Linda and Daniel Kash are both acting in the upcoming production of Estelle Singerman: Summer Night with Unicorn with the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company from June 7 – 15, 2025. The siblings tell us more about the characters they will play and we learned more about growing up in a creative family, their careers in performance, Jewish role models, and Montreal bagels.
Kultura Collective: Hi Daniel and Linda! This is the first time we have interviewed a brother and sister who are both actors and starring in a production together. Can you please tell us a bit about yourselves?
Linda Kash: So excited to be working with my big brother! We were both involved in School and Camp theatre productions and various workshops. When I was 18 and Daniel was 20, we both attended the Banff Centre for a Musical Theatre Summer Course. I think that was pretty pivotal for us both. Dan then went to England for Drama school for the next 3 years. I attended one year at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California. But then, during my first summer brak home, I discovered Second City. I spent the next 4 years performing with the touring company, in London Ontario for a year, and then I performed on Mainstage at The Old Firehall. I consider Second City my education foundation
Daniel Kash: I am also really excited to work on this project. Though Linda and I are actors, we both have had fairly separate paths up to this point. Linda’s training was mostly Second City and the nightly improv writing skills that performing in front of an audience gave her, which I think is an excellent training and I always envied that audience trial by fire growth period of hers. As she has stated both were participants of the Banff School of Fine Arts summer program where we started our stage careers with Carousel, and a musical adaptation of Tartuffe based in oil rich Alberta. I was toying with the idea of a purely musical career or opera and a purely acting training, which is what I ended up going with, at the Drama Centre London. I ended up having a cultural and acting experience…much more profound than expected and I lived in England for 8 yrs, starting my career as Beorne the Bear in the world premiere of The Hobbit, also having to feed 50 English complaining children tea. I stayed in England because I was lucky enough to get parts like Stanley in Streetcar and some great American films like Aliens which began a film career. At the same time I felt a yearning to return to Canada, spending some time in LA and NYC, but enjoying a varied career across the country in theatre , film and tv. I have been married to Hayley Tyson since 1994 and have two boys Tyson Kash and Mackenzie Kash, which is really what takes up all my focus, and emotional energy, and I love that.
KC: You both come from a creative family – did that influence your path into performing?
Linda: I don’t think I chose performing, I think it chose me. Most big life choices for me happen when I get out of my own way and let fate take the wheel. I enjoyed watching my parents’ careers. Enjoyed playing with mom’s make-up backstage. But neither of them pushed us in any direction artistically or otherwise.
Daniel: We both grew up in the aura of an iconic Opera Star, my mother Maureen Forrester and a child prodigy violinist conductor father Eugene Kash. I have no idea if they were the reason I went into this acting life. I did reveal some desire to do acting, having been caught after being thrown out of a birthday party, singing in the garage, how sad and hard my life was. My father then put me in an international choir at 10 in Philadelphia which I loved! But most of the next decade was concentrated on my athletic semi prowess and trying to find girlfriends at Jarvis Collegiate. Linda and I were born in Montreal, and we also lived in Connecticut, Toronto, Philadelphia, with the family of four girls (Paula, Gina, Linda, and Susie. We lived in 11 houses because my mother loved to decorate new places. My parents were talented. My dad was passionate about knowledge in history, musicality, and life in general and had a kind of childish wonder as well as a healthy temper. My mother constantly travelled the world with 180 concerts a year, being adored by many for an incredible singing gift. I mostly thought of her as an angel because she treated us well in between gigs. We loved them both, and even though they divorced, they always remained great friends.
To actually answer the question whether they were responsible for us being performers, well we certainly saw that it was a possible life. However, I wrote to my grade 10 English teacher that “I have always wanted to be an actor, but I will never tell anyone.” I went to one year at University of Toronto and then decided to take the plunge, and frankly I was almost sad about it. What a crazy choice to make in life! Secretly I have never regretted it because there is a magic that actors get quite often that is unique to the job, a wink between us all that, this life is pretty special.
Linda and Daniel, Front Page for Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay in 1986.Photographer unknown
KC: In June you will both act in the play Estelle Singerman: Summer Night with Unicorn with the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company. Can you tell us about this play and the inspiration for it?
