My guest today is Theresa Tova

linkedin.com/in/theresa-tova-33139a20

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0869797/

Theresa or as her friends know her, Tova, is an award-winning Canadian actress, singer, and playwright. With several nominations to boot. Including a Gemini Award nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for her role as Marge Atherton in TV series E.N.G., a Canadian Screen Award nomination for her work in For the Record, and two Dora award nominations for her portrayal of Mrs. Van Daan in the Diary of Anne Frank.

Her play Still the Night, based on her mothers experiences surviving the holocaust, and which she also starred in, won several Dora Mavor Moore Awards and was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama.

Tova tours internationally headlining major festivals in Amsterdam, Argentina, Germany, Poland, and New York. And Her three CD’s of Yiddish Jazz have won rave reviews.

As an arts activist Tova served as President of ACTRA Toronto, and continues to serve as Treasurer of ACTRA National. She co-chairs the Association of Acting Coaches and Educators, and The Entertainment Industry Coalition. Tova is a recipient of the Cliff Pilkey Labour Activist Award, the 2025 King Charles lll Coronation Medal and is the 2025 Cayle Chernin Woman of the year.

Tova shared some of her experiences growing up in the shadow of a holocaust survivor, and how that played out in her acting. Her passion for advocating for women and children’s rights in the entertainment industry is palpable and honorable.

Our Guest today is Tyee Tilghman & Shaina Fawn

Co-founders of Wellbeing in Entertainment and Creative Arts (WECA)

https://www.wellbeinginentertainment.org/

WECA is a non-profit based in Los Angeles whose mission is to bring wellbeing standards to the entertainment industry in the USA. WECA is guided by trauma-informed principles, by which the health, safety, and wellbeing of artists and entertainment workers are prioritized throughout the entire creative process, from pre- to post-production.

Tyee is an actor, filmmaker and educator. He’s a lover of the human experience, and the variations of interpretation based on the eyes and ears of the beholder. He holds an MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre, and is a student of life and human behavior. His deep interest in the care of his fellow artists keeps him passionate and driven to ensure care is provided for all involved in the process of sharing stories of the human experience.

Shaina is a licensed clinical social worker. She has been in the mental health field for nearly 20 years and has experience in child welfare, hospice, medical social work, and integrated care. She is currently working on a P.H.D. exploring mental health and wellbeing for workers in the entertainment industry.

Our conversation centered on the reasons why they started WECA, the challenges they face, The simplicity of integrating trauma-informed practices in production, and how they practice in their own lives what they preach.

Our guest today is Vivien Parry

http://vivienparry.com/home/

Vivien is a seasoned actress with a robust career spanning stage, screen, and radio. Her theatrical resume features performances in renowned productions like Les Miserables, Cabaret, Mamma Mia!, and Top Hat. She has collaborated with esteemed directors such as Trevor Nunn, John Caird, Rachel Kavanaugh, Christopher Luscombe, Terry Hands and Rebecca Frecknall. She’s tread the boards at the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Playhouse, and Aldwych Theatre among others and has toured extensively. Her work encompasses genres, ranging from classic musicals to contemporary dramas. She’s also appeared in television shows like Holby City, Crash, and Beauty and the Beast.

Vivien is 18 years sober. Our conversation covered her relationship to her Higher Power as she understands it and the power of human connection - in life and in theatre. In 2025 she’s reprising her role in Cabaret. A role that had intense parallels to her own life when she first portrayed it. In our discussion she shares how, her unhealthy marriage informed her characters emotional life. Now that her marriage has ended, Vivien is seizing the opportunity to revisit the same role— to heal her tumultuous experience during her first run of the play and to heal her relationship to the character she portrayed.