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Enjoy your first fully digital edition of ACTRA Magazine! This issue is bursting with accolades, advice and stories plus links to multimedia content. Use your favourite digital device to read up on what’s happening across your favourite union.
Pictured here is Diggstown star Vinessa Antoine. Photo courtesy of CBC

Contents

ACTRA Members are the Champions, My Friends!

By David Sparrow, President

Two thousand and eighteen was a year of true celebration marking 75 years of impressive ACTRA advocacy on behalf of performers and the arts in Canada. It was a chance to hear from talented ACTRAvists from every branch, who are excelling at their craft, projecting our Canadian talent to the world and working hard for their fellow members across this great land.

The (soon-to-be) end of an era

By Cary Lawrence

After 39 years as our Master Steersman of this mighty ship called ACTRA, our Stephen Waddell will soon be taking a step back from the helm. How to describe what he has done for this union, YOUR union, is somewhat impossible to describe in a 700-word essay. But here we go.

Diggstown is breaking ground with small scale justice... and epic surfing!

By Francine Deschepper

As if the setting and stories aren’t unique enough, Diggstown is headlined by Vinessa Antoine who is breaking ground as the first woman of colour to be ‘number one on the call sheet’ of a prime-time Canadian drama.

YOU 2.0
Defining our market value in the digital age

Laurie McAllister & Theresa Tova 

To define our market value as performers, it is important we examine any changes that can affect how we get paid. This candid interview helps us better understand the challenges we face in the digital age.

#metoo awakening:
Learnable moments in a post-Weinstein world

By Ellie Harvie
I was called out for joking about an audience member when I was doing my comedy act on stage. My sensibilities still lie in the early 2000s even though today is a different day. My initial reaction was defensiveness, but clearly my actions impacted this person.
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eTREASURES
Digitizing our Cultural History

By Daniel Libman

Sixty stories under the granite of North Bay, Ontario, is the former headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, created to protect North America from nuclear threat. Mothballed since 2006, what’s better than using the safest place on the planet to preserve everything from Uncle Chichimus and Glenn Gould to Heartland and everything in between?

$$$ Tips for 2019

By Theresa Tova

The new year is a time when some of us think about resolutions and new ways to improve our health and our lives. It is also a great time to freshen up our financial portfolios.

THE AFC AND YOU

Keith Martin Gordey's Q&A with David Hope

The AFC provides compassionate aid to Canadian entertainment professionals helping them maintain their health, dignity and ability to work. Its services are available to everyone working in all aspects of film, television, theatre, music and dance. David Hope, The AFC’s Executive Director, shares some news with us.

THE M.V.P.

Jay Baruchel Q&A 
This year Canadian performers honour Jay Baruchel with the 2019 ACTRA National Award of Excellence. This special award recognizes a Canadian performer who has not only demonstrated excellence as an artist, but who has also made an outstanding contribution to Canada’s entertainment industry.
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APPLAUSE

Celebrating our ACTRA members’ recent achievements

Jennifer Clement, Katherine Dines, Daniel Doheny, Jayne Eastwood, Bob Frazer, Michael Greyeyes, Robert Joy, John Koensgen, Karin Konoval, Daina Leitold, Joseph Naytowhow, Ken Mitchell, Gerald Paetz, Sabrina Pitre, Jonathan Silver, Julian Stamboulieh, Marina Stephenson Kerr, Jeff Strome, Shelley Thompson, BJ Verot, Darren Wall and Benjamin Warner.

Passings

Fred Napoli
Albert Millaire
David Petersen
Douglas Rain
Gerrick Winston

Celebrate, support and promote your industry to the world!

And don’t forget to #ACTRA
when you snap, tweet & repeat!

ACTRA Magazines and Archive

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Phone 1-800-387-3516
(416) 489-1311
national@actra.ca

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ACTRA Magazine Winter 2019 issue
ACTRA magazine is the official online publication of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), a Canadian union of performers affiliated to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the International Federation of Actors (FIA).

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Lisa Blanchette, Francine Deschepper, Ferne Downey, Keith Martin Gordey, Daniel Libman, Carol Taverner, David Sparrow, Theresa Tova, Stephen Waddell

CONTRIBUTORS
Tina Alford, Vinessa Antoine, Jay Baruchel, Mike Burns, Max Bygraves, Marlene Cahill, Jackson Davies, Francine Deschepper, Randy Duniz, Keith Martin Gordey, Richard Hadley, Ellie Harvie, David Hope, Emma Kitchen, Cary Lawrence, Daniel Libman, Rob Macklin, Laurie McAllister, Jennifer McGibbon, Champi Sevathiar, Alison Stewart, Oleg Tishchenkov, Theresa Tova, Stephen Waddell, Tony Walsh, Karen Woolridge

All contents are copyright © 2019 ACTRA. All rights are reserved and contents, in whole or in part may be reprinted without permission. The points of view expressed do not necessarily represent those of ACTRA.