The positive response to the film has led to a national release and more acclaim for the film and Robyn Wiener, producer Dylan Jenkinson, and director Jason Goode.

With Numb now in select Canadian theatres, we spoke with Aleks Paunovic and Jamie Bamber to learn more about the production and their experiences going Numb.

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Can you start by telling us about Numb and your involvement in it?

Aleks Paunovic: I’m an associate producer and lead actor in Numb. I  knew about this project for close to 5 years. Jason Goode, the director, had me in mind for the role of Lee and then we helped workshop it.

Jamie Bamber: I was contacted by Dylan Jenkinson and Jason Goode in December 2014 via my agents. They put together a great creative package, including the script, which spelled out the vision they had for the film. Their funding was in place contingent on the role of Will being cast and apparently my name was on their list. I related to the role and after Skyping with Jason and connecting with him, I was only too delighted to climb aboard.

Recommended Reading You Can Act On Camera Click a cover for more details The Art of Voice Acting Secrets of Screen Acting

What kinds of preparation did you do for your role?

Aleks Paunovic: I did a lot of backstory and had some amazing coaching sessions with Andrew McIlroy who helped me find the depth of what this character of Lee was going through and why. He was my saving grace in shaping Lee.

Jamie Bamber: Jason and I talked quite a bit over Skype, honing Will and Dawn’s story arc, taking them from a shared predicament of adversity to one which had wrenched them apart. That was the crux of my preparation, exploring the stress which can work like freeze-thaw action on rocks, penetrating the cracks in otherwise sound relationships. I suppose the other aspect was researching the effect of cold on a body. I have had mild hypothermia before so I could call upon that too. Unfortunately when we shot, it was unseasonably warm so the bulk of our time was spent pretending to be cold and shivering on purpose, which is hard because it really makes you hot and sweaty; our physiological responses are logical and effective, it turns out.

What drew you to be a part of this production?

Aleks Paunovic: Relationships and story. I felt we had something great here and I got to do it with people that I know and respect. Heck ya, I wanted to be a part of it.

Jamie Bamber: I felt a connection to the impending financial abyss that Will faces. As an actor, I have been very lucky in many respects but that doesn’t change the fact that I am often only a couple of months away from facing the fact that I cannot pay the mortgage. As a husband and father, that feeling fills me with dread and shame and often the only solution is denial or semi-blind optimism. It’s the loneliness of the provider when you think your number is up. You are desperate for help, but to ask for it is weakness. Very real for many people. That’s what this movie was for me. Jason allowed me to work with him to accentuate that loneliness in the story.

What should audiences expect from this film?

Aleks Paunovic: I’ve had the pleasure of watching some screenings around the country and abroad and I love how people are responding. The oohs and ahhs. It’s great. So they can expect this thriller to be a bit of a ride.

Jamie Bamber: The Treasure of The Sierra Madre in the snow. Hopefully a meditation on need and how it can quickly turn into greed at the expense of spiritual – and literal – warmth.

Are there any books or authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Aleks Paunovic: John Patrick Shanley is a big one. I connect with his writing and stories. And Larry Moss’s book, The Intent to Live.

Jamie Bamber: I would not have started acting without the Theatre and Shakespeare’s words in particular. Good words clustered in powerful rhythms are magical to speak and mesmerizing to hear.

What is the most important lesson you have learned so far in your career?

Aleks Paunovic: This career can take you in different directions that may challenge you ethically. Try to live true to your character and integrity. I’ve been challenged in that and failed at times but those failures are my measuring stick. I’m going to try to keep doing the best I can for myself, my craft and to be true to my word and kind to people. It makes for a more joyful ride in work and in life.

Jamie Bamber: To be prepared. Turns out that effortlessness comes after much effort. Annoyingly, for me.

What’s your take on the current state of the Canadian film industry?

Aleks Paunovic: I love it! I love to see so many talented people working in front and behind the camera. We have some amazing product coming out of this country and it should always be supported.

Jamie Bamber: I have been lucky to live and work in Canada for long periods. I have always been deeply impressed by the talent, the infrastructure and the craft of your industry, particularly in Vancouver, which I know best from my Battlestar Galactica days. Some of the best sets I have ever worked on have been yours. I believe state funding is important not only to the arts but also to the economy at large. It gives me pleasure to work anywhere where that is born out.

What advice would you have for emerging Canadian actors?

Aleks Paunovic: Consistent persistence in what you believe in. Be kind and compassionate to yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail.

Jamie Bamber: No different to actors anywhere I’m afraid. Work hard and create your own work. Being on America’s doorstep gives you a privileged access to the biggest English-speaking market in the world, but in order to make the most of that you must also make the most of what you have at home; so write, direct, produce so that you don’t depend on anyone else to act.

What other projects do you have coming up and where can people find out more about you?

Aleks Paunovic: I’m close to wrapping the new installment of Planet of the Apes called War for the Planet of the Apes. I’m also starting a new series called Van Helsing that I’m extremely excited about. I produced and starred in a great short film written, directed and starring Ben Ratner with Zak Santiago and Donny Lucus called Gangy that should be coming out later this year.

Jamie Bamber: I am currently wrapping production on Marcella, a UK crime series by Hans Rosenfeld (The Bridge) which is for ITV and a Netflix Original. I am also awaiting release of Money, an indie feature shot in New York last summer. I have also written my first feature which I am hoping to produce and direct in the near future.

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Thanks to Aleks Paunovic and Jamie Bamber for speaking with us!

Numb is now playing in select theatres across Canada.

For more details on the film, please visit the official Facebook page at Facebook.com/numbmovie

The post The Biz Interview: Aleks Paunovic and Jamie Bamber appeared first on Biz Books.

What was were the elements that drew you to be part of this production?

Kaitlin Williams: This is a very unique production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as the whole story is told with only two actors. That alone is very appealing to me. I also love C. S. Lewis, and I love the Narnia stories. I have fond childhood memories of reading them with my brother and sister, and then watching the BBC adaptations on VHS until we knew them by heart. I’ve always loved Lucy for her ability to believe with such an open heart and for her tremendous courage. This adaptation is especially exciting as I not only get to play Lucy, but also a number of others including vastly different characters like the White Witch and Father Christmas. It means I get to do a lot of fun character work, which would be any actor’s dream, I think.

Mack Gordon: A chance to work with my wife on a great show that so many actors I look up to have worked on before.

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Can you share some of your creative process in preparing for the role from the initial planning of the production all the way through to opening night?

Kaitlin WilliamsTo prepare for this production I actually read through the entire series of The Chronicles of Narnia again. Because the play starts with Peter and Lucy as grown ups returning to the wardrobe many years after their adventures, it was important to have some context and know their larger story, and to know where Wardrobe fits in the big picture.

I also focused on dialect and character voices to help distinguish all the different characters I play in the show. I also spent time reading up on C. S. Lewis and his background and history.

Mack Gordon: It starts with research. Read the books, know about the author, understand the world at that time as best you can. I like to examine the text quite closely. Figure out why the writer chose each specific word so that I know exactly what my character means with each line he speaks. For LWW dialects and character work is also very important. I play no less than seven distinct characters in the show and I need to get to know the physicality, cadence, and tempo for each. Then, in the rehearsal room, we work on relationship and storytelling. How do these characters feel about each other. What offers does the other actor bring to the table that surprise me? How do I respond to these offers? Obviously, somewhere along the way we’ve also got to memorize the lines?

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Kaitlin Williams: I don’t read a ton of books on the craft of acting, although some of my favourite authors would be Uta Hagen and David Mamet (True and False). I like to read plays in my spare time, and some of my favourite playwrights include – Kevin Kerr, John Patrick Shanley, Joan McLeod, Steven Adly Guirguis and Lucia Frangione.

Mack Gordon: The man himself, CS Lewis. I think of Peter as a sort of Stephen Fry narrator. Mr. Beaver’s got a little bit of funk to him that I apply with a sort of 30’s gangster feel. These are all just initial impulses though.

What were the biggest challenges for you as an actor in preparing for this production and how did you deal with them?

Kaitlin Williams: The biggest challenge as an actor in this production is the amount of text there is to learn, as well as the challenge of playing so many different characters. I tackled these challenges by working hard in rehearsal and outside of rehearsal. I’ve been focusing on protecting my time during the two weeks of the rehearsal process so I don’t overbook myself when I need to be studying my lines and characters – that certainly helps the process.

Mack Gordon: I think the dialects are going to be a big challenge for me. I plan on working with Dialect Coach Brett Harris. He’s good!

