INTERVIEW WITH CARLOS LUNA

Posted on January 22, 2015 by

By Anita Malhotra

Cuban-American artist Carlos Luna posing in front of his painting "Empingated" ("Freaking Awesome") on October 11, 2014 in Miami, Florida (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Cuban-American artist Carlos Luna posing in front of his painting “Empingated” (“Freaking Awesome”) on October 11, 2014 in Miami, Florida (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Born in Cuba in 1969, Carlos Luna has built a flourishing career as a painter, sculptor and ceramicist in Mexico, where he relocated in 1991, and in the United States, where he immigrated in 2002 under a visa for extraordinary ability.

His striking, intense works, replete with symbolism and autobiographical elements, have been exhibited in more than 60 galleries and institutions around the world. Highlights include solo exhibits at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, and the Museum of Art in Fort Lauderdale, where his paintings were shown with the ceramics of Picasso. Ten books of his art have been published, and many of his works are in private collections.

"Flowers from the Sea" by Carlos Luna (oil on canvas, 47" x 58 1/2") ©2002 Carlos Luna. All Rights Reserved.

“Flowers from the Sea” by Carlos Luna (oil on canvas, 47″ x 58 1/2″) ©2002 Carlos Luna. All Rights Reserved.

Anita Malhotra interviewed Carlos Luna on October 11, 2014 at his home in South Miami, where he lives with his wife and three children. Parts of the interview were in Spanish with translation by his daughter, Camila, and son Carlos.

Carlos Luna at his studio in 2013 (photo by Ignacio Barrios)

Carlos Luna at his studio in 2013 (photo by Ignacio Barrios)

AM: Where did you grow up in Cuba?

CL: I was born in Pinar del Río but I grew up in San Luis. San Luis is a small town that is famous for making the best Havana cigars in the world. My family and I are simple people, but at the same time we are very rich-minded with a great imagination. My father liked to play the guitar and to improvise on Sundays. My two grandmothers liked to dance and sing, and we listened to music in my house all the time.

AM: Tell me a little bit more about your ancestors – when did they come to Cuba?

CL: I have a lot of mixed blood in my heritage. My father’s side of the family came from Northern Spain – Basque and Jewish Sephardic people. My mother’s father came from Andalusia, and all the Andalusians have Arabian blood. But on my mother’s family, my grandfather – his grandfather was Chinese and his grandmother was Japanese. I am proud of my heritage. I believe it is very rich. I respect where I come from because I think a man without a past is a man without a future. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH MAXWELL TAYLOR

Posted on November 19, 2014 by
Maxwell Taylor with two of his works (photo courtesy of Maxwell and Therese Taylor)

Maxwell Taylor with two of his works (photo courtesy of Maxwell and Therese Taylor)

By Anita Malhotra

Born and raised in Nassau, Bahamian artist Maxwell Taylor trained as a ceramicist while in his teens and held his first solo exhibit as a painter in the early ‘60s. In 1968 he moved to New York, where he studied at the Art Students League, the Pratt Graphic Center and the Printmaking Workshop. There, he made a name for himself with striking woodcuts, prints and paintings that focused on the struggles of the disadvantaged, particularly women.

His works were featured at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico and have been exhibited extensively in the United States, the Caribbean and in South and Central America. His awards have included the Southern Arts Federation Fellowship Award.

Taylor divides his time between West Palm Beach, Florida, where he has a ceramics studio, and Nassau. Anita Malhotra spoke with him on October 8, 2014 at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

Maxwell Taylor at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas on Oct. 8, 2014 with his 1982 linocut reduction "Damn Politics" (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Maxwell Taylor at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas on Oct. 8, 2014 with his 1982 linocut reduction “Damn Politics” (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM: What was your childhood like growing up in the Bahamas?

