Are you Ready to ZOOM? What we’ve figured out so far.
June 2020
With the announcement of the pandemic and the state of emergency in all provinces, our landscape was filled with mass cancellations of all in-person gatherings (classes, meetings, events and productions). Some companies began experimenting with what it meant to move activities online to varying degrees of success. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, our panelists shared what they learned while producing online content for their companies using the ZOOM platform. This topic was moderated by SMArts Stage Managing the Arts Executive Director, Janelle Rainville.
Panelists included:
- Phil Genest, ATD at National Arts Centre
- Carolyn Anderson, Freelance Technical Director
- Jeff Morris, Stage Manager at National Ballet of Canada
How to Return – Re-imagining “Normal”
June 2020
While we all longe to return to our venues and productions after the the pandemic, reopening plans needed to be customized to reflect our unique needs and challenges. As COVID-19 guidance evolved, we examined what to believe and how to start planning. This moderated discussion, by Health & Safety Consultant, Janet Sellery, explored resources and ideas, focusing on the roles of the Production Manager and Technical Director.
Panelists included:
- Paul Fujimoto-Pihl – Project Manager, Grand Theatre (London, ON)
- Melynda Jurgenson – Associate Director, Technical Operations, Canadian Opera Company (Toronto, ON)
- Kevin Tanner – Managing Director of Production, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (Banff, AB)
- Ace Martens – Production Manager, The Arts Club (Vancouver, BC)
- Cathy Knowsley – Director, HiViz Event Management Limited (New Zealand)
Remote Collaboration between Designers & Production
June 2020
Moderator Rick Banville was joined by a panel of Designers, Production Managers, and Technical Directors, in a discussion about working remotely. The panel identified strategies and tools that had worked for them in the past, and ones that hadn’t. Thinking of their present situation, they discussed what public health restrictions meant for designer-production department collaboration across disciplines. How do you select fabric/give notes on a finish/perform a fitting/troubleshoot design/implementation issues when you can’t get close to each other? They also discussed how they’d like to work in the future, and what they collectively wanted to see change.
Finally, they examined the reality of schedules and workloads from both the designer and TD/PM perspective. These two groups rely on each other so much for getting a show from concept to reality, and this was an opportunity to learn about what we really needed from each other, and brainstorm ways to make the process smoother for everyone.
Moderated by: Rick Banville
Panelist included:
- Doug Morum – Technical Director, Confederation Centre of the Arts (PEI)
- Autumn Coppaway – Technical Director, Vancouver Opera Company (BC)
- Itai Erdal – Freelance Designer (BC)
- Eryn Griffith – Production Manager, The Globe Theatre (SK)
- Joanna Yu – Freelance Set and Costume Designer (ON)