Finster Finds

There was a moment in Edmonton Actors Theatre's production of  Burning Bluebeard  at Theatre Network where I experienced a flashback.  In high school I did a lot of volunteering both onstage and backstage at Keyano Theatre in Fort McMurray. When I was in grade 10, I was working running crew on Aladdin, the Christmas Pantomime.  I had just placed my *rock* onstage and was waiting backstage for the end of the scene when I heard a loud bang onstage.  I was instantly worried that my rock had fallen over so I rushed to the stage door and opened it to the sight of smoke and fire and the Music Director rushed out of the smoke yelling, "Get out! Get out!" The set was on fire.  I helped lead the orchestra out the stage door (they had been located upstage in a burlap tent) and exited the theatre out the back loading dock. Outside on the loading dock, in December in Fort McMurray were the dancers and actors from the show. There the girls in their tights and sequin...

Anyone who claims there is nothing to do in Edmonton needs to have their head examined! When I looked back at the week and realized that I saw 4+1 varied performances I was a little surprised myself! In reverse order... Last night I took in Workshop West Playwright's Theatre/Alberta Aboriginal Performing Arts production of  Café Daughter by Kenneth T. Williams. A entirely enjoyable evening of theatre due primarily to the phenomenal skills of Tiffany Ayalik as the title character, Yvette Wong.  The story was inspired by the life of Dr. Senator Lillian Eva (Quan) Dyck who was the daughter of a Cree mother and Chinese father and who was raised to hide her aboriginal roots. Ayalik does a tremendous job giving life to Yvette and the myriad of characters that populate her life, shifting smoothly between each one.  It is a story of struggling with identity and coming to terms with embracing that which has been hidden. Kudos must also be given to T. Erin Gruber for th...

Last night I took in Once at the the Jubilee as part of the Broadway Across Canada tour.  I had seen it earlier this summer in Toronto and although I liked it, I saw it at the end of a very, very long day and it was just okay. I was very glad to see it again last night as the experience was a lot different. Perhaps I was more refreshed and less tired and that helped. Perhaps my seats were better. Perhaps the connection of this cast was just a little but stronger.  Perhaps, having seen it *once* already I was able to relax into it better. In any case, I really liked it last night. It doesn't follow a traditional musical theatre format. I remember that catching me off-guard the last time. All the actors onstage not only sing and act, but they also provide the instrumentation for the show.  That is one talented cast up there onstage. Some play guitars, the piano, some the violin, there's a bass, a drum kit, a mandolin, banjo, and accordion. Most of the time they are both ...

Last Thursday night, to a packed house (only 3 empty seats!) Wind in Her Sails opened and was greeted with a thunderous standing ovation! The ovation was as much for the play and the performance as it was for the playwright, Elizabeth Bowering, who spearheaded the whole project and it was an overwhelming moment for me. I was more nervous than I realized so it was indeed a wonderful feeling to hear the response from the audience and above-all hear that Elizabeth herself was pleased with the show. Unlike other projects, where I have simply been able to interpret the work to my own satisfaction, there was an added layer of expectation that this show not only fulfill my artistic vision, but that the playwright also be happy with it. I do not think the two visions were at odds, but this is a business fraught with insecurity and doubt. The script was an excellent guide - well-written with 4 well-rounded and interesting characters, as well as a charming narrator skilled in story-telling an...

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind!  Between shows and rehearsals I have been hard-pressed to write.  Some of the things I saw are done, so sadly you cannot still see them, but some are still running so make the time, if they interest you! In Reverse Order! Most recently I saw The Last Five Years , the first show in Theatre Network's season and in their new space. L5Y is one of my favourite musicals and I have also directed it before so it was very cool to see it staged by someone else in a very different way.  Jeremy Baumung (Jamie) and Patricia Zentilli (Cathy) are lovely singers and well-suited to their roles in this show which is a series of monologues about a relationship.  His is told from beginning to end and hers from end to beginning, all set the beautiful music of Jason Robert Brown. Director Bradley Moss staged the show in an alley which was interesting and helped take me out of comparing it too much to my own production. For fans of this show,...

This week I saw two very different plays.  One, Ravenscroft , was a mystery where the truth was slowly unraveled as lies and exaggerations were discarded.  The other,  Les Blues des Oubliées , was a french-langueage play with sur-titles. So in both,I had to work hard to figure out what was going on! Ravenscroft , currently running at Walterdale Theatre until October 24th, is a who-dun-it with a surprise twist at the end. Inspector Ruffing (Dan Fessenden) interrogates the 5 women of Ravenscroft Manor to try to discover exactly what happened the night the footman was killed.  It's a clever play with juicy characters set in an English Manor in the early 1900s.  I did the props for the show and due to my busy schedule this was first opportunity to see if the worked.  They did! It was great to see the show up on it's feet. The cast does a nice job creating the world and for me it was great to see 5 of the 6 cast members are newcomers to Walterdale. I also li...

