Talking in the Rain

Alexis is a dancer, choreographer, producer and co-artistic director of Belle Spirale. In this episode we talk about her 15 years at Ballet BC and the transitional nature of being a professional dancer, collaborating with other artists and her preference in working collaboratively, how her artistic voice has evolved over the years and supporting local talent. We also get into her newest work being presented within UNIVERSUS, a double bill featuring new work by Alexis herself and Spanish dancer Fernando Hernando Magadan. Alexis talks about how this collaboration happened, their shared feelings of uncertainty about the future reflecting on this...

Candice Weber is a fiber and mixed-media artist working out of Gore Studio in East Vancouver. Mixing her background in animation and fibre-art, Candice bridges the space between technology and traditional work. We talk about how she got started making fibre art, exploring new mediums, being a "completionist" and her mushroom suit. We also delve into Eastside Culture Crawl where people can visit artists' studios so she talks about what she's excited and dreading most about the crawl. Candice also talks about her future plans of workshops!

Check out Eastside Culture Crawl from November 14th...

Alina Sotskova is a dancer, choreographer and psyhologist. She is the founder of Voirelia, a contemporary dance company exploring dance, psychology and philosophy. We talk about how intimidating it is to go back to dancing after a long break, Alina working as a clinical psychologist alongside as a dancer and choreographer, positive psychology dance workshops, and getting inspiration from the dance classes she took at community centers. We also get into Future Renaissance, a work in progress exploring the erasure between the lines of humans and AI. Finally, we get into how transformation and transcendence relates to Alina personnally...

Corey is a storyteller, writer, composer and director. He is a member of the Mattagami First Nations, with French-Canadian and Irish ancestry.

We talk about why he started to write, founding Raven Theatre, being the artistic director of Urban Ink and co-creating TRANSFORM festival. The need to tell Indigenous stories and bringing perspectives that aren't being showcased. We get into his work in progress On Native Land as well as a work that has been finished and adapted into a movie, Les Filles du Roi. We talk about identity, and how toxic it s to dissect Indigenous...

Sarah Lane is a musical theatre actor based in Vancouver, BC. In this episode we talk about Sarah's passion for teaching and learning, letting go of dreams but finding new ones, musical theatre actors being triple threats and getting the strength and courage to actually "do it". We also get into Cats as Sarah is playing Grizabella in the Theatre Under The Stars production of Cats, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber who is the reason Sarah got into musical theatre!

Enter the ticket giveaway over at @talkingintherainpod for a chance to win 2 tickets to see Cats!

Emma Love is an actor, voice actor, audiobook narrator and singer based in Vancouver, BC. In this episode we get into how she got into all the different avenues of performing and creating, adversarial relationships, little ways of safety and routine and how easy it is to miss comfort. Emma talks about her move from New York City to Vancouver and how one is a community while the other one is a market. We also talk about School of Rock and what she would say to Rosalie if she confided in Emma as well as Emma being a "slow...

Adrienne Hyde is a multi-instrumentalist focusing on early music. We talk about how she started with piano, switched to cello and now plays multiple instruments such as viola da gamba and the lirone and how she tends to be led to discover new things and realize that it's her passion, actually. Adrienne talks about how she has a desperate need to connect with people, thus finding community in New York City during her studies and now in Baltimore where she lives. We hear the tale of the cheese man and learn how Adrienne rediscovered herself in every new city...

Jhoely Triana is a Colombian flamenco artist based in Vancouver, BC. We talk about her journey in finding flamenco, tablao performances, finding community and a support system with flamenco and just how much jaleos (words of encouragement) help in finding oneself. We also get into loving creation and Jhoely's creation "Arboles (trees)", reaching down into something that's deeper than yourself and finding your roots. Flamenco keeps growing and you can be introduced to its wonderful world with the workshops Jhoely is teaching within the CREATE! Arts Festival, on July 28th! Embrace being loud, occupy space and enjoy moving your...

Vicky Chow is based in Brooklyn, New York. Focusing on contemporary classical music, she brings experimental elements to performances using techniques like playing inside the piano. In this episode we talk about how she felt disconnected from classical music that is taught in schools and connected with contemporary classical work, refiring her passion for piano. We also get into her experience playing Philip Glass' work and if it's nerve-racking or exciting to be playing pieces of which the composer can hear her iteration. We also talk about her tattoos and her dog Lola. (Happy belated birthday Lola!) You can...

Dave is an award-winning writer who investigates queer themes and writes plays for young audiences that start conversations. His work has been produced across North America and Europe. His latest work, Papa Penguin Play will make its debut with the Carousel Theatre for Young People, in collaboration with Zee Zee Theatre on May 15th, running until June 2nd. In this episode we talk about how this play came into fruition, the autobiographical elements of it and the team that is involved. We also get into how Dave started doing drag, the birth of Peach Cobbla and the drag show...

