3rd Spaces

Lisa Heitzner as Donna, standing front and centre with the Mamma Mia ensemble - photo by Sherwood McLernon
Mamma Mia

When the Mic Goes Out and the Magic Steps In

theatre

A microphone fails mid-show during Mamma Mia, and what happens next is the most purely theatre moment you can imagine - the whole room holding its breath together.

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Director Val Russell
Mamma Mia

I'd Run Through a Wall for Val

theatre

What it's like to do a show with Val Russell directing Mamma Mia, and why her approach to connection, family, and theatre makes you want to give everything you've got.

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Joel in the lighting grid above the stage at Capitol Theatre during the Mamma Mia hang
Mamma Mia

Up in the Grid

theatre

I was invited to help with the lighting hang for Mamma Mia at the Capitol Theatre. What I found up in the catwalks was more than just heavy instruments and steep angles.

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TASS teams with Joel Varty

What Does Your Team Need from You?

sportstheatreleadership

Leadership isn't about what you can get from your team. It's about asking a different question entirely, one I learned from high school coaches and a theatre director who changed how I see the whole thing.

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3-month training load chart showing upward trend with dips that become bouncing off points

Bouncing Off Points

sports

When you zoom out on your training load, the dips that felt like setbacks start looking like launch pads. Showing up is the whole game.

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The word Community, handwritten on lined paper
Mamma Mia

The Most Precious Currency

theatre

What is community but a group of people deciding to spend their most precious currency on each other?

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Mamma Mia show announcement - February 25th performance added at Capitol Theatre Port Hope
Mamma Mia

STOP FREAKING OUT! Performance Added for Mamma Mia! Feb 25

theatre

We haven't even opened yet and we're adding a 10th performance. Mamma Mia, February 25th at 7:30pm.

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Pictures from the Upstairs Hall - a book of short stories by my dad
Mamma Mia

Why We Care About Stories

theatre

My dad wrote a book of short stories in the 80s, clacking them out on his typewriter. He taught me that the secret ingredient to a great story is change. These days, standing in the wings waiting for my cue, I think about how right he was.

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Milking time in a dairy barn
Mamma Mia

Thanks for the Music, Dad

theatre

My connection to ABBA is a little unorthodox. It involves a dairy farm, 8-track tapes, and cows that milked better when they were happy.

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A romantic moment on a Greek island - the escapism we all need
Mamma Mia

Why Theatre When the World is on Fire?

theatre

With wars, political chaos, and daily stress, why spend precious spare time rehearsing a fun musical? Maybe that's exactly why.

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