career as a composer and sound designer. We speak of her early career at UBC and discovering her talents as a composer as well as an...
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The Title Block Live May 14 2020
On this next episode of The Title Block Live we discuss video and projection design with a panal of fantastic Canadian designers. Our panel is led by Conor Moore and includes Hugh Conacher, Cameron Fraser, T. Erin Grube, Jamie Nesbitt, Sean Nieuwenhuis, and Emily Soussana.
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The Title Block Live May 7 2020
The next episode of The Title Block Live for May 7 2020 features an all-star panel of costume designers.
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The Title Block Live April 23 2020
This week on The Title Block Live on our You Tube channel, a panel of top Canadian theatrical set designers take questions about their craft and approach to design. On this episode, Pat Flood, Susan LePage, Shawn Kerwin, Camellia Koo, Ken MacDonald, Ken Mackenzie, and Lorenzo Savoini join co-host...
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#60 Robert Gardiner
I met with Robert Gardiner at the University of British Columbia’s Fredrick Wood Theatre in the design department at the beginning of 2019. We speak about his early work in the US and is eventual move to the UBC drama department, and his thoughts on theatre training and the changes in producing...
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The Title Block Live April 16 2020
On this inaugural Title Block Live event, join Conor Moore as he attempts to wrangle a rambunctious panel consisting of Bonnie Beecher, Kevin Fraser, Louise Guinand, Kevin Lamotte, Kimberly Purtell, and Michael Walton to answer your questions about lighting design. The Title Block Live April 16...
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The Title Block Live Announcement CHANGE
Hey there, Michael Kruse here again - I have to recall that last announcement! We are also in a period of flux, I jumped the gun a bit, and the First Title Block Live episode will now be on Thursday April 16th at 8 pm EST. Join me, and designer Conor Moore, as well as an all-star panel every...
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#59 Robert Sondergaard
I joined Rob at his home in Port Moody BC, just outside Vancouver in December of 2018. We speak about his start in lighting at the Banff Centre and move into live events at Christie Lites Vancouver. Waxing on about early movers we flesh out his work in large scale live events for television,...
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The Title Block Live Announcement
During these, um, what's the euphimism markerters are using? "Uncertain Times" we are all stuck at home waiting to make our art again; waiting for the world to change and settle and pushed apart from each other. In an effort to build comm unity and to take one small advantage of this, tumolt, The...
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#58 Mary Kerr
Mary and I met at her home in Victoria BC in December of 2018. We speak of her early days growing up in Winnipeg dancing in her mother’s dance studio and her transition to majorette, sculpture and finally nationally renowned set and costume designer. We speak for considerable length about her...
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#57 April Viczko
I had a great opportunity while I was in Calgary in the winter of 2019 to speak with designer April Viczso. She is an associate professor and the chair of the department of design in the school of creative and performing arts at the University of Calgary. She is also the past president of the...
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Special Presentation: Sholem Dolgoy Retires
On September 23, 2019, Sholem Dolgoy, the head of theatre production training at Ryerson University’s School of Performance retired. He taught at the school since the early 1980’s while building a towering career in lighting design in Canadian theatre and dance. I recorded the presentation that...
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#56 Susan Benson
Susan Benson was born in Kent, England, trained as a fine artist but as a member of a theatre family moved quickly in to theatre design. I met with Susan in Victoria in December of 2018 and she recounted her early life and training in England and her development of a robust training environment…
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#55 Mara Gottler
My interview with costume designer Mara Gottler is a continuation of my profiles of Vancouver theatre designers from December 2018. Mara and I speak about her early life at the Stratford festival as a tailor and sewer and her move to the National Theatre School, and eventually Vancouver where she...
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#54 Scott Miller
Scott Miller is a partner in DWD Theatre Design and Consulting based in Vancouver BC. He and I speak about our beginnings in Toronto theatre as classmates at Ryerson Theatre School and proceed to a fascinating conversation about designing your theatre. While this is a program about theatre…
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#53 Astrid Janson
This episode a great conversation with legendary Canadian theatre designer Astrid Janson. I joined Astrid in at her home in November of 2018 to discuss her early days at Toronto Workshop Productions and Toronto Dance Theatre and her set, costume, and yes lighting design work in opera and new...
