Interview with Ray Strachan

Interview with Hope McIntyre and Ray Strachan

Hope So, the first question is just how long have you worked, in this case as an actor, as this is the focus that we’re going to talk about?

Ray Yeah, I guess my first gig was 2010, but I probably haven’t been doing it full time or I have been full time for about seven, eight-ish years.

Hope Excellent. And what was your pathway to this position in terms of training or in terms of  the way you got to where you are?

Ray Yeah, I was at U of M (University of Manitoba) and I was in rec management and the intention was to work in sport, in a managerial position. And I felt that my public speaking skills needed some work. So, I decided to take theatre rather than Toastmasters or something. And, I just fell in love with the process at the Black Hole at the U of M of collaborating with people, so that’s how I got hooked. My training is all at the U of M, and then I, fortunately was hooked up with an internship at MTC with Steven Schipper, and that just opened the doors for me. When you get to work with an artistic director that’s been around for so long and has worked across the country, it really does open the doors for you and kind of demystifies the whole professional theatre world.

Hope Yeah, which is incredible because I think that’s the focus of what we’re trying to capture right now. We teach our students acting skills, but not necessarily about how to enter the milieu. So, is there anything that you attribute to your success? And when I say success, just the ability to be working consistently as an actor.

Ray Yeah, yeah. That’s kind of where a lot of success is, is to be able to do it often and be able to pay our bills doing it. Like I said, working with Steven Schipper definitely opened doors and allowed me to work with a lot of other different professionals. That internship was key, pivotal to where I am now. And the community, the Winnipeg community has so many mentors like Chris Johnson at U of M, Arne MacPherson has always been there, Kimberley Rampersad, the community was very open and welcoming to me. So, I was very fortunate to have so many people who have been in the business for a long time support my wishes or my endeavors.

Hope Amazing. Yeah, I think that’s a pretty special thing about the Winnipeg community, right? So yeah. Is there anything that you wish you’d known when you first started out? When you look back to that beginning.

Ray Yeah. Just to make choices, not just as an actor for character, but also as a professional. Sometimes, you just got to put yourself out there and take chances. And, I’ve always been a very pragmatic person. I’ve not been an artist my whole life. So that world kind of scared me. So, I didn’t really jump in with two feet like I probably should have. And that’s probably why I’ve only been doing it professionally consistently for seven years rather than the whole time I started. I kind of inched my way in. I got scared and got disappointed. But you will in this profession, there’s no way around that. There is disappointment in hearing no a whole bunch of times. But eventually you get used to it. And yeah, I just wish I would have been more assertive and sort of more confident in regards to auditioning.

Hope Absolutely. Yeah. And you probably had the opportunity to work with some emerging artists as you’ve been working on shows lately. I know there’s a lot of newer folks coming into the fold, which is exciting. So, anything that you notice is a gap or something that they still haven’t learned coming out of their training.

Ray It really it depends on where they got their training from. To be honest with you, the people who go to conservatories or BFA’s maybe are a little more polished in being in the rehearsal hall. And that’s not to say that you can’t find that at U of M or U of W (University of Winnipeg). That’s not saying that at all. It’s just the concentration of being in the rehearsal hall and collaborating all the time, it gets you in that frame of mind of what that’s like to be in the rehearsal hall. I wish I would have known a little more financial responsibility, at the beginning as well, because you get your cheques and you’re trying to pay your bills and at the same time you got to take some away because the government’s going to come for you if you don’t.  I wish that I could have been a little more financially savvy, coming in professionally. Because I’ve worked in a normal jobs where they just take it off your cheque, you don’t even think about it. The government… it’s right there. But here you just have to be very mindful one way or another. Yeah.

Hope Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. And that whole budgeting thing, right? Which you don’t always learn in the acting program.

Ray  No, exactly. Exactly. You can’t eat out all day when you’re on contract. So, things like that, you know?

