Toronto Film School To Host In Conversation With Nia Vardalos and Caroline Rhea Sessions This Week
Toronto Film School will continue its newly launched In Conversation With… speakers series this week with special guest appearances by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nia Vardalos and stand-up comedian and actor Caroline Rhea.
The inspiring speaker series, which is co-hosted by Toronto Film School’s Executive Producer in Residence Andrew Barnsley and Writing for Film & TV Program Director Adam Till, launched last week with an inaugural Zoom session featuring multi-award winning filmmaker, writer, director and producer Atom Egoyan
Over the course of his inspiring 90-minute live Zoom discussion and Q&A session, Egoyan detailed his journey from self-taught filmmaker with no money or connections, to Academy Award-nominated and Cannes Grand Prix prize-winning director.
“I started this in the most rag tag way possible, but I always had stories I wanted to tell,” he said.
This week, Toronto Film School is excited to announce the continuation of our In Conversation With… speaker series with two more special guest appearances from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nia Vardalos, and actor, stand-up comedian and voice artist Caroline Rhea.
Similar to Egoyan’s webinar, this week’s pair of 90-minute sessions will likewise see Vardalos and Rhea each participate in hour-long, interview-style discussions with Barnsley and Till, after which the floor will then be opened to students for 30 minutes of moderated Q&A opportunities.
The sessions will take place as follows:
- In Conversation with Nia Vardalos – Wednesday, April 15 at 3 p.m.
- In Conversation with Caroline Rhea – Thursday, April 16 at 1:30 p.m.
The events are open to all Toronto Film School and Toronto Film School Online students and alumni. Current students are advised to check their school email for the event registration links. Alumni interested in participating are asked to email alumni@torontofilmschool.ca
About Nia Vardalos:
Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated writer and actor Nia Vardalos recently wrapped three seasons on stage of sold out runs in her New York Times Critics’ Pick play Tiny Beautiful Things at the Pasadena Playhouse and the New York’s Public Theater.
Published by Samuel French, Vardalos’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book is on the list of the Top Ten Most produced plays of 2020.
Vardalos wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, receiving an Academy Award nom for Original Screenplay and Golden Globe nom for Best Actress. She wrote and starred in Connie and Carla, I Hate Valentine’s Day *director, co-wrote Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks, and starred in My Life in Ruins, wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.
Recent roles include Lifetime’s drama Poisoned Love, ABC’s Same Time Next Christmas, the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin, ABC‘s Dr. Ken and The Catch, EPIX’s Graves, NBC’s Law & Order SVU and Grey’s Anatomy, and voicing characters on Star Vs. the Forces of Evil, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, and DuckTales.
Vardalos is also the New York Times Bestselling author of her memoir Instant Mom and donates all proceeds to adoption charities. To date, the information from the book has placed 1,700 children in permanent homes.
About Caroline Rhea:
Caroline Rhea is a stand-up comedian and actress best known for her role as Hilda Spellman on the hit ’90s series Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and numerous comedy specials on Comedy Centreal, HBO and Showtime.
Rhea is currently starring in Disney Channel’s Sydney to the Max, and hosts Caroline and Friends, her hit game show for Game Show Network, now in its second season. She is also a regular panelist on ABC’s Match Game with Alec Baldwin, and is often on other game shows such as Hollywood Squares and Funny You Should Ask.
Rhea was the host of the Caroline Rhea Show, has appeared as Linda Flynn Fletcher on Phineas and Ferb for more than 10 seasons, and has guest starred on many hit series, including Two Broke Girls, Maron, and The Grinder.
This mark’s Rhea’s 30th year as a stand-up comedian.
