#171 - Gino Berti
In this week\u2019s episode, I sit down with Gino Berti. Gino Berti is a choreographer who\u2019s accomplishments include choreographing the world premiers of the Legends Series,\xa0remounting numerous productions of the original Broadway choreography of CATS, including Toronto\u2019s latest revival at the Panasonic, as well as being Resident Dance Captain and Fight Captain to many Mega Musicals such as Aida, Beauty and the Beast (where he was sent to Broadway to train Dance Captains for their future productions), Miss Saigon, Brigadoon, Guys & Dolls, Evolution of Jazz, Forum, Mame, and The T.O. Hot Shoe Show. In our conversation today we discuss his experiences performing in Toronto in the \u201cMega Musical Era\u201d and how theatre in Toronto has changed since that time, his progression from performer to dance captain to eventually choreographer, as well as some of the issues he is seeing in the current Canadian theatre climate and how we need to go about developing more informed theatre audiences. We also discuss his long relationships with shows such as CATS (including how he felt about the new movie trailer), what young people working in the theatre industry should be focusing on to create lasting careers, as well as what he has learned through the work he does as the resident choreographer/co-director of the Miss Universe Canada Pageant and where he sees the theatre industry in Canada headed in the future.