ACTRA Maritimes Blog

Notice to Maritimes Stunt Performers

Recently, Rene Bishop and John Awoods have taken over as co-chairs of the ACTRA Maritimes Stunt Committee. We are looking forward to serving the members of the Stunt Community, and as such, we would like to know who the members might be.

If you have you have been credited as a Stunt Performer in the last 5 years under an ACTRA contract, we need you to provide us with some current info. From this we hope to supply a compiled list of skills and abilities available in the Maritimes to prospective Stunt Coordinators, Producers, Production Managers, and Directors. 
It will also give us an idea who is actually current and available.
Please respond by e-mailing a current Resume to shaolinjohn1@yahoo.ca or silverscreen30@hotmail.com no later than August 1/07.
There are going to be some changes in the near future to the Maritimes Stunt community. There are standards in place across Canada to what actually determines a stunt performer and we will be adhering to them here.
 

First, to be considered an ACTRA Maritimes Stunt Performer and list yourself as such on the website you must have accumulated a minimum of 6 Stunt contracts. If you have accumulated 5 or less Stunt Contracts, you will be considered to be an Apprentice Stunt Performer. If you have never been engaged under an ACTRA Stunt or Risk Performance contact you will not be able to list yourself as a Stunt Performer on the website.
We acknowledge that there are ACTRA Members with special athletic abilities and skills and who have trained extensively in Stage Combat and other specialty programs that directly translate to Stunt requirements. Those abilities and skills will still be recognized on the website but until you’ve been hired under an ACTRA contract you can not be listed as an ACTRA Stunt Performer.

ACTRA PROTESTS SKEWED, ALL-AMERICAN “CANADIAN TV”

TORONTO — CTV and Global threw themselves some parties this week to celebrate spending hundreds of millions of Canadian dollars to stuff Canada’s primetime television with American dramas. And hundreds of Canadian actors and other industry workers were out on the sidewalk protesting.

“These private shindigs the broadcasters threw for themselves are disgraceful. And so was their latest junket to Hollywood to sell out their country’s broadcasting system,” said Richard Hardacre, National President of ACTRA.

ACTRA members and others rallied in front of Massey Hall this morning as Global Television followed up CTV’s party Monday. Both networks are celebrating their foreign programming purchases. Last year, private broadcasters spent over $470 million on foreign drama and less than $70 million on Canadian programs.

“These shameless self-serving parties clearly demonstrate that the networks don’t care about their own country’s culture and can’t be trusted to do anything with their licences other than rebroadcast someone else’s work,” said Stephen Waddell. “It’s time for the CRTC to live up to its regulatory role, since the broadcasters don’t have the slightest intention to live up to theirs,” added Waddell.

Canada’s private broadcasters were let off the hook when Canadian drama content regulations were watered down by the CRTC in its disastrous 1999 TV Policy decision. The result is Canadian network primetime schedules dominated by U.S. shows. ACTRA demands that the CRTC reinstate drama content regulations on the private broadcasters before Canadian culture completely fades to black.

ACTRA Maritimes Honours Its Own

At its recent Annual General Meeting, ACTRA Maritimes presented Life Memberships to two of its most illustrious and iconic members, Richard Donat and Marguerite McNeil. 

Member Mary-Colin Chisholm introduced Richard to the assembly, speaking warmly of the tremendous contribution he’s made to the local theatre community – as a performer and a director. He was a recipient of a Merritt Award this past spring for his work in Fool For Love (F4L Productions). 

On both the large and small screens,  Richard has made a lasting impression across this nation – appearing as the lovestruck Dr. Burnley on the series Emily of New Moon and countless other films and television productions.

Mary-Colin Chisholm introduces Life Membership honouree Richard Donat.

Cleiff Le Jeune introduced the second honouree, Marguerite McNeil, speaking of the tremendous impact, as a teacher and performer, she made on him and so many other young Cape Breton performers over the years.

Life member Marguerite McNeil breaks up National President Richard Hardacre.

Marguerite has worked on stages throughout Atlantic Canada.  She received tremendous notices for her work as the ailing mother in the classic Atlantic Canadian film, Marion Bridge.  Receiving her Life membership from National President Richard Hardacre, she delivered a powerful speech in which she reminisced about the struggles her father underwent on behalf of the Miner’s union  in Glace Bay at a time when a strike meant suffering beatings at the hands of the Pinkerton men.  It was a rousing affirmation of the dignity of workers and the legacy upon which the trade union movement is founded which everyone present on their feet. 

ACTRA Re-elects Richard Hardacre as National President

Toronto – The governing National Council of ACTRA has re-elected Richard Hardacre as National President for another term. Hardacre is Past President of ACTRA Toronto and has been a member of ACTRA’s National Council for 11 years. Hardacre shepherded the 21,000-strong ACTRA membership through its first strike, which lasted six weeks beginning in early January, 2007.

National President Richard Hardacre presents Maritimes member Marguerite McNeil with a Life Membership during the Maritimes Annual General Meeting, May 2007.

Commenting on his re-election Hardacre said, “The Canadian performers of ACTRA participated in a major victory this year through our negotiations, and the first strike in our 64-year history. It was our only choice to protect our future earnings in new media, those to which we and our families have a right. We are duly proud of the Canadian industry and our place in it. So, it’s now time to put this union’s determination into restoring conditions for Canadian production, particularly dramatic content for television and film. This essential work reflects the culture of our peoples.”

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A Gift from the Pacific

Councillors John O’Keefe and Jamie Bradley and Branch Rep Gary Vermeir display our gift from the Union of British Columbia Performers.

With all the craziness of the strike and its aftermath, it is easy to forget that this is a big year for ACTRA Maritimes – we’re 40 this year!

We marked this landmark with a party last October which was attended by the National President, Richard Hardacre, and the National Executive. Almost immdediately after, all of ACTRA became consumed with the drama of IPA negotiations and the subsequent labour action – the first in our history.

Once the dust settled and we had our new IPA in hand, we were surprised to receive a very large box from the offices of our Vancouver branch – the Union of British Columbia Performers. Now, even though the folks at UBCP had been locked in their own very difficult negotiations, punctuated with all the brinksmanship and shennanigans that marked the IPA talks, they still did not forget their brothers and sisters on the other coast. For out of that big box emerged a beautiful carved Haida paddle – a gift from our British Columbia colleagues for our 40th birthday!

A plaque on the paddle reads as follows:

“Presented to ACTRA Maritimes in recognition of your 40th Anniversary by the Union of British Columbia Performers (BC Branch of ACTRA). When we keep our paddles in the water and pull together, we achieve great things”

Indeed we do. From the Branch Council of ACTRA Maritimes goes a heartfelt thank-you to our good friend, UBCP President Howard Storey, the UBCP Council, and CEO Mercedes Watson and her staff. Their thoughtful gift will grace our lobby for the next forty years!