MT: I grew up without a father. My mother was instrumental in bringing up me and my sister. She had four kids. She was a seamstress so she would get up in the morning round about seven, eight o’clock, and the first thing she would do she’d go down to the shop. I used to hit the streets – just went from one neighborhood to the next neighborhood. And then at a very early age I had to work. I didn’t have anybody to give me anything. I used to do things like shoeshine, you know, and I had a job taking care of a horse.

Maxwell Taylor as a young man in the late '50s decorating a religious piece for Chelsea Pottery (photo courtesy of Maxwell and Therese Taylor)

Maxwell Taylor as a young man in the late ’50s decorating a religious piece for Chelsea Pottery (photo courtesy of Maxwell and Therese Taylor)

AM: What got you started in art?

MT: What really got me started was Chelsea Pottery. I always had the ability to draw, but during that period in the Bahamas, there weren’t too many artists. I was working as a bar-boy at the Emerald Beach Hotel and somebody told me about the Chelsea Pottery, which had just opened up and they were looking for young artists.

I was laid off from my job at the hotel and I went and I met Mr. Rawnsley. He checked to see what sort of talent I had and he saw that I could draw. They didn’t pay me right away, but I learned the technique pretty fast, so they put me on piecework. They would pay me for every piece I did that was of some sort of quality. I started getting a salary, and I met Brent Malone, Kendal Hanna, Vernon Cambridge and a lot of young artists. And that’s when I became serious about my art. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH NATALIE MACMASTER

Posted on July 23, 2014 by
Natalie MacMaster (photo by Rebekah Littlejohn Photography)

Natalie MacMaster (photo by Rebekah Littlejohn Photography)

By Anita Malhotra

A consummate Celtic fiddler with an exuberant stage presence, Natalie MacMaster has been playing the music of her beloved homeland, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, since the age of nine.

She released her debut album at age 16 and followed that with 10 more albums: three went gold in Canada and one (In My Hands, 1999) garnered a Juno award. She has also collaborated with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Kraus and Béla Fleck, starred in her own one-hour CBC television special, and appeared on major U.S. television networks.

In 2006, MacMaster was named to the Order of Canada, and she has also been awarded several honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity. A veteran stage performer who has performed up to 100 times a year, she still keeps up a demanding performing schedule while she and her husband, fiddler Donnell Leahy, raise their six young children in rural Ontario.

Anita Malhotra spoke with Natalie MacMaster about her music, family and faith on June 30, 2014, while she was preparing to perform that evening at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.

Natalie MacMaster performing at the Ottawa Jazz Festival on June 30, 2014 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Natalie MacMaster performing at the Ottawa Jazz Festival on June 30, 2014 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM: You have six children now, you have a newborn baby, you’re touring. How do you manage it all?

NM: Well, it is kind of crazy and weird. It’s certainly nothing that I necessarily planned on doing. It’s just something that’s slowly built – much the same as my career, you know. I was just playing music, and gig after gig after gig, and before you know it you need a manager, and before you know it you need a record company, and before you know it there’s awards and there’s traveling. And then marriage came and babies, and it just starts with one and it just gradually builds.

MacMaster performing in 2008 at the Festival Mémoire et Racines in Lanaudiere, Quebec (photo by Jacques Pontbriand, courtesy of nataliemacmaster.com)

MacMaster performing in 2008 at the Festival Mémoire et Racines in Lanaudiere, Quebec (photo by Jacques Pontbriand, courtesy of nataliemacmaster.com)

And so here we are now. I’m 42 years old, I have six children, my husband is a fiddler as well, we tour together. Now our kids are playing music, and then sometimes they come play with us on the show depending on naps and diapers and school time and whatever else might come into play. And how do I do it? I don’t know. I don’t really think I do it very well, but somehow it’s getting done. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH JOEY DEFRANCESCO

Posted on June 25, 2014 by
Joey DeFrancesco at the organ with a trumpet, which he began learning while on tour with Miles Davis, in the background (photo courtesy of Joey DeFrancesco)

Joey DeFrancesco at the organ with a trumpet, which he began learning while on tour with Miles Davis, in the background (photo courtesy of Joey DeFrancesco)

By Anita Malhotra

Born and raised in Philadelphia, jazz organist and trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco first burst on to the jazz scene in 1988 when, as a 17-year-old, he released his first album with Columbia Records. He followed this with a European tour with the legendary Miles Davis. Since then, he has released more than 30 albums of his own, including two that were nominated for Grammy Awards, and has been featured in recordings with Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Henry Mancini, John McLaughlin and David Sanborn, among others. A winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll nine times and the Down Beat Readers Poll every year since 2005, he has influenced an entire generation of Hammond organists.

Anita Malhotra interviewed DeFrancesco, who was at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, by telephone on Tuesday, June 17, 2014.

DeFrancesco performing (photo courtesy of Joey DeFrancesco)

DeFrancesco performing (photo courtesy of Joey DeFrancesco)

AM: You’re going to be playing three jazz festivals over the next few weeks – in Ottawa, Toronto and Rochester, followed by a tour in Europe. What material will you be doing?

JDF: I usually play a variety of material – some stuff that’s on whatever my last few records are and sometimes stuff that I haven’t recorded. You know, straight-ahead jazz with a twist – a little blues, a little funky. It’s kind of the history of jazz in our set. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH BILL FRISELL

Posted on June 17, 2014 by

By Anita Malhotra

Seattle-based electric guitarist and composer Bill Frisell is revered in jazz circles for his unique sound and approach to the electric guitar – often compared to that of trumpeter Miles Davis. He is equally known for his innovative and exquisite guitar compositions and re-interpretations of music in a wide variety of genres including jazz, pop, rock, blues, country, folk and world music.

Guitarist and composer Bill Frisell (photo by Michael Wilson)

Guitarist and composer Bill Frisell (photo by Michael Wilson)

Frisell has released more than 40 albums, and won a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his CD Unspeakable. He has collaborated live and in recording with hundreds of artists including Paul Motian, John Zorn, Chick Corea, Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Paul Simon, Norah Jones, Brian Eno, Bono, Rickie Lee Jones and Bonnie Raitt. And as a soundtrack composer, he has created music for the films of Wim Wenders, Gus Van Sant, and Buster Keaton, among others.

Anita Malhotra interviewed Frisell by telephone on June 7, 2014. Laid-back and reflective, he spoke about his upcoming concerts at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, his soon-to-be-released CD Guitar in the Space Age, and his love for the Fender Telecaster and the films of Buster Keaton.

Bill Frisell (photo by Michael Wilson)

Bill Frisell (photo by Michael Wilson)

AM: Which city are you in right now?

BF: I’m in New York and it’s a crazy, crazy schedule. I’ve been here for a couple of days and then I go to Toronto tomorrow and then to Ithaca, New York. It’s just insane. Every couple of days somewhere different with some different project.

AM: I hear you don’t like traveling.

BF: Yeah, I’m not real big on traveling, but that’s what I do. The payoff is that I get to play music, so I shouldn’t be complaining. I’m so lucky to be doing exactly what I want to be doing. It would be awesome if there was some other way other than going on airplanes all the time, but that’s just part of the deal. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH JASON MARSALIS

Posted on April 30, 2014 by
Jason Marsalis on February 12, 2014 after his Artsmania interview at the Who Dat Coffee Café in New Orleans (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Jason Marsalis on February 12, 2014 after his Artsmania interview at the Who Dat Coffee Café in New Orleans (photo by Anita Malhotra)

By Anita Malhotra

Born in 1977, drummer, vibraphonist and composer Jason Marsalis is the youngest member of the renowned Marsalis family of New Orleans jazz musicians, which includes his father Ellis Marsalis, Jr., and his brothers Wynton, Branford and Delfeayo.

As a drummer, he began performing at an early age, first with his father and then in groups like Casa Samba, Los Hombres Calientes and the Marcus Roberts Trio. Fourteen years ago, he turned his focus to the vibraphone, forming the Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet and releasing two vibraphone CDs: Music Update (2009) and In a World of Mallets (2013). His percussion skills are also featured on more than 65 other CDs.

Anita Malhotra interviewed Jason Marsalis over breakfast at the Who Dat Coffee Café in the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans on February 12, 2014.

Jason Marsalis, aged 8, in a New York photo shoot in the summer of 1985 (photo courtesy of Jason Marsalis)

Jason Marsalis, aged 8, in a New York photo shoot in the summer of 1985 (photo courtesy of Jason Marsalis)

AM: How old were you when you started playing music?

JM: Five. Violin was my first instrument, and then drums was my second at age six.

AM: How did you decide on percussion ?

JM: I grew up playing in string orchestras. From first, second and third grade I always played in string orchestras. So in fifth grade I’m in a junior youth orchestra, and I walk in and I see percussion instruments in the back of the orchestra. And from that point on, the violin’s days were numbered. That was like, “Why didn’t anybody tell me that they had this?” I just didn’t know – seeing timpani and snare drum and bass drum. And so, the following year the violin was over, and that’s when I started pursuing percussion. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH LUCIEN BARBARIN

Posted on March 2, 2014 by

By Anita Malhotra

Trombonist and singer Lucien Barbarin stands out in the New Orleans traditional jazz scene not only for his superlative technique, soulful playing and showmanship but also for his far-reaching national and international career. A member of Harry Connick, Jr.’s big band since 1991, Barbarin has also performed with Wynton Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins, Doc Cheatham, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Dr. Michael White, among others.

Lucien Barbarin on Feb. 10, 2014 outside Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta hotel in New Orleans (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Lucien Barbarin on Feb. 10, 2014 outside Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse at the Royal Sonesta hotel in New Orleans (photo by Anita Malhotra)

His gigs have included the Grammy Awards, the Superbowl XXVI, the 2006 Olympics, Expo 2010 in Shanghai, the White House and playing for the British Royal Family. He has also has appeared on numerous TV shows including Late Night with David Letterman, The Ellen Degeneres Show, The Arsenio Hall Show and The Tonight Show. In addition, Barbarin – who is descended from one of New Orleans’ best-known musical families – can be heard on more than 25 CDs, including several of his own.

Anita Malhotra caught up with Barbarin on Monday, February 10, 2014 as he took a break between sets playing with The Original Tuxedo Band at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse in New Orleans

AM: When you play the trombone it sounds as expressive as the human voice. How do you achieve that sound?

Lucien Barbarin (extreme right) with the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band on Feb. 10, 2014 at Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse (L to R: Larry Sieberth, piano; Richard Moten, bass; Andrew Baham, trumpet; Gerald French, drums) (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Lucien Barbarin (extreme right) with the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band on Feb. 10, 2014 at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (L to R: Larry Sieberth, piano; Richard Moten, bass; Andrew Baham, trumpet; Gerald French, drums) (photo by Anita Malhotra)

LB: Well, actually the trombone is the closest to the human voice of any instrument that you can find. If you’ve ever seen Charlie Brown, when Charlie Brown talks to his mother, her voice is actually a trombone. And a lot of people don’t know that. And it goes “Wah wah wah wah, wah wah waah” [he vocalizes the sound]. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH BRUCE CONKLE

Posted on February 3, 2014 by

By Anita Malhotra

Based in Portland, Oregon, conceptual artist and teacher Bruce Conkle has created a body of whimsical, thoughtful works that blend unconventional materials with ironic commentary on environmental and political issues. A recipient in 2011 of the Hallie Ford Fellowship in Visual Arts, he has exhibited in Portland, New York and Chicago as well as in Canada, Brazil, Iceland and Mongolia.

