The Title Block

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 the aesthetics of climate-friendly sustainable design in theatre, as a core design practice and as part of a larger equitable green recovery.Panel members include Logan Raju Cracknell, Kendra Fanconi, Paul Fujimoto-Pihl, Lauren Gaston, Elia Kirby, Ken MacKenzie, and Edward T Morris. The moderator is Ian Garrett.

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 practices and inter-Nation collaborations. Our panel included performer Yolanda Bonnell, sound designer/composer Mishelle Cuttler, costume designer Samantha McCue, and projection, set and lighting designer Emily Soussana. The panel was led by Fire Creator, Indigenous Theorist and Cultural Evolutionist, Kim Senklip Harvey.

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 the design of the festival stage. He is also has designed opera across North America and we talk about his take on the important communication strategies when building your show in a team.

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 can support or hinder the flourishing of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour in live performance.This weeks panal consists of Carmen Alatorre, C.J. Astronomo, Sammy Chien, Deanna H. Choi, Rachel Forbes, Camilia Koo, Sage Paul, Kimberly Purtell, and Emily Soussana, and is moderated by Michelle Ramsay.Please go to designers.ca for more information about the ADC. All members of the panel were paid a honorarium by the the ADC to sit on the panel. The Title Block and Michael Kruse did not accept any fees for this.

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 was persuing his Masters of Socialwork in Labour studies at Simon Fraser University and is very active in the labour movement of the Canadian theatre scene, so we talk about this shift in his focus and his great work advocating on behalf of Vancouver and Canadian designers in several forums. You can see his portfolio at conormooredesign.com.LinksQueen’s Dan School of Drama and MusicTom McGee and Kat SandlerUBC MFA Theatre designCarmen AlatorreHeadlines Theatre, Theatre for Living and David DiamondAfter HomelessnessBard on the Beach, Falstaff directed by Glynis LeyshonAlan BrodieRobert GardinerThe Pipeline Project produced by ITSAZOO and Savage SocietyDr. Silver, A Celebration of Life by Musical Stage Company and Outside the March TheatrePeter and the Starcatcher at the Artsclub TheatreKevin LamotteShaw FestivalJock MunroLouise GuinandVancouver Design ForumAssociated Designers of CanadaSFU Labour Studies ProgramProf. Kendra StraussIATSECanadian Actors Equity AssociationPrecarious work and Theatre and the Arts

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 Lorme, Rachel Forbes, Pam Johnson, Beth Kates, Megan Koshka, Michelle Ramsey, and Amelia Scott. The panel was co-hosted by Vancouver based sound designer and composer Mishelle Cuttler.BiosMishelle Cuttler is a sound designer and composer based in Vancouver who works primarily with the intersection of music and storytelling. She is board member for the ADC and a core member of the Vancouver Design Forum.Kate De Lorme is a Sound Artist and Co-founder of Lobe Spatial Sound studio in Vancouver, BC. Her work ranges from contemporary dance and theatre to immersive sound experiences. More at: Katedelorme.com Lobestudio.caRachel Forbes s a Toronto based set and costume designer who thoroughly enjoys a good puzzle. Artistic, jigsaw or crossword. She loves (and misses) collaboration most of all.Pam Johnson has been a theatre designer for 40 years, and was an instructor at Studio 58 for 29 years. She has designed in most theatres from Montreal to Victoria.Beth Kates is a set, lighting, video and mixed reality designer, who started working in rock and roll a long time ago and is now actively creating work that blends virtual reality, augmented reality and live performance. She is currently completing a Masters degree at the University of Calgary, is a proud member of the ADC, and is the mom to an 8 year old who has the same initials. More infot: www.playgroundstudios.ca www.burythewren.caMegan Koshka is an Edmonton based set, costume, and lighting designer and graduate of the University of Alberta. She was recently nominated for two Sterling Awards for "The Blue Hour" as part of the SkirtsAFire festival. More info: www.mkoshka.comMichelle Ramsey is an award winning Toronto based lighting designer who works with dance, theatre and opera companies across the country. She is also on the board of the Associated Designers of Canada. More info: michelleramsaydesign.caAmelia Scott is a video designer, projection technologist, and new media artist creating for theatre, opera, dance, and beyond. Based out of Montreal and working across Canada, she works in the intersection of animation, video, film, and live performance. More info: ameliascott.ca

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 actor/musician up to her experience at NYC’s Tisch School of the Arts studying composition and all points in between. You can find more information about her work at www.mishellecuttler.com

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.

The next episode of The Title Block Live for May 7 2020 features an all-star panel of costume designers.

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 Conor Moore to take your questions.