Alumni Look Back: Two Years, Ten years, a Lifetime

by Patrick McDonagh and Philip Szporer

Two or three years and they’re out. The time students spend at the NTS is over in a flash, but the lessons they learn about themselves and the theatre last a lifetime. On the occasion of the School’s fortieth birthday, a group of illustrious alumni reflect on how the School has affected them and the theatre community they work in.

• Diana Leblanc (Acting, 1963) • Michael Riley (Acting, 1984) • Larry Isacoff (Technical Production, 1976) • Ken Schwartz (Technical Production, 1990, Directing, 1992) • Michael Joy (Scenography, 1979) • Sheila Crampton (Technical Production, 1982) • Kenneth Welsh (Acting, 1965) • Celia McBride (Playwriting, 1995) • Danielle Irvine (Directing, 1996) • Christina Poddubiuk (Design, 1980) • Henry Czerny (Acting, 1982) • Julie Fox (Scenography, 1994) • Ben Nind (Acting, 1994) • Wendell Dennis (Design, 1969) 

Diana Leblanc (Acting, 1963)

When the first trickle of students entered the newly formed National Theatre School in 1960, Diana Leblanc was among them. The School marked her transition from a young dancer to an actor. "I was just 17 and really had no drama training at all. That Powys Thomas and Jean Gascon took a chance on me made me think perhaps I could do this.

"Another formative influence was voice and text teacher Eleonor Stuart. "She was a remarkable human being who seemed of another time and place. She was very shy: she wasn’t cold or distant, just not at ease with the ‘dailyness’ of contact. But as a teacher, she was incredibly generous. Her love and admiration for the Greeks and the stoicism she herself seemed to radiate made her a most uncommon and impressive figure, and a great teacher."

Leblanc started in the French Section, but after her first year switched to the English. "I thought I would be more comfortable with the introverted way of working that I saw in the English Section. I didn’t think of it as a career move — I naively assumed my life would naturally unfold in both languages."

"I was very young: I just knew I was surrounded by terrific, lively, curious people, that we were part of the beginning of something that felt necessary and important."

Leblanc’s agenda is full — she is directing Madame Butterfly for Opera Ottawa this fall, and then Wit and The Rape of Lucretia in Edmonton and Amsterdam, respectively. Next summer, Leblanc will direct her old friend and classmate Martha Henry at Stratford in The Seagull — along with a more recent NTS grad, Michelle Giroux (Acting, 1997).

Michael Riley (Acting, 1984 )

"Being at NTS for those three years was the most intense experience as an actor you can have," says Michael Riley, who has won Best Actor Gemini Awards for his roles in Power Play and The Helsinki Roccamatios. "I was 18 years old, and I’d come straight from high school into that cocoon." Riley wistfully remembers the exhilarating times of "falling on your face, and not having [critics] review the work."

Riley says the fervor for being up on stage, which was instilled in the students, transformed his experience of performing while he was at the School. "It was a passionate event. It was always infusing the work. [And] the roles that you play in theatre school are rare to play in the real world," he says. "To be able to be in a place and intensely work on the piece is a gift."

From an actor’s point of view, says Riley, the School created a dream environment that reoccurs only rarely in the professional world. "When you leave theatre school you think, ‘I’m going to play an infinite number of characters.’ [But] unemployment is woven into the tapestry of the actor’s life. It never gets easier. Sometimes you’ve got to do things you don’t want to do, in order to do those things you do want. But [after graduating NTS] you have a box of tools that will support you."

Riley is sold on the passionate idea of theatre that’s nurtured at the School. "You don’t sell what you do, you sell your love of what you do. When I left [NTS], I never planned some kind of career strategy. I focused on what was in front of me and the love that I had for my craft, and that generated more work."

Larry Isacoff (Technical Production, 1976)

"The School gave me a grounding and a vocabulary, a way to approach the business," says Larry Isacoff, of the Manitoba Theatre Centre. "You could walk into a theatre and have the confidence to say ‘Okay, I know how that works after graduating.’"

My mentors, Michael Eagan and Freddie Grimwood, were the first theatre professionals I had ever worked with," he recalls. "I was tremendously influenced by their sense of responsibility to the job and their artistic sensibilities. I wanted to be like them." "Also," he says, "for a 19-year-old kid from Toronto, it was a new world for me. You’re already a sponge at that age, but moving to Montreal, dealing with theatre professionals and with kids who spoke French and looked at life utterly differently, changed me. It made me realize what a remarkably diverse country Canada is, and what a rich and deep theatre heritage we have. It was truly a wonderful two years."

