Anthony Liam is a 25-year old Stage Manager who lives/works in Vancouver, except for when he is on tour, traipsing across the country. He has a severe passion for puzzles, geocaching, and receiving mail. And if you're lucky, you might find him baking up a batch of my famous vegan double-chocolate cookies.
the facts:
Name: Anthony Liam Kearns Theatre Specialization: Stage Management Training: Douglas College's Stagecraft Diploma program You Might Know him From: Killer Joe (ITSAZOO), The Raven Meets the Monkey King (Axis Theatre), A...My Name is Alice (Skycorner Productions), The Number 14 (Axis Theatre), or even Bollywood Wedding (South Asian Arts Vancouver Hood: Commercial Drive Twitter: @AnthonyLiam Offstage Play: Geocaching |
the goods:
Anthony Liam and I first worked together a few years ago on an ITSAZOO production of Robin Hood. He introduced himself as "Anthony" or "Liam" and told me I could call him either one of those names. He explains below:
You have two first names?
I have two names, yes. I was born on St. Anthony of Padua's feast day, thus my grandmother insisted that I be called 'Anthony'. My parent's preferred 'Liam', so I gained both names, with my family calling me the latter.
Oh, I see. I never knew that! That makes sense. Now the actual questions...
You have two first names?
I have two names, yes. I was born on St. Anthony of Padua's feast day, thus my grandmother insisted that I be called 'Anthony'. My parent's preferred 'Liam', so I gained both names, with my family calling me the latter.
Oh, I see. I never knew that! That makes sense. Now the actual questions...
What is geocaching? Geocaching (in a nutshell) is a world-wide, GPS-enabled treasure hunt that involves searching for real containers placed out in the world. How were you first introduced to doing this? Very much by accident. I was in the habit (as a teenager) of googling random words. One such search led me to www.geocaching.com. I quickly figured out how to get started and headed off into the woods with nothing but my parents' car GPS receiver. Despite a car GPS receiver not being as accurate as a hand-held version, I managed to find my first cache. I've been addicted ever since. What drew you to this hobby? What appeals to you about geocaching? It's quite hard to describe, but I'll try. The rush of locating this mysterious container that you've been looking for is exciting and jolting. I enjoy the fact that so many others have come to this exact spot to find this exact container. I feel like I'm part of a secret spy club. |
How does this "offstage play" inform/ enhance/ supplement your life in the theatre, if at all? Oftentimes to locate a geocache, one must 'think outside the box'. I feel that my geocaching hobby has sharpened my lateral thinking when it comes to figuring out a theatrical problem or puzzle. What does the art/ hobby of geocaching do for you? Foremost, it gets me out of the house. But more than that, it gets me exploring areas of the Lower Mainland (and beyond) that I might never have otherwise visited, let alone explored. In addition to this, geocaching is almost a meditative experience for me, the routine and familiarity of it is most comforting. |
How often do you do geocache while you’re working on a theatre project vs. When you’re in between projects? Do you notice a difference in your ability to geocache when you’re working on a play, than when you aren’t?
I geocache every day. EVERY DAY! It has become so much part of my life, there's often days where finding a cache takes precedent over 'life tasks', like doing laundry or grocery shopping. I don't know if I'd say there's a difference in my 'geocaching abilities' while I'm on/off theatre work. Because I do it every day, it's simply part of my daily routine.
I geocache every day. EVERY DAY! It has become so much part of my life, there's often days where finding a cache takes precedent over 'life tasks', like doing laundry or grocery shopping. I don't know if I'd say there's a difference in my 'geocaching abilities' while I'm on/off theatre work. Because I do it every day, it's simply part of my daily routine.
You've toured a lot - how does travelling in new cities relate to your geocaching adventures? It's amazing. Even prior to arrival in a new town/city, I will scope out the area where we are staying and see what geocaches are in the area. By touring, I'm introduced to countless new geocaches. It's certainly a benefit I receive from touring. I've found caches anywhere from the Yukon to California to Ireland. |
What's the best "find"/ geocaching story/ adventure you've experienced? Well, there certainly are a lot of geocaching stories I could tell. One of my best finds was on tour in Nanaimo. It was listed as a 'night cache', meaning that it is only findable at night. Upon arriving at Ground Zero (that's where given coordinates bring you), we found a custom container attached to a tree. One side of it slid off, to reveal a flashlight of sorts. Upon pressing the button, a laser pointed the way to the next tree. We found another such box/laser which pointed us to the final tree where the actual geocache was. This is only one of many tales I can relay. Geocaching has given me many, many stories to tell. Where's the craziest/ most surprising place you've geocached? That's a tricky question to answer, but I'll try. There's a teeny, tiny place in BC called 'Telegraph Creek'. Even to find it on Google Maps, you'll have to zoom right in on it. In that town resides a lone geocache in a rusted, forgotten truck, just waiting for the next cacher to step up to it. |
Where can people find out how to start geocaching for themselves? I direct folk to www.geocaching.com. At the top left of the page, there is a tab called 'Learn' which has the basics laid out, both in written and video form. Final comments? Geocaching has forever changed the way I look at the world. It's not all about finding things, sure that's part of it, but it's really about playing (really playing) in our world. |
the extras:
Want to try geocaching for yourself? Check out this website. Want to find out what Anthony Liam is up to next? Check him out on twitter at: @AnthonyLiam