Bealby Point is a rock band made up of Jack Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Jordan Studer (bass), Zack Yeager (drums) and Clay Dewar (guitar). We get into how the band was formed, where the name Bealby Point comes from, how I accidentally heckled them and their best heckle, how time seems to be a broad concept in their music and the last time they did something fun on a Tuesday. Because whoever did something fun on a Tuesday? If there's anything you should retain from this episode, it's that you shouldn't be scared to reach out to artists you like...

“When speaking becomes noise and ignorance becomes silence, we’re left with this disconnection, without a sense of community. Community happens when we feel heard and willingly listen. So, who do you listen to? Who do you silence? Can you listen even when it’s uncomfortable?” -

Johnny D. Trinh is an artist focusing on autho-ethnographic performance and spoken word as a primary method in community-engaged art. He is also the artistic director of Vancouver Poetry House, which is presenting the 14th Verses Festival of Words from April 18th to the 27th with the theme of Learn...

Cheyenne Rouleau is a playwright, actor and creator from Burnaby, BC. In this episode we talk about her newest work Sunrise Betties, a fictional play inspired by when drug-fuelled gang wars controlled East Vancouver and corruption ran rampant in the local police force. We talk about her experience working with consultants for this play, her writing process, writing for a smart audience, misogyny in the arts, hypervigilance and how much we analyze everything we see, her next work, Fat Joke and the difficulty of writing about yourself.

Sunrise Betties will run from Feb 21-Mar 10 at the Russian H...

Montréal based Seán Dagher is a musician who will be leading La Nef (Montréal) and Chor Leoni (Vancouver) during The Return Voyage, a show all about sea shanties, performing February 16th and 17th in Vancouver. In this episode we talk about working for the Assassin's Creed soundtrack, singing with La Nef and Skye Consort & Emma Björling, Seán's "Shanty of the Week" series on youtube, performing in pubs, why he likes performing both solo and with an ensemble and working with Chor Leoni. Find out what it's like to take a road trip with musicians, why S...

Carly Pokoradi is a Vancouver based artist and creator. We talked about her start in the performing world, the experiences she's gotten from Studio 58, her project Recontextiled, how she's a certified ASL interpreter, Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, the comedy duo she's part of; The Dangerous Janes, skills that are special to her and more!

Catch Carly take more than 10 roles in Carousel Theatre's Snow White until the end of December!

Intro: Hazy - OddFish

Cameron Wilson is a violinist and composer, his work "A Midnight Clear" will make its world premiere with Chor Leoni in Vancouver. In this episode we talk about how Cameron started playing the violin, his musical inspirations, how he stays creative and the mentally taxing art of composing. We learn about his music taste, his composing process and the differences in creating orchestral versus choral work.

Allyson McHardy is a Toronto based singer/opera artist. We talked about performing in different countries, growing up singing, teaching singing, Handel's Messiah and why Handel is Allyson's guy. (Hint: it has to do with her being an alto/mezzo-soprano.) We talked about a bunch more so listen to find out! Catch Allyson perform in Handel's Messiah on December 8th, presented by Early Music Vancouver and Vancouver Chamber Choir.

Intro: No. 1 Symphony, Grave - Allegro Moderato by Handel

Violet Patrich (Ultraviolet Oddities) is a Vancouver based artist creating art by upcycling baby dolls, from baby head planters to eyeball bolos which have been described as both cute and creepy. In this episode we get into her artistic practice; how it began and how it has evolved over time, art as a conversation starter, Eastside Culture Crawl, upcoming projects, Weirdos Market, collaborations, how difficult it is to ask for help, burn out and more! Visit Violet's studio during the crawl or check out her art on instagram @violetpatrich

Intro: Hazy by OddFish

Autonomous Apes is a rock band born from a loving relationship between Russian Eternal Depression and 90s Grunge Music. The band that began in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2020 is currently based out of Vancouver, BC and the immigrant trio is made up of Egor Kopshar on guitar and vocals, Justin Wu on bass and Rishabh Gulati on drums. In this episode the four of us get into how Autonomous Apes formed and how the trio met each other, their new single Vancouver Rain, dream venues to play in, hardest part of adapting to Canada as immigrants, Autonomous Vlogs and...

Slightest Clue is a Vancouver based post punk/garage rock/dark pop band and I am joined by all four members, Malcolm, Hannah, Sean and Nick. Listen to hear how the band formed, what their creative process is like, if they are lyrics listeners or not, pre and post show rituals, playing in Toronto, what song is forever etched into their brains as well as what they are listening to right now. Check out their instagram @slightestclue to vote for Malcolm's next tattoo and stay updated with upcoming shows and new releases! Intro: Suit Uptight! by Slightest Clue

This episode's guest Miwa Matreyek is an artist who creates an emotional, dreamlike mediation on climate catastrophe an the anthropocene. She uses animation, collage and her own shadow body which culminates in a performance that is emotionally impactful. Miwa is performing two of her pieces "Infinitely Yours" and "The World Made Itself" as part of The Ironworks Series, new to VIFF. You can catch her performance on October 7th but if you can't watch her perform, you can also learn from her as she is also a faculty member at SFU. We talked about the transition into teaching, moving from...

