‘It very much feels like home’

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Skye Brandon (BFA’00, MA’19) is no stranger to the plays of William Shakespeare. Brandon, an award-winning Saskatoon actor, has appeared in numerous Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan shows over the years—and this year is no exception. This summer, Brandon is portraying the character Claudius in the company’s production of Hamlet, directed by Kayvon Khoshkam. The show, set in the roaring 20s, runs until Aug. 25 at the festival’s new site alongside the South Saskatchewan River.

Brandon’s stage career has taken him to theatres throughout Canada, and he was the first Saskatchewan artist to be accepted into the Birmingham Conservatory of Classical Theatre at the Stratford Festival, where he spent multiple seasons as a member of the acting company. In addition to USask, Brandon’s theatre studies have taken him to the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and to Shakespeare’s Globe in London, England, where he was a member of the 2015 International Actors’ Fellowship.

The Green&White asked Brandon about his time at USask, his love of Shakespeare, and the theatre scene in Saskatoon.

The epic nature of his stories, the high stakes that the characters face, and, honestly, I enjoy the challenge that classical texts bring to the table. When audience members say to me after a performance that they were surprised at how clearly they were able to understand the text, that always makes me smile.

It may be a bit of a cheat, but I consider the two parts of Henry IV as one big play, so I would go with that. They have a great mix of verse and prose, comedy, and drama, as well as historical characters and events mixed with fictional creations that Shakespeare has given us.

Claudius is very much Hamlet’s foil, so I find it interesting to play that side of the coin. He is grappling with the consequences of his actions, while Hamlet is trying to decide what course of action to even take. The struggle that Claudius has with his own guilt has been enjoyable to portray.

It very much feels like home. And not just because my family and I live here in Saskatoon, but when I’m working on plays by Shakespeare it feels as though I’m doing what I should be.

When I was an undergrad there was a course for directing, so taking part in directing projects, Greystone productions. On top of the classes themselves, we spent a lot of time in the John Mitchell Building. Working late, rehearsing a scene with fellow students is something I found myself doing frequently. I loved it.

The BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) program here gives you some experience in all disciplines of theatre, onstage and off, and that has proven to be extremely valuable throughout my professional career, both as an actor and a director.

It was an interdisciplinary MA, drawing on drama, English, and history. The focus was implementing historical research into the artistic practice of producing Shakespeare, and Henry V—both the play and the man—was the primary focus of my research. I have heard more than once that InterD doesn’t allow you to go as deep into a topic because you’re being spread across more than one department. I couldn't disagree more. As an interdisciplinary student, I believe I was able to find a level of discipline and rigour that I never would have discovered if I was dedicated to one department.

I love it! Had you told me when I was a student that I would be teaching for the very same department/school, I don’t think I would have believed you. What is even more surprising is I now find myself acting and working alongside some of my former students. Kody Farrow (BFA’20) and Christopher Krug-Iron (BEd’21, CWT’22, BFA’23) are both acting in the (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan) productions this summer. Katie Blackburn-Dust (BFA’22) is doing one of the lighting designs. Meeka Fast (BFA’24) and Lauren Griffin (BFA’23) are working on the production side of things this summer. And there are even more USask drama grads that are involved with the company that I didn’t have the privilege of teaching personally.

It is a smaller community, compared to other cities and provinces. That is both a pro and a con. One could argue that an artist has a better chance of getting a break here because there are fewer artists to “compete” with. But that, of course, is offset by the fact that there are fewer companies here that produce theatre on a regular basis, so there are not as many opportunities to even pursue. One thing that has consistently been an advantage of living here is that the cost of self-producing your own work is far easier. Many of my fellow grads and myself started our careers by creating our own work, and that was how we got ourselves noticed. With the larger costs of producing, not to mention the cost of living, it is a more daunting task in larger centres.