content

Patrick Keating

Maiko Bae Yamamoto

Andreas Kahre

Noah Drew

Adrienne Wong

Barbara Clayden

Alex Ferguson

Ilena Lee Cramer

Erin Wells

James Long

what we do

Finding Home: Five years of fifteen

In 1998 I moved to a new country, where I knew no one, and had no job. It was really no surprise I guess that the 50 or so resumes I sent out to Vancouver Theatre companies got no response. It really is about who you know. People asked me why I moved to Vancouver, and not to Toronto if I was interested in working in theatre. To me Vancouver seemed on the verge of an explosion, a renaissance. This town would be a good place to grow.

I came to Rumble in 2000 as an intern through the new program at Capilano College for Arts and Entertainment Management. I chose the program because of the internships—placements with professional companies that would give me the introductions to the community, which I needed. Also, I really feel that there are so many important lessons that are missed when you are in school studying art. Grant writing, marketing, budgeting are all things that most working artists teach themselves after school by making mistakes and blundering through as best we can. The Cap program seemed an organized way for me to take the leap into working for myself, making my art. I never figured that my first placement would be my career for the next 5 years.

Rumble’s office at that time had one staff member—Norman, and a thin stream of interns, contract workers artist and community folks moving through one room that had no right angles. I was hired in 2001 to be Rumble’s first Administrator. That was an adjustment! I'd never had a job where I got to sit down all day or where cussing at the top of your lungs was not considered appropriate. It was also an adjustment for Norman. He was used to doing it all, or having people move in and out. That first year was about figuring out boundaries, what is my job, what is his, how to disagree in a constructive manner, and how to manage a staff.

I've grown, and the company has grown.

I am now Managing Producer. Rumble now has three full-time permanent positions, three interns that keep us covered almost year round, a guest artist working in the office, as well as a resident dramaturg, Business Manager and all the contract artists, designers, marketing and graphics folks working outside the office. Our office has many right angles.