In this episode Curtis Campbell joins host Phil Rickaby to talk about AI in the theatre. In the lead up to this summer's Toronto Fringe, it was noticed that a number of shows were using AI generated posters, which sparked a discourse on social media about whether Generative AI should be used in the Fringe and beyond. This conversation spread to the Edinburgh Fringe, where AI generated posters were also seen.

In this episode Curtis and Phil talk about AI, its use in the arts, and whether AI should be embraced or avoided.

Note: in this episode, Curtis mentions a video that Phil published about his poster creation process. That video can be found here [https://www.tiktok.com/@philrickaby/video/7663228129346882824].

Guest: 🎭 Curtis Campbell

Curtis Campbell is a writer and theatre artist. Some previous credits as a writer and director include Katherine Is Not A Communist, Imp, BETR With Bevan and Color Me Pablo. His novel Dragging Mason County was be published by Annick Press in 2023. His plays Gay For Pay with Blake & Clay and Blake & Clay's Gay Agenda were Fringe hits.

Connect with Curtis

🌐 website: campwrites.weebly.com [https://campwrites.weebly.com/]

📸 Instagram: @curtisdangcampbell [https://www.instagram.com/curtisdangcampbell/]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Can't commit to monthly support? Leave a one-time tip here: ko-fi.com/stageworthy [https://ko-fi.com/stageworthy]

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/bc56cabd/curtis-campbell-has-something-to-say-about-ai-in-the-arts/transcript]

Curtis Campbell has something to say about AI in the arts

About this episode

Sara Farb is a veteran of the Canadian theatre stage, having made her debut at the age of 9. Now she's bringing the role of Fanny Brice to life in Shaw Festival's Funny Girl. In this conversation, Sara joins host Phil Rickaby to reflect on the show, writing for the theatre, and what keeps her going.

This episode explores

 * What it takes to perform a show like Funny Girl
 * Joining the Shaw Festival for the first time
 * Performing on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
 * That time she almost gave up the theatre to become a copywriter.
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Sara Farb

Sara is an actor and writer. She wrote the book for the musical Kelly v. Kelly with Britta Johnson (music and lyrics) which premiered at Canadian Stage and Musical Stage Company in 2023; the show is a recipient of the Tom Hendry award and multiple Dora nominations. With Britta, she also co-wrote the Dora-nominated short musical He Is Coming. She wrote the book for the new musical Way Out There with Anton Lipovetsky (music and lyrics) which makes its premiere at YES! Theatre/Theatre Sudbury in spring of 2026. Her play, R-E-B-E-C-C-A, which she wrote and starred in, premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille. She is currently working on a new musical with Aaron Jensen (music and lyrics) about the forgotten female creator of the creature from Creature from the Black Lagoon. As an actor, Sara has performed on Broadway, in seven seasons at the Stratford Festival, and all over Canada. She is currently starring as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl at the Shaw Festival.

Connect with Sara

📸 Instagram: @farb.sara [https://www.instagram.com/farb.sara]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Can't commit to monthly support? Leave a one-time tip here: ko-fi.com/stageworthy [https://ko-fi.com/stageworthy]

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/cebd07af/sara-farb-is-bringing-one-of-musical-theatre-s-great-roles-to-life/transcript]

Sara Farb is Bringing one of Musical Theatre's Great Roles to Life

About This Episode:

What happens when a self-described field mouse - someone who jumps at a cat's sneeze - decides to write a horror play? You get Passed Down, a one-person horror show about a woman who inherits her great aunt's house and discovers she may have inherited a little more than just the property. Performer, producer, director, and grant writer Madelaine Rose joins Phil to talk about bringing this solo horror play to the Halifax Fringe Festival, and why choosing the kitchen as the setting for a haunted house story was a deliberate and unsettling choice.

This episode explores:

 * The origins of Passed Down - from a 24-hour Toronto Fringe playwriting contest to a full 60-minute solo horror show
 * The challenge of producing, acting, and writing your own Fringe show - and how Madelaine learned to compartmentalize and set a hard deadline on revisions
 * Emotional safety in the rehearsal room - why the theatre industry has historically been better at getting actors into emotional scenes than getting them out again
 * The biggest mistake artists make when writing grant applications (hint: they forget the boring stuff)
 * And much more!

