Do you want to explore the creative process behind musicals? Or are you an enthusiast and scared of trying it out yourself? Learning is within your reach! You are invited to attend the Theatre Making Movement to explore how movement can become a powerful storytelling tool. You’ll have the opportunity to expand your creativity and professional development. In this week-long symposium, you will get to work, collaborate, and learn from leading choreographers and composers from around the world! The journey that the creative team behind the Theatre Making Movement encountered and overcame. The importance for creators to write what’s in their heart instead of lowering their ceiling of imagination and creativity. Exploring the importance of movement as a language of humanity and how that needs to be incorporated in creating musicals at conception. A little about the Theatre Making Movement: Theatre Making Movement is the brainchild of Director and Dora Award winning Choreographer Stephanie Graham (Fun Home, Grey Gardens, Wild Party- The Musical Stage Company) and performer, writer, and filmmaker Sarah O’Brecht (Charlottetown Festival, Neptune Theatre, Stage West Calgary). The idea was born when the two were discussing the creation of new Canadian musicals over a lunch break while working at the Globe Theatre in Regina, Saskatchewan. They observed that Canadian musicals are not being developed with dance as a part of the conversation. Canada has some of the best choreographers, movement practitioners, and dancers in the industry, yet most of our new musicals do not use this aspect as a storytelling device. Spaces are limited, so early registration is recommended. The Conversations and Watch Me Work are presented virtually and are free of charge. The Classes are $22 and in held in person at Metro Movement, 833 Broadview Ave, Toronto, ON. To register visit: www.theatremakingmovement.com Follow the Theatre Making Movement!

Cue To Cue: The Performers' Podcast

Theatre Making Movement: Sarah O’Brecht, Ray Hogg, And Stephanie Graham

Today, on Cue To Cue, we are talking about permission and the role it plays in our creative journey.  When we are younger, permission is a very necessary function to keep us safe, help us respect people's boundaries, and keeping us all "rowing in the same direction". Asking your teacher to go to the washroom. Asking your parents if you can go to your friend's house etc... In adulthood, along my creative journey, turns out asking and waiting for permission doesn't look the same as it did when I was a child. It shows up in subtler ways. It shows up in rational hesitation, justification, fear of trying new things, to name a few. Looking/waiting for permission can completely derail the creative vision for my life and my confidence to pursue it.   SHARE THIS EPISODE: https://thisischelseajohnson.com/199/   Connect With Cue To Cue On Social Media! F: @thisischelseajohnson I: @thisischelseajohnson T: @thisischelseaj  

Design And Live Your Most Creative Life! No Permission Needed!

Do you wear many hats as a creative artist? How has time management been for you? Are you struggling to keep up trying to be in multiple places at the same time? Producer/ Director Charlie David joins our conversation this week to reiterate that active communication between the production team is a critical element in time management. We need to let them know when we are in a place of "too much" and welcome the conversation from their side too. If you can only give 3 mornings a week for a project, then inform your creative team and make that time count. Charlie reminds us that it's not our turn, all the time. We should honour each other's time, space, and dedication in each project. You can always press pause, figure it out and hopefully come back stronger and better.  In this episode: Integrity is a confidence builder. The importance of actively listening and actively acknowledging having a growth mindset. How a movie or tv series can incite conversations that we often don't talk about. The importance of active communication in time management. We will give our best work when we are nourished and it comes from absorbing creativity in the community.   A little about Charlie: Charlie David has hundreds of hours of television to his credit, predominantly exploring the LGBTQ+ experience. He has been selected as the Canadian Filmmaker in Focus by the Kashish Film Festival in Mumbai, India, an invited guest of the Canadian embassy in South Africa to share his documentary on HIV+ youth, executive produced Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride, a global look at pride celebrations, and winner of multiple awards including, the HBO Best Doc award at the Miami International LGBT Film Festival. Charlie is the President and a producer at Border2Border Entertainment and previously owned CTM International, a talent agency based in Vancouver managing union and non-union contracting, payments, and negotiations for a roster of over 300 clients. Border2Border Entertainment produces and promotes a unique brand of award-winning, critically acclaimed film, television, and digital projects. We are dedicated to making each production experience enjoyable for our artists, business and broadcast partners, co-workers, and ultimately our audience. We are creators who share and promote content for diverse, underserved audiences made by people with lived experience – women, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities as key participants in what we make. ​ Border2Border Entertainment pursues a digital-first strategy (TVOD, SVOD, AVOD) in the distribution of its assets which include web series, narrative and documentary feature films, scripted, documentary, and lifestyle TV series as well as audiobooks, voice recordings, and branded video. Our ongoing relationships with TV networks, film festivals, and digital platforms around the world keep our content in demand and viewed by millions. ​ Border2Border Entertainment is a certified supplier and member of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the Canadian Media Producers Association and a signatory producer with ACTRA. Follow Charlie! Online: www.border2border.ca Facebook: Charlie David  Instagram: @border2borderentertainment Instagram: @mrcharliedavid Twitter: @CharlieDavid YouTube: Border2Border Entertainment Vimeo: Border2Border Entertainment 