Hope Absolutely. Is there anything based on either your own training or when you taught at an institution or what you’ve seen that you feel the universities could do to better prepare those who are entering the world as actors?

Ray Yeah, I think once you get into third, fourth year honours, or, at U of M, when you’ve been around the Black Hole a long time, I wish they would offer, even a day or a week of training with someone who has been an actor and they can prepare you financially for, you know, they do that for professionals. We have sessions and workshops, you know, for hours, even just in a day of, you know, how can I be more financially savvy as an actor? But I think once you’re at the three, four… those kids are already thinking about doing it professionally. So, they should be aware that, hey, you got to be responsible. And also, well, and I think this is happening because it’s become an issue in the forefront, as it should be, mental health. I think in our profession, we tend to just go through rehearsal without acknowledging that we’re putting ourselves out there emotionally and psychologically. And even acknowledging it helps, leave it in the rehearsal hall, go home. And just to flag that mental health issues are something that’s an issue in the world in general, and especially in our kind of business where we’re open and honest and trusting. So yeah.

Hope Yeah. And it’s very vulnerable, right?

Ray Absolutely. And I don’t know what that means. Like, is it just to talk about it, have a session? Is it, you know, provide, not to provide services, but acknowledge there are services out there. I don’t know how to approach it, but I think it’s something that should be even preached to kids. You know, prioritize your mental health. Okay. Yeah.

Hope No, that’s great. Absolutely. Yeah. I think that conversation is happening. So, in your area of specialty, so as an actor, how do you secure work? I think that’s the number one thing – our students come out, going okay you train me to be an actor, how do I actually get the gigs?

Ray Yeah, you audition, audition, audition – no matter what. And sometimes you won’t even get in the room, depending on what play it is, how many people they’re looking for. Don’t get discouraged about that. Just keep submitting. Try and do indie shows, scrounge up friends because people go and watch shows. Decision makers, directors, ADs go out and watch shows. It’s part of their job pretty much to go see the talent out there and the talent that’s coming up. They go see university shows. So, try and make your art and try and spotlight and focus yourself and, you know, present yourself in the best way possible by doing a lot of work. Do Fringe, do workshops. I’d say always be, for university students, be in touch with your instructors as well. Sometimes it’s hard, for me especially when I was in university, to realize that, oh yeah, my professor goes to all these shows, they are on boards, they talk to these ADs, you know.  Just constantly be in touch with your instructors, see what’s going on out there. They can help you navigate the professional world as well at the beginning.

Hope Absolutely. Yeah. And specifically, like we talk about the tools that you need as an actor, right? So, you know, what do you need to do to demonstrate your abilities? You know, obviously resumes, headshots… Is there anything specific that you would advise for when you’re submitting?

Ray Uh. It’s still professional. Try not to make it not too chummy. Headshots are so subjective. Get a head shot that you’re comfortable with. You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars for a headshot. I’ve not paid for a headshot in a long time. I just had really kind friends who’ve had cameras and have a good eye, so don’t feel you have to break the bank on that. Don’t be scared to leave credits out on your résumé. If you didn’t like the show, if you felt personally, it wasn’t a good show, don’t feel you have to put it on there to stack your, you know. What else? Invite people to come out to your shows. And it goes beyond just posting on social media, you know, specific people. You want them to come check out the shows, feel free to email them. No matter who they are, don’t feel that… like we were mentioning in Winnipeg with my mentors, it is the access to people who’ve been in the business and their willingness to help people out is more than you can imagine. Just, don’t be shy with people’s emails. If it’s an imposition, they won’t answer you, who cares? But it’s worth the risk of them answering and them showing up and them watching you do your best work. So yeah, invite people to watch your shows. People who you want to see watch a show.

Hope Absolutely. Yeah. I think you’re suggesting that fear, which I know our students have, I can’t email them or I can’t reach out to that person. Yeah, but what you’re saying is just go ahead and do it, eh?

