Life in Stages with Joel Greenberg

Yes, Life in Stages, Season 4 played its final episode with the return visit of Mark McGrinder. However, as we sail through a Toronto summer, it struck me that a bonus episode would not be amiss. So, here we are with a shift in focus and topic: I am the guest on Mike’s own podcast, Toronto Mike’d. Yes, we’ve exchanged roles before, but that was on Life in Stages. This time, I have joined Mike on his turf and I was only too happy to address issues that my own podcast has not broadcast. NOTE: The new season, Season 5, is recording mid-August through mid-September – you know that I’ll advise you all when the new season is scheduled to begin dropping.

Mark was the first guest to join Life in Stages. That was two years ago, so it’s time to check in now that theatre has returned to its normal challenge of daily survival. When we spoke the first time, Mark had just become the Artistic Director of Studio 180 Theatre. In our conversation we didn’t discuss our family connection: Mark is married to Jessica, my older daughter. We weren’t being coy by omitting that detail, since I’d met Mark more than ten years before he and Jess found each other. And as two of the five founding members of Studio 180, Mark and I already had a steady working relationship. Back to this episode, the final one in Season 4. This is a much more give-and-take conversation than most preceding episodes. And it’s a welcome opportunity to share the studio with Mark and Mike as we bring Season 4 to a close. NOTE: Season 5 is already scheduled to record, so standby for another series of conversations beginning early Fall.

Paul and I first met when we were working on “The Overwhelming” JT Rogers’ play about the Rwandan genocide. Subsequently, we worked together again on “Stuff Happens” and “The Normal Heart” – all Studio 180 Theatre productions. In addition, Paul’s work as actor, director, fight director and fight captain has taken him across the country. Among his acting credits, Paul includes “As You Like It”, “A Doll’s House, Part 2”, “Sense and Sensibility”, Shakespeare in Love”, “The Audience” and “A Few Good Men” for the Manitoba Theatre Centre. At the Stratford Festival, Paul performed in “Macbeth”, “Amadeus”, “The Country Wife” and “Twelfth Night”. Paul directed “Witness for the Prosecution” for MTC and “La Chanson de l’Elephant” for Cercle Moliere. Paul lives and works in Winnipeg.

Award-winning actor, singer, director, theatre creator, and educator, Bruce Dow (AACE, ACTRA, AEA, CAEA, SAG-AFTRA) ( http://www.brucedow.com ) is best known for five featured roles on Broadway, twelve seasons in leading roles at the Stratford Festival, and award-winning performances in Toronto and Washington, D.C. During the pandemic, Bruce returned to university to study Intercultural Psychotherapy and Multi-Faith Psychospiritual Therapy, earning a Master’s Degree in Psychospiritual Studies. Now in private clinical practice as a Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO), Registered Counselling Therapist (NSCCT), and Certified Psychospiritual Therapist (CASC-ACSS), he works through Consonance Psychotherapy Services ( https://consonancepsych.com ) and is verified by Psychology Today ( https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca ). Bruce’s current research explores not what we do, but how we engage with ourselves in the doing. His recent workshops in safe and effective use of Self have been presented at Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of the Arts, Fanshawe College, STAPLES Canada, Community Counselling of London, and The Presbytery of East Toronto. Bruce is represented by Christopher Oldfield, Oldfield Management ( https://www.oldfieldmanagement.com ) @brucedowrp.

Jordan Pettle has been a professional theatre actor, director and teacher for over 30 years. Since graduating from the National Theatre School in 1994, he has worked on stages across the country in both contemporary and classical work,. He has appeared in over 25 productions for Soulpepper Theatre and spent 4 seasons at the Stratford Festival. In Toronto, he has worked for Canadian Stage, Coal Mine, Tarragon Theatre, Studio 180 Theatre, Outside the March, Mirvish Productions, Factory Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille and Young People’s Theatre, among others. He has appeared in many television/film productions (Law and Order Toronto: Criminal Intent, Murdoch Mysteries, Suits, Kim’s Convenience, Titans, American Woman, etc.). Over the past 15 years he has also taught and directed at George Brown Theatre School, Soulpepper, Wexford Collegiate for the Performing Arts, Randolph Academy and Toronto Metropolitan University In 2024, he co-created a theatre/baseball camp with Lisa-Marie DiLiberto at Theatre Direct. He is a rep baseball coach and spends his summers on baseball diamonds across Ontario. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Shannon, and their two sons, Sammy and Avi.

