By Chloe Zhu
A childhood surrounded by late-night discussions during ad breaks around the televising of Supreme Court cases between his attorney mother and TV producer grandparents, while his father’s original jingles played in the background. This is what Mr Klaff’s diverse upbringing, and consequently, his main source of inspiration, looked like. Around the campus of Morven, he is known for his riveting mathematics classes which, indeed, stem from a lifelong passion for the (I quote) “‘weird’ math that had unexpected explanations.” And a whole lot of other articles could, and probably do, barely scrape the surface of this skillset. However, we are here to discuss another, wholly differing, facet of his person: his artistic affinity. No one could have done a better job at doing such a stimulating familial environment justice than Mr Klaff. Possessing musical abilities cultivated by his father, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law’s penchant for music, Mr Klaff has experiences such as that of having been an improv pianist at the single biggest celebration of arts and culture in the world (the Edinburgh Festival Fringe). And, retaining some involvement in improv in his back pocket, Mr Klaff has also blessed Collingwood’s performing arts community with his role in Fall of 2019’s play, the Crucible.
Perhaps the particular I personally found stood out the most about him is that Mr Klaff finds inspiration - which is, of course, fuel for creative minds such as his - in everyone and everything around him. This is the reason he is able to thrive in any artistic environment. Certainly, his parents, grandparents, and sister have inspired him, as do most parents, grandparents, and sisters. But Mr Klaff also has an interminable list of other people in his life who have impacted the way he approaches his own art. His school classmates and college friends, for example, because of “how they’re living their lives and also how they’re working at their careers and hobbies.” Numerous teachers and colleagues such as his music teachers, English professors (this was actually his favourite subject as a child), mathematical mentors, and colleagues were also influential. Along with these two already incredible and definitely fruitful lists come a third: performances that profoundly impacted him. These diverse performances include Glenn Close and Jim Dale in the Broadways cast of “Barnum,” F. Murray Abraham in “Amadeus,” Patti LuPone in the London cast of “Les Miserables,” and, last but definitely most, everyone at the Second City in Chicago. The latter Mr Klaff holds dear to his heart as he grew up not far away from the Second City, and used to watch their free improv shows.
“Nervous!” That’s the word (and punctuation) Mr Klaff used to describe what he feels on stage. Now that is true, but it is apparent that through this sheen of nervosity shines through a genuine enjoyment for everything related to acting (including the thrill and hope to do well). “Each night is different; there’s a different energy,” he remarks about his time in the Crucible. And it is this variety every performance that keeps him engaged and ready to do his best. But something significant that comes in handy and which he attributes to his ease and comfort during his portrayals is how he can connect, acting with his knowledge of music. Using this familiarity, he is able to create vivid representations for which the Collingwood artistic community is so grateful for.
In his own words: “I would use my old choir vocal warm-ups from my school choir days until my voice resonated in the way I had rehearsed, or was hearing it in my head. When that clicks, and I could feel the lines come out sounding the right way, and when there are amazing actors in the scene with you to bring the scene to life---just wow, it’s a great feeling. It doesn’t make the numbness in your hands and arms go away, but it helps!”
When asked what art means to him, Mr Klaff states simply that it definitely is a means of expression of feelings or emotions, but also something so much more. For Mr Klaff, art is an opportunity to tell the truth about himself and his community. It’s something unanimous and unifying at the same time. Whether you are carrying out the art or are simply a spectator, Mr Klaff believes you are able to connect with others. “That feeling of connection can be so powerful that you can suffer through a lot of bad art (or perform it!) just to get that feeling again. And it’s always worth it because nothing else feels like it.” This philosophy is also behind his advice to anyone developing their artistic skills: try out for plays, learn a dance with a partner, take photographs, try and sculpt something - do something you might feel is crazy. Because in the end, if it’s what you love, you’re going to love it.
Reflecting on his childhood thoughts on art, Mr Klaff recalls he once thought that to even be able to start playing music (or start doing any other form of art), you had to be an actually gifted person. Now, he can endow us with this piece of wisdom (passed down to him from one of his mentors) we may perhaps be able to include in our own pursuits in life - artistic or not: “‘Once I realized I didn’t have to be a genius to be a very good mathematician, it became a lot easier to become a very good mathematician.’”
“You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to have it all together. All you have to do is care about people and initiate.”
