Check In From Away Episode 27
AUDIO	VIDEO	
[MUSIC PLAYING] 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Hi, everyone. I'm Stephie D. 	Lisa and Steffi appear in different chat windows on screen	
LISA HUMBER: And I'm Lisa H. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: And welcome to check in from away. 		
LISA HUMBER: This week, we are checking in and hosting a War Horse Toronto reunion. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Thanks for joining us. Hey, Lisa guess what? 		
LISA HUMBER: What? 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: I am dressed up as a soldier today with a full face of makeup and a bow in my hair because we are hosting a War Horse reunion. 		
LISA HUMBER: I am so excited about today's episode. I have to tell you, Stephie, that working on War Horse, I was an assistant stage manager is probably the highlight of my career. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: You mean the highlight of your career isn't meeting me and working with me, Lisa? 		
LISA HUMBER: That's second to War Horse, but it's second. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Thank you, Lisa. And listen, what's your favorite memory of working on War Horse. 		
LISA HUMBER: I have to say, the whole experience was incredible. I mean, it was such a sense of community at the truest core of what that means. But probably the first time I ever walked into the rehearsal studio on my first day of prep and saw those incredible magnificent horse puppets. I'm jumbling my words here because remembering what that felt like, it was so overwhelming and emotional in the best way and it really was the magic of theater. 	Photo of War Horse puppets hanging from poles on the stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre	
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: I love it. Well, are you ready to start horsing around, Lisa? 		
LISA HUMBER: Yes, let's do it. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Let's do it. 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Everyone. My name is Patrick Kwok Choon and I played Lieutenant David Taylor in War Horse, and I also puppeteered to Baby Joey. 	TEXT ON SCREEN: Patrick Kwok-Choon – Lt. David Taylor/Baby Joey	
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: What shirt are you wearing today? 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Oh, this little thing that is in my closet? There's a little blast from the past from War Horse? Oh, man. I miss the puppet so much. I keep telling people that I want to go back, so I tell people that we became masters at puppeteering. And it's so tragic because I always feel as though I became really skilled at playing the guitar, and then somebody yanked the guitar away and I could never touch it again. So, yeah, wherever you are baby Joey, I miss you. I miss you so much. 		
ALEX FURBER: Hi, I'm Alex Furber, and I played Albert Narracatt in Toronto's production of War Horse horse. 	TEXT ON SCREEN: Alex Furber – Albert Narracott	
DAYNA TIETZEN: I'm Dayna Tietzen. I was one of the puppeteers on War Horse in Toronto. So I played the goose, and I played top floor in the horse with my team of two other puppeteers. And then we would rotate into other roles, so I played Koko the horse, and Crow number three, and soldier number four, and pull with the hay on it. And then after we closed in Toronto, I also was able to join the tour and when I joined the second year of the North American tour, I added playing Joey, and Topthorn, and the goose and all sorts of things in a slightly different version of the show. 	TEXT ON SCREEN:Dayna Tietzen – Puppeteer	
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: I love it so much. And Dayna, we cannot carry on with this interview without saying that you and I have worked together a couple of times. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Yeah. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: We did cabaret together, and we also did the Addams family. You played my mother and-- 	Photo of Dayna and Steffi in Cabaret	
DAYNA TIETZEN: I did. It's true. 	Photo of Dayna as Morticia in The Addams Family	
TOMMY LUTHER: Hi guys. So I'm Tommy, Tommy Luther. And I was one of the associate puppetry directors of War Horse in Toronto. And I've also done several productions in London, also in China, also have been on tour with it. And I was involved in it since its inception since the very first workshops when we had a prototype Joey, prototype puppet. 	TEXT ON SCREEN: Tommy Luther – Associate Puppetry Director	
We didn't even know if it could walk if it could breathe if it could work if we could tell this epic story, War Horse. Which is, yeah, there's lots in it, lots of puppets. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING]	TEXT ON SCREEN: Favourite War Horse Memory	
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: I have to say, I still remember I loved puppeteering baby Joey with Mari and Rinuma. It was such a wonderful experience. And I tell a lot of people it was like I became a master at puppeteering that puppet with my team members because we did it so many times. We did over 400 performances, eight shows a week. 	Photo of Alex Furber as Albert Narracott meeting Baby Joey puppeteered by Patrick Kwok-Choon	
And so I still remember one day we started the show, it was probably about seven minutes in. Baby Joey's doing his thing, and then he started running. And I still remember looking at baby Joey run. And it was kind of like an out-of-body experience because I was like, this horse looks so real. It's just like moving on its own. And yet I was the one doing the front legs. It was just really remarkable. It was such a magical experience to see this thing come to life and yet still be the one at the helm controlling it. 		