Anthony studied at UBC and trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts. His film, television and theatre credits speak to a career moving between all areas. On film, Anthony has worked on “Astronaut”, “The Two Mr. Kissels”, “Charlie Grant’s War” and “The Atom Spies”. Television roles include “Murdoch Mysteries”, “Tracker”, “Wind at My Back”, “Women if Windsor”, “Top Cops”, “Counterstrike”, “Street Legal”, “Friday the 13th” and “SCTV”. The stage, where Anthony is most strikingly represented, includes 36 productions at the Shaw Festival, “Serious Money”, “The Crucible”, “Pygmalion” and “Saint Joan”, among them. Stratfor Festival credits include “Comedy of Errors”, “Misanthrope”, and “Coriolanus”. Elsewhere, Anthony has worked with Theatre Aquarius (“Spider’s Web”), Drayton Festival (“Wizard of Oz”, “Run for Your Wife”), Vancouver Playhouse (“Fallen Angels”) and the Manitoba Theatre Centre (“The Audience”). Anthony joined the company of “Stuff Happens” when the production moved to the Royal Alex – it marked our first time working together.

Ian considers himself extremely fortunate to have been able to play leading roles on every major stage (large and small) from coast to coast. A member of both Stratford and Shaw Festival companies, he also played the title role of The Foreigner, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, returning to appear in Studio 180s acclaimed production of Stuff Happens. Ian took his own sketch comedy show, A Collection of British Rubbish, across western Canada and to the Bradford Centre in Boston, where it also received a Broadway option. He is probably best remembered on television for his role as White Sands owner, Simon Tremayne, in the series “Road to Avonlea”. Additionally, he has had major series roles in 7 other series, including Terrence Barnsworth, in “The Associates” and Dr Pierce in “Little Men”. He has also guest starred in over 70 productions, including “Schitt’s Creek”, “The Accused”, “The Arrow”, and multiple episodes of “Murdoch Mysteries”. His film career started with “Equus” and was followed by 18 other features, including “32 Short Films About Glenn Gould”, “Lillies”, “Georgetown” and “The Apprentice”. In his own words, “He lives quietly in Kingston with his family.”

Andre trained at George Brown College and the Birmingham Conservatory (Stratford Festival). Since entering the profession, he has worked equally onstage and on screen. Stratford credits include “Macbeth”, “The Winter’s Tale”, “King Lear”, “Coriolanus” and “The Tempest”. At the Shaw Festival, Andre performed in “The Glass Menagerie”, “Sex” and “An Octoroon". Beyond the festivals, he has worked with Obsidian Theatre (“Ruined”, “Shakespeare’s Nigga” and “Master Harold…and the Boys”. On television and in film, Andre’s work has included “Private Idiots”, “Slumberland”, “Kim’s Convenience”, “Suits”, “Rookie Blue” and “Dan for Mayor”. Andre and I worked together on the Studio 180 Theatre production of “The Overwhelming”.

Brenda is a multi-award-winning actor, experienced in theatre, film and television. Among her many stage credits, Brenda includes “The Children” (Belfry Theatre, BC), “Escaped Alone” and “Noises Off” (Soulpepper Theatre), “August Osage County” (Citadel Theatre), “Doubt” (Centaur Theatre) and “Celimare” (Shaw Festival). These are but a very few of the very many. Film and television credits include “Heartland”, “Man Seeking Woman”, “The Firm”, “Wonderland”, “Foolish Heart” and “Cagney and Lacey”. Again, these are but a very few. Brenda has a great deal more to add to this thumbnail sketch, so be sure to listen to her conversation with me during Season 4.

Gord is an actor, playwright and filmmaker. He has performed from San Francisco to Rwanda, including 9 seasons at the Shaw Festival. Among his favourite productions are “Oedipus Rex” (Stratford Festival), “Hamlet” (Necessary Angel), “The Runner” (the award-winning one man show). As the naked Ukrainian plutonium dealer, in Michael Healey’s “The Innocent Eye Test”, Gord won the Dora Award. Recent screen appearances include Stephen Kings’ “Chapelwaite”, a leading role in the indie film, “Last County” and his series regular role in NBC’s “Transplant”. Gord’s filmmaking credits include “Goodness in Rwanda” and an adaptation of his stage play, “Pond Life”. As a founding member of ARCA – Artists for Real Climate Action – he has written and directed several short films for their campaign about climate crisis. Gord considers himself lucky to live in downtown Toronto, to grow his own hot peppers and to have his lovely wife, two beautiful sons and a very large dog.