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#52 Kevin Fraser
Kevin Fraser has been at the Stratford festival for 30 years and designed the lighting for over 500 productions since graduating from Ryerson Theatre School in the late 1970’s. He invited me to his home in Stratford Ontario in August of 2018 and we spoke about his early career and beginnings in...
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#51 Glenn Davidson
Glenn Davidson sat down with the Title Block in August of 2018 to talk old times and design. Among our topics were included the start of the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Poor Alex Theatre Group as well as his early work as an actor and his most recent design work with the Tarragon, Tafalmusik...
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#50 Dana Osborne
Dana Osborne is a set and costume designer based out of Stratford Ontario. She started out working in some of the top wardrobe shops in the country, including the Canadian Opera Company, the Shaw Festival, and the Mirvish shops when they still owned them. We talk about her transition to design…
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The Bellows: From Page To Stage
This time on The Bellows we feature a conversation about the genesis and production of Pearle Harbour: Chautauqua, from the spark of an idea to the gathering of the creative team and the final realization in the marvelous 40-seat revival tent installed at Theatre Passe Muraille in October in…
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#49 Jamie Nesbitt
Jamie Nesbitt is a Vancouver based projection designer and we caught up in June of 2018 at the Shaw Festival where he was designing The Hound of the Baskervilles. Jamie and I talk about the start of his career at the end of the slide projector era and the transition to the full integration of…
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The Bellows: Unions and Other Associations
Its time for another presentation of The Bellows! This time a discussion with stage manager Megan Speakman, stagehand Sally Roberts, and designer Simon Rossiter about unions and associations and how they work to protect the rights of the theatre workers they represent. the conversation took place...
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#48 Siobhán Sleath
Siobhán Sleath is a Toronto-based lighting designer with a history at our two big festivals, Shaw and Stratford. Siobhán and I chatted in June of 2017 about her early career at Stratford, her work in dance and musical theatre, and her adventure touring to India with Anandam Dance. We lost some...
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Special Pres: 1837 The Farmers' Revolt Panel Discussion
A little palate cleanser for the end of the summer. On July 18 2018, Blyth Festival artistic director Gil Garrett and local historian David Yates sat down with moderator and film director Christopher Spaleta to talk about the history around Blyth's current production of 1837: The Farmers' Revolt....
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#47 Gillian Gallow
Gillian Gallow was a designer right out of the gates. Before finishing her degree at York University, she was already assisting at the Stratford Festival, and had cut her teeth at our favourite summertime haunt: Blyth. Gillian and I discuss her early career and take on design, and her recent work...
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Special Pres: PACT's Digital Dramaturgy
This time a special presentation that I happen to catch at the last minute about digital dramaturgy. The teleconference was recorded on April 25, 2018 as a presentation of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatre. The panel discussion is an result of an idea by the artistic practice...
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#46 Andrea Lundy
When I was starting in the 90's Andrea had all the work. She was connected to all of the most interesting theatre companies in toronto and had production managed many of them. I envied her for getting their first, for having the ability to get into the middle of the most interesting creative…
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The Bellows: Stage Management for Smarties
This time on the panel, finally a conversation of the crew/creative members who keep the entire machine together communicating from early days of workshops through the grueling tech-week and then single-handedly corralling all of the artists together to perform the same great show (if you'r luck)...
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#45 Alan Brodie
Alan Brodie is a lighting and set designer based in Vancouver B.C. I caught up with him during my visit to the Shaw Festival in May of 2017. We speak about the early 90's in vancouver and the changes that have taken place there over the last 30 years. We continue the story of the Phantom of the...
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The Bellows: Trash vs. Treasure
On this episode of The Bellows our trusty moderator Kevin Hutson talks with Ian Garrett and Ryan Wilson about what do do with that old set or how to build a more sustainable design. This installment of the monthly production panel discussion was recorded at the Wychwood Barns in Toronto on Oct 24...
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#44 Ken MacDonald
Ken MacDonald went from teaching drawing and painting at high school in the 1970's to one of the most sought after theatre artists in Canada today. His artistic and personal partnership with Morris Panych has resulted in some of the most iconic Canadian theatre productions, including the...
