about vivien
I'm a Toronto based actor, creator and facilitator who grew up playing pretend so much my parents eventually let me do it professionally.
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Here I am working on my first film set
Since then, I've been working in voice over, radio, theatre, film and tv for the better part of two decades. I took breaks along the way and fully recommitted to this life in my twenties.
my practical experience
My recent credits include guest roles in Transplant (CTV/NBC), Murdoch Mysteries (CBC) and Molly McGlynn's latest feature Bloody Hell, premiering at SXSW in 2023. You can also catch me in the feature film Clouds streaming on Disney + and in the comedy​ series New Eden (Crave TV). I've featured in numerous other films and a bunch of tv series. I was nominated for an ACTRA Outstanding Performance Award for my work in the feature film The Shape of Rex. Check out my IMDB here.
Actors I've coached have starred in recent films Something You Said Last Night (Toronto International Film Festival premiere, TIFF Rising Star awarded to Carmen Madonia) and Women Talking (Toronto International Film Festival Selection, Oscar Nomination for Best Picture). I had the honour of shadowing Sarah Polley during the filming of Women Talking and highly recommend her book Run Towards The Danger to everyone I work with.
I also love working in the theatre and I've had the pleasure of performing with a bunch of great Canadian theatre companies including; The National Arts Centre, Tarragon Theatre, Canadian Stage, Nightwood Theatre, Crow's, YPT, Factory, Volcano, The Coal Mine, Studio 180 and Summerworks. I was nominated for two Dora Mavor Moore Outstanding Lead Performance Awards for my work in Guarded Girls (Tarragon) and Lo or Dear Mr. Wells (Nightwood).
my training
I'm a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre Actor's Conservatory as well as the Centre for Actor Training at Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts. I spent four years at the University of Toronto studying Women, Gender and Equity Theory with a Minor in Film and Drama Theory. I've trained intensively with esteemed acting teachers Rae Ellen Bodie, Lindy Davies and Larry Moss and with internationally revered voice teacher, Kristin Linklater. I draw heavily on my experience with Freeing the Natural Voice and the Linklater vocal progression in my work with clients.
I'm a certified life and wellness coach with Canada Coach Academy, where I am currently a candidate for ICF certification.
I'm studying with master coach Tara Mohr, to become a qualified facilitator of her Playing Big model. I continue to deepen my training in mindfulness, embodiment and self compassion.
my approach
My approach to coaching is rooted in a wholistic framework combining cognitive, emotional, creative and somatic practices that support personal well being. Much of what I offer also includes comprehensive on camera training and career consultation for performers.
A coaching relationship is a partnership. I will listen deeply, ask questions, poke holes, offer feedback and we will co-create a container for you to connect with your inner wisdom, discover, explore and reach for new possibilities. Every artist is different and the strategies I use as a coach are tailored to each individual's needs.
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My personal values of compassion, curiosity and respect deeply inform the way I approach my work.
I employ an explicitly feminist, queer, intersectional lens that actively aims to resist exclusionary systems of oppression. I strive to acknowledge my own privilege within these systems and within the coaching relationship while holding space for and honouring the lived experiences of everyone I work with. The frameworks I engage with directly address the complexities of working within an industry that we also seek to change.
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The aim of our work together is to help you find ways to help yourself.
We will create space for you to identify what you need to do your best work and let go of what's no longer serving you so that you can harness your inner confidence, move forward in alignment with what matters to you and keep making your brilliant art.
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feel free to be in touch, I love hearing from you.
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