Charlie David: How To Unleash Your Creative Impulses When Moving In Uncharted Territory

Share this episode >>> Https://thisischelseajohnson.com/197 How do you want to impact the world as an artist? You are making waves, whether you acknowledge it or not. You get to decide the nature of the waves you make. Sometimes we can underestimate our impact and power as artists to effect change, and that is one of the biggest opportunities we can potentially miss on our artistic journey. This week, Director/ Teacher/ Advocate, David Connolly reminds us that change and awareness begin when we openly communicate and try to learn how others navigate through the world instead of forcing them into a mold. Conversations lead to understanding and that is where change begins. Is the fear of failure stopping you from venturing into this new chapter in your life? Is your goal more important than the feeling of being embarrassed? Being afraid that things wouldn't work out as planned is valid. David reiterates that sometimes healthy fear is a good thing, but we shouldn't let that stop us from pursuing something we are passionate about. Use your voice as an artist and bring your life experiences to create change! In this episode:  Inspiring someone means being part of the army that allows people to remember that we are more the same than we are different. Trauma is not what happened, it's how you're dealing with what happened. How having a support system impacts your success as an artist. The difference between diversity and inclusion is taking the time to break the mold and learn how others navigate the world. The importance of apprenticeship and continuously learning in improving as an artist. A little about David: David Connolly is a recipient of The Premier of Ontario’s Award of Excellence in Applied Arts who holds an Honours Bachelor Degree in Musical Theatre Performance from Sheridan College. Immediately upon graduating, David made his Broadway debut and became the first and only amputee to ever perform there. Thirty years later, the double below-knee amputee remains an optimistic, highly creative idea generator of whose life Dance Magazine wrote, “demonstrates the quintessential balancing act between career and community service.” ​ In January, 2020, David curated and moderated the first-ever disability inclusion panel at BroadwayCon in New York City to help develop actionable steps to improve disabled representation in arts. He is also an Ambassador for the Shriner's Hospital for Children, and the War Amps Child Amputee Program. For twelve-years, he served as Creative Producer for Fashion Cares in support of the AIDS Committee of Toronto, and has volunteered for the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, Easter Seals, Project Angel Food and The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children's Mental Health. As the Associate Artistic Director of Drayton Entertainment, he has led the creation and implementation of Drayton’s Youth Education Program, an Actor’s Fund of Canada Benefit Cabaret Series and helmed over thirty productions including the Canadian regional theatre premieres of Kinky Boots, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Mama Mia! and Newsies. For the screen, David has directed and choreographed several series for CBC Kids as well as projects for CBS, NBC, ABC, PBS and two feature films by director, Deepa Mehta. He has collaborated with artists including Katy Perry, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elton John, Sarah Jessica Parker, kd lang, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Brightman and many others. As an Educator, he has been an Adjunct Professor and Advisor to the Musical Theatre Performance Programs at Sheridan College, Randolph College, Fanshawe College, St Lawrence College and VanderCook College. He is a recipient of The Waterloo Region Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, and proud member of The Directors Guild of Canada, ACTRA, Equity and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.  Follow David! Online: www.DavidWConnolly.com Facebook: DavidWConnollyTO Twitter: @DavidConnollyTO Instagram: DavidWConnolly 