Linda: I think this play is a love letter to faith. And an acknowledgment that the end of life is a mystery we all can’t help wondering (and sometimes worrying) about. It’s also about letting go. And about friendship. Real friendship that isn’t afraid to tell the truth. Even when it’s painful
Daniel: I agree with Linda about the love letter to faith, that there is something that we all are a part of. That we get to go through this wild moment called “life” where we share laughter and tears and love and hate and beauty and shame and everything that is what we call existence, but secretly we all have another part of us that is aware of a bigger element in the universe, out of our control but somewhat affecting who we are and where we might be going after life. Somehow, even though we all have doubts and philosophical arguments within ourselves and with others, the truth is, just like birth, it’s beyond our control and mostly it seems that everything usually ends up in a realm that is what we call beautiful. The life we lived was also filled with colour. In the case of this play the discussion is filled with the majesty and wisdom of the Jewish faith and traditions, that is a story I am attracted to and am loving being a part of, especially with the added magic of working with my sister and all the secret winks and nods that only we understand
KC: What characters will you play?
Linda: I play Estelle Singerman. She’s funny, she’s eccentric, she’s grieving the loss of her husband and friends. She has decided that Warren is going to help her make sure that when she ‘Checks out”, she will not go unfinished or unremembered.
Daniel: I play Warren Spencer. He is a high school math teacher. His wife, Doris Spencer, died six years earlier. They were a dynamic, colourful couple who, outside of work, enjoyed a certain fame for ballroom dancing and led a life filled with the joys of religious Jewish faith. Warren feels responsible for the car accident that took his wife’s life. The chance of meeting Estelle leads him to find a reason to live and strive for happiness.
KC: Have you ever acted together before? Was the brother/sister bond helpful for the roles?
Linda: Dan and I haven’t worked together since we were in our 20’s. There is a shorthand. There is a lot of history between us. There is a lot of laughter as well. What can I say? He’s an immensely talented artist who happens to be one of my closest friends. How lucky am I?
Daniel: We have only worked four times together. Once in a musical in High Park, and two plays at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. One of them was the Tempest, where I was Ferdinand and Linda was Ariel, specially marked by the moment in a fantasy sequence where I was in a pool of water and dry ice had made me pass out, being pulled out of a sure drowning death in the middle of a speech by Linda. She saved my life! I also directed her in a play once called Fabuloso, which was very fun. She is a very generous and talented performer and also has a knack for being hilarious, and mostly we are just two actors doing our job, but secretly there is a lot going on behind our eyes when we look and do dialogue together that can only be achieved by knowing this relationship in the deepest possible way which makes this experience super fun
KC: The play used magical realism and humor to explore difficult subjects – what do you hope the audience will take away from the production?
Linda: As Daniel has said, there is no doubt that many of our audience members are contemplating the themes that are explored in this play. I hope they laugh, I hope they cry, I hope they enjoy the metaphysical qualities explored. I hope they leave uplifted and maybe a little relieved. That death is beyond our control. But might also connect us all even more than life tries to.
Daniel: There are more things in heaven and earth than man can dream of. The world is filled with magic. There are many unexplained moments, usually intensified by love and sometimes by the darker things that go on in life. We are all in this together, no one is really alone, and that includes animals and the stars. We try hard to put words to this existence and we have come a long way, but the universe is filled with magnificent surprises so give a hug to someone you love and try to bury your ghosts, be it through religious belief or just the energy of the life we are given. Enjoy it all and also there just may be something afterlife to embrace as well
KC: Linda, you are probably best known as the Philadelphia cream cheese angel, but please tell us more about highlights in your career.
Linda: I lived in LA during the ‘90’s and performed in many of the sitcoms of that time. Seinfeld was definitely a highlight. I’ve improvised in two Christopher Guest movies which I enjoyed very much. I’ve performed in five one person plays. Becoming Dr. Ruth for Hrold Green was definitely a special experience.
KC: Daniel, your career has taken you all over the world! Please share a few highlights!