- John C. Maxwell
A childhood surrounded by late-night discussions during ad breaks around the televising of Supreme Court cases between his attorney mother and TV producer grandparents, while his father’s original jingles played in the background. This is what Mr Klaff’s diverse upbringing, and consequently, his main source of inspiration, looked like. Around the campus of Morven, he is known for his riveting mathematics classes which, indeed, stem from a lifelong passion for the (I quote) “‘weird’ math that had unexpected explanations.” And a whole lot of other articles could, and probably do, barely scrape the surface of this skillset. However, we are here to discuss another, wholly differing, facet of his person: his artistic affinity. No one could have done a better job at doing such a stimulating familial environment justice than Mr Klaff. Possessing musical abilities cultivated by his father, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law’s penchant for music, Mr Klaff has experiences such as that of having been an improv pianist at the single biggest celebration of arts and culture in the world (the Edinburgh Festival Fringe). And, retaining some involvement in improv in his back pocket, Mr Klaff has also blessed Collingwood’s performing arts community with his role in Fall of 2019’s play, the Crucible.
Perhaps the particular I personally found stood out the most about him is that Mr Klaff finds inspiration - which is, of course, fuel for creative minds such as his - in everyone and everything around him. This is the reason he is able to thrive in any artistic environment. Certainly, his parents, grandparents, and sister have inspired him, as do most parents, grandparents, and sisters. But Mr Klaff also has an interminable list of other people in his life who have impacted the way he approaches his own art. His school classmates and college friends, for example, because of “how they’re living their lives and also how they’re working at their careers and hobbies.” Numerous teachers and colleagues such as his music teachers, English professors (this was actually his favourite subject as a child), mathematical mentors, and colleagues were also influential. Along with these two already incredible and definitely fruitful lists come a third: performances that profoundly impacted him. These diverse performances include Glenn Close and Jim Dale in the Broadways cast of “Barnum,” F. Murray Abraham in “Amadeus,” Patti LuPone in the London cast of “Les Miserables,” and, last but definitely most, everyone at the Second City in Chicago. The latter Mr Klaff holds dear to his heart as he grew up not far away from the Second City, and used to watch their free improv shows.
“Nervous!” That’s the word (and punctuation) Mr Klaff used to describe what he feels on stage. Now that is true, but it is apparent that through this sheen of nervosity shines through a genuine enjoyment for everything related to acting (including the thrill and hope to do well). “Each night is different; there’s a different energy,” he remarks about his time in the Crucible. And it is this variety every performance that keeps him engaged and ready to do his best. But something significant that comes in handy and which he attributes to his ease and comfort during his portrayals is how he can connect, acting with his knowledge of music. Using this familiarity, he is able to create vivid representations for which the Collingwood artistic community is so grateful for.
In his own words: “I would use my old choir vocal warm-ups from my school choir days until my voice resonated in the way I had rehearsed, or was hearing it in my head. When that clicks, and I could feel the lines come out sounding the right way, and when there are amazing actors in the scene with you to bring the scene to life---just wow, it’s a great feeling. It doesn’t make the numbness in your hands and arms go away, but it helps!”
When asked what art means to him, Mr Klaff states simply that it definitely is a means of expression of feelings or emotions, but also something so much more. For Mr Klaff, art is an opportunity to tell the truth about himself and his community. It’s something unanimous and unifying at the same time. Whether you are carrying out the art or are simply a spectator, Mr Klaff believes you are able to connect with others. “That feeling of connection can be so powerful that you can suffer through a lot of bad art (or perform it!) just to get that feeling again. And it’s always worth it because nothing else feels like it.” This philosophy is also behind his advice to anyone developing their artistic skills: try out for plays, learn a dance with a partner, take photographs, try and sculpt something - do something you might feel is crazy. Because in the end, if it’s what you love, you’re going to love it.
Reflecting on his childhood thoughts on art, Mr Klaff recalls he once thought that to even be able to start playing music (or start doing any other form of art), you had to be an actually gifted person. Now, he can endow us with this piece of wisdom (passed down to him from one of his mentors) we may perhaps be able to include in our own pursuits in life - artistic or not: “‘Once I realized I didn’t have to be a genius to be a very good mathematician, it became a lot easier to become a very good mathematician.’”
“You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to have it all together. All you have to do is care about people and initiate.”
- John C. Maxwell