Michael Rubenfeld is a Canadian-Polish theatre artist, actor, playwright, director, and producer whose work bridges North America and Europe, engaging deeply with history, identity, and performance. Born in Winnipeg and a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada , Rubenfeld has built a wide-ranging career on stages across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Acting credits include the Canadian and US premieres of “Our Class”, “Disgraced”, Angels in America” and “The Comedy of Errors”. He is co-founder of Selfconscious Productions, through which he co-created “The Book of Judith” and “We Keep Coming Back”, I collaboration with Sarah Garton Stanley. Michael was Artistic producer of the Summerworks Performance Festival, from 2008-2016, where he produced and presented more than 300 new works and supported generations of emerging and established artists. Rubenfeld’s practice is defined by a commitment to asking difficult questions about memory, responsibility, inheritance, and belonging, using theatre as a space where personal history and collective reckoning collide. Michael currently lives in Warsaw.

Allegra is a trilingual, award-winning actor. Stage credits include “Julius Caesar” (Canadian Stage), “Tout Comme Elle” (Luminato Festival), “The List” (her solo show with Nightwood Theatre), “Geometry in Venice: (Crows Theatre), “The Comedy of Errors” and “The Odyssey” (Stratford Festival) and “The Crackwalker_ (Persephone Theatre). Among many films, Allegra has performed in “Strange But True”, “The Shape of Water”, “John Q”, “The Law of Enclosures” and “”32 Short Films About Glenn Gould”. Television viewers will have seen Allegra in “Cardinal”, “Schitt’s Creek”, “Fargo”, “Degrassi: the Next Generation”, The Associates” and “Robocop”. Movies of the Week features have included “Riding the Bus with My Sister”, Two Against Time”, “Dirty Pictures”, Black and Blue”, “Ms. Scrooge” and “Critical Choices.

Norm Foster is a highly produced Canadian playwright known for accessible, funny and heartwarming comedies like “The Melville Boys”, “The Foursome” and “On A First Name Basis”. His plays often feature everyday people and relationships. Foster has written eighty-eight plays to date and has been Canada’s most prolific and most produced playwright for decades. In 2016, Foster was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Michael’s jam-packed resume is itself a testament to the many stages in a professional actor’s life. So, having Michael join me in conversation is precisely what I’d aimed my podcast to include. Selecting from among the many, many credits will provide a snapshot – our conversation will offer much more. Film and television credits include “Chucky” (regular guest star), “Fellow Travelers” (recurring role), “Guillermo del Toro presents THE VIEWING”, “Designated Survivor”, “Alaias Grace”, “Hemlock Grove” (series regular), “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town”, “The Tommy Douglas Story” (title character) and “The Newsroom”. West End and Broadway credits include “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Tin Pan Alley Rag” and Fiddler on the Roof”. Stage credits include many seasons at both the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, “The Importance of Being Earnest” (Neptune Theatre), “Jitters” (Manitoba Theatre Centre), “The Producers” (Mirvish Productions), “Billy Bishop Goes to War” (Orangeville Theatre), “She Loves Me” (Drayton Festival), “Peter Pan”, “Pericles”, “The Seagull” and “Oscar Remembered (Stratford Festival), “Rope”, “Brigadoon”, “Wait Until Dark” and “Anything Goes” (Shaw Festival). I worked with Michael in the Studio 180 Theatre/Musical Stage Company production of “Parade”.

Deb and I met about 25 years ago when we were both working on the Canadian premiere of “The Laramie Project”, the production that launched Studio 180 Theatre. And during its subsequent run the following year, at Buddies, Deb returned to the company. Additional stage credits include “Steel Magnolias” (Capitol Theatre), “The Curious Incident…” (YES Theatre), “Doubt” (BNE Theatre), “The Penelopiad” (The Grand), “”Parfumerie” (Soulpepper) and “Innocence Lost” (Blyth Festival). Film and television credits include “The Boys/ Season 5”, “Murdoch Mysteries”, Station Eleven”, “The Good Witch”, “Cracked”, “A History of Violence”, “This is Wonderland” “11th Hour” and “The Man in the Attic”. Apart from her many professional credits, I can add that Deb has what is, perhaps, the industry’s most infectious laugh.