ALEX FURBER: A lot of our puppeteers, they got Muppet puppets and we would always have a group hang out before the show in the orchestra, and they all went up to the balconies and sang rainbow connection as Muppets. And it was just really, really awesome. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Like at the half-hour call before every show, we would get together and we make a big circle as the whole company. And I've never done that with another show where absolutely every single person came and we would come, and we would put our arms around each other, and we would sing in a big circle, and just tune in together. And I feel like that was the heart of War Horse. And what made it so special. And so there are a million things that I enjoyed on stage, but it was made a lot more special by that really strong connection that we had as a cast and crew. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Joey in top form came out onto King Street, and it's an opportunity for people to come right up close to the horses. And they can take photos. Sometimes, if they're daring, they'll even touch them and then with it say, no, please don't touch. Sometimes, they'll try and talk to the puppeteers, and we'll say no, they're being a horse. They can't talk. But it's a great moment for the teams and the puppeteers because it's all about spontaneity and improvisation. And they're completely in the moment. They're not doing any kind of set choreography on the street, so they're just reacting to the cars or the lights, the people. And there was one day that we were doing this and a very important person in your life, Lisa, was also present by the name of Oscar. I don't know if you mentioned Oscar before. 	INSERT: Joey out and about meeting small children	
LISA HUMBER: Oh, yes. 	Photo of Lisa’s dog, Oscar	
TOMMY LUTHER: I think so Oscar turned up. And I don't know if it was the magic of theater or whether Oscar felt that the limelight was being taken away from him, but Oscar, I have to say, is very small in comparison to these gigantic moments. So Joey then talks on about working away really hard, improvising, dealing with the people and all the traffic and stuff and then Oscar completely took over. 		
And he was letting these horses know that this was his territory. It is one of my favorite moments because it is still within the magic of theater. I'm not sure what was going through his mind was, wow, this is a thoroughbred horse and there's a Hunter or whether he was thinking, looks like a horse that smells like some strange humans. But whatever, it's still quite magical. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING]	TEXT ON SCREEN: War Horse Mishap	
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: It was the last bell. It's Alex and I before we go over the top. So that beautiful scene, there was like a bunch of us just walking and it was shadow and light. And as David Taylor, I was supposed to say some things to Alex because I was so nervous. My character was a bit like really shaken up about actually going into War Horse in that big moment. And I think it was just our last show. 		
There's so many emotions. We're just like so sad to be done, but it was just such an honor to be a part of the show that I was just so caught up that I couldn't get any of my lines out. And so I'm just muttering things and Alex, being the professional that he is, he's just roll with the punches and continuing on, and you know I apologize to him afterwards. I'm sorry, man. I just had a brain fart. I could not get my lines out. 	Photo of soldiers in silhouette on the War Hose set	
Every time we went over the top, the fear that those brave Canadian soldiers must have felt at the time must have been so overwhelming. And so I really get choked up any time I see the Canadian military or any time we honor those kind of celebrations. 		
