...with Acting and Storytelling (Ep. 66)

What on Earth is Going on?

What does it mean to be a storyteller? What happens when we look into the mirror after a long day, let the masks drop, and come face to face with who we really are? What does ownership mean in the arts, and what can theatre be when it isn't a commodity? Why do we act in the first place, and are our stories and audiences changing? And what's going on with Samuel Beckett?

Ben is in Calgary for a funny, fascinating and quite unique conversation with local actor and theatre artist, Andy Curtis.

About the Guest

Andy is a founding artist of Black Radish Theatre in Calgary, where he recently performed the role of Vladimir in the company's production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Andy is also a member of the One Yellow Rabbit's Ensemble, which creates original works in the Big Secret Theatre, performing and touring internationally for over 30 years. In 2007, the Ensemble was awarded the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. Andy has worked with many Calgary theatres companies, including Theatre Calgary, ATP, Ground Zero, Loose Moose, Quest, Stage West, Ghost River, Vertigo Theatre and Lunchbox. Andy had the great fortune to perform alongside his daughter at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in MAKING TREATY 7, an ongoing project which explores the historical significance and aftermath of the events which took place at Blackfoot Crossing in 1877.

Learn more about Andy.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Keith Johnstone, Calgary-based improv artist and teacher who worked with Samuel Beckett in London
• The "Allegory of the Cave", from The Republic by Plato
• The Okotoks "Big Rock", a glacial erratic in southern Alberta
• The Maori myth of the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand
• Making Treaty 7, an arts collective in southern Alberta
• Michelle Thrush, Canadian actress and First Nations activist
• Tanya Tagaq, Canadian Inuk throat singer
• Eya-Hey Nakoda, a musical drum group from the Stoney Nakoda First Nation in southern Alberta
• Proust, a 1930 essay by Samuel Beckett
• A clip of Ian McKellen describing his acting process on Extras
• The High Performance Rodeo, a yearly theatre festival in Calgary
• The Genesis Centre, a community institution in northeast Calgary

The Quote of the Week

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett