This story part of our NSS Alumni Series – a collection of interviews with inspiring NSS grads.
Robyn Burnett Debuts Her Work of Fiction The East Hill Boys
Interview
by Jason Hughes
Robyn Burnett NSS’94 was indelibly shaped by her years at Northern, with drama being a huge catalyst for a life of creativity. Robyn became a professional writer, penning dozens of articles for HGTV, Food Network and W Network, as well as writing three pieces of non-fiction, and developing screen plays. When she became the mother of two very creatively inclined children, she paused her writing and shifted gears, taking the role of Director of Communications at a private school in Calgary. The students call her the “camera lady.” Now the mother of two teenagers, Robyn has returned to exploring writing once more, publishing her first novel The East Hill Boys.
The East Hill Boys is a piece of fiction that leans heavily on her high school experience. It's a coming–of–age story, written for young adults, that honours the emotional complexity of that right of passage we call high school. I had the pleasure of catching up with Robyn, a fellow NSS alum and an old friend. Here is our interview:
Jason: Hi Robyn. So great to be reconnecting like this. Let's start with some nostalgia. What is one of your favourite moments during your years at Northern?
Robyn: Talk about starting with the hardest question! My great-grandfather actually was a key builder of NSS, and my grandparents and great aunt all went there when it was a vocational school, so I love that I have family history there. Aside from running through the hallways with my mother with this giant envelope from National Theatre School that said my brother, Jamie, had been accepted into the program (first EVER for NSS), I will go with singing “Walking on Sunshine” with the cast of No Sound from the Background People as we made a pasta dinner in the Home Ec room when I was in grade 10.
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Above: Robyn (centre wearing a white t-short) with the cast from No Sound from the Background People, circa 1990.
Jason: Talk to us about your experiences in Drama at NSS. How did you choose to join such an amazing collective of creative students and teachers?
Robyn: In grade 10, I was blessed to be cast in Brian Speagle’s experimental “collective” play, No Sound from the Background People. It was a life-changing moment. The idea was that we, as a cast, would create a play in a series of scenes/stories. Suddenly, I was collaborating with all these amazing older students (only one younger than me – Lindsay Stephens – who was FILLED with talent) and we became this creative family.
Of all my theatrical group experiences, I have never had such a bond. It was entirely unique, and I am still connected to many of those cast members to this day. It was also my first connection to writing. In my last years at NSS, for my OAC drama class, I wrote a two-hander: The Butterfly Kiss. A few years later, it was performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and directed by former (and beloved) drama teacher, Debbie Barton Moore. My brother, Jamie, played the role of Sam. Jamie passed away in 2011, so that memory is precious. I would love to say that I chose to join the drama world, however, I think that it was more that I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of it. My entire time at NSS is connected to that incredible creative world. It defined my life.
Of all my theatrical group experiences, I have never had such a bond. It was entirely unique, and I am still connected to many of those cast members to this day. It was also my first connection to writing. In my last years at NSS, for my OAC drama class, I wrote a two-hander: The Butterfly Kiss. A few years later, it was performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival and directed by former (and beloved) drama teacher, Debbie Barton Moore. My brother, Jamie, played the role of Sam. Jamie passed away in 2011, so that memory is precious. I would love to say that I chose to join the drama world, however, I think that it was more that I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of it. My entire time at NSS is connected to that incredible creative world. It defined my life.
Above: Cover of The East Hill Boys by Robyn Bunett
J: Your new work of fiction The East Hill Boys is your first full-length novel? Share with us the process of developing the young adult story? How on earth did you manage to write a novel, raise a young family, and have a vibrant career?
R: Yes, The East Hill Boys is my first full-length novel. I wrote the first draft of The East Hill Boys when I was 25. It was a lot of me trying to process my high school experience and turn it into a story. The first draft of anything can be like opening up a puzzle and randomly throwing everything on the table. Pieces are upside down, on top of each other – state of chaos. You just need to get it out.
