Seeing RED - How does it make you feel?

Last night I went to see Red at The Citadel Theatre with my good friend Janine. The play follows two years of Abstract Impressionist artist Mark Rothko's life as he worked on a large mural project with his new assistant, Ken. Together they talk of many things - art, suicide, tragedy, art, selling-out, keeping integrity, art for now, art that is timeless, and in this back and forth is a marvelous play. I did not know anything about it beforehand - at least not specifically. I am familiar with art and the abstract expressionists and I have taken courses on Criticism of Art and Art History so I had a little bit of background. However, I didn't need to know anything. The specific discussions that evolve as their friendship/professional relationship grows are so universal with regards to art that I was locked in.

"It's a job. This is about me." says Rothko, and it is, but it is about more than just him. It's about waves of art, the old and the new and the now and the timeless. It is just as much about young artist Ken and others like him as it is about Rothko and Pollack and Picasso.

It certainly helps that the set (designed by David Boechler) is impressive and the paintings mesmerizing. Each shift of the light (designed by Alan Brodie) changes them into a new work of art. It also helps that Jim Mezon as Rothko and David Coomber as Ken are wonderful actors who never leave the space and who play off each other so perfectly. Director Kim Collier is clearly gifted at creating wonderful stage pictures that evolve naturally out of the action and her use of silence and space maintains tension and engagement. However, the star of the show is this brilliant script by John Logan. I intend to order a copy, even though there is no role in it for me. The way the play discusses Art hit me hard. I think anyone who engages in any type of art (not just visual art) should see this. It speaks to the why of it and the idea that these things we create are like our children and how our egos and self-doubt fight with each other on every single project we produce, and if they don't - then that might lead to other problems. I think even people who do not actively do art themselves would benefit from this show - for certainly that struggle is universal.

I was locked in from the start. I have never thought so hard during a play before - about what they were saying and about what it meant in my life. Truly a wonderful piece.

Look at it. How does it make you feel? It makes me feel inspired, conflicted, sad, joyful and amazed.

*#7 in my 2012 Theatre Goal

Albertine In Five Times - Canadian Classic X 6

On Wednesday I finally saw Albertine in Five Times at Walterdale Theatre. Although it is not my favorite script I was looking forward to it since I knew the cast was exceptionally strong and I was not disappointed. All the performances were sincere and committed and it was well directed into a lovely piece of theatre. I had some issues with a few of the technical elements but I think that was more difference of opinion than anything else. The set and costumes were wonderful and coherent despite representing a span of 40 years. I wouldn't have thought that possible having seen the set under the work lights, but it all worked wonderfully. I have seen a number of these women before onstage and I was most impressed by the transformation of Amelia Maciejewski into Albertine at 30. I have worked with Amelia (last year's Rabbit Hole) and know she is a powerhouse but this performance was remarkably subtle and internal. There was so much going on beneath the surface. I was also impressed by Janine Hodder as Madeleine. I have also worked with Janine before (Pieces - Fringe 2011) but it was nice to see what she could do with a substantially larger and more realized character. Her Madeleine was lightness and joy, the perfect foil to the 5 Albertines. The biggest surprise however, was Syrell Wilson as Albertine at 60. Her anguished and tortured portrayal of the drug-addicted Albertine of the 1970s was startling. I have seen Syrell onstage in a number of things but never as this kind of character and her realization of it was mesmerizing.

All in all it was a well-done show. A single act of an hour and a half, but you never feel shortchanged. There is only one show left and it might be a challenge to get tickets, but if you can I would recommend it.

* Photo of Michele Vance Hehir and Amelia Maciejewski by Douglas Dollars-Stewart

* #6 of my theatre goal for the year

One Small Step for Theatrekind...