The School provided work conditions that easily simulated those found in the professional world, notes Isacoff, although at times that was a questionable virtue. "Because I went to the School before anyone thought of theatre safety, it’s lucky a lot of us got out alive. There’s a lot of stuff we did that I’m sure would not happen now — crawling around about 60 feet above the stage without a safety harness and things like that. But that’s the way things were done professionally." Fortunately Isacoff — and his classmates — have lived to tell the tale.

Ken Schwartz (Technical Production, 1990 – Directing, 1992)

"I worked in every aspect of the School," explains Ken Schwartz, Co-Artistic Director of Two Planks and a Passion Theatre in Canning, Nova Scotia, and a graduate of both the Directing and the Technical Production Programs. Mentoring allowed Schwartz to move ahead. Although he was originally enrolled in the School’s Acting Program, Schwartz recalls, "Perry Schneiderman [then Director of the Program] said, ‘I think you have a future ahead of you in theatre. But not as an actor.’ At first I felt hurt. But he gave me a gift, and that was the truth. It was one of my more valuable lessons." At 17, Schwartz was still developing and learning who he was. "People have an idea that when they go into a school like NTS, they figure they’ll spend their time being given tools. My profound lesson in theatre, something I quickly realized, was it’s not what you’re given, but what you go after. It’s through ‘sweat equity’ that you’re going to get something, it’s what you bring to your experience. Nobody’s going to do the work for you."

Initiative is all-important, he says, but so is problem solving and failing. "To avoid failure, to avoid the possibility of failure, you learn nothing. Through people telling people things you don’t want to hear, you’re learning lots of powerful lessons. That’s how the School shaped my life, and I’m still learning from those experiences. And those challenging early ways stuck with me. What I did there in the five years gave me an incredibly solid base."

Michael Joy (Scenography, 1979)

"Definitely my experience at the School was formative," says Production Designer Michael Joy, whose work was recently seen in the CBS miniseries Joan of Arc. "In the design world, at least, there aren’t that many schools that teach theatre design. So to be taught in all three disciplines — costumes, lighting and scenery — in one institution, and to be taught that exclusive of any other subject was, and still is, unique."

Having the School on his resume did help his career path, Joy acknowledges. "The imprimatur of the School didn’t give you instant access to that world, but certainly people did respect that you graduated from NTS." During his time at the School, Joy tried to soak up as much as possible from the people who taught him. "I had some wonderful teachers — that’s really what made the place special," he says. "The man who ran the design department was François Barbeau, the preeminent costume designer in Canada at that time. A guy who had incredible sensibilities which he constantly brought into question. He never really told us, ‘Here’s a recipe to become an artist,’ but by his own example and by his own choices, he encouraged people to dig a little deeper than the surface to find design solutions."

"The fact that the School continues to survive is a remarkable thing, considering that when it started there was almost nothing. Forty years ago there was theatre in selected places. Now everywhere you go, there is a theatre. People have made a career in theatre. Certainly the School has to take some credit for that."

Sheila Crampton (Technical Production, 1982)

With the opening date for the North Saskatchewan’s Children’s Festival looming, Sheila Crampton, the Festival’s Production Manager, is working on a tight deadline. So it comes as no surprise when she says, "The main thing I got out of the School is a strong work ethic, a willingness to do what it takes to do the best job possible. And next," she continues, "is flexibility: in the technical field, it’s important to be as flexible as possible, because each theatrical situation is so incredibly different that you can’t go in with any set of preconceived notions and expectations."

"A large part of the work ethic is stamina, and I learned what stamina meant at the School," she says. "They also taught us how to work with all the different departments of the theatre, making compromises where necessary. Theatre has to be a team effort."

"In terms of flexibility, we had a wide overview because we worked in all areas: lighting, sound, production management, and stage management." Crampton also learned there’s another kind of flexibility that’s just as important. "It also means that there is hardly ever a time when you should say ‘no’; there is always a different way of doing something. It’s the ability to evaluate a situation and come up with a different set of approaches," she explains. "If you can be as creative as possible with solutions, then theatre is that much more fun."

Kenneth Welsh (Acting, 1965)

"Good memories of great people," is how Kenneth Welsh, recipient of the 1998 Earl Grey Award for Lifetime Achievement, sums up his feelings about the School. "A gift that Powys Thomas [Director of Acting Program, 1960-1965] gave was the gift of always seeing the wonder in things, in the exploration of whatever you’re doing, and the magic of exploring the beauty of a piece, of an actor’s soul, his spirit. He had a way of doing that."

