Interview: Paul Flicker, Segal Centre Artistic Producer

An Artistic Producer on Producing Art
by David Sklar 
(photos by Paul Ducharme)

CHARPO: Why do you have the title of Artistic Producer and not Artistic Director of the Segal Theatre?    

FLICKER: There are a few reasons why I wanted that. One is, I am not a director of plays. I also wanted to establish a distinction between my predecessor who had been so well known in her job here. But because of that, there are now two parts to my job.  First is the overall artistic direction of the theatres and then producing the other activities that take place here such as our dance, music and special events. So while I feel I have a more territorial role with the direction of the theatres, the actual producing role takes equal importance.

CHARPO: So run me through a typical day at the theatre. 

FLICKER : Well, the great thing is, there is no typical day here. There are weekly occurrences such as production, sales and marketing and manager meetings.  But most days are completely different. I am rarely at my desk. Almost never. And notoriously difficult to reach.  So if people need to get in touch with me for productions, they call my assistant.  

Interview: Centaur Theatre Artistic Director Roy Surette

(photo credit: Yannick MacDonald)

Beyond The Launch

After announcing his 2012-13 season, the Montreal AD talks candidly about Healey, Rose, Vancouver Playhouse and the challenge of here and beyond

by David Sklar

CHARPO: So you just had your season launch. How did it go?

SURETTE: It went well. It’s always a bit intense. I think I talked for about an hour about the season and all our upcoming activities. 

CHARPO:  What goes through your mind when picking a new season? How do you choose what shows to pick?

SURETTE: It’s a mystery.  As they say in Shakespeare In Love, my favorite theatre quote, “it’s a mystery how it ever works”.  There are so many factors that go into selecting a season. And there are many questions that I am always asking myself, still feeling relatively new to Montreal. I’ve been here for almost four and a half years now and as someone who programs a theatre in a unique city like Montreal I think, needless to say, it’s challenging. You need to know what’s evolving with the audience.  I’m always of the belief that you want to do a season that people want to come and see. There is no point in doing it for yourself and in fact when you get to the scale of operation like us, you have to sell a lot of tickets. We’re about 50 percent run by our box office.  We do a lot of fundraising as well as applying for government support. But we’re still white knuckling it terms of, are going to make our box office targets? And usually in a year, it’s a real rollercoaster ride. Some shows are quite a bit under, some are over so in terms of balancing a season, you've got to compromise. I wish I could say I have the magical formula but I don’t. I feel I've got a pretty good track record and the confidence of the Board, the staff and the city but you never know. We don’t do the same thing over and over again. Every time we embark on a new production it’s a risk, especially if it’s a new play. Even if you are doing something that was very successful somewhere else, it doesn’t necessarily translate. Having the privilege of working across this country and outside of it as well, there is no guarantee.  You can’t go, “Oh ya this was a really big hit in Australia, it’s just going to rock in Montreal, or it did really well in Vancouver, it doesn’t mean anything for here.”

Review: Bliss (Wildside)

Trent Pardy, Jean-Robert Bourdage, France Rolland 

(photo credit: James Lavoie)

The Oracle of Walmart

Engaging, shocking, powerful, bliss

by David Sklar

I had the experience of seeing Bliss two years ago at the SummerWorks festival in Toronto. The story written by Olivier Choiniere, a graduate of NTS (National Theatre School of Canada) playwriting program on the French side, explores the extremities of the world as seen through a Walmart cashier/oracle. The play moves about in a quick, quirky and unpredictable way, edging on disturbing. Its director, Steven McCarthy, who also doubled as one of the actors in the summer production, believes that “Céline Dion is the goddess of the play”. (Thanks Pat Donnelly).  Having won the CanStage award for Best Direction, you should take him at his word.     

The Sunday Read: Interview with Emma Tibaldo

Heading Towards the big 5-0

Emma Tibaldo talks about Playwrights' Workshop Montreal

by David Sklar

CharPo Contributor David Sklar interviewed Emma Tibaldo, Artistic Director of Playwrights Workshop Montreal (PWM). She has worked with practically every Montreal theatre company and dozens of local and national playwrights including Ned Cox, Alexis Diamond, Alex Haber, Arthur Holden, Amanda Kellock, Johanna Nutter, Greg MacArthur, and David Sherman. PWM will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2013.

Review: En Français Comme en Anglais, It's Easy to Criticize

It’s easy to criticize; it’s harder to do something about it.
National Theatre School celebrates 50 by getting together  
by David Sklar

NTS’ (National Theatre School of Canada) 50th anniversary is coming to an end.  After a year of showcases and promoting itself and its students, the party will come to an end next week with the reunion and Homecoming Cabaret. This week however, the third year graduating class is presenting, En Francais Comme En Anglais, It’s Easy to Criticize. It is hard to believe that this show is the first time both the English and French departments are working together on the same piece. A collaborative effort molded together from three earlier works by Jacob Wren and updated for the 21st century. The piece is designed to explore the place of theatre in the future and what, if any. impact it can still have on us.

Discussion: David Sklar on Homegrown in Montreal

One Event, One City, One Dozen

The play doesn’t live up to its hype.
by David Sklar

On July 16th, I attended the public reading of Homegrown, in Montreal at Le Cagibi.  Originally, Montreal wasn’t on the list of cities planning to do a staged reading of this controversial play, but it would have seemed out of step had we not contributed to this cross-country support for artistic work. Montreal and Toronto artists Daniel Beirne, Katherine Cullen, Reuben Ward and Ned Zimmerman took to the obstructed stage a half hour late. Expecting a huge turn out, I showed up a half hour early but realizing that this was a last minute event (I got the invite from Facebook, the night before) no more than a dozen people showed up.  

Sunday Feature: David Sklar on Crazy Love (etc.)

Crazy Love, Crazy Life, Crazy Play

...this show has possibly created a greater schism in our larger group of friends. 

by David Sklar

My story and Crazy Love begins three years ago when Estelle Rosen asked if I would be interested in being a contributor to CKUT radio. I happily said yes and never showed up for work. That was because both our lives took different turns and while I flirted with Journalism at Concordia (they kicked me out because I decided to travel during the school year), I always wanted to return to writing.  

While finishing my D.E.C. at Dawson in theatre, I had been weighing my options between acting and writing. Which would be the better career choice? Which would provide me with enough financial stability? Well, the obvious answer was neither, given the “end” of print journalism and the cuts to artistic funding. Plus, my mother’s tarot cards said I should be writing for the stage. So, what better may to mesh my two loves than to start calling myself a playwright? Anyone can do it, right? I just needed a story.