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

Kaitlin Williams: I just wrote a new one-act play and submitted it to a festival. I’m hoping that it will be accepted and produced in the new year. We are also remounting Wardrobe in the spring of 2013, so I’m looking forward to that. Mack and I are also featured artists in a new book launching in December called We Make Stuff. The book features 100 artists from the Vancouver community. I also just launched a new website where folks can check in to keep up to date on news – KaitlinWilliams.com.

Mack Gordon:I’m going to be in The Cat in the Hat at Carousel Theatre in February and I’ve written a short play for the Pull Festival of emerging artists for January.

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The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is now on at Pacific Theatre until December 15th before going on tour at The Evergreen Cultural Centre from December 18th to 22nd.

The post The Biz Interview: Kaitlin Williams and Mack Gordon of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” appeared first on Biz Books.

What inspired you to take on this production?

When I read this script, long before I ever had the chance to see it, I knew it was pure, absolute essential Pacific Theatre material. John Patrick Shanley wrote it for us. He didn’t know that at the time, but he did.

I also knew it was one of the great scripts I had ever read. The subtleties, the economy, the complete mastery of the ebb and flow of our sympathies and understanding, the revelations about character and event, the carefully managed perceptions and misperceptions. Absolute mastery. In service of an important, powerful, utterly human story that simply had to be told. On our stage. By our artists.

It was just as clear to me that Erla Faye Forsyth had to play Sister Aloysius, one of the great original creations in all the literature for the stage. That Erla is precisely the actress to bring an audience the elusive and intricate balances embodied in this most complex and misunderstandable – and perhaps misunderstanding – of human beings. We need to dread her, but we need to love her – and it’s darn hard to find an actress who embodies both. Effortlessly. And we’ve got her. Think of the starch of Erla’s Miss Daisy, combined with the winsome charisma of her clown character in Lucia Frangione’s Holy Mo, and you’ve got a pretty amazing, and distinctive, Sister A.

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for this production, from the early stages all the way to opening?

No bells and whistles, no extras, no clutter. Design-wise, to match the lean economy of the script with a spare, elegant, impassioned production. Clear, uncluttered attention on actors and text: truthful, direct, un-performed; characters absolutely connected to one another, dancing, boxing, interrogating.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Writing In Restaurants by David Mamet. For a vision of the necessity of live theatre. I have a great deal of difficulty with what Mamet says elsewhere about the practice of acting, but find his manifestos about the power of embodied storytelling endlessly invigorating.

Backwards And Forwards by David Ball. There is no better, clearer book about the irreducible mechanism of storytelling than this. Obviously essential for playwrights and dramaturgs, but equally so for actors and especially directors.

Story by Robert McKee. There is no more thorough, detailed book about the complexities of storytelling than this. There are important differences between telling stage stories and screen stories, of course – language predominates in theatre, image in film – but truly, nearly all the rest of it applies. (Well, except all that stuff about genre: marketing-driven Hollywood has niched its product in a way we theatre types can mostly disregard. Consider it “helpful problem-solving tips” rather than gospel.)

Playwrights John Patrick Shanley, Lanford Wilson, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Helen Edmundson, William Shakespeare.

What were the biggest challenges for you as a director in developing this production and how did you deal with them?

My job as director: keep the audience in doubt. Achieve every reversal in audience sympathy and judgment that Shanley wrote into this intricate, confounding story. It’s so easy to let the audience settle too easily into one perception or another – which is not the playwright’s intention. Quite the opposite.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

Once Doubt opens, I get back in my Artistic Director chair and polish up details on Pacific Theatre’s 2012-13 season, which we announce March 15. Then I’m up on my feet again, acting: I rejoin the cast of The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot at The Cultch in April, playing Butch Honeywell. After that, the thing I’m most excited about — I’m back in front of the keyboard again as playwright in May / June / July to start work on my first new script in a decade! My last three projects – A Bright Particular Star, You Still Can’t and Refuge Of Lies – were all about completing or reshaping earlier scripts I’d set aside. Since then, the fields had to lay fallow for a few years, due to the demands of running a theatre company. But now, three projects all think their time has come (in order of increasing difficulty): a stage adaptation of a film, a stage adaptation of a non-fiction book, and an original play about the waning friendship between two of my favourite literary figures. I’m borderline giddy to be getting back to writing – which I’d begun to thing might not ever happen again. Whew.

