ALUMNUS PROFILE

Keith is a Montreal-based composer who works across North America, creating music for theatre, television and movies.

Summer 2014 marked Keith's 24th season at the Stratford Festival, where he composed the music for King Lear and Mother Courage and Her Children. He returns to the Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis) in October 2014 as the composer and musical director for A Christmas Carol, as he has been for a number of years, and for A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Joe Dowling in his farewell season as artistic director of The Guthrie, from February 7 to March 29, 2015.

Keith, you designed the sound for two productions, King Lear and Mother Courage and Her Children. Can you tell us more about them?

The two productions are very different. King Lear is very heavy on sound design and very light on what I would actually call "music." At first, we thought that there would be music throughout the show. As we worked through the script, though, we pared the music down to its bare essentials. In the end, the production is very stark musically, although the audience will experience a constant stream of sounds, such as wind, storms, etc. which were brilliantly handled by Thomas Ryder Payne.

On the other hand, in David Edgar's new translation of Mother Courage and Her Children, there are many songs and I had the joyful task of coming up with original music for his superb lyrics. The music in the show is performed live each night and apart from musical director Laura Burton on accordion and keyboards, all the musical accompaniment is provided by the actors themselves! They are such a gifted cast. I really "lucked out." We are placing the musicians as far apart on stage as we can so that each member of the audience can experience a sense of "surround sound." Wherever you sit in the hall, it is a slightly different show, because the configuration of the performers providing the music will be different.

You graduated from the NTS Acting program; what motivated you to move towards a career in music?

Music has always been a big part of my life. I never studied composition formally. I guess I sort of learned on the job. I played in wedding bands, rock bands, high school concert bands, and big band jazz ensembles. My parents forced me to take piano lessons and I hated it; I hated the discipline but loved the music.

I considered studying music at university, but I didn’t want to risk losing my love for it, so I chose to protect it and keep it as a hobby. At NTS, I found that I was playing music constantly, writing and performing music in our student productions. I also played on the street and at metro stations for beer money (with fellow classmate Ken Brown) while I was at theatre school. I sang, played washtub bass, harmonica, recorder, sax, and any other wind instrument I could get my hands on.

Eventually, after acting at Stratford for five seasons and often using my musical abilities – either singing in musicals or performing as the leader of the all-girl band in Cabaret (playing saxophone on stage, in drag!) – I started building up my music studio and made the leap into a full-time composing career. Back at that time, the amazing new world of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, and computer music was suddenly accessible and I just couldn't resist! It was a risky move and it has worked out very well.

And to be honest, my occasional experiences with stage fright made my decision to switch careers to a life in music even easier.

How long ago was that?

I switched from acting to music in 1989, 25 years ago.

What’s the starting point when composing a soundtrack?

The script, of course, is the launch pad. In the case of Mother Courage, I couldn’t start writing the songs until we had settled on which translation we were using.

Once the script has been settled, the most important thing is the director’s vision. If I can get in sync with the director and embrace their vision, then together we can make a very powerful piece of theatre. If I’m fighting the director’s vision, it’s going to be a mess!

My goal is to understand exactly what the director wants to do, the overall intent of the show and the type of impact we want to have on the audience, moment to moment in the production.

Tell us about your process.

Generally, once I have the script, I'll read it a few times and mark all the spots where I think we may want music. I'll also make some notes as to the quality or "feel" of the music and maybe try writing a few off-the-cuff, instinctive musical ideas. After that I'll meet with the director to go through the play and compare our notes as to the placement and feel of the music. Once I understand the director's vision, I’ll begin recording musical sketches for those spots, if I haven't already started that process. Often I'll experiment with several very different musical ideas for each spot. And the collaborative process, the dialog between composer and director, is off and running! From this point on it's often as easy as sending an email to the director, with mp3 attachments, for almost instant feedback.

If there are actual songs in the show, as in Mother Courage, I find it extremely helpful to know the casting as soon as possible. It's a great advantage if I can fit the music to the actor’s ability. If I know which actor is singing the song then I can write the song specifically for the strengths of that person. It’s the same as a custom made suit: if a tailor knows the person’s body and measurements, he can make a much better fitting suit, rather than defaulting to "one size fits all."