Another exceptionally influential person in Welsh’s early years was Eleonor Stewart. "She was by far the best text analyst and teacher of simple voice production, as it relates to the text, that ever lived," he recalls. "She would not relent in her insistence that we apply a discipline of understanding to the text, using a dictionary, anything at our disposal. Before we could utter the text right we had to know what we were saying. And I still do that with Shakespeare. And all because of Eleonor and of the exploration that Powys instilled in me."

Before arriving at NTS, Welsh had already been educated in Stanislavsky-based technique at the University of Alberta. "Basically, as an actor I was kind of introverted in my approach to the work — that’s really something I still use to this day, that necessity to find the emotional centre of a character, the reality of it. But what I took away from NTS was totally the opposite — the possibility of extroversion, the ability to go outside the character or explore so fully in a physical way in order to find out what was inside, to use these expansive techniques — that I also apply to characters. That’s what enables me to play with much bolder strokes."

Celia McBride (Playwriting, 1995)

"The main thing that I got from the Program was finding my voice. As a writer, the Program nurtured that," says playwright Celia McBride, a recipient of a Fox Fellowship. "I took advantage of the fact that we could create our projects, that we could self-start, which meant that I could direct and act while I was there."

Today, McBride’s work integrates the disciplines of writing, acting and directing. "Being so close to actors, there were times at the School when I felt like I was having the experience they were," she recalls. "The word that comes to mind is ‘intense.’ The actors were asked to break themselves down emotionally, and you had friends coming to you at the end of the day looking for a support system."

In McBride’s view, the fact that the NTS is Montreal-based is a creative boon. "Even though a lot of anglos don’t stay in Montreal, I can’t see it being anywhere else." The School’s mix of influences and cultures makes it unique. "It’s given me so many openings I don’t think I would have had otherwise. It provides you a network and opportunities to keep your career moving forward."

Danielle Irvine (Directing, 1996)

"All the exciting work, of completely different styles, that I met for the first time at the School made my imagination jump a thousandfold. [At the School] you can learn from students and from teachers from Canada and abroad, and that’s the most exciting thing I took from it and carry with me," says Directing Program graduate Danielle Irvine. "That kind of exposure helps keep your toolbox full, and your mind open."

"When I went back to Newfoundland and started my company, First Light, one of its mandates was to ensure we keep a creative exchange of ideas with the rest of Canada and the world," she continues. "The School gets you in touch with the bigger picture, which helps imagination and creativity to grow, and makes you push your standards even higher. Artists can’t risk stagnating in their own insular communities," she explains. "At the same time, I wanted to help create a challenging, exciting and respectful environment for artists in Newfoundland, so they wouldn’t always have to leave to get work."

Which leads Irvine to her next point. "People say you can’t train directors, but you can, and must. The School gave me the chance to work with actors, designers, and production teams in an environment where you started at a professional level right away. It raises your learning curve, allowing you to make mistakes. And," she stresses, "to get better."

Christina Poddubiuk (Design, 1980)

"I’m working with a large number of people with whom I went to school, which is pretty wonderful," says Stratford-based Designer Christina Poddubiuk. " I did a show with Seana McKenna (Acting, 1979) this past winter in Winnipeg, and Hamlet [at the Stratford Festival] was directed by Joe Ziegler (Acting, 1979). I maintain work contacts with a lot of my contemporaries."

A theatre career was not what Poddubiuk had planned for herself. "The School was a big shift of direction for me," she recalls, "because when I started at the Design Program I had just completed a Bachelor in English Literature at McGill, and was all set to pursue an academic career. But I had been involved with the amateur dramatic society, and when that critical moment arrived at the end of university, when you have to decide what you’re going to do, I realized that the academic road was not for me."

"The Design Program was a huge change for me, giving expression to all the things I had never really allowed myself before. It was a turning point in my life, a pivotal moment. My aesthetic development didn’t really come out of the School as much as from moving to Stratford and being heavily influenced by people here. In fact, it’s something that is still happening. At the School I was too busy discovering myself and being part of a French community for the first time. My time there was a period of redefining who I was and what I wanted to do."

Henry Czerny (Acting, 1982)

"I have taken tools that I can keep in my back pocket for the rest of my life, that I can bring out at a moment’s notice, dust off and put to good use in my profession, other than a personality," says Henry Czerny, recipient of this year’s Theatre World Award for Outstanding New Performer in an Off-Broadway Show for Arms and the Man. "We’re talking about scene study, an ability to work as a member in an ensemble piece, voice production, and the confidence of having been through a series of situations where you dissect what you do in front of your peers, and I know something will come of whatever it is I’m doing. I think I was given processes that you can use when lightning doesn’t strike, so you can create your own little bit of lightning."