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Doubt: A Parable opens at PacificTheatre.org on March 2nd, 2012. You can also check out Ron’s blogs: Soul Food Vancouver, Soul Food Movies, and Oblations.

The post The Biz Interview: Ron Reed – Director of “Doubt: A Parable” appeared first on Biz Books.

What was were the elements that drew you to be part of this production?

I was studying with my mentor Larry Moss and did a scene from Danny. I connected to Danny in such a colossal way that I wanted to know more about it and tell his story. I approached Jason Goode, our director, after we worked together on a short film he directed me in and the seed was planted. I was quite scared of the play and the role. Four years later, Jason and I reluctantly and excitedly dove into the deep end.

Can you share some of your creative process in preparing for the role from the initial planning of the production all the way through to opening night?

This is the first play I have ever done so to be honest, I’m working with one of the best actors in the city – one of the best actors I know – Lori Triolo. Most of the work I have done is asking Lori about situations and process. Jason Goode, the director of the show, has also been amazing in helping shape/shift into who Danny is. They have been great partners in guiding me through this amazing ride.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

One my favourites is On the Road by Jack Kerovac. There’s also The Tao of Muhammad Ali and The Tao of Bruce Lee, both by Davis Miller. The Vagabond nature of On the Road and exploring life, love and the world. Plus Davis Miller tells the story of both of these amazing physical specimens who have accomplished so much that even their unique Tao would still have made them one of the most influential people of this century. So from growing up in a boxer’s family, boxing was the first thing I knew. Also, playing in a band in junior high where music was a big part of growing up also. On top of that, my mother is a travel agent so I had the opportunity to travel and see the world. With the help of Kerovac and Miller they helped me get closer to finding myself.

What were the biggest challenges for you as an actor in preparing for this production and how did you deal with them?

One of the biggest challenges has been in finding the seams in the character, Shanley wrote a exceptional piece of work with so many layers, and it’s been the script analysis of finding the colors in the play. It’s 80 minutes of 2 people on stage. Plus getting into the Danny character who is a powerful man and the play is physically and emotionally demanding. Hitting the boxing gym and doing a proper emotional warmup before hitting the stage is a must.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

I’m working on developing a couple of series and a reality show. Looking forward to a second season on Arctic Air and a screening of a film I was in, This Means War with Reese Witherspoon in L.A. on February 8th – and pilot season for a few months in L.A.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is now on at Pacific Theatre. Visit PacificTheatre.org for details.

The post The Biz Interview: Aleks Paunovic – Actor in “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” appeared first on Biz Books.

What was were the elements that drew you to be part of this production?

I am an enormous fan of John Patrick Shanley. I have been mounting productions of his plays for 20 years and I had NEVER worked on the character of Roberta. After Jason (Goode) and Aleks (Paunovic) approached me to be a part of this production we sat down to read the play together. It became clear that we needed to put this sucker up. I thought it was a gift I was being given. Not only to explore “Roberta” but to work with two talented men that I barely knew. They both have enormous hearts were so committed to telling this story that I would have been crazy not to participate. I also have always wanted to work at Pacific Theatre and thought this was the perfect introduction to their world.

Recommended Reading The Perfect Stage Crew
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Can you share some of your creative process in preparing for the role from the initial planning of the production all the way through to opening night?

For 10 years, Larry Moss hammered into my head that our job as actors was to teach the world how to be more human. That we must be willing to expose ourselves and ultimately pay a price for the work we do. That is something I understand to my core. I grew up in NY and had a theatre in The Bronx where this play takes place. I KNOW “Roberta’s”. Most of the prep came in the form of script analysis. Connecting all the dots. I love doing this kind of detective work. I have trained with many incredible teachers over the last 25 years. I always bring my practice with Sanford Meisner into rehearsals. Being in the moment, listening, staying present, always having an opinion. I also do very strong intention work.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Of course I LOVE Sanford Meisner on Acting. I read it when I was 18 and decided to go study with Meisner the next year. I knew this technique was really right for me. I think it’s good for everybody. I can’t imagine any actor starting their career without this very simple and vital work. Meisner is magical and I believe the technique can change the world.

The Fervent Years by Harold Clurman had an enormous influence on me as well. I always wanted to be around in 1930 when The Group Theatre was born. I think I would’ve fit right in.