Daniel: I am often asked what part I liked the best and I have an answer but it is not that satisfying. It has to do with moments of a performance, where you forget yourself, or you, for a split second and sometimes more, you actually fall in love with the other actor in the scene or the play guides you to an unexpected moment of wonder. A collection of little moments! However, there have been many obvious great moments, frankly my greatest acting experience actually happened as Lear in King Lear at drama school, getting a part on James Cameron’s Aliens was up there, being a lead on George Walker’s The Line, playing the lead of Brian Spencer in Atom Egoyan’s Gross Misconduct, Stanley Kowalski at the Sheffield Crucible, the amazing ride in the production of Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love in Toronto and New York was a life changing play for me. Recently doing Jerusalem with an old friend Kim Coates was fantastic, and singing the Duke in Rigoletto was hard but wild. I have done 200 movie and TV roles and 40 plays and they are filled with everything on the Smorgasbord table.
KC: How have you brought your Jewish identity to the stage and screen?
Daniel: I feel like a secret Jew. I am in conflict with organized religion actually because Judaism is a doctrine of the laws and beliefs of an ancient sect of peoples. At the same time, the world perceives (and many Jews believe) that Jews are a nation and a race. I am always fighting my Judaism in my head. I believe so much of it is wise and interesting and I love the curiosity of religion. The politics and some of the world’s attitudes towards Jews have always perplexed me. Warren in the play has given up his faith because of a tragic event that was entwined with his Jewishness, so he fights with that. But the Jews in the play, like Estelle, know that his faith is far stronger in him than he admits. Frankly he is no where near truly giving up his faith, his Judaism is far too strong within him, like me.
Linda and Daniel, 1960’s
KC: What else are you working on right now?
Linda: I run an acting school called PAPA in Peterborough and conduct various workshops for kids-teens-adults throughout the year. I’ll be running two weeks of drama camps in the summer for kids 6-13;. An exhausting endeavour that never ceases to feed my soul.
Daniel: I am always looking for the next job – that is an actor’s life, it never stops! I just completed working on a show on Hulu called Slasher and a show on Netflix called the Hunting Party, and several shows are looking like a possibility – welcome to an actor’s world.
KC: What is inspiring you in Toronto right now?
Daniel: There is so much great work in Toronto right now on stage and on film. Most recently I loved The Great Comet Of 1812, the musical at Crows theatre. And not in Toronto but if I could be in a production like Adolescence, man I would die happy – what an achievement. But really that’s just what I am thinking about now, there is talent and inspiration everywhere…
KC: What’s inspiring you Jewish-ly lately?
Linda: I recently played ‘Aunt Shelley’ in an excellent TV show on Crave called SisterS. Season 2. Believe it or not, I don’t often get to explore my Judaism as a performer very often. Shelley was an amalgamation of a few dearly departed relatives. I really enjoyed playing that part. I hope she comes back for Season 3.
Daniel: I love the series recently called Unorthodox. From Israel, still waiting for a decent Jewish basketball player.
Who are your creative Jewish role models?
Daniel: Don Rickles, Seth Rogan, Barbra Striesand, Kirk Douglas, Peter Sellers, Chagall, George Burns, Danny Kaye, Billy Joel, Joel and Ethan Coen, oh and my dad.
KC: If you could have Shabbat dinner with anyone (Jewish), who would it be and why?
Linda: I would have loved to have broken bread with Dr Ruth. Sarah Silverman, Elaine May, Leonard Bernstein, Barbra Streisand, Albert Brooks, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and yeah ok, Albert Einstein.
Lightning round questions!
Applesauce vs sour cream? Linda & Daniel: sour cream
Poppy vs sesame seed bagels? Linda: Sesame only because of the teeth issue after the fact / Daniel: poppy
Latke vs sufganiyot? Linda: LATKE with sour cream! / Daniel: Latke of course
Raisin vs plain challah? Linda: Plain straight up. Unless there is cinnamon involved. Daniel: raisin (french toast)
Hummus vs baba ghanoush? Linda: Baba ganoush / Daniel: Hummus
Purim vs Passover? Linda & Daniel: Passover for the 35 person Family Seder
Spinning the Dreidel vs Finding the Afikomen? Linda & Daniel: We love the hunt, Afikomen is the best
Fiddler on the Roof vs Joseph? Linda: FIDDLER no contest, please! / Daniel: Fiddler is Genius (bucketlist)
Tevya vs Fruma Sarah? Linda & Daniel: Tevya! TEVYA
Larry David vs Jerry Seinfeld? Linda & Daniel: Jerry
Joan Rivers vs Fran Drescher? Linda: Joan Rivers / Daniel: Agreed or Fran
“Puppy for Hanukkah” vs “The Hanukkah Song”? Linda & Daniel: Puppy, please!
