National Meeting

Stratford, Ontario.

Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5th, 2018.

 

Coordinators: Jane Gooderham, Jane MacFarlane (minutes), Betty Moulton (initials in the notes as EM) and Janine Pearson (moderator)

 

In Attendance (in alphabetical order):

Nancy Benjamin, Christine Berg, Sarah Campbell, Paul de Jong, Jane Gooderham, David Ley, Jane MacFarlane, Kennedy (Cathy) MacKinnon, Alison Matthews, Betty Moulton, Rea Nolan, Janine Pearson, Jo Jo Rideout, David Smukler, Cathy Sobocan, Susan Stackhouse, Ausar Richard Stewart, Jennifer Toohey, Shannon Vickers, Sarah Weatherwax and Danielle Wilson

 

Location: Festival Rehearsal Hall #3 at the Stratford Festival

 

Saturday, August 4th –

 

1:00pm – 1:30pm: Introductions

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Introductions: who are you, which city and/or region are you from and what is your trajectory as a voice professional [went around the room and introduced ourselves]

There are representatives here from each of the regional meetings, that were held prior to the national gathering here: Allison Matthews from the Vancouver meeting, Jane MacFarlane and David Ley from Alberta, Sarah Weatherwax, David Smukler and Ausur Stewart from Toronto, and Susan Stackhouse from the East Coast.

 

1:40pm – 2:15pm

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1. Discuss the history of voice teaching and coaching in your region, province, and/or territory.

    History of voice / we have the minutes from the regions

    History of the Festival

• The Festival is in its 66th season / voice work has been part of the company for that entire time / Eleanor Stuart (Montreal-born; a great actress and voice teacher), was a member of the inaugural acting company and the 1st voice teacher at the Festival (est.1953); subsequently, was the first voice teacher at the National Theatre School of Canada (est. 1960)

• Initially, NTS was connected to the Festival: NTS spent its 3rd term of every school year at the Festival (both French and English sections)

• In 1953, there were no professional training programs in Canada. If you wished to pursue acting training you had to travel to the USA or the UK (examples of this: Frances Hyland, Kate Reid, Patricia Hamilton)

• Iris Warren, was the 2nd voice teacher-coach for the Festival

• Then Kristin Linklater, then Lloy Coutts, David Smukler, JoJo Rideout, Patsy Rodenburg, Ann Skinner, etc

• The river of the voice work has always been part of the theatre; directly supported and nurtured by the artistic leadership

• The tradition of apprenticeship and training has been a part of the Festival in every artistic area (ie. acting, directing, and in all areas of artisanship)

• In the mid-1990’s Janine spoke to a symposium of Directors from across the country (Dennis Garnhum, Dean Gibson, Ted Dykstra, Jill Keiley, etc.), regarding the work and encouraging them to facilitate similar programs in their own theatres and companies

• Over the years at the Festival, if a visiting director is unsure of the coaching work, it is the actors who request and demand the work

• At present, emerging directors engaged as part of the Langham Program for Classical Direction are mentored and learn how to work with a coach

             Janine asked: How can we use our influence to share the work?

 

2:15pm – mini break

 

2:30pm [I have used initials to identify the speaker]

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2. What is the work we do?

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DS: Human behaviour in a theatrical situation

JR: Supporting actors / work is constantly shifting because of the different approach we come to with each person

JP: The work is supporting the craft of acting and that craft is always evolving - style of acting is changing / much more naturalistic / for example, the Festival stage was renovated in its 50th season: it went from 2,340 to1,860 seats / partly to deal with the need for greater intimacy with the audience and partly, to deal with directors who did not have experience directing on a Thrust stage

AM: How are acoustics addressed / at Bard on the Beach the one tent is miked

JP: Miking takes much more work because it picks up everything, good and bad

JG: Body and movement work is such a part of what we do

CS: What is the core definition of what we do, in the variety of spaces / looking at the variety of spaces / what we do is to have a greater understanding of ourselves in relationship / to ourselves and who we are communicating with

EM: The body is the means whereby someone can achieve a goal through conscious action / a philosophy found in the study of the Alexander Technique

DL: What does the word ‘voice’ mean?