I never know quite what to expect with Teatro la Quindicina .  That's a good thing.  I've learned to go into their shows with a spirit of " let's see what happens " because you never quite know what their show will be about.   The Hot House Prince was certainly that for me.  With references to Three Sisters (all played by the delightful and multi-faceted Kendra O'Connor) the play takes us to Russia during the revolution and a young Prince Dmitri Romanov-Orsk (Luc Tellier) must find a way to survive by fleeing the country.  It's a cautionary tale about entitlement and how that doesn't prepare us for the real world, but it tells it's story in a charming, humour-filled way. What saves Dmitri is his irrepressible hope and willingness to adapt and work hard.   The Hot House Prince left me feeling all warm inside!  The cast is terrific, led by the charming Tellier. I found the cast refreshing and engaging, and highlights for me were Jayce MacKenzie a...

I admit it. I had reservations about Bone Cage before I saw it. This was heightened when I read the Director's Notes which indicted the Oil Sands industry and it's toxic sludge of tailings ponds and the suggestion that if we really thought about what we were doing to make a living we would be sickened by it.  I've heard that rhetoric before and having spent most of my life in Fort McMurray I couldn't help but bristle a bit, but I was determined to view the play with an open mind. I was expecting a rhetoric laden piece about the environment, with blame laid here and there... but that's not what I saw.  Instead, I didn't see much of the environmental message earned. It was there, but it felt pasted on as a convenient scapegoat for the unhappiness of the people in the play. What played out was that these people were screwed up because of past tragedies - a lost son/brother, a wayward mother, a missing father, bad parenting, poor choices in school, or general imma...

Back in the spring of this year, I got a phone call from Elizabeth Bowering.  I had heard of Elizabeth because she had been quite busy at Walterdale over the years, but I had never met her. She explained to me that we had a mutual friend, David Kirshner Sr., and that she and David suffered from the same illness, MSA (Multiple System Atrophy).  I remembered when David was diagnosed and this terrible illness swept into his and his family's life.  A once vibrant and active man was suddenly stilled. Elizabeth was in the same boat. She went on to explain that she wanted to produce one of her plays, Wind in Her Sails, as a fundraiser and awareness project for MSA and she wondered if I might consider directing it. So I asked her to send me the script so that I might read it.  I read it and I was immediately in. It's a beautiful piece in tribute to her grandmother telling a story on a trip on a 60 ft. schooner in the early 1900s full of East Coast music. Well, now it's ...

Like last summer, I picked two #yegbookclub books to read other the summer and then we discussed them on twitter over two consecutive weeks in September.  So this was a 2 #yegbookclub month! I worked hard to get the books read (or at least started) early so that I wouldn't be caught up after the crazy Fringe-filled summer I had. First up, on September 14th, we talked about Every Blade of Grass by Thomas Wharton.  The novel follows, primarily through the exchange of letters, a relationship between Martha and James.  It was my first foray into Eco-fiction (except, someone said that Atwood's Oryx & Crake is eco-fiction, but I through that was more speculative fiction... I don't know the categories... ). This book took place in the past moving up to the early 2000s. A romance, but a subtle one, with environmental topics woven through the letters, along with a growing intimacy as their relationship evolves. Themes of death, loss and friendship are also explored. Here ar...

September has been a bit of a blur for me.  We've been working extra hard to get ready for the Opening of the Citadel's 50th Anniversary Season,  It's been very cool looking back through the archive photos over the last 50 years and seeing who has been on the various Citadel Stages.  These will be coming out on throwback Thursday throughout the season.  I've by no means planned all of them so... if you have a favorite show you'd like to see pictures from, let me know! Most of what we've been working hard on in terms of events this month happened this last week.  We opened the season on Thursday night with BOOM. Prior to the show, we we treated to speeches from various dignitaries, including the Lt. Governor, representatives from Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments, sponsors, the Board, Penny Ritco, Bob Baker and Kayla and Marshall Shoctor. I think Kayla Shoctor's speech was my favorite as there was something about it that spoke to the magic of t...

Today we had our 2nd SOLD OUT show for Double Double: The Musical.  It was so much fun.  It's weird because we still have 3 shows left but it also feels like Fringe is almost over! Three more for Double Double and only one more for Shout! (which is already almost Sold Out).  So, this has certainly been a terrific Fringe! And now for a little watching... Love Letters - This was a wonderful piece about two people corresponding from elementary school to late adulthood.  The correspondence between Melissa (Holly Turner) and Andy (Brian Dooley) is charming, funny and in some places heart-breaking.  It was a delightful piece of theatre with terrific acting.  You know they are good when you are completely captivated and they are just sitting there reading letters. That's all I could manage.  With the 2 show schedule I have to take it easy (and it's killing me a little bit!).