Guest: 👻 Madelaine Rose

Madelaine Rose (she/they) is a performer, producer and all-around creative. They are the current co-chair of outACTRAto, and the inaugural chair of the ACTRA National Progress Pride Committee. As a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community her mandate as a producer is to create the type of art she wishes to see in the world, art which creates space for more leading, and diverse roles for women, gender non-conforming, and queer artists. Their work as a theatre creator and filmmaker has been showcased and recognized from coast to coast, and around the globe. They are co-founder of Sigh No More Productions, and the Solo’d Out Theatre festival, and they can be seen acting in such award-winning works as The Perfect Bite (Secret City Adventures/ Netflix), My Best Friend’s Date (Sigh No More Productions), and The Heist… Almost (Sigh No More Productions).

Connect with Madelaine

🌐 Website: www.madelaine-rose.com [https://www.madelaine-rose.com/]

📸 Instagram: @rose.madelaine [https://www.instagram.com/rose.madelaine/]

🎥 TikTok: @rose.madelaine [https://www.tiktok.com/@rose.madelaine]

Get Tickets: Passed Down at Halifax Fringe [https://www.simpletix.com/e/passed-down-tickets-284234]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Can't commit to monthly support? Leave a one-time tip here: ko-fi.com/stageworthy [https://ko-fi.com/stageworthy]

Madelaine Rose is Scaring Audiences One Kitchen at a Time

About This Episode:

Sharry Flett has spent 34 seasons at the Shaw Festival - long enough to have watched the company evolve through three artistic directors, raise a daughter who appeared on its stages, and welcome back former students she once coached as the people now directing her. In this conversation with host Phil Rickaby, Sharry reflects on what keeps drawing her back to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and what it felt like to walk into rehearsals for Wind in the Willows and find Fiona Sauder, André Morin, and fight director Jack Davidson Rennie - all artists she had mentored at George Brown College, now in positions of leadership.

This episode explores:

 * What it was like for Sharry to be directed by three former students she had coached at George Brown College; and how she navigated that full-circle moment
 * Playing Rat in Wind in the Willows: how the original Kenneth Grahame book shaped her approach to the character
 * Why performing for children demands complete honesty and commitment; and how that discipline serves actors in any room
 * The Shaw Festival under three artistic directors: Christopher Newton, Jackie Maxwell, and Tim Carroll, and how the ensemble ethos has remained constant through each
 * Sharry's path from medicine to music to theatre, including the moment picking up a flute sent electricity through her arm
 * The importance of teaching; and what Sharry gains from students when she brings Shaw's language alive in the room
 * And much more!

Guest: Sharry Flett

SHAW 2026: Funny Girl, The Wind in the Willows; 34th season. FOR THE SHAW: Anything Goes, May I Have The Pleasure?, My Fair Lady, The Secret Garden, The Apple Cart, The Clearing, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Everybody, Cyrano de Bergerac, Man and Superman, Me and My Girl, Uncle Vanya, The Philadelphia Story, Enchanted April, Lady Windermere’s Fan, Come Back Little Sheba, Maria Severa, Age of Arousal, Sunday in the Park with George, The Little Foxes, Getting Married, The Magic Fire, Major Barbara, The Autumn Garden, Floyd Collins, Misalliance, Rebecca, Joy, The Seagull, Hedda Gabler, Berkeley Square. (Selected Credits) ELSEWHERE: leading roles in theatres across Canada, including Katherine in The Taming of the Shrew, Miranda in The Tempest, Stratford Festival. FILM/TELEVISION: Grey Gardens, Shades of Black, Full House with Sharry Flett, Jane of Lantern Hill. AWARDS: Gemini nominations (best actress), War Brides and Suicide Murders, CBC; Paul Reynolds award, Shaw Festival; Tyrone Guthrie award, Stratford Festival. TEACHING: Shaw Festival, National Theatre School, George Brown Theatre School, Queen’s University, University of Toronto, Brock University.

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Can't commit to monthly support? Leave a one-time tip here: ko-fi. [https://ko-fi.com/stageworthy]

Sharry Flett Is Reflecting on 34 Seasons at the Shaw Festival

About This Episode:

Christopher Gaze is the founder and artistic director of Bard on the Beach, Vancouver's beloved outdoor Shakespeare festival now in its 37th season. In this conversation, Christopher talks with Phil about how a $35,000 co-op startup in 1990 grew into one of Canada's largest theatre companies, drawing 80,000 people a season to a pair of tented stages in Vanier Park overlooking English Bay and the mountains beyond.

