The Firecracker Department Firecracker Department

For the past few years, performer and writer Alana Johnston has made it her mission to incorporate the theme of self-esteem into her artistic work. As the host of The Self-Esteem Party Podcast (on which this episode was first featured), she’s learned that the things we struggle with in regards to self-esteem might follow us forever, and that’s totally okay.
She also shares how her perspective has shifted after some major events occurred in her life in recent years, and how she’s now using her art to work through those traumatic moments. 
Through this brave discussion, Naomi and Alana speak about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support your artistic endeavours, bringing yourself back to reality through positive self-talk, and embracing your weirdness. And Alana shares that now - more than ever - her ultimate goal is to be the funniest she’s ever been.
 

Anne Rab’s improv career all started when she met a clown and stumbled into the art form that would change her life.
Although it was difficult to make the transition from a city where she had stability and comfort to one completely unknown, she tells Naomi that learned that she didn’t want to play it safe and to make the choice to just go for her dreams. 
Now, she carries this outlook through her teachings and thrives off of encouraging people to be comfortable with making mistakes and not worrying about “fucking it up” in her improv classes. 
Ultimately, Anne tells Naomi that her favourite thing about art and life is having people around, connecting, and even throwing some killer parties. And through all of the confusion and uncertainty that she felt when starting her career, that improv helped her discover - for certain - that this is all she’s ever wanted to do.

One thing’s for certain about improviser Nadine Antler is that her strength lies in taking care of people. 
From studying to be a social worker to putting on a decade-long improv festival and now running her own improv school, Nadine tells Naomi about her desire to help both actors and non-actors through the communication and boundary-setting skills that improv teaches. 
But despite committing to help others with this, she reveals that her personal challenge is her inner critic and the disappointment she faces when it rears its ugly head on stage and takes her out of the present moment. 
Although some of her shows go horribly wrong, she details how all she can do is pick herself up and continue on - and that making lists of how to improve helps her feel better. Even when improv can be challenging and scary, Nadine wholeheartedly believes that if you want to take a risk and try, there’s no need to wait for the right moment: that all you need to do is give yourself permission to do the thing you love.

With her wealth of experience as an actor, writer, improviser, and now a director, Vanessa Matsui always finds time to look back and thank her younger self for having the gumption and bravery to take chances. By stumbling through her experience creating, writing, directing, and acting in the award winning series Ghost BFF, Vanessa tells Naomi about how she learned to just keep going and follow through on her impulses in every role she played. She also recounts the discovery she made that all roads were pointing to her beginning to direct, and how much she loves that it allows you to access a different part of yourself. Naomi and Vanessa also have an enlightening conversation about the importance of looking back at your younger self and taking the time to grieve the dreams that didn’t come to fruition, before moving forward into the future. And although her fear and anxiety may take over in certain moments, Vanessa always reminds herself of the great advice she received when directing her first feature film Midnight at the Paradise: just take things frame by frame.

Growing up in Israel, the multi-faceted Inbal Lori always knew she would be in the arts and fully embraced the holy trinity of acting, writing, and directing. But amidst her love for creation, she tells Naomi that before she moved to Berlin, she suffered when she played parts that she didn’t write because she wasn’t in control - even though she never had a “plan” in life. Little did she know that when she arrived in Germany, her love and passion for improv would take over her life and teach her how to work within a structure but also profoundly let go and play. As she began immersing herself in the world of improv and created her own school, she realized the power of improvising stories that are thought-provoking to an audience and exploring the depths of human emotion through this free-flowing art form. Inbal quickly became a leader in the world of Impro internationally as a teacher and performer. While she never had a concrete plan, Inbal tells Naomi how the most freedom comes from existing in your own story and allowing life to take you where it leads.

Maria del Mar has never let fear hold her back from anything in her extensive career and expansive life. As a young actress with a passion growing up in Ottawa, Maria took a chance and moved to Toronto to fake it ‘till she made it, with roles on incredible shows like Frasier, 24, and Hudson & Rex. The more Maria took chances, the more life presented her with opportunities to try new things and learn from everyone she’s worked with. She tells Naomi how she vowed to always remain open to everything in life, and how there’s no such thing as perfection - which has become all the more significant given the difficult years she’s faced. But although she has been thrown many challenges, Maria is embracing the spirit of hope and dancing the salsa with life, allowing it to lead her where she’s meant to go and enjoying the journey along the way.