The Creative Process
A behind the scenes look at The Churchill Protocol
The creation of a theatrical piece is one of the most intricate and most fascinating creative processes in the arts. So how do they do it?
On the eve of his departure from Toronto to Winnipeg, Kris Joseph took some time to talk about the creative process involved in creating a production from scratch, and to share some insight from the road on his cross-country Fringe experience.
Joseph was born and raised in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and moved to Kingston, Ontario to attend Queen’s University after high school. “I loved performing, but my parents wanted me to go a different direction, and so I got an engineering degree”, Joseph said. His love of performing didn’t fade, in fact, he almost failed his third year because he was performing in a play at the university. After graduation, he moved to Ottawa, Ontario and began work for Nortel. In 2004, after several years with the company and numerous regional and community theatre credits behind him, he embarked on his first cross-country Fringe adventure. When he returned, he decided to pursue his acting career full time. He went to the Shakespeare & Company training program in Massachusetts, and trained as a classical actor. Of his experience, Joseph said “It was intense – 14 hours a day, 6 days a week, but it was a great program.”
Since then, he’s worked extensively with Gruppo Rubato, a company that was formed by Tania Levy. Joseph is a core member, along with Patrick Gauthier and Gavriella Silverstone. The cross-country tour of The Churchill Protocol marks his fourth production with the company.
Joseph is co-creator and co-star of The Churchill Protocol, along with fellow Rubato core member, Patrick Gauthier. The idea came from Gauthier, who was stage managing in Port Hope when he stumbled across Jon Ronson’s novel, The Men Who Stare At Goats, which chronicles his investigation into allegations that the U.S. army was looking into extra-sensory perception and telepathy, and the possibility of killing barn yard animals with thoughts. Gauthier told Joseph that he had to read the book to see if there was a play there. Joseph finished the book and realized that there was an idea there, but it needed work. They sat down in early fall 2006 to write the first of many drafts (Joseph claims the production mounted at the Toronto Fringe was draft 14) and shortly thereafter, Gauthier returned to the University of British Colombia to continue his Masters of Fine Arts. The editing process was then done via email, with each sending revisions and ideas back and forth over the course of the following months.
When the play was complete, they began the application process for the Fringe tour, which involved applying to the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, and they were accepted as one of 5 companies from across Canada to receive entry into an assortment of Fringe festivals in Canada. That put the project in full gear, and they started rehearsing for their official opening at the Ottawa Fringe.
Four weeks into their tour with almost eight weeks remaining, Joseph shares his thoughts on what he misses most about life on the road. “Living out of a suitcase isn’t fun, and I’ve started to get a little homesick. On the road, we’re billeted, and you can never really get settled. You’re constantly on the go – you wake up first thing in the morning, you look at the schedule for the day so you can flyer and promote your show, and then you have to go and perform almost every day.”
The audiences have been receptive to their work, and that has made it worthwhile for the two actors/creators. The show won the Best in Venue at the Ottawa Fringe, something they are very proud of. They are hoping that there is a life for the show out of the Fringe circuit. They have applied to the Magnetic North Theatre Festival, and are hoping to showcase their production at the annual festival.
When he returns home to Ottawa following the Vancouver Fringe Festival in September, Joseph will go into rehearsals for a production of The Good Father by Irish playwright Christian O’Reilly. Never one to shy away from a busy schedule, Joseph will also begin teaching young people Shakespeare at the National Arts Centre.
After that, he doesn't know what the future may hold, but if we are lucky, Joseph and Gauthier will continue writing interesting and thought prevoking theatre that we will enjoy for many years to come.
For a review of the Toronto Fringe Festival production of The Churchill Protocol, click here.
For the Rubato website with a comprehensive list of tour dates, click here.