MS: The program at Sheridan College has defined it as developing the artistic voice / not just in training but in advocacy

SV: Being responsive to the person in the room and to connect /referring Bell Hooks – the work is more collaborative / less prescriptive, more about being responsive in the situation

RN: Being present in the circle (referencing the work of Patsy Rodenburg) / allowing it to be a bigger entity

JP: Allowing the work to be present / who’s work is it? Is it my work or is it the actors? It is the actor’s work and coaches are there to support

SS: Working with a variety of people at Dalhousie University / feels like she is sharing and offering and feels like it is offering something that they feel has changed them / it is giving them the right to speak

 

3. Challenges

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EM: That it is adjunct / Directors and companies still need education, to make sure the voice coach is part of the creative team. A voice specialist is part of the artistic team / our ears and eyes are a different set from the director / we are there to facilitate a different way into what the director is asking

JP: Why is coaching necessary now, compared to 75 years ago?

EM: The model has changed with TV, film, etc. so the facility needs to be supported

DS: I am supported by ACTRA on a film set, but not covered by Equity when working in the theatre / we need to be covered under a structure 

JP: Why is billing so important? 

NB: Believe that we need to be included in the program / it reflects that we are valued / putting the money where their mouth is by the theatre / the work being important to the theatre

SV: We are on two different tracks / to DS, if there is a contract in place, how would it help

DS: When you just send in an invoice, it gets lost in the shuffle

JP: Voice team is buried in the back of the Festival’s house programs which is Janine’s choice / David William was committed to training / Ann Skinner said ‘no’ to being on the front page because she said I am not on stage / the situation at the Festival is different because the work is highly valued. Coaching is a support for the company; we are here for them, it is not necessary to advertise the work here

SV: I hear you, DS, that you want a union to protect you, and the union would be supportive / does an individualized personal contract allow for you to get what you need?

JG: Outside of the Festival, I know the variety of work I would do would be vastly effected if CAEA were involved

JM: I have built relationships with several companies that would be lost with CAEA

AM: We are the community and we may be best to advocate for each other, rather than CAEA who advocates for another community

JP: This discussion highlights the variations within regions of the country/ don’t forget that Equity doesn’t even exist in Newfoundland

SS: It is growing but it was just one Equity [PACT] company / now as this community we can go to the theatres and say we are here

EM: What I hear is advocacy, not just in the theatre, but in the variety of ways for the work we do

RN: Like the idea of a Guild / does it mean anyone in CAEA can say they are a voice coach [several people agreed that is exactly what it means] / it opens up something we might not want

CS: Likes the idea of the Guild / can we, as a group, collectively come up with qualifications. Can we market ourselves in that way through the Guild / educational opportunities, recognized by the Guild and maybe offered by the Guild

SW: Directors Guild of Canada [DGC] may offer a model for us to follow that still allows for freedom and perhaps a way to administer benefits

SS: Could we consider what CanStat (Canadian Society of teachers of the F.M. Alexander Technique) does? /a listing to locate an Alexander teachers across the country

JP: Like Kristin Linklater’s webpage, you can find a voice coach around the world / can we build something like that?

JT: Teaching in a region that has no idea about hiring a voice coach, and no seeming interest / how, as a network, can we help people starting out?

SV: Starting out, people find her as an emerging professional / I have to advocate for market value / listed deliverables for the producer in order to increase the rate to market value / making them value the work, so they want the work

 

4. National Voice Association

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• Membership: how do we determine it? Lots of different examples to look at like NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), BVA (British Voice Association), VASTA (Voice and Speech Trainers Association)

• We discussed the history of the Canadian Voice Care Foundation / which hosted four conferences / Catherine Ardo, the Director / these conferences focused on how science supports the Voice, Science and singing / this organization was based on Voice Care Foundation out of Philadelphia

• Is there a way for people to get training and recognition that is valued by higher education / this led into the discussion of mentorship, training, future of voice training

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JP: Do we need the MFA?

DS: Confirmed that the program at York University is now closed. The corporatization of academia is everywhere / we are not being replaced as we retire (referenced Bishops’ University – JoJo Rideout and the University of Alberta Elizabeth (Betty) Moulton). The top down managerial approach is killing the process because of outcomes / we are working with a generation who can’t be in relationship to themselves let alone one another / we are putting people back together

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• Where is the voice teaching going to come from?