Bruce Conkle at the Red Robe Tea House in Portland, Oregon on December 7, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Bruce Conkle at the Red Robe Tea House in Portland, Oregon on December 7, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Bruce Conkle’s commissioned bronze sculptures, Burls will be Burls, can be seen in downtown Portland at Southwest 6th Avenue near the corner of West Burnside Street. His works are also on display at the Oranj Studio in Portland until March 15, at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in Eugene, Oregon until March 16, and at Rocksbox Fine Art in Portland from March 8 to April 27, 2014.

Anita Malhotra interviewed Bruce Conkle on December 7, 2013 at the Red Robe Tea House in Portland.

One of three sculptures in Conkle's "Burls will be Burls," commissioned for Portland's TriMet/MAX Light Rail line in 2009 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

One of three sculptures in Conkle’s “Burls will be Burls,” commissioned for Portland’s TriMet/MAX Light Rail line in 2009 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM: Where did you grow up?

BC: Right here in Portland.

AM: You’ve said that as a child you wanted to be both a garbage man and a cartoonist. What did you mean by that?

BC: We didn’t have a lot of toys as kids but there was a big wild area behind where we lived, and a creek, and my brother Brian and I would go down there all the time with our shovels and build dams and play outside. I would find a lot of things left down there, and I guess I was interested in that. At the same time I was also drawing quite a lot and thought I’d want to be a cartoonist when I grew up. So I was torn between being a cartoonist or a garbage man, and most kids wanted to be cowboys, astronauts or whatnot. In some respects it seems like I’ve merged those two a little bit, looking at my work over the years. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH ERIC STOTIK

Posted on December 22, 2013 by
Eric Stotik posing beside three of his paintings at the Laura Russo Gallery in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, December 7, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Eric Stotik posing beside three of his paintings at the Laura Russo Gallery in Portland, Oregon on December 7, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

By Anita Malhotra

Portland, Oregon artist and musician Eric Stotik has been exhibiting his strikingly imaginative and technically accomplished paintings for more than three decades. 

A graduate of the Pacific Northwest College of Arts, his works can be found in museums and private collections in Portland, Seattle, Washington, Utah, New York and Berlin. In 2011, he was awarded the Regional Arts & Culture Council Fellowship Award in Visual Arts, which enabled him to create a 45-foot-long circular painting that was featured at a solo show at Portland’s Laura Russo Gallery in September 2013.

Anita Malhotra spoke with Eric Stotik on Saturday, December 7, 2013 at the Laura Russo Gallery, where his works were being featured in a group show that ended on December 21.

Detail from an untitled large-scale 2013 painting by Eric Stotik: Continuous Series (Detail 10), acrylic on paper 5' x 4.25' (photo by Bill Bachhuber)

Detail from an untitled large-scale 2013 painting by Eric Stotik: Continuous Series (Detail 10), acrylic on paper 5′ x 4.25′ (photo by Bill Bachhuber)

AM: I understand that you grew up in Papua New Guinea. What was it like growing up there?

ES: My parents were missionaries so we were in a privileged position vis-à-vis the rest of the society and we had a lot of freedom from their social strictures and from American social strictures. It was ideal – it was rural, very little electricity, no heated water, and just wild. We could leave the house and walk up a river all day and play. It was like the movie Swiss Family Robinson – where this family lives in the jungle and the kids are free to play. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH RAOUL BHANEJA

Posted on November 11, 2013 by

By Anita Malhotra

Born in the UK and raised in Canada and Germany, Raoul Bhaneja has forged a thriving and varied career in Canada as a film, TV and theatre actor and as a blues musician fronting the award-winning Toronto band Raoul and the Big Time. At last count he had appeared in more than 75 film and television projects and dozens of plays. Bhaneja has also achieved recognition for his unique solo production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (winner of a Montreal English Critics Circle Award in 2006), in which he performs all 17 roles himself with no sets or costumes.

Anita Malhotra interviewed Bhaneja on Oct. 8, 2013 in the Lounge of Ottawa’s Arc hotel, where he was staying while shooting the CBC miniseries The Best Laid Plans.

