Amanda Vaughan
Northern News Services
Friday, July 27, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - After over a decade of acting in film and television, Yellowknifer Tobias Mehler can add directing to his resume.

Mehler recently made his directorial debut with a stage production of David Mamet's Oleanna, a complex play about perceptions of sexual harassment in an education environment.

Mehler told Yellowknifer that he was drawn to the challenge of Oleanna.

"I thought it would be fun to go for a very artistic, very serious play," said Mehler, noting that his most prolific medium of television isn't always the most challenging material.

"I enjoyed the challenge of directing actors to achieve in difficult characters," Mehler said.

He described Oleanna as "at least an eight or a nine" on a scale of one to 10 in difficulty for the performers.

The producer came to Mehler with the opportunity to direct, and the timing happened to be perfect. Mehler said he was excited to get back to his theatre roots.

"I really love theatre," said Mehler.

He started out in stagecraft during his time in Yellowknife, creating sets for plays at NACC before moving to Vancouver to further his acting career in 1994. Since then he has appeared in a long list of television series and TV movies.

Mehler said he has always wanted to direct though, and has fallen for it after the experience.

"I love it. I am hooked," Mehler said. "I've got the directing bug."

He said it's kind of funny that after choosing to work in an industry that can be difficult to break into, he has decided to pursue an avenue for which he said "there is an even longer line to wait in."

But things are looking good. The producer of Oleanna has asked Mehler to direct a short film that is currently in pre-production, and is expected to be finished by September.

"Directing twice in a row is encouraging," Mehler said. He was also happy with how Oleanna turned out.

"I feel we met the challenge," he said of the play's complex themes, and the production broke even financially, a success in the world of independent theatre.

The show only ran four nights in the middle of this month, less than the average run for a small play, which is usually about three weeks. Mehler said he did it as more of a workshop, and "an ode to the art." He also said they had full houses for all four shows, and they had one standing ovation in the run.

Fellow Yellowknifer Jean Wallace was definitely impressed by the show. Wallace happened to be in Vancouver on business when she found out about the play directed by Mehler, who is a friend of Wallace's son.

"It was a real thrill to see a Yellowknifer directing a really talented play," said Wallace, who also said she loved the location, a small theatre in the back of the Havana restaurant on Commercial Drive, one of the areas of Vancouver known for its bohemian style and creative atmosphere.

She said she thought the acting was excellent, and found the whole experience "really exciting," adding that there was a lot of enthusiasm in the audience at the performance she saw.

"There was a lot of applause at the end," she said. "The word rapt comes to mind."

Mehler still keeps in touch with his hometown roots, visiting family in the city regularly, and with the shift into directing and return to theatre, would love the opportunity to work on a production in Yellowknife.

"I think it would be great to direct a show at NACC," he said.