How long does that process take?

Well, I love doing this work, so I like to start as early as I can. I would rather make less money in my life and be able to devote more time to each project. For me, that's my idea of fun. So I start as early as possible. I enjoy it more when I have the music for a show basically written before we start rehearsals. Of course I know that the music may totally change in the course of rehearsals, but I like to have a solid starting place.

Do you miss acting? Do you think it’s something you’ll ever do again?

I guess you could say, as a composer I get to act all the parts. When I write a song for a character or even an underscore for a scene, I'm still drawing on my acting skills and theatrical intuition. I've been on both sides and I know how helpful or how devastatingly harmful an underscore can be to an actor. My experience of having worn both hats is that as a composer I feel even more creative, since I get to co-create the world that the director is envisioning, rather than step into a world already created for me, as was often my experience as an actor. So, no...no strong yearning to get back on the boards. I feel totally fulfilled being able to spend my time working and playing with music.

Where do you go, sit or pace on opening night?!

Basically I feel like a proud papa at my openings. I love watching the actors soar, like birds finally set free.

When you hear your music, what kind of effect does it have on you?

It can be really thrilling. Once we make it to opening night, it’s no longer my music, it’s other people singing and playing – as in the case of Mother Courage. It’s no longer mine – it’s theirs.

What’s next for you after the Stratford season?

I’ll be composer and musical director for A Christmas Carol again at the Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis) , as I have been for a number of years. We’ll be rehearsing in October. Also in Minneapolis, I will be composing and musical directing A Midsummer Night's Dream this winter, directed by Joe Dowling in his farewell season as artistic director of The Guthrie. I've lost count but I think it's our ninth production of Midsummer together! What a blessing it has been to revisit, enhance and expand the music for that hilarious romp of a play!

How did you hear about the School and what attracted you to come here?

I grew up in Edmonton. I had no theatre training, but it seemed to come naturally for me and people encouraged me. So, after attending the Banff Centre, I went to Vancouver on a whim to become a professional actor. Nothing happened: I was a waiter for a year. Eventually, I got a couple of small acting jobs. I landed the role of Frosty the Snowman in a semi-amateur Christmas pageant and got to lip sync Frosty's theme song inside a giant snowman costume. I was thrilled actually... but I realized I needed more training. I auditioned for the Vancouver Playhouse and didn’t get in; I thought, Okay, I guess I’m not that good! But then I auditioned for NTS and got lucky. Anyway, going to theatre school in Montreal was the most wonderful thing that could have happened to me. It was eye-opening to be in another culture and it was the perfect time for me in my life to explore a whole new world, in and outside the School. And explore, I did.

What are some of the lessons you learned at NTS that have guided your career?

It wasn’t until my second year that the penny dropped for me regarding what acting was all about. I was playing Florindo in A Servant for Two Masters, a commedia dell’arte piece. Florindo is a very pompous, macho, vain character who takes himself very seriously. Everything he did was very big and dramatic – just oozing with confidence. And that was not me at all! But somehow, I started to try some things and got a very positive response from the director, Perry Schneiderman, and my classmates. For the first time, I felt that I had the right, as an actor, to follow my instincts. It was a milestone for me.

Then in my third year, after weeping uncontrollably in a dark alley, feeling a complete failure after a verbal altercation with a director, I dusted myself off and carried on. Another milestone. A lesson in survival. Very important.

What words of wisdom would you give NTS graduates starting their career?

Trust yourself and persevere.

I would also say that if you’re a good actor in Canada, you’re going to be a good actor on an international level. A good example of this is Colm Feore (Acting, 1980), who was a year ahead of me at NTS and who is playing the lead in King Lear at Stratford this year. The first time I saw him doing Shakespeare at the School, I thought, Wow, this guy speaks the language like it’s natural to him, like he eats it for breakfast! I actually understand him when he speaks Shakespeare's text! He was such an inspiration then and continues to be.

I always thought that, coming from Edmonton, I could never be as good as someone from New York, for instance. However, as I get older, I see that we grassroots people are the ones who are making changes and impacting the theatre community around the world.

So, never give up hope. What you do will have an impact.