Ray Yeah. Obviously, and still be professional about it. Always be conscious of the words that you use and read over it many times. Even get someone else to read over it, just get comfortable with it. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. Just like auditioning.

Hope  Mhm. Yeah. And anything specific to auditioning. Like do you have any advice or tips.

Ray  Make choices. Don’t be a general wash of ok, this character’s happy for most of it. I’ll just be happy. Like, why are they happy? You know, do the detail work that you would in a full production, get to know this character forwards and backwards and make those choices, and also be aware that the director in the room might ask you to do a different thing. Be flexible. Don’t be disappointed, doesn’t mean that you didn’t make the right choice. They just want to see if you can take direction in a room. This is important. I’d say, this is more from the psychology world of it, run through the audition in your head, like from walking into the building, sitting in the waiting area, because when you get there, it just helps you focus more. It’s not a woah, I’m here. I’m in this lobby. La, la la. No, okay, I’m here. This is what I do. I’ve been through this in my head. Picture yourself going into the room. You know, if you’ve been in the theatre, picture yourself being in that board room or the audition room, wherever it is, so that you can see it in your head. The first time, it really does help ease the nerves because the nerves are always going to be there. There’s a lot on the line. You’re putting yourself out there, there’s a job. So, the more that you can just familiarize yourself with what’s going to happen, the easier it’s going to be.

Hope  Absolutely, yeah. And I know you’ve entered into the director’s side a little bit too. But also if you were, whether  as a director or mentor or collaborating with someone, are there things that you look for in emerging artists that you would want to work with?

Ray  Yeah. Oh, also read the play. Read the play or watch the play. I’m not a very good person to read. I don’t like reading because I just have a hard time pitching in all the voices and keeping them right in my head. So, if I can watch it, I watch it. What do I look for in artist I want to collaborate with. I want there to be a sense of honesty, to be themselves. I want someone who is a good communicator. Someone I can talk to and who can talk to me. For the show I just directed we just didn’t do any dialogue, it was all movement creation of the two actors, so I was really able to see the openness to each other and their willingness to try things. So, I’m always looking for someone in the audition room, through direction I guess also, to try different things. And if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Whatever, it is all good. It can be the direction. Yes, I’m always looking for someone with a chill disposition because that’s kind of how I am. I like the room to have a nice vibe to it. And what I mean by chill is someone who’s prepared, who doesn’t come in too stressed because they’ve done the work that needs to be done.  In regards to being chill, just be confident in your work and get the work done. Chill is not a very good word to describe.

Hope   I know what you mean. Like you said, vibe. Like you want a relaxed kind of environment as opposed to a stressed environment. Yeah?

Ray  Because if you’re not coming in prepared and you’re not going to give it your best work. Absolutely. Yeah.

Hope   Yeah. And it for you is that the difference between like being chiller, laid back because you don’t care versus being relaxed because you care but you prepared in order to not be stressed?

Ray  Absolutely. Yeah. You got to come in caring cause if you, that’ll be the worst if an actor comes to the room not caring. Yeah. Exactly. Have the confidence and the disposition of just, coming to work, because we often forget that that is work, too. And it’s not always easy and it’s not always play. You know? Yeah.

Hope   Excellent. Yeah. And are there any resources that you’d recommend to students or emerging theatre artists that are struggling? Anything that, that would be helpful, whether it’s a book to read or information that they can access?

Ray   Uh. When I’ve always had issues, I’ve always talked to fellow professionals. I’ve never, ever, and it’s not that it’s a bad thing, I’ve never looked to a textbook or an online resource. That’s just not how I learn. Those resources are good. I just, I need to hear from someone who I trust and know, and assume or know for a fact that they’ve been going through the same thing or have gone through the same thing and come out the other end, hopefully, or at least give their perspective if they didn’t come out the other end. You know, why? What happened? Looking back. So, yeah, I really put my trust in the community. I believe that’s where I get my guidance from.