David Connolly: How To Infuse Advocacy And Activism Into Your Creative Journey And Achieve Your Creative Goals

Have you been thinking of venturing into the creative world of voice-over acting but don't know where to start? Have you been submitting audio clips for auditions but struggling to get hired? Darryl Hogan's first tip is to identify what you want to do. Do you prefer animation or commercial? Can you work part-time or full-time? Don't worry, you don't need to have everything figured out before you start. Feel free to try different genres! In this week's episode, Casting Associate, Technical Director & Voice Over Coach, Darryl will remind us that ignorance can propel us to discovering our brilliance, but it's also bliss. He urges us to find the balance between overthinking and giving our best. An array of great tips for aspiring voice actors await us this week. In this episode: How our gets in the way of thinking we know better actually limits us from discovering our potential brilliance. Tips on how to improve your performance as a voice actor. How having the proper mic technique and a quiet environment impacts the quality of your audio audition. The importance of noise floor and acoustic treatment for reflections in creating an ideal environment for voice-over recording. A little about Darryl: Darryl started his career in the world of Voice Over 21 years ago, as a booth director and audio engineer in his late teens at one of the country’s top talent agencies. Darryl has expanded his broad knowledge of the voice-over industry working as a voice agent, audio engineer, VO demo producer, voice director, VO consultant, V.O Coach and has even lent his voice professionally as a voice performer to various productions. Added to this, is his strong skill set in I.T and the telecommunications fields as well as his love for problem-solving. Darryl holds the position of Technical Director, Casting Voice Director, and V.O Coach at KH Casting. What are you working on right now? How can we support you?  Many projects that we cast and voice direct often require NDA because of their pre-production status, but we are constantly offering educational resources for Voice Over as well as demos and tech services at KH Casting. Follow Darryl! Website: www.khcasting.com Facebook: Kim Hurdon Casting Instagram: khvoice

Darryl Hogan: How To Become A Voice Over Actor

Today, in honour of the late Paul Soles, I re-release this conversation I had with him 3 years ago just on the heels of him winning best actor for his role in My 90-Year-Old Roommate. Paul is a Canadian Treasure and I feel so lucky to have sat a spoken with him for as long as I did collecting gems of wisdom.  A true class act. Sitting down with Actor/ T.V. Personality/ Voice- Over Artist, Paul Soles, was a real treat for me. Paul was full of such life and good humour that it made for an easy discussion about the ups and downs and ins and outs of perusing a career as a performance artist. Aside from having an incredibly diverse and robust career, Paul witnessed the progression and development of both theatre and television from the beginning in Canada which allowed him to have a far broader scope and understanding of how the entertainment industry works and to have fascinating insights and stories on being a Canadian born artist that worked at home and internationally. One of the things that struck me about Paul was the immense of gratitude he has for the work he does. Paul is 86 and still working. Just a few weeks ago Paul won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor in a Digital Program or Series for his work in the hit CBC Comedy My 90- Year-Old Roommate. Paul seems to speak with the same level of enthusiasm as someone who is starting out on their journey as an artist and that truly left a mark on me. Many times through the interview he proclaimed how lucky he has been to have been given the opportunities to work and how blessed he has been to work with the calibre of actors over the course of his career. In his words, “more luck than good management”. I am sure talent had a little something to do with it. In this episode, we discuss how he got his start as a voice-over artist and actor, what is one tip he has received throughout his career that has stuck with him and proved to be useful, what his most memorable moment has been of his career and what he believes draw performers to want to perform in the first place and so much more! A little about Paul : Soles is widely known as the voice of Hermey the misfit elf in Rankin/Bass' Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from 1964. He also voiced Marvel superhero Spider-Man in the original animated television series also from the 1960s, and he played "The Lawbreaker" on the CBC panel quiz show This Is the Law in the 1970s, and played Costas Stavros on the Canadian soap opera Riverdale. In 2001, Soles took over the role of Shylock the Jew in the Stratford Festival of Canada production of The Merchant of Venice after Al Waxman, who was originally scheduled to play the part, died.[3] Soles played Stanley the pizza shop owner in The Incredible Hulk (2008), and his other film appearances have included roles in Ticket to Heaven (1981), Just the Way You Are (1984) and The Gunrunner (1989) opposite Kevin Costner. He also played Danny, the Montreal Customs House janitor in the 2001 crime thriller The Score. Soles won a 2006 Gemini Award for his role in the television series Terminal City,[4] and a 2017 Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Digital Production for My 90-Year-Old Roommate.[5]

Paul Soles : “Talk About Good Luck?! You Betcha!”

