Finster Finds

Whorehouse is moving along. We are in great shape. There is some tightening in a few crunchy places, but generally it is small potatoes. Now we are waiting on the other details, the completion of the set, the acquisition of all the show props, the lights, the costumes and the make-up. We add the musicians on Sunday at the Sitz Probe which will be fun. Dry Tech happens on Monday night (no rest for me or the rest of the Production Team, but the cast gets a night off!), and we begin a 2 night process of Q2Q on Tuesday. We have done our work on the acting, singing and dancing and now we have to be patient while the technical elements get incorporated. I am anxious and nervous and excited. It's all about how close it will look to the picture in my head. I have a great team, so I have great expectations about how that will all turn out. We have had a few issues - illnesses, work issues, lates, the usual - we are dealing with it all and it seems to be that a calm head and good preparation...

We had a great rehearsal last night for Best Little Whorehouse . It was a stumble of Act Two and it was really in pretty good shape. There were a couple bumps but we are still 3 weeks out from Opening so those will get cleaner as we keep working. Then we taught the Aggie Song/Dance to our two new Aggies. I am so happy we solved that problem. Injuries scare me. The last thing I want is for an actor to get injured, but we needed the bodies for the dance. The 2 new guys picked it up fast and we have another hour tonight to clean it and again we have 3 weeks to Opening. Now if only I could sleep. I have screwed up my sleep pattern because my brain isn't shutting off when I get home. I am either buzzing with thoughts of the Whorehouse or of LOST - sometimes both. Two nights ago I dreamt I was directing a hybrid LOST/Whorehouse travelling show (don't ask for details, but Matthew Fox was delightful to work with and Terry O'Quinn was a bit of a diva)... Anyhow, I couldn't fall ...

And I am not talking metaphorically! I had a planning meeting this morning with the other Camp Counsellors for the "Acting Like Animals" Camp that I will be working at this summer at the Zoo. It was fun. We had one of the counsellors from last year there and he gave great input and the girls seem fun and enthusiastic and I think we will all work together well. I am excited about this and need to get to work on the plays for the camp. I have the stories and resources, now I have to write the scripts. I am also at a very important phase in Whorehouse rehearsals. Last night we started putting the pieces together. We have everything choreographed and blocked and last night we stumbled Act One. It was choppy, especially in between scenes, but it is all there and now I can clean it. I am a little stressed about injuries because I don't want to have anyone hurt, but we have a plan to help avoid that and still keep the integrity of the number. Speaking of the dance - it is so goo...

After the final episode of LOST was aired a few weeks ago and once I recovered from my very teary reaction to watching it (more than once) I decided I wanted to watch the whole series from start to finish. I know, I know, I will have to wait on the final season, but it should be out by the end of the summer. Anyhow, I have now watched Season 1 and 2 and located Season 3 today so I will commence the viewing of that. It is funny how so many lines have new significance after seeing the final season. Most importantly for me is the concept of Live Together, Die Alone which I think is a brilliant approach to any society, whether you are on a desert island or large city. We have to find a way to live together or we will die alone. So we have to appreciate what everyone brings to the table. Pardon me, I am a little obsessed at the moment...

Have you ever been in a meeting/social setting/general gathering of people when someone says something to you that makes you just shake your head? Like you want to say, " Did you really just accuse me of that? What the...? That's insulting and idiotic ." but you don't because of the social conventions that there are other people there and the sheer disbelief of them accusing you of it to begin with. It amazes me sometimes the kind of crap people get away with saying because they know that 9 time out of 10 people are going to be too flabbergasted or polite to respond or challenge them. I could do without that kind of crap.

No, I am not looking for work, but it is always good to periodically add things before you forget what you did. I was also contacted about teaching a Drama camp at the Zoo this summer so they need my resume on file so I had to make sure it was up to date. I was amazed by how much theatre stuff I have done since I moved to Edmonton. Last year I worked on 7 Productions - primarily in prominent roles (Director, playwright, actor). I have already racked up 4 projects this year and it is only 1/2 way over. I think that will be it for this year, except I will start work on Rabbit Hole before the end of the year. I will also be at the University and continuing with the ADship so it will not be like I am sitting on my butt. I looked into what was required for me to return to teaching, but I think if I do I would just be a substitute because it is hard to deal with child care and running around for the store if I am also working full-time. But it is nice to know that everything is in pla...

Ahhhhh.... It is so nice to finally feel like we are moving forward. We had some solid chunks of the script completed but this week with the addition of choreography and the availability of certain key actors increasing we have just been moving along. I am finally moving at the pace I like and I am liking what I see. It is also echoed by the move into the space. There is certainly something about being in the theatre feeling like *bang*, now we're moving! We are a week and a half from having everything blocked and choreographed and then we have a delightful amount of time to clean and make this baby sparkle! Very, very fun! Now, if only I could fix the issues I have with people who show up late, or read the schedule wrong and don't show up at all, or get sick (don't get sick, people!), or get injured (don't get injured people!) then I would be totally happy.