Victoria based Sonja Ahlers and I talk about Classification Crisis, a survey exhibition showcasing her 30 years of work in the art world. Catch it at the Richmond Art Gallery until November 5th! We talked about vulnerability in art, getting into new mediums, mail art, zines, collage art, social media and Sonja's creation process. Enjoy! Intro Music: Hazy by Oddfish

Happy 10 episodes! Today's guest is interdisciplinary artist and art educator Amberlie Perkin. She will be leading a clay workshop on July 22nd with the Create Arts Festival. We talked a little about the festival, her workshops, being an art teacher in the public school system, her signature style as an artist and how she found it and some more! Content warning: Mentions of death of family and pets, cancer and grief after the 30 minute mark. Intro music: Hazy by Oddfish.

Yes, gay as in enjoyable and gay as in LGTBQ because The Prom is both! Cadence and I talked about TUTS' The Prom in which they are performing until August 25th. We delved into their experience with TUTS as their first actor who uses a wheelchair, character prep and building a backstory, their experience with Realwheels Theatre Acting Academy, getting back into theatre, slam poetry (you can watch Cadence's perfomance of Preserve>Repair on their instagram) and dancing. Everybody can dance and every body is a dance body! Intro music - Hazy by Oddfish

First time with two guests! In this exciting episode I was joined with actors Jyla Robinson and Thomas Schultes who are in Theatre Under The Stars' Matilda: The Musical. Some of the things we delved into include their characters, preparing for a show that has a couple different versions accessible to them, character research, working with children, doing accents, tech week, dancing and how our fears can stop us from doing what we want to do (which they shouldn't!). After hearing some words of encouragement from Thomas and Jyla, we also found out what shows they'd like TUTS to put...

My guest today is Jessica Heafey who you can catch as Jo in Unexpecting until the 21st of May. We talked about preparing for a role which hasn't existed on stage before, researching for a role, acting in French vs English, working in and directing voiceover, We also delved into advocating for safe and inclusive working spaces both in and outside of performing arts.

Intro music: Hazy by Oddfish

Rob is one of the two longest standing members of Chor Leoni and he and I talked about his involvement with the choir for 31 years, how the choir and music has helped him on his mental health journey following him being rejected by the church after coming out as gay. This episode has mentions of religious trauma, suicidal ideations and homophobia. You are more than welcomed to come back next episode if these topics can be triggering for you. Please reach out to friends, family or mental health professionals if you are struggling with mental health issues and are having...

I had the pleasure of talking with dancer and choreographer Vanessa Goodman. We started off talking about Graveyards and Gardens which Vanessa described as a “blurred transition of traditional Performance and installation performance.” You can catch it April 12th to 15th at 7:30pm at the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts - presented by Music on Main and SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs. We also talked about what Vanessa calls generative systems, her look on dance and choreo and how she views the body plays a part in her work, We got into h...

Today my guest is choreographer Joshua Beamish. We talk about his latest work, MOVETHECOMPANY's "Source Amnesia", we get into different challenges he faces when it comes to personal vs. commercial pieces, choreographing work for the stage vs. the screen, founding his company MOVETHECOMPANY and some more. Also thank you to Joshua for coining the term "clarifichanges" which I will now be using all the time now

Today my guest is actor, singer and dancer Steffanie Davis. She is currently playing Mamma Pig in Carousel Theatre's production of Stiles & Drewe's The Three Little Pigs. We talk about her role as Mamma Pig and the production, her experience as Killer Queen in We Will Rock you, acting for children vs. adults, auditions and getting rejected, fat representation in theatre and film and some more.

Today my guest is Winona Myles, a multi-disciplinary artist from the Secwépemc Nation. She grew up performing in both community and professional productions throughout the Lower Mainland. She has also worked as a solo artist, teaches and coaches young singers and actors. She is also playing Girl Angel in Pulitzer winning opera, Angel’s Bone which you can watch at the Annex Theatre as part of IndieFest 2022 from November 25th to 27th. Winona and I talk about Angel’s Bone, her role in the opera as someone whose background lies in musical theatre. We also get into Winona’s exper...

Today I have with me, Claire Love Wilson who is a theatre-maker, actor, playwright, musician, and singer-songwriter. Claire and I started talking about the current production they're in, The Café which you can catch until October 22nd at Kafka's Café. We then went into self-producing work, wearing different hats in productions, being an "emotional athlete" and Claire's experimental musical "Morag, You're a Long Time Deid"