ALEX FURBER: In the emotional climax of the play where I'm been blinded by gas and I'm wearing a bandage and I'm kind of out of it, and I'm just absentmindedly doing my out call. That is the famous whistle for the horse that the horse recognizes me and we find each other through this whole army camp. But there was one night where I just completely fell off the ramp. Into the audience, a little bit, and Patrick being my best friend and comrade, picked me up and saved me. 	Photo of Patrick Kwok-Choon attending to a blinded Alex Furber with Joey puppet in the background	
DAYNA TIETZEN: My most embarrassing one is there is a scene in the first act where when we were not in horse when we were just playing one of the supporting characters, we would sort of spin on these poles and we would create the stable scene. And we would stand there about 15, 20 minutes and create the stable for Joey to be in this pen. And I really liked watching the other horses. 		
And we would watch each other a lot to learn from each other. So I was standing in the wings and I was watching the horse and I was enjoying myself, and then I watched my two other teammates spin on with their poles and I wasn't there. And I was just standing there holding my pole, but I totally missed the entrance. And James Retter Duncan was playing the head of Joey and my pole had a big bowl or a bowl of hay on it that he was supposed to be able to sort of snack at for the whole scene that's now not there. 		
And so I just sort of looking around like, I really thought there could be something to eat here, the whole scene. And I just had to sit in there because it was over now. There was no way to sneak on in the dark because there's no set. There was no hiding and I just had to sit there in all my shame. 		
LISA HUMBER: So poor jo-- 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Oh, I love that. 		
LISA HUMBER: --poor Joey starved that show. The big scene when the mustering scene, and all of a sudden I was in the booth calling the show and Joey was off stage. And because the guy playing the head, James, was standing barfing in a garbage can with the whole horse puppet. Picture that, Stephie. It's one thing for you to go off stage because you're going to be sick, but you have to bring the puppet and your two other puppeteers with you like, let's go. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Well then you have to silently tell your teammates that are not going to want to leave because it's not part of the blocking that you need to follow me offstage without using any words. 		
LISA HUMBER: And you have to the right-wing because it's a huge puppet. It's not like you just go out any door you want. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: You know, is falling off the horse or an entire back leg falling off the horse. I remember one time with the original production. Tobi Oga was behind. I felt this movement, and I looked back and he said, don't worry I caught it. And I said, what? Caught what? And he managed to catch the left leg or I think it was the right leg as it was about to fall off. 		
And in doing so, the rod had broken in between the two, which meant that the left leg, which is the downstage leg, the one in front that the entire audience can see very in slow motion just-- 		
[CRACKLE] 		
[BOUNCE] 		
And I didn't say. And we had stuff like that in Toronto as well with moments with baby Joey, and very quick repairs like this amazing backstage team that would fix things. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING] 	TEXT ON SCREEN: Who’s Line Is It Anyway?	
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Can no more remember any of the lines except for the horse noises, so-- 		
[HORSE SNORTING] 		
--that's about it, I think. I mean, if I have to dig deep, I probably would remember some David Taylor, but I'll stick with some baby Joey noises. 		
LISA HUMBER: So speaking of the owl call, do you still remember how to do it. Can you do it for us? 		
ALEX FURBER: Yeah, I still can, actually. And I remember seeing it in New York and this old couple beside me was, wow, that owl call is amazing, how does the actor do that? And I say, oh, I better learn that really quick. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Only remembered for what we have done. 		
LISA HUMBER: Oh, great. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Immediately, only remembered comes to mind. I only remembered for what we have done. But of course, I suppose yes, that's a song line, isn't it? 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: That's OK. You know, that was Dayna's as well. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING] 	TEXT ON SCREEN: Would You Rather: War Horse Edition	
[MUSIC STARTS] 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Would you rather War Horse the movie or War Horse the play? 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: War Horse the play. I've never seen the movie, to be honest. 		