Raoul Bhaneja in the Lounge of the Arc hotel in Ottawa during his Artsmania interview on Oct. 8, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Raoul Bhaneja in the Lounge of the Arc hotel in Ottawa during his Artsmania interview on Oct. 8, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM: What is your earliest memory of being a performer?

RB: I’m the youngest of two, so to get attention I loved performing, and at Christmas time we used to do concerts at our house, little sketches, and dress up in costumes. My brother loved music, so I got into music around the same time I got into acting because I wanted to be like my brother and play guitar and sing. By the time I got into the arts high school in Ottawa, I was doing plays in school, at the Ottawa Little Theatre, with professional companies, and I’d helped start A Company of Fools, which was a Shakespearean street theatre troupe. And since then I’ve done both theatre and music on and off.

Bhaneja's first Toronto head shot at the age of 23 (photo by Duncan Fraser)

Bhaneja’s first Toronto head shot at the age of 23 (photo by Duncan Fraser)

AM: How did you get into acting for television?

RB: My first job in TV was Ken Finkleman’s show The Newsroom, playing the brother of another National Theatre School graduate, Pamela Sinha, who’s now got this great show called Crash. I was still at the National Theatre School and you weren’t allowed to do work for outside, but I went to the head of the school at the time, and he said, “OK, you can go.” I was really lucky because that started to open the door. Then I did a walk-on part in Traders, and I then did this other wacky series called Twitch City, with Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, Daniel MacIvor, Molly Parker and the late Tracy Wright. I’d seen Highway 61 and I’d loved that movie and I thought all these people were so cool.

Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH ADAM PAOLOZZA

Posted on October 14, 2013 by

By Anita Malhotra

Trained at the École Jacques Lecoq in Paris, Toronto-based performer, director, writer and producer Adam Paolozza co-founded the company TheatreRUN in 2003. Since then, his innovative and sometimes quirky productions – many of them produced in collaboration with other Toronto theatre companies – have included the Dora-award-winning Spent (2009), Artaud: un portrait en décomposition (2011), and most recently The Double (2012), adapted from Dostoyevsky’s novella.

Adam Paolozza after his Artsmania interview at El Almacen Cafe in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Adam Paolozza after his Artsmania interview at El Almacen Cafe in Toronto on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Anita Malhotra spoke with Adam Paolozza about his work on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013, at El Almacen Cafe in Toronto, three weeks before his new production of The Double was due to open at the Tarragon Theatre.

AM: Where did your interest in theatre come from?

AP: We went to the Epcot Centre when I was a kid – and I could have made this up later – but they have different pavilions from different cultures, and I think we were in the Italian pavilion – my background is Italian. There was a group of travelling players – masked players, like commedia dell’arte, and I’m pretty sure as a kid I was like, “Wow, that’s really strange and beautiful.” I think it left an impression on me.

A rehearsal of Paolozza's work "Shostakovich, or 3 Days in Red" featuring Rob Feetham, Daniele Bartolini, Viktor Lukawski and Miranda Calderon (photo by Adam Paolozza)

A rehearsal of Paolozza’s work “Shostakovich, or 3 Days in Red” featuring Rob Feetham, Daniele Bartolini, Viktor Lukawski and Miranda Calderon (photo by Adam Paolozza)

Later, when I was in high school in Whitby, Ontario, we had a really good drama program and our teachers exposed us to a lot of different things and we did some plays that were more movement based than text based. Then I went to the Ryerson Theatre School, and I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to do something a little bit less conventional. Every year at Ryerson I had a teacher that had studied at the Lecoq School in France, and that was always my favourite class. One was a mask class, one was a mime class, one was a movement class, one was just an improvisation class. At the time, the Dean of Ryerson was an old Lecoq student as well, so I applied to the school and I got in. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL HEALEY

Posted on September 23, 2013 by

By Anita Malhotra

Canadian playwright and actor Michael Healey has made his mark writing award-winning plays about the Canadian experience, beginning with The Drawer Boy, which earned a Governor General’s Literary Award for drama in 1999. Subsequent works included Plan B (2002), winner of a Dora award for Best New Play, Rune Arlidge (2004), Generous (2007) and Courageous (2009), the last two of which also won Doras. His most recent work, Proud, is a satirical comedy about Canadian politics that last year ignited a passionate debate about the role of the current federal government in the arts.

