Q2

Say that Toronto is your new lover and Vancouver is your ex-lover. Compare and contrast the two accordingly.

Toronto is passionate, sexy, a little dangerous. Toronto compels me to unleash my wilder side; to behave erratically sometimes. With Toronto, I can wear a mask and play a role; become someone mysterious with no past. Toronto is okay with me seeing lots of different people and encouraging me to find myself. Toronto takes me to places I literally have never been. Toronto keeps me guessing, keeps me captivated. Toronto plays its cards a little closer to its chest…which means I gotta be the one to ask the questions; to dig beneath the surface.

Vancouver is a safe, comfortable and predictable companion. Vancouver is so gorgeous; so pristine…and yet so boring. Vancouver has known me my whole life, has seen me grow up, fail, succeed, and knows me inside out. Vancouver refuses to let me pretend to be someone else; to be impulsive; to fake a more exciting version of myself. Vancouver lulls me into being a complacent woman, living a complacent life who sees no need to question the status quo. Vancouver is easy to navigate. I could find it with my eyes closed…I know exactly where to go, how to get there, how long it will take to get there and what to expect when I arrive. There are no surprises. There is no climax in repetition.

Q3

What has surprised you the most about Toronto?

The number of parks and green spaces! Something I always thought Vancouver had the right to be smug about…but there are more parks here.

Q4

Describe your perfect Toronto-centric day—where you are and what you’re doing.

Brisk stroll in the fall air through Phinn Parkette, sun beating down, feet crunching through leaves. Hop on the subway and head to Kensington for lunch at Wanda's Pie in the Sky. Mmm…

Cruise around Kenginston and Chinatown. Walk around the University district, taking photos of the gorgeous brick buildings and stained glass. Hit Queen Street West for shopping (mostly of the window variety). Hop a streetcar and make my way to the Distillery for dinner, a brewski and maybe some live jazz. Trundle home to Greektown, and if I still have room; a late night frozen yogurt :)

Q5

What do you miss the most about Vancouver?

I miss the mountains…even though I'm not a skier or snowboarder: something about not having them in my landscape anymore does make me feel sad. I miss the smell of salt and seaweed that you can only get from the ocean (as big as the lake is, it just doesn't smell right). Cheap, delicious sushi (here, it seems it only be one or the other). The sea to sky highway. Breathtaking views, and feeling truly blended with nature.

Q6

Have you ever had a contentious conversation about the virtues of Toronto vs. Vancouver, and if so, give us the gist here.

Oh, sure :) Most Vancouver supporters default to how beautiful a place it is, how the pace of life is manageable, how people are more polite. Toronto supporters will argue that Vancouver has no culture (it's a dead town), that there is way more happening culturally here, that there's more diversity in the population and that people aren't so much rude as they are straightforward and open to talking to you…that Vancouverites are so caught up in their personal space that they barely even make eye contact with each other.

Q7

If a large part of the Vancouver experience revolves around nature and the views, as one may suggest it does, what is the Toronto experience?

Culture. Galleries, museums, music festivals, jazz, the Royal Conservatory, Stratford, Shaw, TIFF film fest, street parties, ethnic festivals, Nuit Blanche, Carribean Festivals, Taste of the Danforth….the list goes on.

Q8

What has Toronto done for your artistic practice?

In the two months that I've been here, I've been able to submit for several auditions (theatre and commercial); have made impressions with several agents and casting directors; and landed a principal role in a commercial. There is so much going on here, that even the non-union casting notices are for larger scale projects with actual budgets! The opportunities are head and shoulders above what I could do in Vancouver.

Q9

Which place really gets you—Vancouver or Toronto—and why?

Good question. I'm still too new to Toronto to really answer that in an informed way. Vancouver is my hometown; I grew up there, it's the stomping grounds for my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood. As such, my personality has been shaped by my environment. I love hiking, nature, mountains, the ocean; I'm environmentally conscious and still do what I can to reduce my carbon footprint. I hate crowds…and people sometimes. So…I'm a quintessential west coast girl. But my true calling is that I'm an actor. And one who is craving a large cultural centre so that I can actually make a living practising my craft and living my bliss. Only Toronto is really in a position to support that, at least for now.

Q10

Do you think it’s going to last—this thing between you and Toronto?

Well, it's still the honeymoon phase :) But I'm smitten!! Weddin' bells, they may be a-chimin'…..

Q2

Say that Toronto is your new lover and Vancouver is your ex-lover. Compare and contrast the two accordingly.