LISA HUMBER: Would you rather be a puppet horse or a real horse? 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Uhm, that's so tough because the puppet horse, you're attached to two people which normally goes really well but I could not-- I'll go puppet horse. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Would you rather do War Horse horse again right now or My Night With Reg right now? 		
ALEX FURBER: Well, it's tough because I love both of those shows but I feel like War Horse wins it pretty handily, I feel. 	Photo of shirtless Alex Furber in My Night with Reg	
LISA HUMBER: Would you rather be Joey or Topthorn. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: No. I always go for Joey, although there's some great things to do with Topthorn. 	Photo of Joey and Topthorn puppets	
LISA HUMBER: But also, Tommy didn't you have your top sword premiere in Toronto? 		
TOMMY LUTHER: I did. I did, yes. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Would you rather wear a soldier's outfit for the rest of your life or have to crawl through barbed wire every time you leave your house? 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Oh, that's a good one. The rest of my life? 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Yeah. 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Barbed wire. Oh, but then my clothes will get dirty. Military uniform. Hands down. 		
LISA HUMBER: Would you rather have to travel around with a goose puppet every time you go outside for the rest of your life or have to wear a goose costume for every special event for the rest of your life? 	Photo of the goose puppet	
DAYNA TIETZEN: Every special event like when I would normally wear a cocktail dress, I'm wearing a goose costume. 		
LISA HUMBER: Exactly 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: You know, I'm going to take the goose costume. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Would you rather have to travel on top of a puppet horse for the rest of your life indoors and outdoors or spend another whole year in isolation? 		
ALEX FURBER: Obviously, puppet horse. That's awesome. 		
LISA HUMBER: Would you rather have to travel around inside a puppet horse for the rest of your life or never be able to go outside again. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Oh, come on. Definitely the first. I would always be traveling around in a puppet horse. 		
LISA HUMBER: I mean, we probably spent thousands of hours inside the puppet horse already, right? So it's a lot of your life has been spent inside of one. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Yeah it would just be like an extension. No, I'd welcome it. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING] 	TEXT ON SCREEN: What did War Horse teach you?	
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: When I saw the audition breakdown is for David Taylor and it said, World War One, 1913, 14, speaks with a cockney dialect. And immediately, I shot myself in the foot as a young actor being like, I'm never going to get cast for this. I'm an Asian Canadian person. They're not looking for me. And then after 30 minutes, I said, you know what, no. 		
I'm going to do my best. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to prep my ass off for this audition. I know how to do the dialect because of my theater training and I'm going to leave it up to the gods. And so, I'm so proud of that because it led me to this amazing experience with amazing people, a story that I loved, two roles that I loved performing in. And so whenever I think of War Horse, I think of-- to all those young actors out there, just work hard and do your best because a lot of it is out of your hands. And a lot of times, you fail. 		
You fail because you shoot yourself in the foot and you feel as though you won't be able to do it. So, yeah, there's been a handful of experiences in my life where I'm just like, oh, I'm never going to get this, but I do it anyways and I do with passion and belief and then it just ends up happening, which is like a good lesson. 		
ALEX FURBER: We were also lucky to share that experience because I think it was just a very beautiful moment of a show that we all loved and a beautiful group of people. And we got to enjoy it for so long. So I think the biggest thing was trying to bring that village mentality into every show that we do, and let's all work on this story even though it may be for a brief moment, but let's try and make that the most in the most beautiful storytelling and have the best time. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: As a performer, I think that being a puppeteer and learning from people like Merv and Tommy who are the team that came in from the National Theater to work with us and really train us as puppeteers from the ground up. Some of the foundations that they taught about the need for these absolute stillnesses in scenes and bringing my new little micro-movements of breath and that being enough. 		
I think it was easier because it was an animal, but it's absolutely applicable as an actor on stage as well. And I think it gave me this confidence to really pull things back in and find those quieter moments, because then when you explode out of it it's so much more exciting. But those dynamics were something that I really picked up during that show. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: It's such an ensemble production. It's so much about the team and the entire team making it work. And sometimes, all you're doing is holding a pole and being a fence in an open field in Devon, or you're being a fence in the military barracks or girders in no man's land. It's such an epic story. And sometimes, the simplicity of something like holding a pole as if it was in poor theater. 		