I was part of the Creative Writing Program at UBC, and a colleague of mine gave me the best advice: “When the story is close to you, don’t force it. You’ll know when it’s time to write it. Let it pour out. Make notes, keep thoughts, but define it later.” It had poured out of me, but it was all emotional. It had to sit on a shelf for a while. Life happened. My world became a different place, and I was very fortunate to work on non-fiction works and screenplays and delve into a whole different world.
I was also blessed to have two amazing kids.
This first (and quite ugly) draft remained on that shelf for some time. I actually wrote a piece for Geoff Siskind’s Creativity Guild Newsletter (Geoff Siskind is an NSS alumnus) on how [the book] came off the shelf and morphed into what it is now.
I was part of the Creative Writing Program at UBC, and a colleague of mine gave me the best advice: “When the story is close to you, don’t force it. You’ll know when it’s time to write it. Let it pour out. Make notes, keep thoughts, but define it later.” It had poured out of me, but it was all emotional. It had to sit on a shelf for a while. Life happened. My world became a different place, and I was very fortunate to work on non-fiction works and screenplays and delve into a whole different world.
I was also blessed to have two amazing kids.
This first (and quite ugly) draft remained on that shelf for some time. I actually wrote a piece for Geoff Siskind’s Creativity Guild Newsletter (Geoff Siskind is an NSS alumnus) on how [the book] came off the shelf and morphed into what it is now.
J: It was hard for me to put down this book. You really have created such emotionally rich characters by accurately reflecting the chaos of a high-school teenager. Although this is a young adult book, I felt I was back at NSS as a wall-flower peering into the characters’ lives. How, as an author, are you able to capture those nuances after being out of NSS for, like me, decades since we graduated?
R: As I mentioned, I wrote it pretty close out of high school, but that was what I call the “ugly” draft. The thing is, while I am much older, I still relate to being that age. In fact, some days, I still feel like an awkward 16-year-old. Maybe that’s because I currently work in a school, but I truly think that while we get older and wisdom comes (hopefully), we still live on a crazy age spectrum. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have that moment when you feel as awkward as you did when you were a teenager. We may have the maturity to handle it in a more effective way than teenagers do, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel it.
I was really grateful to do the rewrite in the last few years because while I still understood the emotions, I could also see the consequences objectively. Plus, I could truly craft the story as a story rather than a memoir.
I was really grateful to do the rewrite in the last few years because while I still understood the emotions, I could also see the consequences objectively. Plus, I could truly craft the story as a story rather than a memoir.
J: Clearly, at least for me, there are so many references to our lives as students at NSS, while names may have been changed, I couldn’t help but to vision NSS as the backdrop of “The East Hill Boys.” Is this based on experience / people / the facility / the events during your time at NSS?
R: It is fiction inspired by reality. The characters in The East Hill Boys are inspired by real people, but they became their own personalities as the story grew into its own.
The inspiration comes from a massive place of love, however. High school is where you grow up in so many ways. It certainly helped to define my own life. While you eventually move to adulthood, when you ask anyone “What was the impact that high school had on your life?”, good or bad, there will be an answer.
The other major character in the book that I feel so passionate about is the high school itself – which is entirely NSS. When I first took my daughter back to Toronto to visit NSS around 7 years ago, her comment was: “Why is it that your high school looks like a castle?” I loved that comment. For me, it was a castle in so many ways: filled with history, majesty, mystery, romance and tragedy. I wanted that to come through in the story as well.
The inspiration comes from a massive place of love, however. High school is where you grow up in so many ways. It certainly helped to define my own life. While you eventually move to adulthood, when you ask anyone “What was the impact that high school had on your life?”, good or bad, there will be an answer.
The other major character in the book that I feel so passionate about is the high school itself – which is entirely NSS. When I first took my daughter back to Toronto to visit NSS around 7 years ago, her comment was: “Why is it that your high school looks like a castle?” I loved that comment. For me, it was a castle in so many ways: filled with history, majesty, mystery, romance and tragedy. I wanted that to come through in the story as well.
