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Aimee Poulin is the artistic producer at the Toronto-based Crane Creations Theatre Company. They love to create plays which make people think. Plays which encourage discussion in a way film and TV cannot. In this first part of our interview, Aimee speaks about her life and career in entertainment. Her passion for working meaningfully in our industry, and her vision for a theatre experience which engages deeply with its audiences whilst aiming to be accessible for all.
I’m Aimee Poulin and I’m a theatre actress who lives in Toronto.
I grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Essentially, I was always a very academic person. I went through an international Baccalaureate high school program. There was no focus on the arts. Thus, I used to lovingly call it my ‘nerd school.’
However, I did have exposure to the arts in my free time. Every year, for example, I went to summer camp for two weeks. I did theatre then. And loved it. I remember thinking, “wouldn’t it be great to do that as a job?”
After high school, I went and studied a science program.
When the time came to look at universities, I leafed through the brochures. And, every time I’d happen upon their theatre program, I’d think, “Oh, that’s so cool.”
But I’d keep right on flipping through the pages looking for other programs.
After a couple of weeks of doing this, I realized, “Wait a minute, why do I keep flipping past this? I think it’s great and I always loved theatre when I did it outside of school.”
I got accepted by one: John Abbott College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, near the western tip of the Island of Montreal. It was meant to be.
It was a three-year program with a focus on acting, conservatory style.
We trained in mask and mime. Enough to have a solid base and use those skills for other forms of acting as well.
After I finished school, I got scared of going into auditioning as an actress. I decided to instead look for further education. Thus, I decided to move to Toronto because I figured there will be more opportunities there.
I didn’t want to just move and start work. I wanted to go to school there again first. To give myself time. To build up a network of teachers and friends. And to give myself a better shot at going into a career after.
In many ways, access to the world of theatre in Canada isn’t easy.
As a professional, you’re required to be able to do every type of theatre job to have a successful career.
Because of how many artists there are, you need to be able to wear many hats: selling, marketing, digital work, etc. Anything that makes you of more value to the team.
I went on to do a musical theatre program in Toronto.
I was very lucky to meet a few people and get a couple jobs which then turned into doing some touring shows.
Twice, I was part of a young audiences tour that goes to schools. We’d get to the school and unload the van into the gym. Then we’d do the show. Pack up. And drive to the next school. It was great fun. A high-energy tour.
The great thing about doing these tours was that we went to places where normally people wouldn’t have access to theatre productions.
Especially touring outside the cities was fantastic. We’d drive far away from the major centers, sometimes for eight hours or more. And after our performances in these rather remote places, the parents would be so grateful and thank us for being there.
When you are in a big city it’s easy to forget how magical shows can be. I was lucky to see so many shows all the time. Then, on the school tour, I realized, “Don’t take it for granted!” It was amazing how much our audiences appreciated us being there. And it was very humbling.
After a while of working these touring shows, Covid hit. Everything shut down.
That’s when I came across Crane Creations Theatre Company. I found their summer program for young artists. By luck, I was still young enough to participate. That’s how I came into contact with the company.
And I’ve been sticking around. Andreja Kovac, Founder, Director, and Producer is the visionary behind the company. Andreja is from Slovenia. She has worked there as a theatre director, as well as on tour around the world, and for festivals.
Andreja is very interested in what makes theatre important. What makes it different from film. Different from other art forms. Relevant. We align a lot in our thoughts and in seeing how the theatre industry in Canada could potentially evolve in the future.
Crane Creations Theatre Company is based in Mississauga, Ontario. Mississauga has a high percentage of immigrants who settle there first when they come into the country. It is very important to us to be a first touchpoint for people with a background in the arts.
So that they don’t have to go out of the arts to make a living when they come here. But can rather bring their art and expertise to Canada. It benefits all of us to further artistic diversity.
I’ve been very lucky to stick around in the industry over the years. To not only learn about theatre as an art form but also as a business.
To think about the whole process. About how we can go from the idea, planning, getting funding, building an audience, promoting, casting, and rehearsals to putting a show on stage.
It’s been very interesting to see that and do that. I love to help make projects happen.
Official Website Crane Creations Theatre Company
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Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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