This episode explores:

 * How Bard on the Beach began in 1990 with $35,000, a Canada Council Explorations Grant, and a company of 27 co-op members
 * The influence of mentor Douglas Campbell: his force field in the audition room, his wilderness years, and why his name is on Bard's second stage
 * Programming a season: from Douglas casually suggesting Twelfth Night over the phone to today's collaborative circle of senior theatre practitioners
 * Goblin Oedipus, Antigone, and how Christopher was famously wrong about Goblin Macbeth (it sold out before opening night)
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Christopher Gaze

Christopher Gaze is best known as the Founder and Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, which celebrates its thirty-seventh season in 2026. He hosts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s popular Tea & Trumpets series and also their annual Traditional Christmas concerts.

Connect with Christopher Gaze:

📸 Instagram: @gazechristopher [https://www.instagram.com/gazechristopher]

📖 Buy The Road to Bard (Harbour Publishing) [https://harbourpublishing.com/products/9781998526284?srsltid=AfmBOooqtSyVMJ74tkCQhYLY5_uTXzYhDqdc8RtvGNlIvc_iv_hWrUt1]

🌐 Website: bardonthebeach.org [https://bardonthebeach.org/]

📸 Instagram: @bardonthebeach [https://www.instagram.com/bardonthebeach/]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Can't commit to monthly support? Leave a one-time tip here: ko-fi.com/stageworthy [https://ko-fi.com/stageworthy]

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/3d10b063/christopher-gaze-is-sharing-what-it-takes-to-build-a-theatre-festival-that-lasts/transcript]

Christopher Gaze is Sharing What It Takes to Build a Theatre Festival That Lasts

About This Episode:

Director Ming Hudson joins Phil Rickaby to talk about bringing Antigone to Bard on the Beach in Vancouver - a production seven years in the making, created collaboratively with playwright Kate Besworth. It's a minimalist, intimate reimagining of a 2,500-year-old story about a woman who does the right thing even when told not to, and Ming shares how it came together from a literal bonfire in rural Nova Scotia to the thrust stage at Bard.

This episode explores:

 * How a seven-year collaboration with playwright Kate Besworth shaped this bold, minimal production of Antigone
 * The "arrow" model of non-hierarchical directing and why Ming loves saying "I don't know"
 * Making her Bard on the Beach directing debut after years as a performer with the company
 * The Edmonton Fringe, the Edinburgh Fringe, and why fringe festivals are essential to Canadian theatre ecology
 * What D&D has taught Ming about vulnerability, play, and building stronger creative relationships
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Ming Hudson

Ming (she/her) is a Vancouver based artist who pays rent on the lands stolen from the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. For over 20 years, she has worked as a freelance performer, collaborative director, devised theatre creator, independent producer, and teaching artist on the West Coast, across Canada, and abroad. Her specializations are in physical theatre and the creation of new work as a collective ensemble. A graduate of the Creating Theatre and Performance program at LISPA (now arthaus.berlin), Ming also holds a MA in Ensemble Theatre (Rose Bruford), and a BFA in Acting (UVic).

Ming has worked for: Bard on the Beach, Zee Zee Theatre, 25th Street Theatre, The Arts Club, Studio 58, SFU, UBC, Dell'Arte International, UVic, vAct, Two Planks and a Passion, TheatreOne, Chemainus Theatre Festival, CCPA, Gwaandak Theatre, Green Thumb Theatre, Theatre Replacement, Atomic Vaudeville, Firehall Arts Centre, Boca del Lupo, Concrete Theatre, and Kaleidoscope Theatre. She has also created eleven new shows, which have been performed in five different countries.

Connect with Ming

🌐 website: www.minghudson.com [https://www.minghudson.com/]

📸 Instagram: @hudsonfx [https://www.instagram.com/hudsonfx]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/5adce574/ming-hudson-is-directing-antigone-at-bard-on-the-beach/transcript]

Ming Hudson is Directing Antigone at Bard on the Beach

About This Episode:

Tim Carroll has been the artistic director of the Shaw Festival for a decade, and in that time he's reshaped the festival's mandate, expanded its reach into the community, and built a company culture grounded in playfulness, humility, and genuine artistic ambition.

This episode explores:

 * How Tim balances directing two major productions, Heartbreak House and Amadeus, in a single season, and why Tom Rooney is at the centre of both
 * The economics of theatre: why even one of Canada's largest festivals relies on donations for half its income, and how a small-audience show can be as valuable as a sellout musical
 * Why Tim abolished the Shaw Festival's mandate and replaced it with a mission; and what that difference actually means in practice
 * How working at Shakespeare's Globe with Mark Rylance shaped every aspect of Tim's directing philosophy, from shared light to trusting the unexpected
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Tim Carroll

im Carroll currently serves as Artistic Director of The Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, a position he's held since 2017. Carroll may be best known for his years as Associate Director at London’s Globe Theatre, in particular for his productions of Richard III and Twelfth Night, starring Mark Rylance, for whose Broadway run in the 2013-14 season he was Tony-nominated and Mark Rylance won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor.