• How can we build mentorship opportunities?

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JM: For example Theatre Calgary has a new program called Theatre Calgary Mentors, where emerging professionals can work with a director, or a designer, or a producer, etc. and learn how an A house runs. I have one mentee who will be with me throughout the season. She is only contracted for 14 days but we are spreading that out on a variety of projects. We have to get the whole of it / not just piece meal 

 

Break – 4:05pm – 4:25pm

 

5. Membership

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• We have access to mature organizations that have infrastructure that we can build on

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EM: What are three things that we can build on for the end of these two days

MS: Sounds as though there is an appetite / maybe what we need to determine is what we want it to look like

JP: Need to compile the minutes of each regional meeting (referencing the recent meetings in Vancouver, Halifax, Edmonton and Toronto)

SS: Speaking as a representative from the Maritimes where both she and Jerry Etienne are employed in institutions / they are wondering what are the needs of the freelancers? / Sherry Smith, also in Halifax, is very interested in mentorship / emerging coaches and actors

AM: Speaking as a representative from the West Coast, she reported that a small group is working to compile background on the The National Voice Intensive (hereafter referred to as VI) by interviewing both Dale Genge and Gayle Murphy/ the link across the country / not all the history is coming from the universities / a lot of interest in mentorship, diversity, other avenues like webinars, and Skype work, how to address that

DS: Explained that the VI left British Columbia because of rising costs and dwindling financial support / numbers also dropped for the five week duration

AM: Is the Voice Intensive building something we can model on, within the universities, going to a week long model rather than the old five week one? What are new modes of delivery of practice we may employ and recognize?

DL: Suggested a “moving voice lab” where we spend a week learning from each other / this could move to varying locations across the country

SV: Supports the idea / wants the opportunity to share with others

JG: The BVA is a organization that hosts numerous workshops throughout the calendar year

JP: The BVA also has list of its membership and a list of voice clinics /where professionals can access Speech and Language Pathologists and Otolaryngologists

SW: Raising the profile of the work and ways to validate the work

JM: To keep the discussion going

DL: We need someone to take leadership and we need to provide financial support for that person who takes it on

CS: Do we need to take a vote

JP: Themes are clear: what are the common things we are looking for/ mission and visions / break concerns into categories / creating a registry, what are the fees, social media, sub groups like committees

AS: What was the original impetus for this meeting?

JP: Spoke to the CAEA original phone call / gave a history of how we arrived to today

CB: Not all of us are affiliated to a university or post-secondary program nor have we received our training in such institutions. The Guild would need to recognize the freelance work [coaching, private work, corporate work, etc.] that people do to sustain a career.

CS: Being as inclusive as possible / getting young people in who are teaching pubic speaking

AS: We can support the biz work through the registry

JP: We do need to have an online presence / we need to be able to be found on Google

AS: How to find the language and mind shift around being an entrepreneur

RN: We need to keep up with the regional drop-ins to keep the presence going / a website isn’t good enough

EM: VASTA has run on volunteers for 31 years / just hired an part-time association manager to run the administration / all the VASTA dues have gone to running the conferences, renting space for the conferences, publications and scholarships

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• What to think about overnight

  • Moving forward – what three things we wish to move forward with

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JP: What do we need as goals to advocate for: to compile the list /registry

DS: GUILD as the organization / crafts people coming together 

JP: Are we going to have as a bottom line? What are the criteria for membership? What are the baseline numbers of hours for mentoring, per region?

 

Adjourned 5:25 pm.