In Czerny’s third year at NTS, he says, he started to feel wellings of the confidence an actor needs to enter the professional world, the confidence that comes from the mastery of tangible skills. "That’s what I learned most there: the building of things, as opposed to the performing of things."

Czerny has this advice for the School’s current crop of young actors: "Gather these experiences [at the School] as deeply as you can. Enjoy Montreal because of the festive and dramatic environment you’re in. But also absorb what people who have been through it are trying to give you. Later on you can, in practice, discard any bits of information that are no use to you, but you will be surprised at what will become of use, and maybe not until ten years have passed. So, as much as you can, try not to be too judgmental yet."

Julie Fox (Scenography, 1994)

We reached Toronto-based designer Julie Fox in Yellowknife, where she was working with fellow NTS graduate Ben Nind on The Arctic Circle War, a production for Stuck in a Snowbank Theatre. "I just ran into him by coincidence in Toronto," she explains "and he invited me up here." The connection is significant. "One of the things that stands out from my time at the School," she says, "is the special sense of community with other graduates. There’s an immediate bond based on the common experience that we’ve had, and a sense of shared dedication," she notes.

"Theatre has a very changeable working milieu: you’re with different people all the time, so it’s really nice to get a sense of continuity somehow. It is, in a funny way, a kind of family."

"The School also gave me a lot of confidence in myself," she observes. "After three years, I acquired a really solid background, something I just take for granted now. I had pivotal relationships with a couple of teachers, Judit Csanádi and Danièle Lévesque, that changed the way my process opened up. Until then," she explains, "I wasn’t really conscious of how to approach coming up with a concept. I tended to intellectualize, but I didn’t have any self awareness. They both made me think about my personal process and taught me to analyze it, which also helped me work in a more intuitive way. It was just the beginning of the development of my creative process but it’s something that has stayed with me."

Ben Nind (Acting, 1994)

"As the oldest graduate ever from the Acting Program, I’ve taken an awful lot from the NTS," says Ben Nind, Artistic Director of Stuck in a Snowbank theatre in Yellowknife. "It gave me the most joyous times, as well as some of the most challenging and demanding times," he states. "My fellow students were and still are an inspiration, as well as the teachers who came out of the profession and gave time back to the students. Watching their work now and having them watch my work, keeping in touch with them as equal partners in this universe of theatre, has been really gratifying.

"The ‘joyous experiences’ included working with Pierre Lefèvre and Sheila Langston," says Nind. "But sometimes it was an incredibly tough journey. The search for my clown was probably the most difficult process I’ve ever gone through — it was six weeks of hell, but Leah Cherniak helped me along."

The trials were not without benefits. "Those lessons resound through my work now," says Nind. "The instructors said that a lot of these lessons won’t kick in until ten years after graduating, and sure enough, they’re kicking in now."

"The School also gave me the opportunity to wander in and out of design and shop classes, and that sort of thing. You could delve into each one of those things, and they have all proven incredibly useful here because I have my fingers in absolutely everything, from turning wrenches through designing costumes to making masks, besides producing and acting. I’ve had an incredibly well-rounded background. “For me," says Nind, “the acting journey has been a beautiful journey."

Wendell Dennis (Design, 1969)

Wendell Dennis has had two runs at the National Theatre School: first as a design student in the late 1960s, and then from 1988-96 running scenic painting workshops. "When I was a student we were on the 9^th floor of the LeRoyer building on St-Laurent. It had a very unpredictable elevator, but it was a fun place."

The Monument-National used to be above the ‘Grand National,’ a very disreputable bar with a knifing a night — the cops were always there," Dennis recalls. On the second floor was the St-Jean Baptiste Society: "There used to be students living in the back stairways. Those were the hippie days, so every day there would be a sit-in or something. Students would be constantly picked up by the police for doing this or that, mostly involving drugs, and Jean Pol Britte would be running to the Police Station to bail them out.

"Yet despite it all — or because of it — Dennis was soon catapulted into Montreal’s design community. François Barbeau recruited him to help out at a Christmas show at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, and Dennis’ efforts landed him at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. For the next 28 years, he worked as a scenographer in Montreal theatre and dance.

Now, however, he has returned to his native Prince Edward Island. "I just packed my bags and decided to become an artist," he explains. "I was tired of collaborating with others; there comes a point where you have to do what you want." Dennis paints landscapes and seascapes, and sales are gratifyingly brisk. Dennis has found that painting has certain unforeseen advantages. "When you do a painting you don’t have to worry about the budget: if you want to put something extra in, you put it in."

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