Carroll worked with the English Shakespeare Company before serving as the artistic director of the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. Carroll also served as the artistic director for the Kent Opera, and he is a founding member of the experimental theatre group the Factory in London. Carroll’s directing work has spanned not only the Globe but the globe, from theatres in Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and Canada!

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/ac609fd4/tim-carroll-is-making-the-shaw-festival-into-a-two-way-conversation-with-its-audience/transcript]

Tim Carroll is making the Shaw Festival into a two-way conversation with its audience

About This Episode:

Ryan McCollom is a Toronto-based theatre content creator behind the popular TikTok and Instagram account Plates and Playbills, and he's on a mission to get more people through the doors of indie and smaller professional theatres across the city. What started as personal documentation of his own growing love of theatre has evolved into a platform dedicated to closing the gap between the big Mirvish productions most people know and the rich, underserved world of indie and community theatre that most audiences don't even know exists.

This episode explores:

 * How Ryan went from cooking videos during COVID to becoming one of Toronto's most visible theatre content creators
 * The difference between being a theatre critic and a theatre commentator and why Ryan is careful about that line
 * Why the Stratford Festival was the wake-up call that made Ryan realize theatre needed younger audiences now
 * What indie theatres could be doing on social media to reach new audiences without spending a dime
 * Canadian cultural cringe in the performing arts: why audiences wait for American or British validation before embracing homegrown work
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Ryan McCollom

Ryan is a Toronto-based content creator dedicated to making theatre more accessible and approachable for new audiences while also encouraging seasoned theatre-goers to explore smaller professional companies and indie productions. While his coverage primarily focuses on the Toronto theatre scene, Ryan also documents his travels and the productions he experiences around the world, sharing an honest perspective as an everyday theatre fan.

Connect with Ryan:

📸 Instagram: @platesandplaybills_ [https://www.instagram.com/platesandplaybills_]

🎥 TikTok: @platesandplaybills_ [https://www.tiktok.com/@platesandplaybills_]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/b1b6d421/ryan-mccollom-is-making-canadian-theatre-impossible-to-ignore/transcript]

Ryan McCollom is Making Canadian Theatre Impossible to Ignore

About This Episode:

Peter Fernandes is many things at once: an award-winning actor, a magic and illusions designer, and now a first-time director at one of Canada's most celebrated theatre festivals. In this conversation, Peter joins Phil to talk about what it's like to make your directing debut with Sleuth at the Shaw Festival, a mystery that demands the same sleight-of-hand thinking Peter has honed as a magic practitioner. The terror of stepping into a new role, the joy of being trusted with it, and the surprise of discovering how much his illusion work shaped his directorial instincts.

This episode explores:

 * Directing Sleuth at the Shaw Festival as a debut; and why pure excitement quickly turned to terror
 * How magic and illusions design shaped Peter's approach to staging a mystery
 * Hosting the Dora Awards while being nominated for one (and which one was scarier)
 * The case for taking comedy - and musical theatre - as seriously as any other art form
 * And much more!

Guest: 🎭 Peter Fernandes

Peter Fernandes is an award-winning theatre creator based out of Toronto. As a performer, select credits include One For the Pot, One Man Two Guvnors, The Importance of Being Earnest, Damn Yankees, Charley’s Aunt, Christmas Carol, The Russian Play, Brigadoon (Shaw); Fat Ham (Canadian Stage) Bidding War, The Master Plan, Fifteen Dogs (Crow’s); Almost a Full Moon, Peter and the Starcatcher (Citadel); Rose, Father Comes Home From the Wars, Alligator Pie, Incident at Vichy, The Just, Marat/Sade, The Dybbuk, Spoon River, Tartuffe, The Crucible, Idiot’s Delight (Soulpepper); Vietgone (RMTC); Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love & Information, Twelfth Night, King Lear (Canadian Stage); Jerusalem (Outside the March/Company); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! (MTYP); Onegin (NAC/Musical Stage); Passing Strange (Musical Stage/Obsidian). Creative credits include: Director, Sleuth (SHAW) Associate Director - Wights, Octet, A Strange Loop (Crow’s), Assistant Director - Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of the Human Heart, Witness for the Prosecution (Shaw) Magic Consultant - Bremen Town (Tarragon) Trident Moon (Crow’s), Snow in Midsummer (Shaw), Illusions Assistant - Fat Ham (Broadway), The Witches - workshop (UK)