Hope   That’s great. I appreciate that because I think people learn or gather information in different way, right? So, yeah. Any advice for those leaving training and entering the profession? Like if you were speaking to a group about to graduate?

Ray   Yeah, a lot of these points I think we’ve gone over. Prioritize your mental health. Get used to hearing no. Get used to having tough times, getting another job. It’s just part of the business. Especially during the pandemic, we have to, you know… pivot became a word during the pandemic, but we’ve always been pivoting in the theatre biz. It gets dry sometimes, it gets busy. You have to say no sometimes. And that’s part of your mental health also. Know when to say no. Don’t feel like you always have to take these gigs upon gigs. If you’re feeling this is not a gig I feel like doing or workshop, I feel like, don’t put it on yourself and then you’ll be miserable. Don’t leave things to chance. Even though this career is this way, you feel like you do leave it to the theatre gods and goddesses, and sometimes you have to trust the theatre gods and goddesses, especially at the worst times, but also prepare and hustle. Be ready to hustle. I know that’s not the best word to use because there’s so many negative connotations to hustle, but just be constantly working, constantly looking for opportunities, constantly talking to people about creating opportunities. That’s what I mean by hustle. So, you can’t just sit back in his career and hope for the best and hope that people will offer you roles because that’s not going to happen. No, at least not for a good few years. When people see your work and you’re in the room with them and then they trust you and then they’re like, oh yeah, this roles for them. And if you do want to get in that business where people are heroes, that’s the work that you have to do. You have to hustle. You have to do it. You have to do internships. Don’t do free internships. You don’t have to. If a company is like, oh, I don’t have money to pay you, think twice about that. If it’s a show, project and you know that the organization or company can’t pay, you keep hustling to look for grants, apply for grants. There’s money out there for you to train. So definitely, you know, MAC, WAC, Canada Council, not so much. But even like if you need to travel to go do an internship… so there’s money there and that people are looking to give away to artists. Learn to write grants. Learn to write grants. That’s a good one to talk about. Learn to write grants. I didn’t learn until a couple of years ago, working with Daniel Thau-Eleff how to write a grant and properly, what to look for, what to flag, what to highlight, what not to natter on about. So really, learn how to write. There are a lot of people in this city who’ve been writing very good grants.

Hope   Yeah. And you mentioned not being afraid to say no to something. Are there other reasons that are flags that young artists should look for in terms of when to say no to a gig?

Ray  Yeah, I think, what’s also great about working in a community is people work with other people. And, you know, I go back to when I said, when I need any guidance I usually go to people I trust, and that includes asking them, you, you worked with this person before. What’s it like to be in the room with them? And I’ve taken that advice to heart and not taken gigs because of people being toxic or, and also being in the room with people. Sometimes you just got to trust your gut, you know, we trust our gut with the work that we do. I really, truly feel that artists and especially actors have a really sharpened sense of being able to analyze people. So, trust your gut. And, you know it’s, make sure it’s a show that you want to work on. I’ve been in a miserable show where I’ve done nothing but deliver tea and not speak a word. And I regret it because, you know, it was for money and I got to go to another city and do it. But halfway through the run, I’m like, this is the worst. Like, I was auditioning for film to see if I can get out of this gig. Yeah.

Hope  Absolutely. Yeah.

Ray   Also, part of mental health is being in a show or in a situation that you don’t want to be in. So don’t feel that when a producer offers you a role, you don’t have to answer within the hour. Take your time. Especially if you have other stuff that you’re auditioning for. You don’t have to answer right away, you know?

Hope  Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And you’d mentioned previously self-producing. Is that a good way for emerging artists to kind of get themselves out there?