But it's very significant and it really makes everyone focus in on the story. And you can have-- there would be moments-- maybe Alex mentioned this, very intimate moments between Albert and the baby fowl, which essentially is just two characters. But actually on stage at that time, you've probably got maybe nearly 20 people or at least 12 or 16 people very focused on telling that story. So where was I going with that point? Just the teamwork and how you have to subtract remove any type of ego to tell something very, very beautifully, and very simply. And it can have very big proportions. It can be an epic story, but everyone needs to be on board for that, and everyone needs to support one one another 		
[HORSE NEIGHING] 	TEXT ON SCREEN: If You Were A Horse	
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Definitely some sort of golden-colored horse like a sable. I think I'd have a white mane and I'd be big but skinny enough to be quick and agile. Not like a workhorse, but like a running horse, you know what I mean? 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: And would you be a wild horse or would you be in a stable? What do you think? 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Wild horse, come on. Wild horse for sure. I 		
LISA HUMBER: Amazing. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: I love it. 		
PATRICK KWOK-CHOON: Roaming, just roaming the lands. 		
ALEX FURBER: My Hart says Clydesdale because I love those Budweiser Clydesdale Super Bowl commercials so much, but I think I'd be more of a Joey type. I would be a brown horse. I always like those white socks that he has. And maybe not a plow horse, maybe something a little more running. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: If I do recall correctly, Alex, the Budweiser horse commercials, they make you a little teary eyed. Am I right? 		
ALEX FURBER: Yeah. Well, I mean, animals recognizing humans just gets me. 		
[MUSIC - FLEETWOOD MAC, "LANDSLIDE"] 	INSERT: Budweiser commercial with the guy who loves his horse	
(SINGING) I'm getting older too. Did my love take it down. And did you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills. Will a landslide bring it. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Topthorn was my first horse love. And I really imagined the glistening black, like all Black Beauty horse. And I'm definitely like running down the beach you know with the wind in my hair. 		
LISA HUMBER: So you're a wild black beach horse. 		
DAYNA TIETZEN: Yeah. I think a stallion, probably. Yeah. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Can it be magical? 		
LISA HUMBER: Yeah 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Yes. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: I could be a unicorn, maybe. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Yes. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Unicorn with rainbows and stuff. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Yes. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: And I could fire lasers out of my hooves. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Yes. I mean, technically, a unicorn isn't a horse though. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: No, yeah, you're right. No, maybe I'm going a bit far with the unicorn thing. Not so much. I think Joey was pretty much close to-- I think I would be reddish like a reddish horse. And I like the fact that Joey had these white shoes. 		
I think I would be very noble and intelligent. A little bit whimsical, philosophical at times. I wouldn't be very easily you know frightened. I wouldn't be one of those scary horses. I'd be very mellow, and certainly country horse. I mean I can't really think of city horses, but-- 		
LISA HUMBER: So essentially, you are exactly who you are, but you're in a horse form instead of in a human form. Because everything you describe, I was like, you're just describing who you are as a person, Tommy. 		
TOMMY LUTHER: Yeah. 		
[HORSE NEIGHING] 		
[MUSIC PLAYING] 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Thanks for joining us on this week's episode of check in from away. 	TEXT ON SCREEN: @steffid5 @lisahumber
Small Instagram logos next to each handle.	
LISA HUMBER: These wild horses couldn't keep us away. 		
STEPHIE DIDOMENICANTONIO: Cheers. 		
	FINAL SLIDE
Check In From Away logo on the left side of the screen.
A pandemic slumber party playlist on the right side of the screen.
TEXT ON SCREEN: @checkaway @checkinfromaway