J: In the book you use the metaphor of the lit match (literally and figuratively) to exorcise the protagonist Karen's feelings of years of pain. You write:
Dreams are dangerous things, like lit matches with no place to burn out except on your fingers. Memories can be equally as poisonous. Exorcism is for those of faith. On that night, years ago, the East Hill Boys were the subjects of my exorcism. My priest was a lighter. My bible was whiskey. My resolve came from a broken heart that would not let go. I had seen fires in this school before. That night, broken beyond words, I took a deep breath and struck the match. The tree waited in silence for its final sentencing.
A match can burn out, you state, but it can also start a fire. How much fire in Karen was matched by some joy during her experience of high school? To what extent might she change anything at all?"
R: A fire is a metaphor for the Drama Program as well as high school in general. Simple dramas can turn into infernos. Fires are passionate, and can bring forth amazing creativity, and also destruction. Candles represent moments of intimacy or solemnity. For Karen, lighting that match is her way of taking control of a different fire after the infernos that she lived through. At the end of the book, I see that lit candle at the window offering hope for whomever is still on their journey.
J: There are deep threads of hope, love, despair, family turmoil, creative vibrancy, falling-in-love, experimentation and lust for the future after graduation. When we are in high school, that is our entire life – we can't see the diverse future that awaits after graduating. What was it like for you as an author, to put yourself back in the shoes of Karen, Zawadski, Dru, Nate, Colin and Tanner?
R: It was entirely cathartic. I think, when working on the rewrite years later, what made it satisfying is that I could read it as a story and step back from my own personal experiences. I could look at the characters in the book as their own beings rather than as the people (including myself) that inspired the story. It was a true gift to have that separation.
Above: Burnett is a photographer with a design background. This processed image features her two kids.
J: How often do you get back to Toronto? Where are your favourite places to go?
R: I get back to Toronto once or twice a year. When there, I always try to get to Café Diplomatico in Little Italy. I have so many memories of enjoying pizza with my husband while creatively collaborating there. When I am back, I do actually order an extra pizza to freeze and fly home to Calgary. Other faves are The Red Room in Kensington and Salad King on Yonge. I miss the Green Room in the Annex – it was another fave spot for many years.
J: When is the last time you walked the hallowed halls of Northern?
R: I had the opportunity to go through NSS and film just after COVID times. My son and I did a tour and made a few videos for the NSS Foundation. I’d love to go back again. In this day and age, it’s not so easy to just walk into a school randomly when you aren’t actually a part of it as a parent or student. That said, I would love to go back again. I’d love to connect with that amazing No Sound from the Background People cast and make pasta again in the home rec room while singing “Walking on Sunshine”. If any of you are reading this, I’m game when you are. (You too, Jason – you were a part of that world tangentially).
Above: Video of Burnett touring Northern with her son in 2022
J: Anything else you would like to add about your time at Northern, Toronto growing up, living in the US vs. Canada, etc
R: On the eve of my birthday (as I write this), I would add this; high school can often come with major scars. It is so easy to reach out to people nowadays thanks to social media. If you still have those lingering hurts, there’s still time to heal them. You might be pleasantly surprised. Conversely, there’s still time to reach out and celebrate those joys as well. While The East Hill Boys is the book that I wrote, it was the prequel to was the original story that I was planning to write. That story is about redemption, reconnection and healing after high school (and is next on the roster to write). My time at NSS was a major gift on so many levels. It was the place where I discovered myself creatively as a writer, photographer and designer… but moreso as a person. It was a place filled with what I call “creative misfits” who embraced each other in the best way. It was by no means an easy ride – what part of high school is?
Robyn also tells me that her first independent work of non-fiction, Crash Into Me: The World of Roswell, an episode guide to the TV series, is currently the 'bible' for actors Majandra Delfino and Brendan Fehr on their Roswell rewatch podcast, The Ex-Files.
LINKS
Interviewer, Jason R. Hughes was SAC ‘92 president, founder of the Youth Environmental Organization, NSS Air radio host, Stage Manager for drama, track & field athlete, co-director of the annual NSS Fashion show and producer of the annual Battle-of-the-Bands. He is a proud Director of the NSS Foundation. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, running ArtServe, a large arts and cultural non-profit.