I feel guilty for saying it, but Toronto is more experienced, more satisfying, more confident, and more expressive. It’s not a step up to trade Vancouver’s tight yoga pants for Toronto’s tight jeans, but now that Toronto is feeding me the most incredible food, all tight pants are a distant memory for me and I have new affection for Toronto’s sleeping-bag winter jackets.

Q3

What has surprised you the most about Toronto?

How much people like to wave at cyclists . . . with their middle fingers . . . while yelling profanities.

Q4

Describe your perfect Toronto-centric day—where you are and what you’re doing.

I am walking, riding my bike, and hopping on transit to explore this place and its never-ending offerings of pubs and art. A good day for me includes the beach and nosing around some historical building. So much to take in. At any time of day or night you’re not alone if you’re walking down the street. There are free events happening all over the city all the time.

Q5

What do you miss the most about Vancouver?

Sweet Cherubim’s chocolate bliss balls. Duran Cruickshank & James Coomber and an incredible network of friends and colleagues. The wedding ring I lost somewhere on Spanish Banks.

Q6

Have you ever had a contentious conversation about the virtues of Toronto vs. Vancouver, and if so, give us the gist here.

I have found myself defending Toronto to long-time Torontonians a few times. They seem tired of it, jaded. I take this to mean that I, too, will get bored with my lust for Toronto.

I can’t count how many times I’ve told someone I moved here from Vancouver and their response was, “WHY?!!” My husband and I have started answering with, “Vancouver has waaaay too many fire-breathing dragons. We just had to get away.”

Q7

If a large part of the Vancouver experience revolves around nature and the views, as one may suggest it does, what is the Toronto experience?

Community and culture. Also, smoking on public patios.

Q8

What has Toronto done for your artistic practice?

Toronto is maturing me. I put my artistic practice to sleep (intentionally) when I moved to Toronto. I had to in order to pursue this degree. Toronto represents a personal isolation from my artistic peers and connections that I couldn’t (and would never want to) cut while living in Vancouver. As a result, I’ve been able to reflect on my craft, my intentions, and my goals and what I’m learning is incredibly valuable. I flirt with my creative urges every so often because I am working on a grad project which merges Theatre Creation with online Information-Seeking Practices.

Q9

Which place really gets you—Vancouver or Toronto—and why?

TORONTO. There’s no explaining that connection you feel with a person or a place when it’s really right. I’m my best self living here (though my best self drinks more beer than my almost-best self in Vancouver).

Q10

Do you think it’s going to last—this thing between you and Toronto?

Probably. But then, I loved tight yoga pants for a while, too.

Q2

Say that Toronto is your new lover and Vancouver is your ex-lover. Compare and contrast the two accordingly.

Toronto has brown hair, which you like, but not your favourite cut. Vancouver has twelve inches of died blonde hair. Toronto is harsh and snappy but also loves cuddling, which you find surprising, given the snappiness. Vancouver holds your hand loosely (her palms are always wet). Toronto will do: you have similar beliefs, you both like good food, you’re both equal parts tough and high-maintenance, and she can walk fast, which is important to you. Vancouver gives you head, and you give Vancouver head, but you avoid the big issues that might take the whole thing down. And you like those white moccasins Vancouver pads around in. You’d like slippers like hers but your feet are too big. You’ve never seen a person give a shit about shoe size in Toronto.

Q3

What has surprised you the most about Toronto?

That people were bookish and friendly and wanting to chat, at least to WASPy me. That people tell me I look Jewish constantly (a compliment; taken). How dispersed and ubiquitous the homelessness is. How flat and vast it is (you can see the CN tower from Etobicoke). That there’s no view, no mountain to look to, no thing to look up and see.

Q4

Describe your perfect Toronto-centric day—where you are and what you’re doing.

Running around doing things that suit me but worrying: am I a yuppy now, now, how about now, oh now I am, yes, there it is, here it is.

That said:

• the lakeshore
• the look of streetcars
• the font in subway stations and public schools
• the fruiteries in Roncesvalles
• all the Victorian architecture
• the bookstores, the cultural events I don’t attend, the etc. etc. of it all

Q5

What do you miss the most about Vancouver?

The physical beauty of it. And my skin is nicer there.

Q6

Have you ever had a contentious conversation about the virtues of Toronto vs. Vancouver, and if so, give us the gist here.

Mostly people agree with me. Or they are from Vancouver and not sure how to argue.

Q7

If a large part of the Vancouver experience revolves around nature and the views, as one may suggest it does, what is the Toronto experience?

Efficient. Product-oriented. Rushed. Consumer-friendly.

Q8

What has Toronto done for your artistic practice?

Made me focus, channel the protestant work ethic, be overly focused on a finished product and success. Though that might be age. A lot of this might be age.

