Who is James Hyett
James Hyett is a multilingual British Canadian editor, actor and linguist. James has a BA (Hons) in Theatre and Linguistics from the University of Toronto, and an MA in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA). James Hyatt is also a producer, improviser, linguist, and dialect coach. James is from Kingston, Ontario. He currently lives in Toronto. James is a member of Crane Creation Theatre Company’s 2021 Summer Ensemble. James is an editor of seven plays which have been translated from Slovene to English. James is very concerned with the thoughtful use of tech in theatre, collaborative storytelling, and Zip-Zap-Zop.
How did James get into Theatre
James got into acting when he was in high school.
“I first realised I was into theatre in high school, and then just keep realising it more and more. From acting and improvising in high school and undergrad, to working as a dialect consultant and coach, to coordinating the occasional theatre festival, I love to find new ways to help stories get told.
Theatre Credits
Recent theatre credits of James Hyett include Narrator/Dad/Femone in Through the Fairy Circle, an audio drama Students in LATESLIP (reading) by Emma Higgins, Alex/ Dan in All We See is Red a workshop by Veronika Gribanova, Juventus in Lust Juventus by Poculi Ludique Societas and Papa Bear / Papa Ours in the bilingual play Goldilocks and the Three Canadian Bears by Little Red Theatre and Jody Terio
James is an Editor
James Hyett was the editor of seven plays by celebrated Slovenian playwright Ivan Cankar. The plays have recently been translated from Slovenian into English. James Hyett’s editing work has included working for the Government of Canada at the Translation Bureau in Québec City, as well as proofreading a collection of original English-language poetry and a novel. He has also been a contributor to the English, French, and Scots Wikipedias since 2017. With Dr. Carol Percy of the University of Toronto, he co-authored a paper on the use of “you was” in standard English in the early eighteenth century, using playscripts as primary sources of linguistic data (this paper will appear in the proceedings of the 20th International Conference on English Historical Linguistics, forthcoming). He has also written problems for the North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition, including Phở Bar (2017) and Signs from Above (2016)– a modified version of the latter appears in Alex Bellos’ The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book (2020).
- About The Translation Project
This play translation project is a collaborative effort between Presernovo Gledališče Kranj, a professional repertory theatre located in the city of Kranj, Slovenia, and Crane Creations Theatre Company. This project is generously supported by the European Commission and the Slovene Government.
Ivan Cankar is known by many as the the “undiscovered Eastern European Ibsen” and the “father of Slovene drama”.
Cankar is regarded as the greatest writer in the Slovene language and yet is unknown in most of the world. The plays will be translated from Slovene into English by professional expert translators to allow for many more people to experience his genius.
What is the Role of an Editor
In a translation project, The editor verifies the quality of the translation. The editor is a qualified linguist that proofreads for errors related to grammar or syntax. The general purpose of the editing step is to catch typographical errors and other mistakes that have inadvertently crept into the text. To learn more about the editing process click here.
Additional Skills
- Dialect Coach
James Hyett is also a Dialect Coach. James’ list of accents include Canadian (native), RP (certified to native standard), GenAm, West Country, Scottish, Russian, New York City, London, Classical Southern, Dublin, Inland North, Eastern New England, South Wales, Midland, Jamaican, Northern Irish, Lowland Southern, Australian, Classical Tidewater, Yorkshire. James has previous experience coaching East German and Bulgarian in the production Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Hart House. Parisian in the production of Eurydice, at U of T, Belfast in the production The Green, the Grey, the Gold, Belfast at SMC Troubadours, Southern Irish for LIZZIE: The Musical at TCDS The De Chardin Project, Scottish in the production The Maltese Bodkin, at TCDS. To learn about Jame’s dialect coaching services visit his website. - Instruments
James plays the alto and soprano saxophone, clarinet, pennywhistle, recorder, and duduk - Languages
James can speak English and French fluently. He also speaks Spanish. - Content Creator
James is a content creator and has written articles for Arts Guide Mississauga.
Fun Fact About James
A fun fact about James is that James edits Wikipedia.
James Hyett: Summer Ensemble 2021
James Hyett was part of the third annual Summer Ensemble. He is a member of Crane Creation Theatre Company’s 2021 Summer Ensemble.
What is the Summer Ensemble
The Summer Ensemble is an 8 week training program for theatre artists. In this paid working opportunity artists learn skills required to be a professional artist in Canada, and gain valuable insights into the theatre industry in Canada and abroad. To apply artists must be between 18 and 30 years of age.
Due to lock down restrictions a large portion of the program was conducted over zoom. James as well as the rest of Crane Creations 2021 Summer Ensemble handled the transition beautifully, and James was quickly able to adapt his talents to a Zoom’s online platform.
James is an actor in the 2021 Summer Ensemble.
What is an Actor?
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs in the theatre, film, radio, television, or digital media. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής. The meaning translates to “one who answers”.
What does an Actor do?
An actor’s doesn’t just memorize lines and look pretty. An actor has a fun but important role in creating a story. They are responsible for interpreting and embodying the character in a play, television series, or film. To do this well many actors rehearse and train their bodies and voices regularly. They study their script and consult with the director and scene partners about their interpretation of the character. Their main concern should always be understanding what a character wants or needs and what they are is doing to achieve this action. A want or a need is often referred to as an Objective, or motivation. What an actor is doing is referred to an action or a tactic. An Actor Acts. A good actor makes many different and thoughtful choices about what the character is doing. A very good actor can make many creative out-of-the-box choices, and is always ready to change their actions on the fly. Actors sometimes require additional special skills. For example, an actor in a Broadway musical may also need to know how to sing and dance. An actor is a puppet show must know how to operate a puppet. Professional Improvisers need to know how to create a character and make up a story on the spot without any preparation. An actor in an action blockbuster film may also be trained in stage combat and martial arts.
In the 2021 workshop of Twelfth Night, James plays the role of Feste. James also participated in many activities and project with Crane Creations Theatre Company as a Summer Ensemble Member. He read through plays and assisted in workshops of new work. He was part of important and lively discussion and debates about the Canadian theatre industry. James learned about the industry of theatre and what it looks like to be a professional full time artist. He learned about theatre in Mississauga. James wrote grants and presented pitches for future theatre projects. He participated in a seminar held by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council.
With his fellow Summer Ensemble members she explored the arts outside of Canada as well, and conducted workshops and presentations on prominent International and Canadian artists and theatre companies.
Twelfth Night
James is one of the cast members who was part of the 2021 workshop of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Eugenia De Jong, is a core team member of the Crane Creations Theatre Company and former Resident Artist is an emerging director. Twelfth Night was the first full length play Eugenia has directed and workshopped. Eugenia is also a fellow Summer Ensemble Member. She is a participant of the 2019 and 2020 Summer Ensemble.
Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. The play is about two ship wrecked twins who land on an island and must conceal their identities. The play deal with themes of disguise, wealth and class, music, disorder, gender and love.
James Hyett plays the role of Feste, a jester in Lady Olivia’s court, who has returned after disappearing under undisclosed circumstances. Feste is extremely clever and witty. James expertise is Shakespeare and languages make him a wonderful asset to this play, and the perfect person to play such a clever character. Using his acting skills James was also able to tap into the complexities and inner sadness of the clown, crafting a brilliantly nuanced and human performance. James experience in improvisation, comedy and music also help him transform into the character of Feste, and bring the play to life. He is always coming up with new, hilarious and fantastical ideas to try out onstage.
James is a memorable team member of Crane Creations 2021 Summer Ensemble, and helped bring Theatre in Mississauga back during the Covid pandemic.