This week the New Works Festival opened at the University of Alberta. I was fortunate to be able to direct one of the pieces which is being presented. I attend the University of Alberta as a Special Student in the Department of Drama and have been doing so for the past four years. I had a show in New Works 2 years ago as a Playwright (Tight Rope) but the completion of my ADship at Walterdale had allowed me to free up a lot of my time so I applied to direct. I was accepted and overjoyed to find out that I would be directing Bevin Dooley's script, The Playmates. It has been a wonderful experience. I loved working with Bevin and the Production Team as well as the Festival Team. So just for experience I have been blessed. I am also very pleased with the show itself - the script, the cast, my crew, the designers - truly wonderful people to work with.

The Festival opened Tuesday Night. I had to wait for Mark to get home so I missed the first piece, a Staged Reading of Fire in their Eyes by Ben Dextraze and directed by MFA Candidate Jessica Carmichael. I hope to catch it later in the Festival. One of my cast members saw it and said she quite liked it. New Works is about development of work and apparently this piece will change throughout the festival as they are treating the festival as a workshop so that might be one to catch on more than one night to get the sense of development of a piece. I know before I started writing I would think of plays being unmalleable once produced, but I have learned that not to be true. The work is not frozen in Amber. A piece can evolve and have more than one incarnation as the playwright crafts it. This has been observable for me with the staged reading on Night B: Murmurations of Starlings by Evan Tsitsias, directed by MFA candidate Donna Marie Baratta. As part of the festival tech week I sat through tech and dress rehearsals and Opening Night and the evolution of the piece in those three days has been incredible. It is really very cool to watch a play evolve from one draft to the next, to the next. Whereas the non-reading plays are basically set for the duration of the festival - these readings are still evolving and it is pretty cool to see. You can only imagine what the script will grow into as the playwright continues with the writing process.

Following the reading on Night A were Sitter and Felix and Max. The two shows I got to see were quite enjoyable. The first a comedic juxtaposition of two different couples in an unusual situation. The writing was natural and funny with smooth direction. The second dynamic, funny and full of tension with an almost absurd ending. On Night B, just before us, is Laundry Cycle - a fast paced comedy which I absolutely loved. As part of my directorial application involved reading the four produced scripts it was very cool to see what the other directors did with them, as well as see how the script evolved. Since the process is about developing work all four scripts changed from the original submissions. I was really impressed with what their assigned directors did with the pieces and how they used the space. We all share the same set and yet each one of us uses it so differently. It becomes a house, a 2-story apartment, 2 apartments, and a rocky coastline and it works beautifully for all of them. I think the Festival Directors did a great job matching directors to plays because each of the other directors seemed to make choices that totally worked for the scripts they were working with.

Anyhow, I gush. Hard not to when you are in the midst of things and really enjoying the experience. I do, however, highly recommend checking out one or both nights of this Festival. For $10 you can see 3 brand new plays written by future Daniel MacIvors or Judith Thompsons. If you can't make both nights or even a whole night, I highly recommend you check out The Playmates, which goes up on Night B (Fri 9:45 p.m., Sat 4:15 p.m., Sun 9:45 p.m.). I am quite proud of it and would love if you came and checked it out.

http://www.facebook.com/events/255274744545973/

#4 and #5 of my theatre goals for the year.

The Mikado - Great Fun, Well Sung!

I was lucky enough to catch a Dress Rehearsal of The Edmonton Opera's The Mikado this past week. I say lucky for a number of reasons. First, because I was unable to make any of the show dates due to schedule conflicts and second because it was delightful! The concept was in many ways the star of the show. Each costume was pitch perfect in the anime/hara-juku interpretation. The cast lived up to how they looked, so this was not style without substance. It was so pleasant to see and hear skilled Opera Performers who could sing well AND act and dance! Who knew?! Ko-Ko was outstanding, but from the tittering school girls of the chorus to the iPad using male chorus to Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum onto Katisha and The Mikado himself, it was all so very well done and so much fun. Hard to pick a favorite moment, but I always love "A Little List" and the careful use of topical references throughout the show was just right! A fun, fun, fun night out!

#3 in my year goal for theatre adventures.

A Plethora of Theatre Options...

