Julie Tepperman as Snug and Aaron Willis as Bottom in Canadian Stage’s Dream in High Park, with cast members (left to right) Ryan G. Hinds, Angel Lo and Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin, 2024. Set and costumes designed by Jackie Chau. Photo credit: Dalia Katz.
Aaron Willis backstage with his kids showing off Bottom’s donkey head, designed by Jackie Chau. Photo credit: Julie Tepperman.
Parenting in this industry is so difficult, yet we just make it work, because what choice do we have? Also, the past (now that my daughter is 11) seems so far away, I don’t really remember how I survived other than I have an amazing partner. Most of my career since I have had a child has been out of town. That has definitely made things hard for us. It’s amazing how we adapt.
Convergence Theatre
Convergence Theatre
Pathways for negotiating caregiver support
Level UP! Strategy Area: Pathways to Agreement
Pilot Project: Conversations with artist-parents and agents to explore pathways for negotiating caregiver support
Project Duration: 2023 – 2024
Continuing to Implement: Not applicable
Resources Shared: Personal Essay / Informal Research Paper: Caregiving in a time of crisis (in the arts)…Or has it always been this way?
About Convergence Theatre
Location: Ontario
Artistic Discipline: Theatre
Operating Budget: Less than $100,000
Convergence Theatre is one of Canada’s leading site-specific, immersive, award-winning independent theatre companies, based in Toronto.
Since 2006, Co-Artistic Leaders, Julie Tepperman and Aaron Willis, have collaborated with over 100 theatre artists to create intimate and immersive theatrical experiences. What began as a “bring-your-own-venue” application to the Toronto Fringe to create a series of short plays in cars (AutoShow, conceived in collaboration with Rebecca Benson & Alan Dilworth) very quickly turned into something much bigger.
Since then, Convergence productions have taken place in a myriad of locations: a hotel, a synagogue, a park, a church, a restaurant/café, a garage, a residential backyard, an executive office suite, a spiritual centre, an art gallery, and Union Station.
Convergence Theatre has thrice been voted “The Best Site-Specific Theatre Company in Toronto” by NOW Magazine readers, and NOW critics listed Julie and Aaron as Toronto’s “Best Theatre Couple”.
Convergence Theatre’s Level UP! Project
Julie Tepperman reached out to over 50 artist-parents to invite them to share about their experiences negotiating caregiver support, and gathered stories from 25 artists and three talent agents through emails and conversations. These stories became the basis of a personal essay / research paper authored by Julie and Aaron together, which features candid accounts of experiences, challenges, frustrations, as well as small wins and promising strategies to help navigate life as a caregiver in the arts.
Key calls to action that surfaced from this initiative:
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- Better working conditions for artists and arts worker (e.g. five-day workweeks, shorter rehearsal days)
- Childcare solutions (e.g. more money for childcare, dedicated spaces for children at work)
- More money for artists in general
- Asking artists/arts workers what they need and providing supports that meet their individual and evolving needs
Resources
Convergence Theatre | ‘Caregiving in a Time of Crisis’ Personal Essay / Research Paper
About This Resource Julie Tepperman and Aaron Willis, Co-Artistic Leads of Convergence Theatre, created this personal essay and informal research paper in 2024 as part of their Balancing Act Level UP! Project. The paper presents stories from parent-artists and talent...
More Information
For more information about the Convergence Theatre, visit www.convergencetheatre.com.
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