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Sunday, August 5th –

 

9:30am – Warm up led by David Smukler

 

10:30am – reconvene

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JP: Handed out a summary of yesterday 

MS: Looking at Associated Designers of Canada (ADC) as a template / established organizations may be a place to look / Meredith would be happy to do some of that research

NB: BVA and VASTA make clear mission statements on their websites / this may assist with organizing what we are working towards

SW: Defining what is at the centre of what makes us all voice teachers, regardless of our professional focus / a Guild can define what is the centre that we protect, nurture, share for the future. To advocate for the work, to share the work, need to be part of the mission statement

DL: How do we educate, put out information to educate institutions about the value of the work

 

JP asked Cathy MacKinnon to speak about the Festival’s Toronto 5 Project

• This program is an example of how organizations might share the work with diverse communities and theatre companies

• Now in its 10th year, the Toronto 5 Project has built bridges between the Festival and Aluna Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, Fu-Gen, Native Earth and Obsidian companies. (*these are well-established diverse theatre companies located in Toronto).

• The purpose of this project is to share the coaching work that exists at the Festival with diverse companies (and their communities) who otherwise might not have access to this kind of training opportunity

JP: Thinks this is a model that could work in any centre

• There is a Festival patron who has sponsored this project for nine out of the ten years 

• The companies themselves determine which actors participate in the program / and it is the participants that determine what the focus of the training will be

• The actors are paid scale, and provided with a per diem.

• Originally the project began as one-and-a-half day workshop. At present, it is a six day intensive

JP: What does it mean to have a diversity of practice as well as the inclusion of diverse communities? We are learning as much from these actors as we are sharing with them

• The companies drive the agenda but it is financially supported and coordinated by the Festival

• Opportunity here for voice mentorship, as part of our mandate

DL: Diversity goes into the mission statement

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• How do we address the diversity to make it an open door?

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AS: How do we give diverse communities access and how do we create the opportunity

• Often actors of colour have talent that needs to be trained /credentials legitimize the work and the individua

• Being strategic in the work / important that peers know he is for real, not just his community / consciously connecting to the lineage of the work

• He feels that he has freed an English speaking voice in an African Man’s body / wonders what would it be like to free an African voice in an African body

• How to take the western work into the African tradition

JP: If we create a Guild, is there an opportunity for you to share that experience?

AS: Yes, because we come back together to share the experiences

 

• So, what is the mission statement?

  • The lineage needs to be passed down

  • The lineage of Stratford is being worked on between Janine Pearson and Irene Pauzer

  • Just on the cusp of being able to share that / gives the history

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AS: The African tradition of Calling in the Ancestors

• A Guild would give us the opportunity to share the work, the lineage, the history

• Looking into the French traditions arising out of Quebec / NTS

• Marie Lavielle at NTS / trained with Patsy / spoke about the tradition in French being more about elocution and articulation but without the base like Kristin offers

• French Canada needs to be included / to begin with, they were traditionally trained in rhetoric through the study of Law / they are doing it on their own and often have no tradition of continuing to study voice class school

• French Canadian theatre recognizes the birth of their voice with playwrights such as Michel Tremblay / in the late 1960’2 – early 1970’s they rejected classical language to find their own ‘national’ voice

• François Grisé is a coach that works in both languages

SV: Has been director of membership for VASTA and is willing to share what she learned from that experience

 

The mission statement committee: Nancy Benjamin, David Smukler, Ausar Stewart, Sarah Weatherwax, Alison Matthews, Christine Berg, Susan Stackhouse, Jane MacFarlane and Danielle Wilson

• Can we come up with the next steps that devises the committees for the next steps, like education, advocacy

• Look at BVA and VASTA mission statements as guides

• Look to create a title/name of the organization

 

Membership committee: Jennifer Toohey, Shannon Vickers, Janine Pearson, Paul deJong, Meredith Scott and David Ley

• Everyone agreed that inclusivity at this point is every important / everyone has a vote / every voice is heard

• Put the minutes in a dropbox – paper document

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SS: Can we agree that this is a living document, that is growing

• Names to add to the developing list of teachers and coaches: Alex Bulmer and François Grisé

DL: Explained that he is working to decide whether or not to keep the MFA (in voice) at the University of Alberta moving forward now that Betty Moulton has retired

• There was a discussion as to the need for this program now that York has closed / a place for Canadians to train in Canada

• Forward any prospective names to David Ley / if there are quality people who are interested in the work / this will be a part of the decision making process to keep this program open

DL: may require letters of support to continue the program /especially mentorship opportunities (DS volunteered to write)

 

Meeting concluded with thanks and acknowledgements from Janine