Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 16:47:30 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Black <blackm00@cam.org>
To: letters@hour.ca
Subject: Paul Caskey leaving Studio 303

Studio 303 is losing one of its parents, with Paul Caskey
moving to Halifax, to be artistic director of "Live Art
Dance Productions". It's hard to imagine 303 without him.

The first time I was in there was for 11pm shows during FIND
back in 1993. Paul choreograped and appeared in a piece.  And
he performed between pieces, since equipment was so sparse
that he had to come out and rearrange lights between pieces.
Someone clapped after one light change, a practice that continued
for many years.

It was intimidating going into such a small space, where it
seemed like everyone knew each other.  Though the second night,
one of the performers told her friends, ie the rest of the audience,
that "Paul says I don't have to perform if nobody else shows up",
but the audience did appear.  Not so intimidating then.

Studio 303 seemed well advanced at that point, though in retrospect
it was merely four years old.  I've only missed a handful of the monthly
Dance-Vernissages since then, and the only times I remember Paul missing
was because he was off touring with a show, doing the lighting.

Paul wasn't someone in a suit directing things from afar.  When it
was time to paint the gallery, stuff envelopes, toss sods of
grass out the window to the dumpster, or take out the garbage, he
was there.  When we did mailings, he'd often scribble little notes
on specific envelopes, though it seemed like he knew personally
everyone on the mailing list.  I don't think there's anyone in all
those years who saw a show, or was in a show, who didn't have some 
contact with him.

I've never done that much for 303, but anything I've done is because
the people behind the scenes were actually pretty visible.

The dance studio itself seemed so much his, that it was a good
thing that he was away when one of the Edgy Women flung beet
juice around, marking the floor.  Someone worked really hard
afterwards to scrub out the stains, before Paul got back.

People talk about how lively the dance scene is in Montreal, but
it couldn't exist without a place like Studio 303.  A place for
people to learn about, and interact on, dance.   And a place to
perform for the first time (ever, or as a solo), or to try out
a new piece before showing it in one of the fancy venues.  By its
existence, Studio 303 shows that dance isn't just some stuffy
High Culture thing, that it can be the equivalent of a musician
in a noisy bar.  Dancers and choreographers aren't just people
you see on stage, they are in the neighborhood, and in the audience,
and selling the tickets.

And I don't think Studio 303 could exist without Paul; at least,
it would likely be very different. I have a hard time
picturing the future, where he won't be there running around
before the shows, getting everything set right, or afterwards,
telling us to wait before folding the chairs, because people
shouldn't feel they were being pushed out right after the show.

And much of this applies to Miriam too, but she's not leaving.
I don't expect things to fall apart, I just think something
will be missing.

    Michael Black