Artistic director takes final bow at Passe Muraille
The 2018/2019 season will be the last for Andy McKim at Theatre Passe Muraille. On June 1 next year, he will officially step down after 12 years as artistic director of the company, Toronto’s oldest alternative-venue theatre company. Though McKim says he has been thinking about the end of his term since he started the job in 2007, the decision to leave was made less than two weeks ago, at which point it was shared with TPM staff and the board of directors. The historic theatre becomes the latest in the Toronto theatre industry to undergo a change in leadership, following Canadian Stage’s replacement of Matthew Jocelyn with Brendan Healy this year and coinciding with Soulpepper Theatre’s current search for a new artistic director.
“The dynamic tension for me is renewal. When is the best time for renewal for the institution and when is the best time for renewal for me?” McKim told the Star from his office, which he shares with general manager Regine Cadet, located kitty-corner from the theatre at 16 Ryerson Ave., built in 1902 as the Nasmith Bakery and Stables and purchased by the company in 1975 with the proceeds of the highly successful, highly controversial collective creation I Love You, Baby Blue.
Under the artistic directorship of Paul Thompson, the theatre was known for its collaborative esthetic and progressive politics in the formative 1970s era of Canadian theatre. But when McKim took over in 2007 — the theatre’s 40th anniversary — Theatre Passe Muraille was in financial peril, facing a $500,000 deficit on an annual operating budget of roughly $1.2 million. Then the City of Toronto moved in, purchasing the building and leasing it back to the company for $2 a year, plus a $20,000 annual contribution to maintenance and upkeep.
“I was probably crazy to feel this way, but I thought it was wonderful because there was so much to do. The company has such a storied history, and I wouldn’t say marshalling money has been the prime strength of this company over the years. So, I knew that I could bring some focus and discipline to that,” McKim said. McKim came to TPM after over 20 years as associate artistic director at Tarragon Theatre, bringing an eclectic, multidisciplinary esthetic there to contrast with the regimented play- wright-focused mandate of artistic director Urjo Kareda. McKim’s time at Tarragon is best known for creating the Spring Arts Fair, a free annual festival of performance that premiered 15-minute experimental works such as Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt’s international hit, 2 Pianos 4 Hands.
“When this job came up, it was perfect for me,” said McKim, who didn’t apply for Kareda’s position when he died in 2001, citing Theatre Passe Muraille’s history in its collaborative approach, multidisciplinary mandate and platform for marginalized voices. As he stewarded TPM away from the cliff’s edge financially, it has moved toward a presentational model that partners with local indie companies and offers dramaturgical and administrative support.
“We’re all in on collaboration,” McKim said, which was a goal from the beginning of his tenure, along with increasing the number of women and artists of colour presented in their seasons. His time at the company has taken the careers of Anusree Roy, Pamela Mala Sinha and Donna-Michelle St. Bernard to new levels.
In 2010, the Playwrights Guild of Canada gave him the Bra d’Or Award for his support of women playwrights, and in 2016 he won the Silver Ticket Award, for his lifetime support of Canadian theatre.
“I would like to thank Andy for all he has contributed over the 12 years he’s been at the helm, and we will dearly miss his artistic vision and leadership,” said Jim Rowe, chair of TPM’s board of directors. “He has always put the art
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and the artist first and put the work above what the brand of Theatre Passe Muraille is — he’s a real champion of the voice of the artist.”
Though Rowe says the company is on “stable footing” now, TPM is facing more of a crisis of identity, as diverse, interdisciplinary programming become the norm across the city, and the presentational model dilutes the company’s brand.
“It’s harder to have a brand when it’s eclectic ... I wish that it was possible to be more concise, to do more of an elevator pitch about what it is we’re doing. Our story is more nuanced, so I don’t think I’ve ever succeeded in making this sexy, right?” McKim said, one of several times the 66-year-old visibly teared up during the interview, revealing his personal connection to the job and another reason why this season will be his last.
McKim was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis eight years ago, affecting his hands and energy levels.
“The most painful thing is applause, ironically,” he said. “I’m really lucky, but I’m trying to find a work/life balance that is a bit more healthy for my chronic situation, with me being so passionate about this place and people.”
Rowe said the board will be conducting a nationwide search for McKim’s replacement, and “furthering Andy’s mandate would be high on our list, but we have to give due course to looking at where we are in Toronto theatre at this moment.” A search committee comprising of board members and members of the community will be assembled in the coming months.
“He has always put the art and the artist first and put the work above what the brand of Theatre Passe Muraille is.”
JIM ROWE THEATRE PASS MURAILLE CHAIR