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- Dec 19, 2017
- 2 min
I always stress that what an actor needs the most is a basic sense of empathy. Sure, imagination and ability to create and inhabit fiction is also important. But the key tool to balance the duality of being an actor and living in that fiction is empathy. In our training, there are many opportunities for people to get hurt or explode, or experience strong emotional episodes. And it becomes apparent very quickly that empathy causes people to react to those things honestly, but also have the choice to break that consciously while staying within the realm of safety for themselves and others. To train oneself to read and react to others is a vital skill. Without it, we become selfish and walk thr
- Dec 17, 2017
- 2 min
When I was about 20, I started getting into the work of Robert Lepage. I loved his use of technology, his theatricality and found myself less taken in by his explanations of the work. It was truly work that spoke for itself. Watching a Robert Lepage show instantly made me feel more secure and comfortable in my work. I had felt so intimidated by artists who were intellectually gifted and could philosophise and articulate issues in a way that felt like an Ivy League essay. Over time, I started to see the difference between artists who were genuinely interrogating issues, and artists who felt the need to justify their work. When I finally got the chance to watch Needles and Opium live, I came o
- Dec 14, 2017
- 2 min
The theatre, to me, needs to feel accidental. Things accidentally come together in a beautiful way, spiralling uncontrollably towards an inevitable end. In that way, the theatre is a sudden congregation of serendipitous events. Ironically, the creation of that world is one of absolute precision. But what gives that world life is the power of choice. The question lies in whether or not the actor-creator can exercise the power of conscious choice to validate the form. This does not mean accepting every single direction as it is, because rejection is in itself a choice. But to be able to take a particular movement or line beyond the threshold of the external, and into the personal, requires a d
- Dec 13, 2017
- 2 min
As much as the “company profile” states that it’s an international network of theatre companies, etc., more than anything, 5toMidnight is a lifestyle. I grew up being told over and over again that artists won’t get to eat, that there’s no future in the arts and all that jazz that’s become really tiresome to hear over 26 years of life. So when I go on Instagram and see some actors living it up, being put up in hotels, attending galas, and existing in their own little Hollywood, I got very curious. “What about the art?” and the answer is always the same: “Oh, I’m just doing this as a money job.” Where did the art go? A friend of mine and I like to say that artists need to be poor. So they can