Ray Absolutely. Like, I think Fringe really helped my growth and that’s where a lot of people saw me for the first time as an actor, a couple of ADs, Fringe is the first time. So, do Fringe. Like Fringe is the best for me. It’s not the best for everyone, but if you can get a spot and produce what you want to do – because you get to do a role that you feel that you’re going to shine in, or as a director, a show that you can really show what you can do. And it’s kind of the easiest way to produce a show. If I think about it, you know, you have the fee, you have your rights and then your venue is there, your tech is there. They have lights for you, so you don’t have to worry about all that side stuff. So, that’s probably the easiest way, maybe, to produce a show I’d say. Maybe the most cost-effective way. So, I’d really encourage the fringe.

Hope   Absolutely. Yeah. Anything else in terms of the reality of being self-employed or freelance as an artist? You know, there’s challenges to managing your own career that I don’t think a lot of folks coming out as actors realize. And I talked about a few of those already. Is there anything else that they should be aware of?

Ray  Uh. I’m trying to think of what I haven’t mentioned yet.

Hope Do you do your own taxes or do you get someone to do them for you?

Ray  Well, before I got someone to do them for me, because I had a really hard… But it’s not that hard, once you know what you’re doing. And I had a fellow actor help me who started doing their own, and it was just a lot more cost effective. Once I learned what to look for and pretty much organized the information, because that’s what it is. Oh. I don’t know what else I haven’t mentioned.

Hope Anything you’d say it in terms of like, self-marketing. I don’t know if you are a fan of having your own website.

Ray Yeah.

Hope Media presence, any of that stuff.

Ray  Yeah. You know, every actor has a brand. There’s no doubt about that. It’s funny, I came across a quote maybe a week ago, and your brand can be bigger than your game, meaning, whatever your social media presence is, whatever that is, if that doesn’t match up to the talent that you’re putting out on stage or on TV, film, it’s useless. Personally, I’m not huge on… I don’t have a website. I do do social media. Like, I have a social media page and stuff. I don’t have many followers, so it’s not like my words getting out or I’m preaching to a new choir every day. It’s just Ray’s social media. But, to be on social media is a great way for me to keep up with what’s going on. Like, there’s a lot of indie shows going on… that I probably would have no idea what’s going on without social media. So, it helps me keep informed. And I don’t really use it as a tool to market myself. And maybe I should. Maybe when I start doing a little more TV and film, it’s something I pivot towards, But I guess, it’s the way my career’s going now and what I like doing, it’s not a priority. But without a doubt, when I post stuff, I’m very conscious of what I post. Not necessarily because of an image I want to portray. It’s just that I don’t want to look like an ignorant fool, cause it will affect your work. Without a doubt, if people think you’re some kind of dink. Like if I was like, pro convoy or something, I’m sure that would affect my work and how people look at me, how people would respond to me in the room. So, yeah, be very conscious of what you post because it could and probably will bite you in the ass in the end.

Hope  Oh yeah. That’s good advice.

Ray  It’s a new reality.

Hope  It is a new reality, yeah. In terms of ACTRA, Equity. That’s the other question we get a lot from some folks entering the industry is when should I join? What considerations should I look at before joining?

Ray Yeah, it’s, it’s hard. I came into the end of when for Equity, you had to do certain amount of credits to get your status and stuff like that. So, it’s a little bit different. I wouldn’t rush into either, unless you’re just lining up work. If you’re lining up work, then yes, you might as well join. Do I think both of them are great? No, I think ACTRA is definitely better than Equity. If I’m going be honest, I think the CTA (Canadian Theatre Agreement) protects theatre companies more than they protect the actors. Be prepared to do a lot of free work is another thing. And if you do that, because unfortunately that is the case with the CTA, things like overtime and especially now where we have a lot of understudy rehearsals, there’s actually time that actors won’t get paid for. You bet crews getting paid for it, you know, they’re getting paid for showing up. Why actors don’t get paid I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me. So, anyways, be prepared for that. But, it’s like, if you’re doing a lot of indie work and you want to do your own work… it depends also what kind of artist you want to be. If you want to be self-producing a lot of stuff that you know, a lot of theatre companies won’t touch, won’t want to do because either it’s not in their mandates, not in their scope, it’s just not them. It’s not because it’s bad or they’re bad, it just doesn’t match up, then you might want to hold off on joining Equity because it really handcuffs you financially when you want to produce. Because, once your Equity, your fees go up. Actually, this is great when you’re doing it a lot, but when you’re self-producing, it can really take your show or take your creativity or handcuff you artistically. So, I wouldn’t rush into it. But again, if the work is coming in, you can see it coming, you feel that you’re being successful, your booking… then, you pretty much have to.