The next few weeks offers up a lot of choices for the Edmonton Theatre goer. If you can't find something to see in February that you want to see then I think you'd have to literally be a rock. I have plans to go to at least 4 shows in the next few weeks and there are others that I would love to catch if I can squeeze it in.

First up - I will be seeing the show I directed for New Works and the other shows that are playing in the Festival. New Works is an annual theatre festival at the University of Alberta where University of Alberta student can submit and if selected have their work dramaturged and produced. For the most part the teams on the show are all current students or staff of the university. There are occasionally exceptions when a particular skill set is required, but usually an alumni is located to step in. There are 6 shows - 2 nights with 3 shows each night. It is a great opportunity to see new work by the next generation of Edmonton theatre artists. I have directed Bevin Dooley's work, The Playmates which features Katie Orsten, Kabriel Lilly and Jordan Sabo. We open (night B) on February 8th at 7:30 p.m. I am quite pleased with the production thus far. I think that Bevin is a gifted writer who constantly strives to make her script better. She has a strong voice and a gift for creating mood and believable, compelling dialogue. The entire festival opens on February 7th and runs to the 12th.

Really first, but listed second - I am lucky enough to be able to catch a Preview show of Edmonton Opera's The Mikado. I actually know the music for this one as I was in a modified production of The Mikado a few years a go. It's a G & S so it should be a lot of fun, AND the pictures of the costumes are amazing. They are going with an anime kind of aesthetic and it looks very cool. The Edmonton Opera always seems to have very high standards, but this will no doubt be a more accessible production for most audiences because it will be in English. I am pretty sure it is going to be a fun night!

Third, I will be attending Albertine in Five Times at Walterdale. I am a bit biased on this one because the cast contains 5 of my very good friends and although I don't know the 6th as well, I do know she is a strong actress and a lovely person. The entire cast is strong. Any one of those women could anchor a show by themselves so I will be surprised if this is anything less than wonderful. It's also a Canadian work by Michel Tremblay and I do love supporting Canadian theatre! It opens February 8th and runs to the 18th.

Fourth, I MUST SEE Wishbone Theatre's Waiting for Godot. I really like everything I have seen this company do and to get the chance to see them do Waiting for Godot just tickles me. I remember reading the play in grade 10 and thinking, "What the - ?" and then I saw it a few years later and it suddenly made sense (in the way that it doesn't...). Such a tremendous pieces of work and looking at the assembled cast and production team I think I will be in for a good night of theatre. It's directed by the delightful Chris Bullough (who I always love onstage, and who directed the brilliant Shimmer 2 Fringes ago). I am really looking forward to it.

My next few weeks will be packed!

I am Looking Forward to Seeing this...

Waiting For Godot

Wishbone Theatre

Feb 2-11th - Westbury Theatre (FTA)

http://fringetheatreadventures.ca/arts_at_the_barns.php#waiting

The Ladies Who first amuse, then terrify...

I scored a date for The Ladies Who Lynch at Canoe Festival this evening. It was a mix of hysterical and terrifying and overall meant for a good theatrical adventure. Some things worked better than others for me. I was very impressed with Candace Berlinguette as Judith and Nadien Chu as Maureen and the other two ladies on stage held their own. Hard to know if it is the characters as written that are more compelling or the actors playing them. In any case, there weren't any weak links in that regard. It was also the right choice of a play to see to connect to the work I am doing in my Drama 409 class. I spent the last two days researching Split Britches, a Lesbian-Feminist theatre company out of New York, and although this was not a Feminist-Lesbian piece, it did challenge certain societal and cultural expectations. It was also post modern in that it did not track as 'real' and the arc was not traditional. Even off the top there was a self-awareness that underscored the piece.

I like to see things like this, but not all the time. I think that, for me, I enjoy this type of production more in contrast to other things. I wonder at those who only go for one type of theatre experience. I certainly find my experiences enriched by occasionally challenging them. I don't always 'get it' or 'connect' to every piece, but if I only see the same things I get very, very bored and it becomes more about the glass of wine at intermission than the actual show. That can't be good.

#2 of my projected 40 theatrical events for the year