Finster Finds

  Last night after all the people went in for Opening Night of Clybourne Park , I took off to Tix on the Square to get a ticket for The Elevator Project .   I missed it in the fall because I was out of town too much and too busy when I was in town, so I was glad to squeeze it in this cycle.  I tried to start at the Tix elevator, but unfortunately it was having technical difficulties so it was not operational.  So I headed off for the CN Tower. There was a long line up there so I boogied over to EPCOR and got in for that one, then back to the CN Tower, where I waited a bit for that one and then the long trek to CKUA and a wait for the third. The three shows were very different.  With a five minute piece, I don't actually want to say too much about them specifically because of spoilers, but overall it was a very interesting experience. I was worried in the first one because as I stood in the tight space my mild claustrophobia started to bubble up, but the brevity of the pieces

There's a whole song about drinking Champagne in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II and like that bubbly beverage, Edmonton Opera's production is effervescent and giggle-producing. I took in the Dress Rehearsal/Student matinee on Thursday and was treated to a colourful farce complete with disguises, masks, dancing and incarceration.  It's in English, which was a treat, as I didn't have to rely on the supertitles very much and I could watch more of the show.  The music is also wonderful with lush voices provided by beautiful people! A married woman, Rosalinde (Betty Waynne Allison), is visited by an opera-singing suitor from her past, Alfred (Adam Fisher).  Her husband Eisenstein (Gordon Gietz) is due to serve time in jail for a minor charge. So Rosalinde and Alfred plan for a tryst in Eisenstein's absence.  This also works out for their chambermaid Adele (Jaqueline Woodley) who wants the night off to go to a grand party hosted by the Prince Orlofsky (Gerald Tho

Last night my husband and I took in closing night of The God That Comes , the one man show by Hawksley Workman at the Citadel Club.  I will be honest, I know there were a lot of people going because it was Hawksley Workman and they have been long-time fans, but I was going because I had heard about the show from the Calgary theatre season last year.  I had never really heard Hawksley before ( other than maybe a couple of times on the radio - but I couldn't swear to it ).  Since the show opened last week I had heard great things both at work and via twitter and FB so I was very anxious to see it.  I was also looking forward to the bottle of wine that came with the VIP table I had purchased way back in August!  Anyhow, last night was really cool.  A re-telling of the Bacchae in a way that was very sexy, humorous, and musically compelling.  It was laugh out loud and so clever and Hawksley Workman's story-telling with music was always invested and engaging.  What a great night.

Theatre in Edmonton is really getting kick started this weekend, so if you are looking for something to see, there are a lot of options. Hawksley Workman is wrapping up The God That Comes at the Citadel Theatre this weekend.  Tickets for Friday and Saturday are few, but you might be able to grab ones for tonight (better run the show starts at 8 p.m.) or tomorrow night.  Twitter has been abuzz with great comments about the show, so I am looking forward to it. At Theatre Network, the highly successful A Bronte Burlesque opens tomorrow night.  Putting this show on a bigger stage with better sightlines is going to make it even better.  It sold out it's run at the Fringe two years ago so I expect a healthy turn-out for this.  Also at the Citadel, Clybourne Park starts it's previews this weekend.  Its the Tony, Pulitzer and Olivier award-winning script by Bruce Norris and its biting wit seems so relevant in today's world of political correctness.  Whether you always fe

This Thursday I will be working with a fabulous dramaturge (Tracy Carroll) and 5 amazing actors (Michele Fleiger, Lora Brovold, April Banigan, Stephanie Wolfe and Jenny McKillop) to workshop my script The Easy Road in preparation for Skirts Afire in March.  I am nervous, but so excited.  A workshop opportunity, especially one a month and a bit ahead of the presentation is an incredible opportunity.  I can read my play to myself and make adjustments and changes, but until I hear it aloud, it's hard to really get what shape it's in.  I am in a great position.  I will get to hear it, definitely more than once, possibly with different actors reading different roles, and I will get to have fabulous discussions with someone who knows a lot more about play construction than I do.  And then, blessing upon blessing, I will be able to go away and rewrite.  And I will have time to make changes and more changes before the first week of March when we go back into workshop preparing to pre

This past Saturday I met up with my good friend Catherine (@catherooni) for some poutine at The Next Act and my first theatre outing of the new year.   It was a great start - good company, great food and a very entertaining production. Mack and Mabel is the musical tale of the ill-fated romance between Hollywood director, Mack Sennett and waitress turned starlet, Mabel Normand. Set in the roaring 20’s when silent film was the rage and pratfalls and pies throwing were a plenty it follows their relationship in movie-making and their own kind of romance.  It also kicked off the Plain Jane's Concert series.  Directed by Kate Ryan with a tight cast of 7 with scripts in hand and a slightly streamlined version of the musical, we watched the story unfold with judicious use of blocking and song and the occasional dance.  Patricia Zentilli was simply wonderful as Mabel Normand.  Her voice soars and her portrayal of Mabel was both comical and heart-breaking.  I haven't ever seen her o

It's very busy at work right now.  I know, I know, there's a recent rejection of the word busy, but I work in a place where the pace goes up and down depending on what is on the go and right now we are busy.  A big part of my job is putting together the Playbills for each of the main stage shows and about 2-3 weeks out is when those tasks heat up.  We have two shows opening up in the next 4 weeks so I am both proofing and collecting right now, in addition to coordinating Opening Night Invitations for the first one, Clybourne Park , which opens on January 30th.  The second one, Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata opens on February 5th. So yeah, it's.... busy... However, that's not even the next show in the building.  In our Beyond the Stage Series we have Hawksley Workman and The God That Comes opening tomorrow night.  I'm really excited for this show.  It won a couple of Betty Awards last season (Calgary's Sterlings) and made top ten theatre l

About a year and a half or so ago (Sept 2012) a group of local artists started the Theatre Edmonton Project.  I heard about it via FB and was intrigued by the notion.  On their FB Page the purpose of the project was described as follows: The Theatre Edmonton Project is an exciting new grassroots initiative that's working to accelerate and advance creative and artistic innovation across Edmonton's theatre community. People are encouraged to join the FB Page or follow the group on twitter @theatreedmonton Over the course of the past year and a half there were a variety of meet-ups each with a specific topic.  I went to one at last year's Canoe Festival on Resources and this past Sunday I was happy to partake in the Director's Exchange .  There was a panel of local Directors at various stages of their careers and at various sized theatres with differing structures.  Bob Baker ( Citadel Theatre ) Jonathan Christenson ( Catalyst Theatre ) Elizabeth Hobbs ( Punctu