Story by Angela Cowan Photographs by Lia Crowe

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Performing artist, executive producer, publicist, director, fundraiser, writer. Tony James has worn a lot of hats in his nearly lifelong career in the arts, having jumped into performing as a child, and heB次元官网网址檚 never looked back.

B次元官网网址淲hen I was very little, I was an attention seeker. I was the class clown,B次元官网网址� he says with a wry smile. B次元官网网址淚 remember a teacher telling me, B次元官网网址榶ou need to tap into your talents.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

And so he dabbled with choir, took part in the small shows available through his school, and quickly decided he much preferred the applause to the odd laugh in the classroom followed by the inevitable detention.

ItB次元官网网址檚 a little hard to imagine the serious, focussed man sitting before me as a rambunctious youngster, but the stage presence that simmers below the surface is impossible to deny.

Those first forays into performing led Tony to being involved in more than 50 projects before he moved into television and film as a teenager. And it was in his teens that he says he began taking the arts seriously in a way he hadnB次元官网网址檛 previously.

In high school, he was encouraged by a friend to audition for the lead role of Danny Zuko in a production of Grease, and to his surprise, he got it.

B次元官网网址淚 never took it seriously until then,B次元官网网址� he says.

That experience started a chain reaction. At 15, he began working as a director and producer, and by 19 had received an award of distinction for services in contribution to the arts.

It was also at 19 that fate brought another life-altering event: the birth of his daughter.

Already quietly passionate about his love of the arts, TonyB次元官网网址檚 demeanour takes on an intensity as he talks about her arrival in his life.

B次元官网网址淚t grounded me. She became the centre of my universe,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淓verything IB次元官网网址檝e done is for her.B次元官网网址�

And suddenly, his intensity and drive make perfect sense.

Parenthood brought life and all its priorities into sharp perspective. Already passionate and hard-working, Tony became driven. That same year, he opened a privately held production company named in honour of his daughter, Ocean. (That production company is still running, merged into a partnership in 2017 and renamed Ren茅e James Productions.)

He then spent the next 20-some years travelling North America, producing shows, writing and generally working at a breakneck pace. Every so often heB次元官网网址檇 come back home to Victoria B次元官网网址� he was born and raised in Esquimalt B次元官网网址� to centre himself and take advantage of the idyllic West Coast.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to me to present here and premiere work,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 like the audiences here. IB次元官网网址檓 grateful for the people who support me.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing like the West Coast,B次元官网网址� he adds with a smile. B次元官网网址淎nd itB次元官网网址檚 a good place to write.B次元官网网址�

Victoria was where he premiered his critically acclaimed and award-nominated B次元官网网址淟egends Concert SeriesB次元官网网址� in the 2000s, celebrating the music of some of the most iconic performers of the 20th century, including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Etta James and many more. And in fact, itB次元官网网址檚 the Legends Series thatB次元官网网址檚 brought him back home for awhile.

Tony is the creative director behind Christmas with Sinatra, that played at the Alix Goolden Hall in mid-December.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 great jazz. Holiday favourites in the style of Sinatra,B次元官网网址� says Tony. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a tribute in the standard sense. [Singer] Dane Warren brings his own style to the music, and heB次元官网网址檚 great. ItB次元官网网址檚 a celebration of FrankB次元官网网址檚 music. I wanted something that stepped out of that traditional carol thing.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 sure to be a success, as all the other Legends shows have been, but being the organizing force behind a packed schedule of such shows took a toll on Tony.

About six years ago, he almost left the business. Exhausted, spread thin, bouncing from city to city, heB次元官网网址檇 lost sight of what made it all worth it. A friend encouraged him to remember why heB次元官网网址檇 been drawn to the world of the arts in the first place. And so he stepped completely back, took a year off, and experienced the arts purely as a spectator.

In those darkened theatres, watching story and characters unfold in front of him, he rediscovered his love of theatre, of the way a brilliantly put together show can both bring an audience together in a shared experience, and resonate with each individual at the same time.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 much like reading a book,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淵ou think, IB次元官网网址檓 going to dive into a different story, a different world. When youB次元官网网址檙e watching something powerful or funny, it triggers something inside, in your core. Art gives you an outlet.B次元官网网址�

The respite allowed his passion for his work to once again flourish, and heB次元官网网址檚 been writing, producing and directing with fervour since.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 imagine doing anything else,B次元官网网址� he says seriously. B次元官网网址淚 have to keep going. ItB次元官网网址檚 what IB次元官网网址檓 passionate about.B次元官网网址�

The rejuvenation also brought into focus how he can help the next generation of actors and performers as well.

B次元官网网址淲hen you give children or teenagers confidence in the arts, it translates into the rest of their lives,B次元官网网址� he says. Working with kids in his studio, encouraging them, directing them, listening to their ideas, B次元官网网址渨as the first time I realized IB次元官网网址檇 had an impact. That was very humbling.B次元官网网址�

Above all, it made him all the more determined to do everything he could to support them in their own fledgling careers.

B次元官网网址淚t can take a long time, but sometimes all it takes is that one person to say yes, to show that belief in you,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淣o matter what, I want to help people.B次元官网网址