Jim is a multi-talented writer-performer-director with more than 50 years of professional experience. I first saw Jim in the original Toronto production of “Godspell”, and soon after I was working with him on a series of original musical revues: “Tonight at 8:30…9 O’Clock in Newfoundland (Series 1, 2 and 3), I’ll Tell You Mine…If You Tell Me Yours”, “The Moose that Roared”. For these, he was writer, composer, performer – not EGOT, perhaps, but pretty damn close in Canadian terms. Playwriting credits include, among many others, “The Mystery of Oak Island Treasure” (Chalmers Award), Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang (Dora Award). Jim’s original musicals include “Colours in the Storm”, “Thin Ice” and “Dancer” (A Musical in Ten Furlongs – Marek Norman, Composer). Interspersed with many more projects, Jim has also taken on roles as producer, director, artistic director and Founding President of both The Guild of Canadian Musical Theatre Writers (1982-88) and The Group of Several (1982-87).

Lucy just completed her 38th season at the Stratford Festival and was the recipient of the Stratford Festival Legacy Award in 2023. She has played in over 85 productions at Stratford and has performed in approximately 45 Shakespeare plays including Lady Macbeth in last season's Macbeth directed by Robert Lepage. Throughout her 40-year career she has journeyed through the stories of Ophelia, Rosalind, Viola, Portia, Helena, Desdemona, Titania, Beatrice, Volumnia, Queen Elizabeth, Cymbeline, Gwendolyn, Duchess of Malfi, Masha, Mary Stuart, and Satan. She has explored the leading roles in The Goat, Three Tall Women, All My Sons, Private Lives, Hello Dolly!, The King and I, For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, Les Belles Sours, her critically acclaimed one woman show, The Blonde the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead, and very much enjoyed her 2-year sold-out run of her cabaret Late Night with Lucy at the Studio Theater in Stratford. A 4th generation classical actress, Lucy was born in England, grew up in Montreal and the Eastern Townships, is a graduate of the National Theater School, and has performed across Canada and in New York.

David has spent as much of his career onstage as he has in front of cameras. Stage credits include “The Nether” (Studio 180 theatre/Coalmine), “The Boy in the Moon” (Crows), “Noises Off” (Soulpepper), “Doubt” (Canadian Stage), “Frost/Nixon” (Vancouver Playhouse/ Canadian Stage), “Amadeus” (Citadel Theatre), “The Trials of Ezra Pound” (Stratford Festival) and “Nothing Sacred” (Winter Garden Theatre). Film and television roles have included “Burden of Truth”, “Designated Survivor”, “Saving Hope”, “Flashpoint”, “Republic of Doyle”, “The is Wonderland”, “Cold Squad”, “The Spiral Staircase” and “Street Legal”. Far too many credits to include them all here – best way forward: listen to my conversation with David and you’ll learn far more than any list of credits can provide.

Linda began her professional career at Second City (Toronto) where she performed, directed and conducted workshops. She has appeared in and directed many plays, films and television shows throughout Canada, the US, Europe, Russia and New Zealand. Stage credits include her work with the Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, Canadian Stage, Theatre Aquarius, Studio 180 Theatre and Theatre Calgary, among many others. Television includes “Seinfeld”, “Fargo”, “Third Rock from the Sun”, “Everyone Loves Raymond”, “Monk”, “Degrassi”, “Sweet Z” and “Sisters”. Film credits include “Waiting for Guffman”, “Best in Show”, “Cinderella Man”, and 3 “Ernest” movies. Animation credits include “Paw Patrol”, “Thomas the Tank, “Cat in the Hat”, “Madeline” and “Fugged About “It”. Directing credits include Colin Mochrie in “HYPROV” (Just for Laughs and the Edinburgh Festival) and a season of “Love It or Lose It”. Linda is probably best known as the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel (a campaign that ran for over 26 years) – and for all this (and more) her proudest work-to-date is her fabulous, blended family.

Tom has been a member of the Stratford Company for 12 seasons. Additionally, he has performed in “Someone Else”, “The Seagull” and “The Wedding Party”, at Crows Theatre, Hairspray, both in Toronto and on Broadway, “Hamlet” at the National Arts Centre, Robert Lepage’s “Romeo et Juliette”, “I Am My Own Wife”, at the Vancouver Playhouse, and “Tartuffe”, at Canadian Stage. On television and in film, Tom can be seen in “This is Wonderland”, The Day After Tomorrow”, “Under the Banner of Heaven” and Guillermo del Toro’s “Cabinet of Curiosities”. Tom has just completed a highly successful run in Michael Healey’s new play. “Rogers V. Rogers” and in the 2026 summer season at the Shaw Festival, “Amadeus” and “Heartbreak House” will be added to his considerable resume.