Finster Finds

Well, as we wrap up one year, it means that we need to think ahead about what we want to see next... don't we? Well, I do... It's good to take this lull and think about what is coming up that interests us and as always, there are a lot of possibilities.  I know I won't make it to all of them, but I am going to try! So let's start with January 2014! There are quite a few shows on in town this January.  I'm gearing up for Clybourne Park and Hawksley Workman's The God That Comes at the Citadel.  Both have been on my radar as things I was looking forward to for awhile.  Clybourne Park because of my Tony-obsession, and The God That Comes because I had heard good things about it from when it was in Calgary last season. I'm also hoping to catch Theatre Yes' The Elevator Project at Canoe Festival this January. I missed it last time because of simply having too many things to do when it was on.  I know it will be new stories but the concept fascinates

I saw a lot of theatre this year.  I like that.  I have said it before and I will say it again, but I feel so incredibly blessed to live in Edmonton because of the variety and the amount of theatre we get to see.  What I Saw: First of all, this list is not exhaustive because I saw a lot.  I think you'd have to flip through the blog to read about everything.  These are what stayed with me for various reasons.  Other people would have a completely different list... Second of all, there is no real order to this list.  It's not a ranking, more a reflection... My favorite theatre experience of the whole year was Ride the Cyclone at the Citadel.  As I compiled everything it is the one that kept coming back to me.  So fresh, so odd, so Canadian and so well done.  I saw it twice and wished I could have seen it more.  It's not often I want to see a show more than once, but this one I did.  I would see it tomorrow if it were playing here still. My favorite play of the ye

This was a busy year for me for theatre.  I finished off the second half of my great VUE Weekly Season Grand Prize and also had a few fabulous projects of my own on the go. This is What I Did , and the next post will be What I Saw ... What I Did: I started the year with Auditions for ELOPE's  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee .  It feels so long ago...  I was blown away by the auditions and was thrilled with the cast I was able to assemble. There were new faces and familiar ones and the cast had that incredible kind of synergy that made it a most joyful experience.  The show surprised a lot of people.  I had so many people tell me that they were not expecting much because of the title but then when they came to see it, they both laughed and cried and loved it.  I did too.  So much so that I saw all but 2 of the 8 performances.  Of course, I missed the most incredible one where the power went out and they finished the show in the lobby.  I followed at home on FB and T

This weekend was to be a little holiday for me.  My sister came to town on Friday so I took the day off work to go get her from the airport and get some visiting in.  Of course, the weather has been crap so a normally 45 minutes drive to the airport took an hour and a half.  I left plenty early so that was alright and the drive back meant for more visiting so that was all cool. I had, however, woken up with a scratchy throat and low-grade headache which did not bode well for the weekend... Good thing my husband is a pharmacist.  I medicated and hoped adrenalin and positivity would carry me through the weekend! We took in Wannabe (Spice Girls Tribute Band ) at the Citadel Club that night which was so much ridiculous fun.  We were joined by friends Kim and Cliff and enjoyed much chair dancing and singing a long to the tunes we guiltily knew all the lyrics to.  Cliff provided the biggest moment of entertainment however when he and a couple of other guys jumped onstage during the encore

We are approaching the end of the run... only two more shows left and the journey that has been Proof will be over.  It's been a great experience. The cast really rose to the challenge of the script and they have consistently delivered engaged, present and compelling performances.  I was blessed with a fabulous design team who delivered pitch perfect details in set, costumes, props, lights and sound.  It was really lovely to just direct and not worry about the details because I had a team that was looking after it.  And my crew... I left the show in their capable hands with no hint of fear that it would be well cared for and looked after. There were disappointments, mostly that we were hit squarely with the cold and snow and that affected attendance.  It descended on opening weekend, receded a bit around our dark day and then came back today.  It's hard to compel people to venture out when police are recommending people stay indoors. Throw in a lack of media attention and yo

This past week was insane!  I had two Openings: Proof on Wednesday and A Christmas Carol on Thursday.  As Director of the first and Marketing Administrator for the second I was very busy!  Fortunately both went very well.  I have been very pleased with Proof and it was great to share it with an audience.  Although the weather kept the turn-out smaller than I would have liked, they were extremely appreciative and I received glowing reviews from audience members at the reception following the show.  I hope that you all can take the time to see it.  I guarantee a great night of theatre worth braving the cold for. It runs until December 14th and the tickets range from $12-$16 so it's really an affordable theatre opportunity. A Christmas Carol also went well.  It is so cool to see the people coming to Opening Night for this show.  Many of them have seen it before and they all look so excited to be back for it.  For many of them it is the kick-off of their Christmas season.  I al

So in the midst of all my busy, the Fringe Lottery was held last week.  I couldn't attend because I was knee-deep in a tech rehearsal, but had my iPad on hand for updates and was overwhelmed to get word that Finally Sauces was drawn, not once, but twice.  Round Barn did not get pulled, so we will try again next year if everyone is still up for it. I had decided to let the Fringe gods decide which projects would be on the docket and would have been happy with one, or two and probably stressed with all three so this has worked out.  We (Finally Sauces) will be presenting one of my scripts and one of Anne Marie's.  After Proof gets up and running we will have to have a meeting to figure out roles and responsibilities and discuss possible casting, but it is exciting to know so far in advance that we will be in.  I have done the Wait List before and that is stressful - best when you get in and are ready, but very sad when you are working on being ready and you don't get off the