Today we are talking about the BIG G! Gratitude! Why it's so important. How as an artist a gratitude practice can help in your life and work!  I am sharing my experience of how I did what all the books told me to do and failed miserably at developing a gratitude practice of my own for an entire year.  How I turned that self-induced miserable experience into a breakthrough to having one of the most joyous gratitude practices! Enjoy!  

Help! I Can't Feel My Gratitude!

Are you planning on creating a show or learning something new? Are you afraid to bother people and ask for help? Don’t! Be a bother and reach out! It’s normal not to know everything. Actor/Writer/Comedian Clare Blackwood from the hit Late Night in Canada show is joining the conversation on Cue To Cue this week to remind us that it’s ok not to know things and not always get things right. You can tap your artistic community and seek for their guidance and feedback.   Whatever you’re feeling, don’t let it stop you from trying, reaching out and developing yourself while waiting for that opening. Life is like a double dutch game, it’s all about timing, finding your opening and keeping the momentum! You just need to have the stamina and endurance for it.   In this episode: How a joke about starting a Canadian late-night show prompted her to pursue her passion for comedy and writing. The challenges in Clare’s multi-step artistic journey from classical acting to comedy and writing and how she overcame it. The importance of using her platform to talk about issues that might not get talked about. How she dealt with her insecurities when she was starting in the comedy community. How artists can enrich the fabric of society in which we live. A little about Clare: Clare Blackwood is an award-winning Toronto-based actor, writer, and comedian, an alumna of the Second City Sketch Conservatory, a Second City Tim Sim’s Encouragement Award nominee, and the creator, writer, and host of Late Night in Canada, a new weekly political late-night show on YouTube. She is a contributing writer for The Beaverton and has also been published on CBC Comedy, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and more.  Share this episode! >>> www.thisischelseajohnson.com/193 Follow Clare! Twitter: @clareblackwood Instagram: @clareblackwood Facebook: @clareblackwood 

Clare Blackwood: Creating A Late Night Talk Show And Everything That Comes With it!

As the trend of virtual performances continue, do you fear that your knowledge of technology limits your creativity? Are you worried about how you can transition from live shows to online acts? Don't be afraid to rise to the challenge and use it to your advantage. Joining the conversation on Cue To Cue this week are Improvisors/Actors Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood who remind us that it's ok to get yourself into trouble and to enjoy being in survival mode. They would take us on a journey on how they transitioned from two guys with zero knowledge about virtual performances to creating the Stream of Consciousness. They also remind us that when your creative brains are in crisis mode, that's when you open doors and find things that nobody is doing; except for Oprah. Use technology as your friend instead of a limitation. Be willing to be bad to be good, good to be great, great to be excellent; you just need to have that willingness! Surprise yourself and be creative! In this episode:  How being in a survival mode opened doors to creativity in the virtual landscape. The technical challenges they encountered in starting the Stream of Consciousness and the steps they took to overcome it. How the pandemic allowed them to find their creative outlets. How they learned to embrace the difference in the audience dynamics between a live and virtual performance. A little about Colin and Brad: Armed with nothing but their sharp wit, comedians Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood around proud to present an all-new LIVE improv show via Zoom, Stream of Consciousness, where you are in the driver’s seat. This truly interactive experience is fueled by audience suggestions, leaving Colin and Brad to rely only on their wits and intuition.  Hilarious and bubbling with irreverent humor, the duo captivate with their whip-smart senses and off-the-cuff comedic brilliance you won’t find anywhere else.   Known by TV audiences for their work on Whose Line is it Anyway? Colin & Brad improvise new material every night from audience suggestions and participation. “Interactive” in every sense of the word, Colin & Brad will take the audience on a comedic high-wire act…just like a live version of Whose Line!  Their amusing, PG-rated family show includes variations on many of the games showcased on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, including “Sound FX” and “One Word Expert.” As Mochrie and Sherwood take caution to point out at the beginning of each show, the scenes that make up the act are entirely unscripted.  Throughout the evening, the show becomes truly interactive as audience members are called to participate in the fun. Mochrie and Sherwood both rose to prominence on the improv TV series as frequent players in its original incarnation on Britain's Channel 4 and then as star performers on the American version of the TV show from 1998-2006. Before making comedy history with Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Mochrie starred in a variety of commercials, TV shows and movies. He was the recipient of the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Male Improviser in 2000 and the Canadian Comedy Award for Best Male Performance on the Canadian version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? the following year. Sherwood has also appeared on various TV sitcoms, including VH1’s I Love the 70s, 80s and 90s and has headlined in Las Vegas with Drew Carey as a member of the comedy show, “Improv All-Stars.” Now, Get ready for a night of non-stop laughter for all ages. Share this episode! >>> www.thisischelseajohnson.com/192 Follow Colin! Instagram  @colinmochrie7591 Twitter @colinmochrie Follow Brad! Instagram  @thebradsherwood Twitter @TheBradSherwood Get your tickets to "Stream Of Consciousness" online!

Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: How To Create Something Spectacular Out Of Nothing

 Have you ever had an audition experience that made you cringe? Recalling it makes yours shudder? We have all been there. How do we not allow these audition experiences to create a sabotaging narrative and start to define our success or failure as artists? Today, I am sharing one of my WORST audition experiences and how it affected my confidence as a performer and the transformational moment that allowed me to reframe my life as an artist and bounce back from less than desirable experiences in my career. You are guaranteed to have bad auditions in your career but you do not have to let them define your worth as an artist! Hopefully, in sharing my experience it will empower to walk in your power and take ownership of your auditions.     

How To Bounce Back From A Bad Audition

In honour of International Women's Day, we are celebrating some of the inspiring and powerful women that have chatted with us on Cue To Cue- the performer's podcast!  Get ready to be inspired! Send this episode to someone in your life! Share this episode: www.thisischelseajohnson.com/191 In this episode:  Denise Donlon: Media/Music Executive Lisa Brescia: Broadway Performer/Teacher Laura Adamo: Actor/Writer/Director Jully Black: Recording Artist Dani Kind: Actor Julia Juhas: Performing Artist/Mindful Movement Facilitator Jenni Burke: Actress/Songstress/Performer Britta Johnson: Writer/Composer/Lyricist Jenni Walls: Performer/Director/Producer Sharron Matthews: Actor/Writer/Producer Kaylee Harwood: Singer/Actor/Dancer  

International Women's Day: A Celebration!

What does it mean to be confident? The word confident comes from the root word Con and fid. With fidelity. With Fidelity to oneself. Today, we are exploring what it means to be confident as an artist and a performer. How do you build confidence? How do you keep it? How do you grow it? Do you have a complicated relationship with confidence?! If you do struggle, rest assured you are not alone!  Have a listen to today's episode of Cue To Cue! Let us know what resonated with you!  Connect with us on all social platforms! I: @thisischelseajohnson F: @thisischelseajohnson T: @thisischelseaj  

Don't Wait To Create Confidence!

