What do you do when you are a newcomer artist to Canada? In this prologue episode, learn about host Rimah Jabr’s experience making the leap to move to Toronto from Belgium, and her path to pursue a theatre career. Rimah shares the importance of mentorship in her own life and introduces the artists you’ll hear from in ThisGen Podcast.

In this episode, Rimah sits down with sound designers Olivia Shortt and Elisheba Ittoop to discuss mentorship, script analysis beyond Shakespeare, and rethink our relationship to sound. We explore the concept ‘theatre of the mind’ and the role of sound design in creating space in the mind. 

In this episode with Crystal Lee and Spike Lyne, we talk about the beginnings of their journeys and their paths to production management. We compare mentorship between past and the present times, and consider ways to adapt plans due to the pandemic. Crystal identifies the role of a production manager and the advocacy she’s doing to create a healthier, more sustainable industry on the production end. 

In conversation with Echo Zhou and Mimi Lien, we reflect on the significance of being mentored by a female set designer, the path you follow in your career, the value of learning through doing, and the challenges and advantages of being a freelance parent artist working irregular hours. 

The role of mentorship is significant, especially for artists who face systemic barriers to access. In this episode with Nikki Shaffeeullah and Kirsty Housley, we examine their careers as theatre-makers while considering differences and similarities between the UK and Canada. We discuss useful advice, consider the challenges of mentorship, and think about collaborations, visions, and what’s important to pass on to the next generation of female artists.

Joined by Intisar Awisse and Amrita Ramanan, we discuss the role of dramaturgy, how it shifts based on the nature of the project, and the mutuality of the mentorship where the mentor and mentee learn from each other. We also chat about the challenges and benefits of remote mentorship in the COVID world.

In this conversation with Tai Amy Grauman, we talk about the role of mentorship in her life, especially with her ThisGen mentor, Indigenous Australian artist Lisa Fa’alafi. We highlight the urgency in telling the stories of Indigenous women, their love stories, and their place on Canadian stages. We talk with Tai about how working with Lisa has changed how she’s thinking about writing, and some surprises from ThisGen Fellowship.

In this conversation with Bianca Guimarães de Manuel and Julie Fox, we compare the nature of theatre design in Brazil versus Canada and ask: where in the process do set designers meet with the directors? What are the compromises, and when do they happen? To make a model or not to make a model? These are the questions.