Anita Malhotra spoke with Michael Healey on September 18, 2013, shortly before he took to the stage to play the role of the Prime Minister (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Prime Minister Stephen Harper) in a production of Proud directed by Miles Potter at Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Playwright and actor Michael Healey in the lobby of Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company before a performance of his play "Proud" on September 18, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Playwright and actor Michael Healey in the lobby of Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company before a performance of his play “Proud” on September 18, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM: How did you get started in theatre?

MH: I went to the Ryerson Theatre School in the mid-eighties, graduated as an actor, and I worked for about 10 years exclusively as an actor. And then in 1996 I produced my first self-written play at the Toronto Fringe Festival – mainly because I wasn’t getting the kind of parts that I wanted, so I wrote one for myself. And then 1999 was The Drawer Boy and then there have been six or seven plays, and a few adaptations since then, mixed in with a career as an actor.

AM: What are some of the highlights of your acting career?

MH: I was in a CBC series television series called This is Wonderland for a couple of seasons. George Walker, the famous Canadian playwright, wrote this series about lawyers in downtown Toronto, and it was just such a blast. When Jason Sherman was writing for the theatre, I was his go-to actor for a little while, and those plays would be highlights. Playing the federal Finance Minister in my play, Plan B, in Calgary a few years ago was an enormous amount of fun. So I managed to build a sustainable career having these two jobs: writing and acting.

Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-PHILIPPE TREMBLAY

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

posterBy Anita Malhotra

Canadian-born, U.K.-based filmmaker Jean-Philippe Tremblay spent five years researching, producing and directing the documentary Shadows of Liberty, which explores censorship and corporate control of the U.S. media. Featuring the personal stories of six journalists and interviews with media experts like Daniel Glover, Amy Goodman, Dan Rather and Julian Assange, the film has been screened at some of the world’s largest documentary film festivals, beginning with Toronto’s Hot Docs 2012. The film was also nominated for a 2012 Cinema For Peace Award (Berlin) in the category of most valuable documentary film of the year. Shadows of Liberty will receive its first U.S. TV broadcast on Friday, April 5, on Link TV. 

Anita Malhotra interviewed Jean-Philippe Tremblay on Saturday, March 23 at Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier Hotel, during a run of his film at Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema.

Jean-Philippe Tremblay at Zoe's Lounge in Ottawa's Chateau Laurier hotel on Saturday, March 23, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

Jean-Philippe Tremblay at Zoe’s Lounge in Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier hotel on Saturday, March 23, 2013 (photo by Anita Malhotra)

AM:  How did you get started in filmmaking?

JPT: I was always interested in film, since I was a young teenager. I was attracted by film mainly because I love the freedom of approaching different subjects and the freedom you have in terms of travelling in different parts of the world. I minored in film at Carleton University and had different jobs in Ottawa. One was an assistant to the Minister of the Environment at the time, Pierre H. Vincent. He said, “What do you want to do – what’s your forte? And I said, “I want to make films.” Then he said, “Why don’t you make films about me and I’ll show them at conferences.” And so I made my first five- or 10-minute film about him. Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH SARITA MANDANNA

Posted on February 5, 2013 by

By Anita Malhotra

Born in India, Sarita Mandanna was working in New York as a finance professional when she wrote her debut novel, Tiger Hills, an epic historical saga set in Southern India that follows six decades in the life of a remarkable woman. Released in 2010 to great acclaim, Tiger Hills was subsequently translated into 14 languages and sold in 18 countries. It was named Editor’s Choice in the New York Times, selected as a Top Ten Read for Autumn 2010 by The Times, UK, and was long-listed for the 2011 Man Asian Literary Prize, among other accolades.