Is there a passion that you have always want to explore? Is it too late for you? Will you be successful? Should you just stick to what you know? What will people think? Sound familiar?  Take a leap of faith! It doesn’t need to be all or nothing to explore your passions!  Writer/Comedian/Actor Yaw Attuah joins the conversation on Cue To Cue this week to encourage us to take a leap if we want to and explore why it’s gnawing at you. You need to try it and see if it’s really what you’re looking for. Yaw will take us on a journey on how he took a leap of faith in becoming a comedian and how his worst set turned out to be the a great learning experience. He reminds us that we can demystify the unknown and learn from moments when we fall. Don’t wallow in your failures. Don’t let the beast grow! Confront your biggest fears! In this episode: The difference between any comic and a better comic is how you frame the joke. How modesty can be dishonesty when we don’t acknowledge our own skills and achievements. The importance of critique in nurturing your creativity. How a performance solidified his leap of faith as a comedian. Share this episode! >> www.thisischelseajohnson.com/189 A little about Yaw: Yaw Attuah is a comedian, writer and actor from Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. He was a finalist in the 2017 Toronto Comedy Brawl competition and competed in comedy competitions in Brantford, ON, and San Diego, CA. He debuted his critical and audience hit one-person show ‘Rhymes with Wow’ at the Toronto Fringe Festival July 2018. Yaw has completed the Second City Toronto Writer’s program and the prestigious Second City Conservatory program. As a stand-up comedian, Yaw has performed at many well-respected clubs/venues across the North America and has opened for Comedians Sam Jay (SNL), Josh Gondelman (Desus & Mero), and Eliza Skinner (Drop the Mic on TBS) Follow Yaw! Instagram: @yawexperience Twitter: @yawexperience

Yaw Attuah: Creative Risk-Taking, Comedy Writing, And Building

Do you fear having to sing popular music? Do you have an upcoming audition, but you're still trying to figure out the right pop music material for you? Start with learning more about it.  Joining the conversation on Cue To Cue this week is Performer/Entrepreneur/Performance Coach Valerie Stanois who reminds us that we need to educate ourselves on the history of popular music in order for us to gain a deeper understanding of the different genres and styles. There are more and more musicals written in the pop genre which pushes us to step outside of our comfort zone and interpret something which has been heard a million times and make it our own. Pop music is an emotional expression of a singer's life; and in turn, we hear our own and interpret it through our own lens. Valerie reiterates that we don't need to sound like Celine Dion; rather, we need to put our authentic stamp in our art. Share your story! Rock your spotlight! In this episode: How she found her true authenticity by thriving in her own creative journey. The importance of understanding the history of pop music in determining how you can put your own stamp on your art. How she gained a deeper appreciation of the diversity of cultures when she worked in a cruise ship. How an artist can tell stories and inspire others through their craft. How podcasts helped her look at things from a different angle. A little about Valerie:  'Powerhouse' vocalist, Valerie Stanois, is an accomplished and award-winning entertainer who truly redefines the term “triple threat”. Her career has led her to Broadway and around the world performing on stage, television, radio, music videos, cruise ships, theme parks, casinos and numerous corporate events. Valerie is most well-known for her portrayal of “Oz”, the rocker rebel, in the Original Canadian Production of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ and also starred in the Broadway and original Toronto productions of ‘Rock of Ages’. She has been noted to have “a real command of the stage”, “impressive stamina and disciplined vocal control” and has received a number of awards and nominations for her work. Other notable credits include: ‘Dee Snider’s Rock and Roll Christmas Tale’, ‘Hello Dolly’ and ‘Into the Woods’ at the Stratford Festival, Sillibub in ‘Cats’, Brook Wyndham in ‘Legally Blonde’, Rizzo in ‘Grease’, ‘Hair’ and many more. Her talents have also lead her to perform alongside such artists as Queen, Carly Rae Jepsen, Dee Snider of ‘Twisted Sister’, and has recorded a duet with Canadian Idol runner up, Rex Goudie, entitled ‘Won’t Have to Wait’ now available on Itunes. Valerie continues to be one of Canada’s leading entertainers, choreographers, and educators. Follow Valerie! Instagram: @valeriestanois @rockyourspotlight YouTube: Valerie Stanois Share this episode >>> www.thisischelseajohnson.com/188    

Valerie Stanois: Rock Your Spotlight

Chelsea Johnson is a performer and lifestyle entrepreneur who has a passion for connecting with people and helping them find their light. Cue to Cue is a space where artists openly share their experiences. The goal of the podcast is to create an environment where people can come to be inspired, encouraged to take risks with their creativity and embrace their authenticity. Learn more at http://www.thisischelseajohnson.com

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Cue To Cue: The Performers' Podcast

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