ACTRA Toronto

What a wonderful night it was at The Porter screening and discussion at the Mayworks Festival!

The incredible panel was moderated by Arnold Pinnock (creator, writer, producer and actor) with assistance from ACTRA Toronto President Kate Ziegler. The panel included cast members Olunike Adeliyi, Kevin Hanchard, Adrian Walters as well as Marsha Green (showrunner, writer and executive producer), plus Juan-Yahya Gairey, a descendant of Harry Gairey, a sleeping car porter & "grandfather" of the Toronto Black Community.

Special thanks to Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), Sphere Media, the Paradise Theatre, Mayworks Festival, and of course all of our fellow unions who attended in solidarity. It was an experience we'll never forget.

ACTRA Toronto’s Videogame Working Group is hosting a 90-minute, hands-on Mocap Self-Tape Review Workshop on June 18, 2026 from 5:00-6:30pm where industry experts will give you live feedback on your mocap auditions.

Performance. Physicality. Framing. The industry standards that casting is REALLY looking for!

Submissions + RSVP open THIS THURSDAY! 👾

📍 In person at the ACTRA Toronto office (limited seats!)
💻 Or join online via Zoom

What an incredible experience at the XP Game Summit! ACTRA Toronto Members Elana Dunkelman (also Councillor & VP), Myles Dobson and Samy Osman alongside Gail Haupert and Grace Hawkins were networking, speaking and connecting on the value of working with union performers to take videogames to the next level.

Plus, we celebrated the best at the Canadian Videogame Awards, where Elana announced the winner of Best Performance (presented by ACTRA Toronto), which went to Elias Toufexis in HELL IS US. Congratulations Elias!

It was a wonderful conference and we can't wait for next year. Did you miss the Canadian Game Awards? Watch the livestream now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dFGP4sRnL8

ACTRA Toronto parents and caregivers, this is for you!

With auditions and events, and summer around the corner, we know balancing creative work and caregiving isn’t easy.

ACTRA Toronto, with the support of Balancing Act Canada is launching an offer to help. Starting today, receive a $50 discount on one childcare booking (minimum 4-hour booking) with our partner The Summerhill Club.

May is National Caregivers Month, and this initiative is part of our commitment to creating a more accessible and sustainable industry for performers and their families, while helping us better understand the evolving needs of our members.

Spaces are limited for this offer, and available while this pilot funding lasts. More details and eligibility information: https://actratoronto.com/flexible-child-care-program/

*One-time offer per family

Thank you to Balancing Act Canada and the Level UP! initiative, for helping make this support possible.

We had a special guest at the office today as Nicole Law, winner of the inaugural Outstanding Performance, Videogame Voice at the 24th ACTRA Awards in Toronto, proudly presented by AFBS, was presented with her award!

Thanks to ACTRA Toronto President Kate Ziegler and Executive Director Rob Halpin who helped celebrate Nicole's award-winning performance in HELL IS US today.

It was great to see Nicole today, and congratulations on her win!

We are still not over it!

Another week of ACTRA Awards in Toronto 2026 wrap-up, means another chance to relive moments like these.

From Nadine Bhabha’s stellar hosting to a stage filled with remarkable presenters, this celebration was one for the books. We are so lucky to call these members our own.

Presenters included: Kanja Chen, Michael Podemski Bedard, Nadine Bhabha (Host), Jon McLaren, Nicola Correia-Damude, Kate Ziegler, Tamara Podemski, Raoul Bhaneja, Terri Hawkes, Mercedes Morris, Angelica Lisk-Hann, Noah Reid, Alistair Hepburn, Rabiya Mansoor, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Krystle Ferdinand, Indy Saluja, Amy Matysio, Andrea Werhun, Dan Beirne and Rob Halpin.

Stay tuned for more photo coverage of our winners, next week.

The in Toronto, proudly presented by AFBS, took place on May 11th, 2026, at Koerner Hall, at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning. Produced by Yellow House Events.

All photos by George Pimentel Photography.

ACTRA Toronto has released a statement on the recent CRTC decisions related to Canadian Content and Discoverability.

Please see statements from ACTRA Toronto President Kate Ziegler and ACTRA Toronto Executive Director Rob Halpin and read the full release here: https://actratoronto.com/news-release/2026/05/actra-toronto-statement-on-recent-crtc-decisions-related-to-canadian-content-and-discoverability/