Anita Malhotra spoke with Mandanna, who now lives in Toronto, by phone on August 31, 2012.

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Sarita Mandanna in 2012 (photo courtesy of Sarita Mandanna)

AM: Was the success of your novel Tiger Hills a surprise to you?

SM: It all feels a little bit like a dream to be honest. When I started writing Tiger Hills, I was working in private equity in New York and I wrote this book purely for the pleasure of it. Nobody knew I was working on it except my immediate family and a couple of friends. During the entire process of writing the book, I didn’t allow myself to think about whether or not it would get published. I was jumping in blind into the deep end. When I did get an agent and realized the book would get published, I asked myself, “What would be a true measure of success to me?” And I thought that if the book and the story and the protagonist managed to touch even one person in every country that it’s published, it would make all that hard work and effort – five years of writing – worthwhile. So anything that’s happened over and beyond that has been pure gravy.

Tiger Hills Canada cover

First released in 2010, “Tiger Hills” has been published in 14 languages.

AM: Your career was in finance. Had you ever considered a career related to writing?

SM: No, it was finance all the way and it was actually a process of elimination. My mom’s a doctor and she said to both my sister and I, “Doctors have bad hours.” And it turned out I had no stomach for dissection in biology class – it made me literally sick to my stomach. So I knew practicing medicine was not for me. I liked math and I just kept on going down that path.  But I’ve always been an avid reader and I have my mom to thank for that. She loves books and my sister and I have grown up in an environment where we’ve always been surrounded by books. I still remember my English teacher in high school – I think I topped the school in English – telling my mom, “You know, she should write. I think she should be a journalist.” Continue reading →

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INTERVIEW WITH CONRAD TAO

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

By Anita Malhotra

At the age of 18, Conrad Tao has already forged three remarkable music careers. Born in Illinois in 1994, Tao began playing the piano when he was just 1 1/2, gave his first recital at age four, and made his concerto debut at eight. While studying piano and violin in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School for nine years, he built his concert careers and amassed eight ASCAP Morton Young Composer Awards.

Tao’s accolades include being named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, receiving a Gilmore Young Artist Award and being awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. He was recently commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to write a piece observing the fiftieth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

Tao spoke to Anita Malhotra by telephone on September 1, 2012 as he strolled near the campus of Columbia University, where he is enrolled in a joint program with the Juilliard School.

Conrad Tao in 2011

AM: You’ve accomplished so much in a short time as a pianist, violinist and composer. Which activities are taking up most of your time right now?

CT: I would probably say that practicing and playing concerts and travelling does take up the bulk of my time professionally. But the nature of playing the piano versus composing music is very different. Piano requires this almost physical conditioning in the sense that you constantly have to be prepared and physically able to play certain basics. And composing is much more – for me, at least – this kind of slow and gradual process punctured by certain very sudden moments of inspiration.

Tao with Hillary Clinton on September 24, 2008 after he was named a Davidson Fellow Laureate (photo from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development)

Tao with Hillary Clinton on September 24, 2008 after he was named a Davidson Fellow Laureate (photo from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development)

AM: Tell me about your most recent round of touring. Where did you go, and what was it like?

CT: I’ve been fortunate to perform in many places around the world, across the country, and in Europe, Mexico and South America recently. Going to Europe in May was quite a lovely experience – it was a whirlwind experience.  It was five recitals in 10 days, each one in a different place in Europe. So I touched Munich, Berlin, Paris, Southampton and London. I had never actually spent time in Munich. It was a stunning, beautiful city. And it was just a fabulous experience for me because I love going to a place very different from the U.S. and absorbing how people respond to the music. Continue reading →

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