ANNA THEODOSAKIS: I’d love to ask you how you got your start in the industry.
TOM DIAMOND: I’ve always been interested in the theatre. And I was a child actor.
A: Me too!
T: And where was that?
A: In Vancouver, and where was that for you?
T: Winnipeg, Manitoba. I call Winnipeg the entertainment capital of Manitoba by default. And Winnipeg was a great place to grow up in because, even though it was amazingly isolated from the rest of the world. We had a theatre company, a symphony orchestra, a world class ballet company, a modern dance company, and an art gallery. There was also an opera company there, too, but I don’t remember much of Manitoba Opera when I was living in Winnipeg. It wasn’t really an interest to me at the time because I wanted to be an actor. So, I was a child actor. At the time, CBC Winnipeg was doing film and TV and radio production and by the time I was 10 years old, I had my Equity [Canadian Actors Equity Association] card.
A: Wow, that’s amazing!
T: It is kind of amazing. In my generation, I didn’t know anyone who was growing up saying, “I want to be a director.” So, my idea was, I was going to be an actor once I got through my adolescence. During that whole time I was also seriously playing the piano. I think I studied piano for 12 years and that solid classical piano background proved to be invaluable to me. Did you study music as well?
A: I did. I was in choirs, I studied piano, and flute. And yes the piano has served me well. I went to UBC and did my undergrad, and MMus, as a soprano in the opera program. And then after my MMus I switched into directing.
T: What made you make the switch to directing?
It was kind of gradual. While I was at UBC, because I had a dance background, Nancy Hermiston [UBC voice and opera Chair] let me choreograph a lot of the shows. So, I got to stand back and be on the other side of the table for a bit. And eventually, I thought, maybe I don’t want to just [oversee] the dances. Maybe, one day, I’d like to oversee the whole production. Also, it was one thing to be in charge of a character, but I was always. So, I did both in the summer and I really liked this directing stuff. And then we had a staging and directing class at UBC, and it was my favorite class. So, then I was encouraged to apply for UofT’s directing program with the opera school, and I ended up going there, and after the first day of class with Michael Albano I was like, ‘Oh, this is exactly what I’m supposed to do.’ And I never turned back. How about you, how did you make the shift from performer to director?