Q9

Which place really gets you—Vancouver or Toronto—and why?

Neither. But Toronto’s much closer.

Q10

Do you think it’s going to last—this thing between you and Toronto?

It’s a highly successful relationship of convenience, which has become comfortable. And sometimes the slower loves are the ones that last, the ones that really count in the end.

Q2

Say that Toronto is your new lover and Vancouver is your ex-lover. Compare and contrast the two accordingly.

Vancouver is very good looking. As a lover, I’d say I was taken with the calculated, yet rugged good looks of Vancouver. He took me out to restaurants I loved, he was clean, his apartment was clean, he was sexy, but kind of selfish and vain. It turns out, though I loved him, he was more in love with himself than I had realized. He’s just a lot more shallow than I had originally thought. I still miss him though. Or is it the fantasy that I miss?

Toronto is friendlier, more down to earth without being earthy. Toronto is one of those guys who tells you how he feels, and tells you more directly. It can hurt your feelings sometimes, but at least he is being honest with you. I’m not in love with Toronto either. He is also kind of wrapped up with himself, but at least his ventures are interesting and his life seems fuller than the last guy’s. He’s not as sexy, or maybe he’s just sexy in a more neurotic way. My Vancouver guy took me out for oysters but I eat more sandwiches in Toronto. I don't mind because I like a good sandwich, but I thought they would be cheaper. My Toronto lover isn’t as low maintenance as I’d hoped for either, but he is more realistic, and we have more to do together.

Q3

What has surprised you the most about Toronto?

How much I still miss Vancouver, though it may not make sense.

Q4

Describe your perfect Toronto-centric day—where you are and what you’re doing.

First of all, on my perfect day, I have child care. I am an exhausted mom so really my perfect day is going to a hotel for 24 hours, putting out the “Do Not Disturb” sign, ordering room service and sleeping. But if I did that first, and then had another day, I'd want to take in theatre, maybe a festival like SummerWorks and see a bunch of shows and go to the beer garden and eat at a hole in the wall. Or go to TIFF and just see film after film after film. I guess I am feeling culturally deprived as a mommy, and would pounce at the chance to take in some shows. I'd like to roam around Little Italy too. Check out High Park. Get a roti. See some art. Now that I think about it, I've always been curious about that Bata Shoe Museum.....is it just shoes in there?

Q5

What do you miss the most about Vancouver?

Jericho beach, Kits, walking by the ocean, seeing seals in my neighbourhood (and once a whale), the sky in the west at sunset, the smell of salt air, the restaurants, that west coast vibe, the feeling of magic, driving 15-minutes from my house and walking in the rainforest. I had more a sense of community there, though to be fair I haven’t sought it out here, have been a bit of a shut in. I miss The Ridge movie theatre, but I hear that is gone now....

Q6

Have you ever had a contentious conversation about the virtues of Toronto vs. Vancouver, and if so, give us the gist here.

No, usually I say I miss Vancouver and people roll their eyes, which I also do inwardly. I have had conversations with Andrew Templeton and Jill Margo, and I usually just feel that they are right in the end about how much better Toronto is and that I have a romantic thing for Vancouver. Though I do know some Vancouverites that hate Toronto. I mean, I left Vancouver for a lot of reasons, but Toronto is no prince charming either.

Q7

If a large part of the Vancouver experience revolves around nature and the views, as one may suggest it does, what is the Toronto experience?

Culture and diversity.

Q8

What has Toronto done for your artistic practice?

Actually, I've experienced a few rejections for grants here, which took me by surprise. I was really confident about the project because I had received some aplomb in Vancouver. So now I feel like Toronto has rejected me, same as Vancouver. Those lovers were both dicks.

I'm in a fantastic play development festival though (Laura in What You Want). Now that I think of it, there aren’t that many of those, at least at this calibre, in Vancouver.

Q9

Which place really gets you—Vancouver or Toronto—and why?

Vancouver. I don't know why. Because I like torturing myself, maybe? I think there is something mystical about the west coast that people respond to. I just have a more wide open feeling there. I feel I have more of a place there. Maybe it’s the geography and the air that I connect to there. The smell. I also knew more of the literary scene there. I don't yet get Toronto, so maybe when I get Toronto it will get me.

Toronto also intimidates me a little. Not the city as much as the artistic community. I’m trying to find a way of becoming less of an outsider. Trying to feel good enough for the theatre or film community here to accept me. There are more people here competing and I’m a bit anxious to throw my little hat in the big ring. What I'm not sure of yet: Is Toronto a bigger risk taker than Vancouver?