Hope Absolutely. Excellent. The last question is just about thoughts on the future of theatre. Just a small little question about the future of theatre. Yeah. Any trends, anything that students should be ready for that’s coming that you feel is important or any changes you’re hoping to see in the industry?

Ray  I hope to see a lot of production folks, especially stage managers, come into the fold because we’re lacking that in the city. And I hope more diverse stage managers show up in the city. I don’t know if I could forecast, but I really hope there’s a youth and local movement in Winnipeg. That’s my hope. And not to say that we don’t hire local, there’s a lot of locals that are being hired, but still in those larger roles, we sometimes bring in out of towners, especially in the bigger companies. So, I like to believe and hope that with the new leadership right now that we’re starting to really bring in the youth. And it seems that there is kind of a youth infusion within the community and a very, it’s very large. There’s a lot of young folks coming up at the same time, which is great. We’ve needed it for a few years now, and I think pandemic has definitely helped break that open because a lot of older artists have like said okay, this business is not good for me right now, so they’ve gone. So, you know, there’s a lot of, I’m not saying there’s a lot of jobs to be filled, but as the community is smaller, I believe, than it was before, and it’s good to see a lot of young people coming up. So hopefully that means more opportunities to grow as an artist with professionals. There’s obviously a change, a long overdue change in regards to diversity and equity and equality. So, I think that’s something to look forward to, to be optimistic with. Also, with the new leadership in the city, it seems like there’s also more willingness for local creation and to give younger artists an avenue to create and show their work in front of an audience, whether it be through mini festivals or workshops. A lot of new local work seems to be coming through the pipe, hopefully, so that’s something to be optimistic with as well. Playwrights and creators. I’m hoping there’s a change in the stories being told, not just who’s telling them, but the fashion they’re being told. I think the old narrative, stuff that we’ve seen for decades, I think we’re seeing a shift like at PTE with Thomas Morgan Jones and a lot of movement-based pieces that are being either explored or presented. And I think that’s a great thing for theatre. Trends, uh, I don’t know. I’m usually, like, the last person to know trends and what’s going on in theatre, because I’m not a trendsetter quite yet, you know? So, I don’t know what the next trends are, but I just hope it includes the younger artists, and I hope it’s multi-disciplinary.

Hope  Excellent. That’s great. This is all amazing. It’s a big issue for people across the country, right? It’s so good to get various perspectives on these things. Yeah,  it’s incredible. Is there anything that you haven’t said that you want to add?

Ray Changes we are seeing, we are seeing people in artistic director leaderships more, be more diversified. So that’s great to see. But I still think a lot of the decision makers look the same as they did for the past few decades, including Boards. So, I think that has to change. Where theatres are getting money from, that has to change as well, because who you get money from, especially in the arts, is who you’re accountable to. So, if you’re accountable to the same people, you’re going to be doing the same thing. You’re going to be trumpeting the same horn. So hopefully that will change. The process of doing that change, I don’t know. I know it’s not immediate. But it’s weird, you know, after George Floyd and what happened in the pandemic, there was a huge upheaval, change, motivation… And like all movements, there seems to be a lull right now because we’re trying to get back into the biz, trying to get it going again. So, ebbs and flows, you have to stick with it and hopefully that change won’t be pushed to the side. Hopefully it becomes a culture rather than a pop culture moment.