New York vs Montreal bagels? Linda & Daniel: Montreal is the only real bagel
Linda Kash – Biography
This is Linda’s 4th show for Harold Green. She is thrilled to be back and especially to be working with her brother, Daniel. Linda began her career at the Second City Theatre in Toronto, where she performed, directed and conducted workshops. She has appeared in and directed a number of plays, films and television shows throughout Canada, the US, Europe, Russia and New Zealand. Notable Stage Credits include: Stratford, New Stages, Tarragon, Canadian Stage, Harold Green, Second City Toronto and LA and Theatre Aquarius Linda will be playing Scrooge in a two-handed Christmas Carol for new stages this December. Notable TV includes: Seinfeld, Fargo, Batwoman, Cybil, Third Rock From the Sun, Everyone Loves Raymond, Cadet Kelly, Monk, Degrassi, The Jim Henson Hour, Doc, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, She TV most recently, Sweet Z with Lauren Graham and Falling Together for Hallmark. Notable Films include: Waiting For Guffman, Best in Show, Cinderella Man, Man of The Year, Are We Done Yet and Little Italy, 3 Ernest Movies. Notable Animation includes: Thomas The Tank, Cat in the Hat, Angela Anaconda, Timothy Goes to School, Almost Naked Animals, Madeleine, Dumb Bunnies, Scaredy Squirrel, Quads and Fugget About It. Linda has also co-created several shows for TV including “Go Girl!” and “The Joe Blow Show” for The Comedy Network, which she also directed. More recent directorial projects include Colin Mochrie in “HYPROV” for Just For Laughs and the Edinburgh festival and she directed a season of Love It or List It. Linda has taught scene study, sketch writing and /or improv at Humber College, Fleming College and Laurier University. And conducted workshops at Trent and Arizona State University. In 2007, co-founded a Performing Arts School called PAPA for kids and teens. (And now adults!). During Covid 19, Linda also co-created an adult online learning platform called klusterfork; offering unique access to the best in the entertainment industry. Linda is best known as The Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel (a successful campaign which ran over 26 years) but her proudest work to date, by far, is her fabulous blended family. Learn more at lindakash.ca
Daniel kash Biography
This is Daniel Kash’s debut at Harold Green Theatre.Daniel was trained at the Drama Centre London. Daniel has spent time in Canada, the US, and England and has performed in all three. Some theatrical highlights include Rigoletto, Streetcar, Unidentified Human Remains, and most recently Jerusalem.
Daniel has many TV and Film credits over the years including Aliens, Camp Rick 2, The Line, Robocop,The Strain, Mama, and most recently The Hunting Party. He is married to Hayley Tyson and Has two sons, Tyson Kash and Kenzie Kash.
Estelle Singerman: Summer Night, with Unicorn
June 7-15, 2025
The Greenwin Theatre, Meridian Arts Centre
In the tradition of old Hasidic folktales and awash in magical realism and comic elements, Estelle Singerman recounts the relationship between an eccentric, isolated older woman and an equally alone, emotionally disenfranchised middle-aged man named Warren. Foreseeing her imminent death, Estelle searches for someone to say Kaddish for her and decides that Warren is the one. They form an odd duo on an overnight journey through a Chagal-like surreal Chicago where they meet the angel of death in the form of a unicorn and a talking giraffe. By the time the sun comes up, both Estelle and Warren have found faith and peace.
Winner of the Jewish Plays Project
Learn more at https://hgjewishtheatre.com/2024-2025-EstelleSingerman.html
At the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company we embrace and celebrate the Jewish story – stories about our history, stories about our beliefs, stories about our struggles and triumphs. These stories have been 5,000 years in the making; they have universal application. These stories have to be told and need to be seen. It is our responsibility and privilege to share them with the world.
Learn more at https://hgjewishtheatre.com/index.html