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The Bellows: Contracts and Fees 2
Another installment of the Bellows for this episode. This is a compliment to the previous episode on Contracts and Fees we did earlier in 2017. This time with production manager Erin Birkenbirgs and producer Sue Balint. This covered areas we did not have a chance in the last episode and I am sure...
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#43 Rachel Forbes
I caught up with Rachel Forbes just before the opening of 1837:The Farmer's Revolt at The Shaw Festival in May of 2017. We discuss choice of going into theatre and the beginnings of what promises to be a long a fruitful career in theatre.
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#42 Peter Hartwell
Peter is a set and costume designer based in Niagara-On-the-Lake, Ontario. Peter began his career in England, and there will be half the show that will be a lot of names and places that you may not be familiar with, if you go to the show notes, you can follow the links for some context so you can...
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The Bellows: Getting Started in Design
This time on our presentation of The Bellows, a topic close to the heart of this podcast, Getting Started in Design. Moderator Christopher Ross speaks with lighting designer Jareth Li, performance designer Shannon Lea Doyle, sound designer and composer Alex Williams, and lighting Designer Michael...
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The 2017 Harolds Sham-Cast: A Special Presentation of The Bellows
On June 13th, Toronto theatre artists were feted again by the irreverent and always random Harold Awards. Established in 1995 by 13 bad-ass independent theatre artists, the awards have wound their way through the theatre community, establishing a timeline of independent theatre creators that have...
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#41 Richard Feren
Last September, 2016, I spent 2 hrs talking to composer and sound designer Richard Feren. We spoke about his early career in radio, at the age of 13, through his time in the explosion of indi theatre in Toronto in the early 90's and his work with iconic directors like Daniel Brooks. We land on…
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The Bellows: Self Care
Are you sleeping enough? Do you know what enough is? When was the last time you made yourself a meal, or spent the day taking care of yourself instead of all of your actors and director? Have you had moments of panic for no reason or felt an unyielding force preventing you from leaving the house...
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#40 Martha Mann
Martha Mann is one of the original Canadian theatre designers. I had the pleasure of speaking with Martha in her home in August of 2016. We speak about her personal origins when there were no theatre training programs in Canada, about the birth of modern Canadian drama from the amateur Dominion...
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The Bellows: Media Relations
On January 16th, 2017, the Bellows reconvened again to discuss another pressing and mysterious issue in the production of Canadian Theatre: media relations. Kevin Hutsen spoke to Steve Fisher, Rennie Readie and now Title Block veteran, Sue Edworthy about selling the show and growing your audience
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#39 Lorenzo Savoini
Lorenzo Savoini is the director of design at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, one of the most successful theatres to be founded in the last 20 years and one that continues to push the envelope on what theatre can or should be. Lorenzo tells me about his time growing up in Thorn Hill Ontario and his...
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#38 The Bellows: Ask Me Anything
On this episode we once again return to The Bellows, a monthly informal discussion about theatre production that is recorded in Toronto, this time at Theatre Passe Muraille on November 16th, 2016. Carpenter and Bellows founder Kevin Hutson moderates a Q and A with some of Toronto theatre...
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#37 Eo Sharp
Eo Sharp joined me at the Shaw Festival in May of 2016 to discuss her growing up at the Tarragon Theatre in the 1970's and her time at the National Theatre School and Working in Montreal. We also talk about her process for Alice in Wonderland at the Shaw festival and the mirrored set that brought...
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#36 The Bellows: Contracts and Fees
In this next episode of The Bellows, a conversation about contracts and fees. How do you negotiate to your advantage? What are the necessary parts of a contract and is it worth having an agent or being a member of the Associated Designers of Canada? Moderator Kevin Hutson talks to Kesta Graham,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A monthly talk with Canadian theatrical designers about their philosophy and history.
HOSTED BY
Michael Kruse
CATEGORIES
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How many episodes does The Title Block have?
The Title Block currently has 88 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Title Block about?
A monthly talk with Canadian theatrical designers about their philosophy and history.
How often does The Title Block release new episodes?
The Title Block has 88 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts The Title Block?
The Title Block is created and hosted by Michael Kruse.
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