Finster Finds

We finished up the 4 show run on Saturday night. Our audience was 9 people, only 4 of whom paid. On the Wednesday we had 5 people in the house. Opening and Friday we had between 20-30 people. It was a great show, with wonderful people to work with, but the lack of promotion by Horizon Players really disappointed me. I did what I could with Facebook and encouraging people I knew to come, but it was a challenge. Most of the students I know could not get out there. I was most disappointed that not all of the Board of Horizon Players came to see the show. The President of the Board never came out to a show. Disappointing. Anyhow, we wrapped up the event at Elizabeth's lovely house in Stony Plain and we stumbled home at 4 AM. Good practice for the Casino I worked last night!

Because I like to compartmentalize I started a blog dealing strictly with my A.D. Adventures... http://finster-wallyworld.blogspot.com/ I anticipate plenty of overlap.

I am Walterdale Theatre Associates new Artistic Director for the 2009-2011 Seasons. There was an article in the Edmonton Journal with the announcement that called me Karen M. Finlay (a correction was printed today) and the Walterdale January Newsletter announced me, so I have been enjoying the congratulations from well-wishers. I now anxiously await submitted scripts for the season. I will sift and shuffle and try to put together a season that works in many ways since I serve so many masters in this new position. I will also remember to save something good for myself... I have two more shows for Sky (tonight and tomorrow). We have done 2 very good shows, but to very small audiences (20 the first night and 5 the second night). We have not let the size of the house change our intensity, so that is good. It is just frustrating to put the whole thing together and drive all that way for 5 people... I am a little frustrated with the lack of promotion of the show and I know my direc

Although not perfect, I made it through tonight's run in much better shape than on Tuesday. Thankfully Elizabeth came in a little early to run lines with me. It helped, although it would have really helped if Lindsey had come in as well. I thought we had agreed to 6:30, but it was not firm so maybe something came up. I can let go of some of the angst because if I drop a line it doesn't make or break the scene or the show.

Last night at around 3:20 a.m. we received a phone call from the Security Company. The motion alarm inside the store was triggered twice, should they call the police? YES. The idiot criminal broke in through the front window (now being replaced with wired glass) and took a bunch of stuff from the dispensary. The damage was most of the damage. The drugs he took were mostly vaccines and insulin which cost us quite a bit but have zero for street value so I am not sure what his plan was. We closed the store today to do inventory for the insurance and clean up the glass and get all the insurance and police business done. The criminal disregarded the security signs and cameras. The police got a look at our video and know who the guy is. He drove home in his vehicle (identified in the video) and left evidence by his house. All they have to do is locate him. Moron.

Ugh. Tonight I had a horrible rehearsal for Sky . It was supposed to be a sharing night with the other groups that had shows. Only one other group showed up at the beginning, so we waited a bit (read: wasted 1/2 an hour) then we watched each other's play. I sucked bad. I have only had 3 rehearsals and haven't had a lot of time on my own to work on the thing, but it was worse than I thought it would be. I was challenged by the task because I didn't feel we were ready to share it ( rehearsal vs. performance ) and I felt tense and unprepared so that didn't help. I had to give up the lines at certain points because the chronology of the lines within the scenes skipped around a bit and I can't really do much about that. When we finished, we struck and then one of the other groups showed up. I wanted to work and I was a little cranky about having to watch this group that didn't watch us, so I got out of it and a few of us went out and ran sections. The whole

Of Walterdale Theatre Associates for the 2009-2011 Seasons! That's all I really wanted to say. I am really excited about it. I am a little tired because I just came off the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition , but I am really excited and looking forward to those scripts that will come rolling in so that I can read them and design the season. Ah.

I have just finished the first week of my new class Drama 103 ( Play Analysis ). It is off to a great start and already has started me thinking about what kind of theatre I want to be doing and putting out there. The course is definitely aimed at the newly adult, but the instructor knows that I am in there. I think my perspective might add something new to the mix. We have spent most of the first 2 classes talking about what our role as spectator is and it makes you think about how theatres must sell seats and how that need conflicts with the need for 'art' to bring change and push forward instead of stagnating. Not all audience members want to be jarred or challenged. I don't always want to be. However, if you are only playing to the masses(and/or the lowest common denominator), then what contribution are you really making? I often get so annoyed by the amount of money poured into slop like Don't Mess With the Zohan or Deuce Bigalo, Male Gigolo (1 and 2), or S

I spent a lot of time today working on The Last 5 Years (L5Y). We have set our fist production meeting for this Sunday afternoon. I will likely be a little brain fogged since I will have just come off the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition as part of 10 Days of Madness . I am hoping to actually sleep a bit during the competition so that I am not totally screwed up, and I know that I write fast when I have time and no children distracting me so I also hope to finish early so that I can go home and snooze a bit. In any case, due to the potential for brain-fog I want to have as much as possible on paper as I can. If I am unable to articulate what I need at the meeting, at least my pre-planning notes will speak for me. The big thing for me is scheduling. I need to know my road map. I spent today breaking down Units and then blocking out what I need to get done and estimating time. We are going in to rehearsal with two fairly well-prepared singers who pretty much know the show so

I am off to my first rehearsal for Sky this afternoon. My friend AM is directing. I specifically asked for the non-speaking role because I didn't want the added weight of learning lots of lines. I am quite comfortable creating a character in silence. This should be enough of a challenge without over-taxing me in this busy month. I am also working on prepping for The Last Five Years which I am directing. That show goes up in March so I have stacked a few things on top of each other. I have my writing desk back after lending it to Walterdale for the last show, so I have re-organized it and have been using it. It is like my own little 'room of my own' for writing and working. I am currently seeking ideas for the 24 hour playwriting competition that is coming up next weekend. Any suggestions? Funny?... On New Years Day my brother's mother-in-law made a comment to me along the lines of "You still doing that drama stuff? I guess you need something to keep you busy.&q