Finster Finds

Went and listened to Prairie Nights (formerly Drew Malcolm and Lindsey Walker duo) at The Carrot on 118th Avenue last night. Just after the opening act and just before their set the power went out. However, since it's a small room and Lindsey has a big voice, they started the show in the dark acoustically. The lightning provided a delightful show behind them and about 4 songs in the power came up and they brought tow other members of the band to the stage and finished the show. It was a nice night. It was good to see and visit with Lindsey since I have not seen her since Whorehouse closed. We briefly talked about plans for the show she is writing. Nice to have a project percolating even if it is a ways away.

Went to see St. Aggie's 84 last night at the Old Cycle Building on 118 Avenue. This is the production that Strathcona High School is taking to the Edinburgh Fringe . I went with Magnolia and we met Lisa Brownie there and the three of us had a grand ol' time. I also drove Lisa home afterward so we got an extended visit. The show was a lot of fun. I do hope that the stage they play on in Scotland is a little bigger, or at least wider as I think that with that many bodies on stage more space would have been better. There were some great things on stage. The core groups of girls and guys were very strong and well-matched, and the supporting story with the Spanish students was very funny. I think the playwright maybe tried to follow the source material too tightly as I think the show would have been stronger if it were to end on either the first or second false ending instead of the third, but it may not be finished in that respect. You can always fine tune as playwright and edit ...

Yesterday I took the boys to the Spray park at Glengarry . I have to keep them doing things or else they invade each other's territory and the punches and tears start. It's not constant, and in fact I tend to get several hours of good play before an altercation, but when it does happen it always seems to be at a critical point in my work. I wonder, do these kids have special radar for when the absolute worst time to fight would be? Anyhow, the spray park was great and even tempered the rest of the day as there were very few moments of high drama for the rest of the day. Nothing like sun and water to sort out a child's day! We are going to hit a few more spray parks this week. I am mixing it up but going to different ones. They long to go back to West Ed, but a couple of things stop me from doing that. First, the outrageous price and second, the thought of my butt in a swimsuit in public. Maybe after I lose about 50 lbs... but even then it would still be so very, ver...

I became a Mom. Oliver turned 9 yesterday and we spent this entire weekend in birthday mode. My niece Ariana turned 3 last Monday but since my sis and her husband were in town this weekend the birthday party was held on Saturday afternoon (complete with bouncy castle and sprinkler). Sunday we celebrated Oliver's birthday at my Mom and Dad's. It was more low-key as we were expecting my brother and his family but they were held up at the lake. But the time they got there my nieces were wiped out. In any case, we played a new game (Quirkle - given to Oliver from Auntie Annie and Uncle Greg) which was a big hit. We also enjoyed the DQ Ice Cream Cake, which is a perennial favorite! It is hard to really think that I can quantify my being a mother in time. It was easier to do that when I was newer to the job, but now it feels as though I have always been a Mom. I do enjoy the changes and evolutions in my children as they grow into different people. 9 seems like it will be an interesti...

Boys are in camp this week so I have been getting stuff done. I spent time at the theatre (and will spend more this week) sorting and purging Props with Alli and painting the stage floor (what I could get to, anyways - about 4/5 of it). I also took a couple of big bags of clothes to the Goodwill and a box of baby toys. I will continue to do more of this kind of thing tomorrow. My sis and her husband come to visit Friday and this weekend has birthday events for my niece and my eldest son so I will be busy with family stuff from Friday on. I have to get some birthday presents and a cake... I am thinking about Camp for the boys for another week since I feel like I am working hard but still have so much more I would like to get done that I haven't gotten to...

Feels pretty good. I am so very happy for Walterdale and my cast and for me, because I want to share in the joy of the full houses! We ran out of hairspray so I bought more today and will take it in tonight. I am very, very glad I bought MY tickets early!

Well, we got a review. It isn't great, but it isn't terrible. Some of the criticisms are more related to the script and you can't really do much about that. I also think, based on the specific criticism, that the reviewer came to Opening night as I think we have since worked out the balance and timing issues with the band and singers. We had a few glitches on Opening Night in that regard. We made a conscious decision not to mic and I still think that is right for the space, but it certainly made balance a bigger challenge. A review is what it is. Whorehouse does not have the conventional Musical Theatre Arc so it challenges expectations. I, too, prefer the second act, but for reasons that are intangible. As with all reviews - I analyze and learn from them, but take them with a grain of salt. They are, after all, only one person's opinion of a show they saw on one particular night and by no means do they reflect everyone's reactions. http://vueweekly.com/art...

The show ( The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ) opened this weekend. It has been a fabulous first half of the run as all five of our shows have SOLD OUT. You always want the show to be successful, but I try not to focus on that as a measuring stick. Instead I tried to focus on making the show really good, and fun and to promote it as best I could so that we could get people out to see it. It is so gratifying to see the audiences come out and to see them be so appreciative. I saw the show Opening and then returned yesterday afternoon for the Sunday afternoon. On Opening we had a nice strong show but I knew the cast was a little nervous and tentative... they have certainly loosened up and are sinking their teeth in with confidence and pure enjoyment - it is so nice to see the show grow without seeing it go off the rails! Also this weekend I had my 25th High School Reunion . For the two previous reunions I was Chair (10th) and heavily involved (20th) but for this one I could not put as m...

Those are lovely words to see when you go to the Tix on the Square Website. I know that we have quite a few comps tonight, but even with that, Opening Night usually has about 80-90 people. Sold Out means we will have 143! Yee Haw! I am excited for my cast and crew. They have had two lovely Preview audiences in which to get used to audience reactions and to work out the bugs in scene and costume changes. I look forward to seeing the show again and hope I can relax on their behalf and just enjoy! It's the kind of show that demands a big house, so let's hope tonight is not a fluke and the run does well. I promise enthusiasm and a dedicated and talented cast dressed in fabulous costumes on a gorgeous set...

Last night was our Final Dress. It's all there. I had picky little notes, but that's it - all we need is an audience. Today we clean and do some stuff where we need to tweak lights and sound, and then tomorrow is a day of rest and we have our first Preview on Monday. Here we go! Yee Haw!