BWW Interviews: Jitter's Noah Reid and C. David Johnson Talk Theatre in Canada

Jitters began its run at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts June 24th as part of Soulpepper's 2010 Season. It is inspired by the nerves and mishaps of playwright David French's own opening night experiences and has been called one of the funniest backstage comedies ever written.

Jitters features a wide variety of characters, including a Broadway star who can't get along with her leading man and a novice playwright trying to make a name for himself. It examines the state of Canadian culture and the lives of its frontline practitioners. In keeping with the theme of Jitters, BWW sat down and talked with Noah Reid (Beauty and the Beast, Degrassi, Score: A Hockey Musical) and C. David Johnson (Street Legal, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sound of Music) about what it is like trying to make a full-time living in the Arts, and (of course) their own opening night Jitters.

Ntozake Shange said that to choose a life as an artist in Canada was "an unfathomable commitment to a cosmic whimsy." Do you believe that is still true today?

NR: I sure hope not. Actually I'm not sure it ever was. I think probably a lot of it has to do with one's attitude, and that's bound to change from moment to moment. No doubt there will be moments when a commitment to being an artist seems unfathomable for any number of reasons, and probably luck and the whimsies of the cosmos have quite a bit to do with what we feel and when we feel these things, but I think if you love it, you find a way to make it through those moments to other moments when you think "god, I wouldn't want to be anything BUT an artist in Canada." And I don't think that applies only to Canada either, I think to choose to be an artist anywhere requires a particular kind of drive. My father always says, "if you can talk anyone out of a career in the arts, do it". Some of us can't be talked out of it.

CDJ: I love this quote! I would embellish it with "The natural condition of the theatre is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster" (Tom Stoppard--"Shakespeare in Love"). I would have to say there is truth behind the quote, but in reality (and speaking only for myself) it is a craft, and a vocation, that is simply less stable for some than others, and for all at some time or another. There is no vertical career ladder, and it can be at times demoralizing, even soul-crushing, but those times can often be matched and balanced by the successes and occasional triumphs. The true frustration comes from the political lack of will, or vision that would fund the arts at the levels we need to sustain them, and make them prosper locally and globally.

With the struggling economy and the arts being hit hard, does this play resonate a bit closer to home than it might have a few years ago?

NR: It's always been tough for a theatre company or even just a single production to get off the ground and find a home in the world, and it's also pretty tough these days to get people to come see theatre. Art, in any form, needs time and space, and time and space cost money. And money's pretty tight right now. So yeah, you could look at Jitters through that lens, as the director of the play within the play does, desperately hoping for a hit so he can keep his theatre open. The play is written and set in a time when Canadian theatre is just finding it's legs, and here we are at Soulpepper, a company that has fought really hard for the resources to tell this story, but you always have a sense of the danger that a flop or a bad review represents, especially in an economy where cuts to arts funding are frequent and substantial.

CDJ: Jitters was first produced in 1979, on a shoestring, with financial disaster facing the theatre at the time. Not that relevant to Soulpepper, perhaps, but certainly to many theatres across the country. The current conservative climate seems to bring out the scalpels, and the arts are the first to deemed redundant or unnecessary. We are also reluctant to celebrate our own, unless they have had success south of the border, so we have lines in the play such as "Down there they embrace success. Up here it's like stepping out of line." So little has changed in that regard....

Could you tell us a story of the most disastrous experience you have ever had leading up to opening night?

NR: I've been very lucky. No huge problems for me so far. Once, I lost my voice, but managed to get though the show, and once, in theatre school, I played the title role in the Scottish play and we had only rehearsed the entrances and exits. Never the scenes. I barely knew my lines and we damn near had a mutiny against the director, but it turned out to be a really beautiful show. Openings are always weird. You're just watching the house and yourself so closely, it's kind of like an out-of-body-experience. I dunno, give me 20 years and I bet I'll have some good ones.

CDJ: I must say I have been fairly lucky when it comes to getting through Opening Nights, but I was in a production of "Amadeus" and the actor playing Mozart came down with laryngitis the day before we opened. They tried to put a body mike on him, but no one could get within ten feet of him without their voices booming out over the house speakers. They cut their losses, flew in Tom McCamus who, never having even read the play, learned the part in two days and went on to play Mozart flawlessly!

How do you find you balance being an artist in Canada and ensuring that you have a stable career? Lucky enough to sustain work or is the idea of having to get a "joe job" always lingering?

NR: Again, I feel I've been very lucky. I've been working pretty consistently since i was about 8 years old. But in this business, not even the best are infallible. I was talking to Tom McCamus last year in Stratford, and he said that to this day he's always been prepared to have to do something else to make a living. This is a guy whose career I think of as a huge success - he's one of my favourite actors. That came as a shock to me. Probably it gets a lot harder as you get older, when families and property come into play. Right now, I don't worry about it too much, but I'm sure it's right around the bend.

CDJ: I have been fortunate enough over 30 years to have managed to sustain myself and my family without taking a "civilian post". But there have been many lean times, lots of debt, a few very rich times, and a lot of in between. I can honestly say that I doubt I shall ever be able to retire comfortably, and will continue to work as long as I'm able. Meantime I go to auditions and buy lottery tickets!

Do you find it challenging to participate in a production that might potentially serve as a reminder of the fact that your particular career paths are more challenging than most?

NR: Absolutely. I hadn't actually thought too much about the difficulty of this business until this production and hearing some of the war stories. I started as a kid having fun, and I think when you're young, the dark side of showbiz doesn't really occur to you. There's a lot of sadness, and addiction and insecurity, and I guess these things exist everywhere, but I feel like often in our business, they come as a direct result of the line of work we're in. I mean, so does the joy and the laughter and that incredible high of performing, but sometimes the vulnerability takes its toll. As a young actor it's tough to think about the future sometimes, wondering where you'll end up in the world. Can I have a family and a career? Can I find a balance between meaningful work and financial earnings? Can I keep having fun doing my job? I think the answer is yes. Anyways, that's the goal.

CDJ: I think this show highlights more of the love for theatre for us, which is what drives us, than the negative risks of it. It is "David French's love letter to Canadian Theatre", and is a daily joy to play in.

Finally, we are trying to encourage more young people to get out and try various theatre productions - what about Jitters might appeal to a younger crowd?

NR: It's incredibly funny, it's fast, and it's an amazingly accurate depiction of what goes on behind the scenes. Young people like good stories just as much as anyone, and this is a great one. Hell, I'm young and I'm killing myself laughing in rehearsals every day. Plus, it takes place in the 70's, with all the facial hair and the plaid pants and platform shoes. But I'm going to shut up, because the worst thing you can do to young people is tell them "this is cool for young people too." Young crowd, old crowd, any crowd is gonna be glad they saw Jitters.

CDJ: It's funny, it's irreverent, it's about Canada, more specifically Toronto, and comes from a time when our theatre was in its own youth, straining at the reins and learning how to find its way in the world. But mostly it's really funny!

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When and Where?
Jitters
Young Centre for the Performing Arts

Performance Schedule

June 24th - July 24th

Tickets range from $29-$70 and can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone at 416-866-8666 or online at www.soulpepper.ca

There are $20 tickets available for people aged 21-30 through StagePlay at www.stageplay.ca Stageplay is sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group

For more information please visit www.soulpepper.ca

 

 

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