Connect with Peter:

🌐 Website: peterfernandes.ca [https://peterfernandes.ca/]

📸 Instagram: @pjrfernandes [https://www.instagram.com/pjrfernandes]

Subscribe & Follow: 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stageworthy/id1071732834] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0b9Vl5lsMKqDc1UIYl5thh] | Podchaser [https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stageworthy-416634] | Amazon Music [https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ca3db4c6-c5b6-4791-b23f-2af83272ac85/stageworthy] | iHeart Radio [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-stageworthy-271061892/] 📺 Watch on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Stageworthy] – Like, subscribe & hit the notification bell!

Support Stageworthy: If you love the show, consider supporting on Patreon: patreon.com/stageworthy [https://patreon.com/stageworthy] Patrons get early access to episodes, participate in conversations about topics to cover, and more. With three backer levels: $2, $7, and $20.

Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/2f635eaa/peter-fernandes-is-making-his-directing-debut-at-the-shaw-festival-with-sleuth/transcript]

Peter Fernandes is Making His Directing Debut at the Shaw Festival with Sleuth

About This Episode:

Playwright and writer Natalie Kaye joins Phil Rickaby to talk about her wildly ambitious new musical, 1920s Walking Around in a Dream, playing at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show is a screwball comedy set in an imagined 1920s Jazz Age Chicago, and it's a retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, translated not into modern English, but into the heightened, slang-drenched language of the Jazz Age. It's a project Natalie has been quietly nurturing for at least a decade, and hearing her describe its journey from a single translated sonnet to a fully staged musical is genuinely thrilling.

This episode explores:

 * How a single translated Shakespeare sonnet launched a decade-long project
 * Why A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Jazz Age are a perfect match
 * Silent film, vaudeville, and the Marx Brothers as creative inspirations
 * The challenge of writing dense, heightened language that audiences can actually follow
 * What it means to finally relinquish control and trust your cast and director
 * And much more!

Guest: ✍️ Natalie Kaye

Natalie Kaye (she/her) Playwright. Natalie is an award-winning playwright and a published poet. She is also a dancer, choreographer and aerial silks performer. A graduate of York University and the University of Toronto, Natalie has a Masters' in Drama. She has worked in theatre as a producer, director, playwright, actor and dramaturg. Her one-act play, Mood Swings, won first place in the Pat the Dog's 24-hour play contest. The play was workshopped by Pat the Dog in February, 2014 and received a full production at Toronto Fringe in 2016 where it was called "beautiful" "well-executed" and "poetic" by Mooney on Theatre. Her short plays, Universe Inc. and A Toast were produced by Newborn Theatre at the Odds and Ends Festival. She is a member of the Vault Creation Lab's writer's group. She co-wrote #1 Clown Comedy With Victor & Priscilla at Toronto Fringe in 2025.

Connect with Natalie Kaye:

🌐 Website: unspokentheatrecompany.weebly.com [https://unspokentheatrecompany.weebly.com/]

📸 Instagram: @unspokentheatrecompany [https://www.instagram.com/unspokentheatrecompany]

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Thank you to my Patrons: Chris, Georgia, Heather J, Tanisha, Aisling, Cassie, Heather, Jeanette, Steve

Read transcript [https://pnc.st/s/stageworthy/38f992c2/natalie-kaye-is-channelling-harpo-marx-mae-west-and-shakespeare-all-at-once/transcript]

Natalie Kaye is Channelling Harpo Marx, Mae West, and Shakespeare All at Once

Phil (@philrickaby) · Zencastr

Phil (@philrickaby)

Hosted by writer and performing, Phil Rickaby, Stageworthy is a weekly podcast about the performing arts in Canada. In each episode features intimate and knowledgeable discussions with artists from different disciplines, about creating and presenting work, the creative process, and more. Episodes arrive every Tuesday, with bonus episodes now and then.

Stageworthy

Phil's Show

Hosts Jess and Phil are introverts, trying to get by in an extrovert's world. Each episode, they will take on a topic that is difficult for introvert's to navigate and try to figure out how to deal with it. They draw from their own experiences, as well as trying to find other helpful hints on social media and on the internet at large. From parties, to travel, to dating, Jess and Phil are trying to figure out how to do these things and more, by trying to solutions that WORK. if you are an introvert, or maybe you're a curious extrovert, come along for the ride and find out how an introvert CAN go to parties, travel, date and much more. Episodes arrive every two weeks.