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Nervousness Is Just Excitement in Disguise — and Other Lessons from a Theater Lifer
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Donna Garner - The RIFF - S1 ep6
🎭🎵 She learned accordion in 8 days and booked a Broadway national tour. No big deal.
In this episode of The Riff, hosts Gary O'Brien and Jeremy Green sit down with the extraordinary Donna Garner — actor, singer, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, voice coach, music director, AND founder of Garner Theatre Productions. Oh, and she's the youngest of 13 kids raised on a dairy farm near Stratford, Ontario. Yeah, she's kind of a force of nature.
We dig into: 🎬 How Donna's family staged a full production of The Sound of Music to raise money for Ronald McDonald House 🪗 The wild story of renting an accordion with only 8 days to learn it before a major Broadway audition 🎭 What it really means to be an actor-musician — acting, singing, AND playing an instrument on stage at the same time 🇨🇦 Why Canadian artists need to stop apologizing for their talent 🎓 The honest truth about building a career in the performing arts 🎸 Instruments in Hands — the incredible charitable program giving instruments and free lessons to those who can't afford them 🌮 Plus, we sample some of Toronto's best tacos from Seven Lives in Kensington Market!
Whether you're a theater lover, a musician, an aspiring performer, or just someone who appreciates people who do extraordinary things — this episode is for you.
🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of The Riff — Toronto's home for deep conversations with the city's most creative minds.
👉 Learn more about Donna and Garner Theatre Productions: garnertheatreproductions.com 🌐 Visit us at: mytoronto.ca
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