MONTREAL – Jacob Tierney isn’t just movie producer Kevin Tierney‘s son.
The 35-year-old Montreal actor, director and screenwriter is best known for his work on French Immersion, Good Neighbours and The Trotsky.
Now, he’s at the helm of a brand new production – a play called Travesties, set to début at the Segal Centre in Montreal.
Tierney sat down with Global’s Rachel Lau to talk about the play, his Dad and the importance of the arts.
R.L: All the proceeds from your show on April 15 will go to the Royal West Academy Foundation ‘Sharing The Stage With You’ campaign. Do you think it’s important to expose the youth to local theatre?
J.T: Absolutely. I was so lucky in high school. I went to Royal West Academy and I had an amazing teacher and we did a ton of Shakespeare all the time.
We had a not-very-good theatre, but it didn’t matter. We loved it.
With the Royal West Academy Foundation, we’re trying to get enough money together to give the kids a real, good theatre where they can put on plays and learn about some of the more technical aspects of it too.
I think the arts in general are hugely important for anyone’s education.
They expand your mind, you learn about tons of other things.
R.L: Do you think, then, it’s important to keep arts in the curriculum at school?
J.T: Crucial. I think it’s crucial.
I would never send a child of mine to a school that didn’t have a major arts component.
R.L: You talk about how the arts can teach you different things, like history. Do you think this is something Travesties does? It takes place during the First World War.
J.T: Yeah, it takes place as a flashback to the First World War.
I would never want to describe the play as sounding like homework or teaching but absolutely, there’s a lot to be learnt and I think that it’s kind of the thing.
Anything you can take away, that sends you off on your own path of learning is a great thing.
R.L: Your father is a producer. He produced Bon Cop, Bad Cop and The Trotsky, which you wrote and directed. Was it a natural flow for you to want to be in this industry?
J.T: I’ve been in this industry since I was 5-years-old. I started off as an actor then.
I’ve never had another job. I’ve never done anything but work in film, TV, theatre so I guess it was natural.
It’s something I love and I feel very grateful and privileged that I’ve gotten to do it my whole life.
R.L: Is it interesting to be able to grow in the industry with your Dad?
J.T: Absolutely, it’s great.
My Dad and I get to talk about things that we both understand because we do the same work.
It’s probably the same for a lot of people who work in the same industry as their parents.
There’s a kind of shorthand, that you understand what the other person’s day is like that you don’t have to explain everything.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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