Toronto triggers my insecurity. But then again, I think every place triggers my insecurity.

I do feel hope for Toronto, though because it is a place where people are supported in creating new things, more so than Vancouver, which is ultimately why I came. At least, that is what I've heard and the Beyond Buzz Festival itself is evidence of that. BUT, I might point out, What You Want is a project that was born and brought to life in Vancouver, initially.

Q10

Do you think it’s going to last—this thing between you and Toronto?

No.

Q2

Say that Toronto is your new lover and Vancouver is your ex-lover. Compare and contrast the two accordingly.

Vancouver is that lover where you have a few fantastic moments of sunshine with seemingly endless months of isolation and self-doubt. Happiest moments in the relationship include time on boats in the heat of the summer, driving around Stanley Park and out to the islands, with the mountains at my back. Worst moments are the evenings where all there is to do is stay at home and watch the fog.

Toronto is the lover who always wants you to leave the house and go for a drink—even when it’s so damn cold outside that all you want to do is stay home with a cup of hot cocoa! I find myself feeling guilty on days when I do not leave the house because I know I am missing out on something, somewhere.

Q3

What has surprised you the most about Toronto?

Toronto loves Vancouver. Why does Vancouver hate Toronto? When we told people we were moving, the almost universal reaction was “Why???”

Q4

Describe your perfect Toronto-centric day—where you are and what you’re doing.

Walking up to the cute little warehouse-coffee shop up the road for a thick, rich caramel latte to go, continuing walking through the streets up to Kensington market where I pick up fresh vegetables, sample cheeses, and purchase spices for ludicrously low prices. Head down Queen Street and back home to make pizza from scratch and head out for a quick bike ride around the harbour. Head up to Paully’s Pub for some trivia with a few other Vancouver friends, then back home on the street car.

Q5

What do you miss the most about Vancouver?

Relaxation. People in Toronto take life too seriously sometimes. I feel like telling people that it’s okay not to do EVERYTHING. Sometimes doing nothing is just brilliant.

Q6

Have you ever had a contentious conversation about the virtues of Toronto vs. Vancouver, and if so, give us the gist here.

Well, really, mostly from Vancouverites. Basically, it’s too noisy, ugly, no mountains, too much crime, thinks it’s New York, no good restaurants and doesn’t care about the rest of Canada, centre of the universe etc. All I’ve really heard of Torontonians bad-mouthing Vancouverites is that Vancouverites don’t know how to dress themselves. And since going back to visit, I’m not sure they’re wrong! (This comes from walking mostly down King and Queen Street for the past nine months).

Q7

If a large part of the Vancouver experience revolves around nature and the views, as one may suggest it does, what is the Toronto experience?

I think the Toronto experience is about having a little piece of everything at your fingertips. You can be on the busiest street in the city and – oh – what’s that? A quiet side street with a little kid on a bike? Yes! Or, you can be in a little suburban neighborhood, and – oh – there’s a theatre show happening over there in the basement. I like that. I like that there are different neighborhoods with their own flavour. I’m in love with the Danforth. There are tree-lined streets that I find when walking that make we want to skip down them because they are so beautiful. And little boutique shops. And warehouse lofts. And condos in the old rail yards. Diversions and places to live for everyone and every taste. And if not, well, take a train or a plane and you’re somewhere else lickety-split.

Q8

What has Toronto done for your artistic practice?

Reminded me that I am responsible for my own education. Classes here are expensive, and I have found that I am returning more to my books and my own self-disciplined work than just seeking out new teachers to throw my money at. It’s also changed how I feel about seasons and wind. I used to love wind; now I have a love/hate relationship. I HATE Toronto wind. It is cold and unwelcome, especially by the lake. It’s beautiful when it forms the white caps on the lake, but it makes me hate walking outside. I LOVE Toronto wind in the summer. It is the only thing that keeps me sane. I guess like with any lover, Toronto pushes me away with its persistence in involving itself in my daily activities, and then woos me back with that same persistence.

Q9

Which place really gets you—Vancouver or Toronto—and why?

I love cities. I love action. I love that when I walk out of my door in Toronto there are endless possibilities for my day. This is my Toronto—it gets that I need options to thrive and to inspire my creativity.

But I love the peace of Vancouver—the stillness of sitting in the snow with my snowboard up at Whistler and hearing the gentle wind in the trees.

It’s a fight for my love right now. It’s really too early to tell which place gets me.

Q10

Do you think it’s going to last—this thing between you and Toronto?

Well, I think we stand a good chance together. That is, unless I get run over by a taxi or one of the infinite number of crazy drivers who think they are New Yorkers...