Student Life: Bridging the Gap

If you were to check in on any classroom at the National Theatre School (NTS), you would see a diverse group of individuals spread along the demographical spectrums of nationality, background, education and, of course, age. With the only real age requirement at the School being the 18-year-old minimum, some older NTS students find themselves back at school for the first time in years. Whether because of a career change or a desire to solidify their education, people in their late twenties and thirties are applying to the School’s programs, competing for positions with candidates just out of high school or college.

Among the students currently at the School is 39-year-old graduating directing student Emma Tibaldo. She entered the School at the age of 37, armed with both a BA in English Literature and a BFA in Theatre from Concordia University.

“I’ve realized that, yes, I’m older and I do have more life experience… but at the same time I’m at that same level of my life in theatre,” says Tibaldo, speaking of the younger Acting students. “What I learn from them is unbelievable… they are super talented, really smart and dedicated and have a passion I’ve rarely seen.”

Tibaldo’s path to the NTS was not as direct as it was for some. She studied Commerce in Cegep and University, ultimately switching over to English Literature. She also produced and distributed a Canadian punk rock magazine, and worked at a graphic design company before deciding to pursue acting. Tibaldo was in Concordia University’s three-year Theatre Program, when she realized what she really wanted was a master’s program in directing. She applied to the NTS in February of 2001 and was accepted.

“I think the problem becomes, for me, what is normal for my age?” Tibaldo says, discussing the challenges she faces as one of the eldest students at the School. “I am so immersed in an environment with younger people, that when I go home and hang out with my older friends, I try to figure out which of the two is me.” Despite feeling a bit older, Tibaldo’s main preoccupation is not as much the age gap as it is the generation gap. Having been involved in the punk and underground music scene for so many years, she feels her ideas are more radical than those of other students at the School. The real challenge, says Tibaldo, is not to censor those ideas. “I am going to try to use what I’ve experienced over my life as far as radicalism and sort of bring that into my work and not be afraid of it.”

Experience Over Age

“Age sometimes confers a certain amount of wisdom,” says graduating Technical Production student Rachel Fancy, 28, making sure to clarify that she is not talking about herself.

Rachel Fancy. Photo: Maxime Côté.

“But it’s what people have done and what they’ve seen that makes them more interesting.” After graduating from Mount Allison University in New Brunswick with a BA in French and Theatre, Fancy opted to do some traveling. She spent time in Europe, working and studying. Upon her return to Canada, Fancy did a summer work-study at the Banff Centre, applied to the NTS and got in. “I’m sort of the poster child for continuing education,” she says. “I don’t ever intend to stop.” Fancy came to the NTS to solidify her training. “Theatre for me is so varied and multidimensional… there’s always more to learn.”

Being the oldest in her program is not an issue for Fancy. Her Technical Production class is a close family of five people whose ages span from 20 to 28. To talk about her age within the context of NTS, says Fancy, is very different from discussing her age in the outside world. “Everyone is here because they want to be and have worked hard to get here.” The students are very focused whether they are 18 or 28, and that is reflected in their work, Fancy explains. “Your life is on hold to a certain extent, because of the intensity of the program, and because of what you have to get done,” she says.

Back to School

Although only in her first-year, Scenography student Katherine Lubienski is also focused on what she has to do. Lubienski entered the School this past September at the age of 29. Her decision to come to the NTS and study set and costume design was not as immediate as it was for some.

“You go through university and you’re young and you have no clue what it is you want to do,” she says about her scholastic experience. After receiving a BA in Fine Arts and Sociology from the University of Guelph, Lubienski decided to do some traveling and to think. She took marketing classes and ended up with a career in advertising that she hated. She then moved to Warsaw, Poland, to study Polish and teach English, but still felt not where she wanted to be.

“It’s one of these things where you go through a midlife crisis in your 20s,” she says. She came to a decision two years ago when someone sat her down and asked her what she really wanted to do. “I said ‘I’d love to design sets and costumes for ballet and theatre.’ And then they said, ‘Then why aren’t you?’” It never occurred to Lubienski that there were other things she could do with her background in Fine Arts and her love of dance. She began to volunteer at Canadian Stage and talked to people at the National Ballet. It became clear that she needed to come to the NTS.

Being back in school at 29 is not a problem for Lubienski, some of whose classmates are only a few years younger than she is. Like Tibaldo and Fancy, Lubienski finds that dedication and enthusiasm are more important than age.

Even if obscure musical references, old television shows, or even vintage hairstyles are not a common discussion ground for all NTS students, it is a love and passion for theatre that unites them all, regardless of age. Sure, the older students may not always go to the parties the younger ones throw, but they are always still invited.

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