While preparing for this role I read Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg and Chekhov. Might sound like a strange choice but I love to be reminded of where we came from and what was important during the dawn of modern theatre. Nothing really changes.

I try to read a play a day (or at least a week) and I am a big fan of Biographies. My most recent read was Drama by John Lithgow who is a hero of mine. Seeing him on Broadway in M. Butterfly changed my life at 17 yrs of age.

What were the biggest challenges for you as an actor in preparing for this production and how did you deal with them?

I think my biggest challenge was/is finding the physical stamina to bring “Roberta” to life every rehearsal and now throughout the run of the show. The play is highly emotional and physical. Aleks and I really give everything we’ve got to these two broken/beautiful characters which can leave me pretty depleted…so, I try to take care of myself and get a lot of rest. BUT, it’s the price I pay to do what I love and tell the right story to help people find/remember their own humanity. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am blessed.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is now on at Pacific Theatre. Visit PacificTheatre.org for details.

For more of Lori, check out her recent appearance on Urban Rush with Danny and the Deep Blue Sea co-star Aleks Paunovic.

The post The Biz Interview: Lori Triolo – Actor in “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” appeared first on Biz Books.

What inspired you to take on this production?

Aleks Paunovic and I had a great experience doing two short films together (Ducks and The Hitchhiker). We got along really well and I think we brought the best out of each other. Not long afterwards, in 2006, Aleks brought me the script for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea and very generously suggested we do it together. I wasn’t familiar with the play, but when I read it I immediately fell in love with it. I had wanted to direct a play for a while and it felt like the perfect production for me. I would still call it my favourite play.

Can you briefly walk us through your creative process for this production, from the early stages all the way to opening?

People familiar with the play will know that it’s quite taxing for the actors: 80 minutes, no intermission, the two of them on stage the whole time. And they have to go all the way: to the lowest depths of despair, to the highest peaks of relief and joy, and everywhere in between. So I feel that part of the process for me creatively, is managing just how hard the actors go and mostly encouraging them through the process. I think it would be easy to burn out rehearsing this play and to lose the energy and joy that doing this play can bring to an actor. And it would be easy to really tax the actors emotionally and physically by over-directing it. So besides all of the usual things a director does, I’m also paying attention to that.

Are there any books or specific authors that have been influential to you so far in your creative journey?

Books have been really important for me. I didn’t get any formal training in this besides the occasional one-off class and I don’t work in film or theatre on a regular basis, so I read (and dream) a lot on the subject. Some key volumes for me:

William Ball’s A Sense of Direction
Uta Hagen’s Respect for Acting
David Mamet’s True and False, The Three Uses of a Knife, and On Directing Film

And, frankly, Pacific Theatre as a place and community for artists has been key. When I first moved back to Vancouver a few years ago, I was lucky enough to get cast in a non-professional show there. That experience connected me to Ron and the staff and the cadre of artists that hang around there. I took acting classes there and did some more non-professional shows there as well. I generally hung around there when I could and most of my films, and now this play, have some sort of connection to that place.

What were the biggest challenges for you as a director in developing this production and how did you deal with them?

Fear was our biggest challenge. Aleks and I made a number of attempts at mounting the production, but we always found a way not to do it. Frankly, we were both terrified. The material is quite daunting and neither of us had done a play before (though I had acted in some non-professional productions). So the whole endeavour was very intimidating.

Finally in late 2009 we faced our fears and decided that we were going to do it no matter what. And Pacific Theatre had an opening the last week of August, so we booked it. Thankfully, Lori Triolo jumped in with us to play the role of Roberta. With Aleks and Lori, it felt like perfect casting and the production, despite only 4 shows, was successful. (Facebook was instrumental in helping us find an audience during a one-week run.)

And people responded really well to it. Ron Reed, the artistic director at Pacific Theatre, liked the show and asked us to put it in 2011-2012 season. We jumped at the chance.

What can you share about any future projects that are in development?

I’m developing a couple of film projects with my producing partner, Dylan Jenkinson. (We work under the banner Jenkinson/Goode Productions.) I don’t have any plays in the works, but after Danny finishes its run, I’ll start dreaming and scheming again.

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea opens at Pacific Theatre on January 20th, 2012. Visit PacificTheatre.org for details.

The post The Biz Interview: Jason Goode – Director of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea” appeared first on Biz Books.