I had a great time talking to people lined up to see Shout!  today about what they would recommend for my Word of Mouth blog.  It's the halfway point so people have seen more shows and I am getting some variety.  One gentleman asked me to be sure to say that the shows recommended were well-done but that people should see read the descriptions, because not everyone likes musicals and not everyone likes Pinter.  So, if a descriptions interests you and it's on this list, this likely means it's well done and you can safely check it out! Edgar Allan (this has been mentioned A LOT) Kiss Around Pass Around Beau & Aero Loon Ordinary Days Assassins Fiddler on the Roof Bonnie & Clyde The Lover Gidion's Knot A New Brain I hope you can check some of these shows out!

Yesterday I snuck in a show between my two shows and I forgot to mention one from the earlier day (all that hairspray I am inhaling is affecting my memory I think!).  Life is a Musical! - It seems the only time I catch Improv is at Fringe and this is the 3rd time I have caught Grindstone Theatre's live improvised musical.  The story this time centered around a Barista from Starbucks named Sasha.  They cleverly tied it to West Side Story and it was a lot of fun. Highlights for me were the villans, Antonio (Neil Kuefler) and Banderas (Mark Vetsch) whose machismo was hysterical and the absolutely brilliant Mary Hulbert who played Sasha.  Hulbert sang a torchy long song (she's done this before) that I hope they recorded because it was so good. A sure-fire, super fun, hour of improv! Loris and Beaver Play BINGO - I caught this earlier in the week. It's a play about writing a play.  As a playwright there were things I connected to in terms of the struggle t...

Checked in with a few more Fringe Goers in the line-ups and beet tents and got some more Word of Mouth recommendations for shows you should try to see: 2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick Release the McCrackin Edgar Allan The Second Self Pacific Times Subway Stations of the Cross Allure Fear and Loathing Shout! (squee! from a stranger, so it's legitimate!) Miss Katelyn's Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable Tall Tales & the Tinkerbox presents: Beautiful Nonsense I'll be out scouting for more recommendations tomorrow after my 2:15 p.m. performance of Shout! If you see me, let me know what you recommend!

On Friday I had two Openings - Shout! and Double Double .  It's the tightest two show day in my Fringe schedule and all went terrifically well! With Shout! at 4 p.m. and Double Double at 8:45 p.m. I had a nice 2 hour turn around to change make-up and eat and refocus and it was enough.  It makes the other 2 double show days feel imminently manageable! Whew! Shout! kicked off the day.  We had a fabulous, receptive audience and despite some mic issues (mostly mic tape coming off due to our womanly glows...) we rolled with it and had a great time. So great to be singing these songs and playing these characters in front of an audience again.  We've since been reviewed by the Edmonton Journal (3 stars - and an exceptional write-up!) and VUE Weekly ( 4 Stars - YAY! and another great write-up). Our Saturday night show was even better and it was great to have so many people there for an 11 pm show! Tomorrow's show is selling incredibly well - I can't wait! Double Dou...

One of my regular Fringe Features is WORD OF MOUTH, where I ask people in line ups and the beer tent what they have seen that they would recommend. If they're artists I ask them to name something other than their own show... I try to talk to a variety of people because tastes are varied and these come with no qualifiers so I recommend you still read the Program to see what the show is about... rooms//apart The Famous Haydell Sisters Comeback Tour Nantucket Mama's Boy Gidion's Knot A New Brain Amish Project Folk Lordz Gordon's Big Bald Head No Belles Oh Manada! Shadows in Bloom Edgar Allen I did have one person say Shout! but it was a friend of mine.  He insisted that he was recommending it to people, but I think I will wait until a stranger mentions it to me before I add it to the list! I'll keep chatting and getting more input.  One thing is clear, there is a lot of good stuff to see!

Well, it's been a heck of a build-up for me.  That's what being in and directing two shows will do for you, never mind the myriad of other related tasks, but it's here! Tonight I walked in the parade dressed as the Orange Girl from SHOUT! and handing out materials for both it and DOUBLE DOUBLE! People seemed receptive to both and although the pavement was not kind to my go-go boots, it was a lot of fun.  Then I caught my first Fringe show.  This Fringe will be a little different as I seriously doubt I will hit my usual 20-30 shows due to my own performance schedule.  I am getting what I can in! My first show was AfterFat by Carlye Windsor which spoke to body image, particularly with regards to being heavy.  It was an autobiographical journey and was very honest and as a larger than average person with a lot of personal confidence I found a lot I could personally relate to.  Windsor is very charismatic and charming and is best when her natural humour co...

Fringe is almost upon us!  It's my favorite time of the year and I feel kind of bad that I have let my blogging slip (missing posting on the Mayfield's The Long Weekend - a fun show and a great date night with the husband!), but the fact is I have two shows on the go and I am onstage in both of them. Not only am I onstage, but they are both ensemble musicals so it's not like I'm popping in for a cameo. I am singing and dancing in both and while it is terrific fun, it has been taking up a lot of my time! What am I doing? you ask... Let me tell you! The first show is familiar, because it is a remount of Shout! The Mod Musical , which I directed and was in earlier this year.  We had a 4 show run in January at C103 with wonderful houses.  We were thrilled to get a Fringe spot because it meant we could re-visit and tighten the show and we've even added more choreography and changed up a few costumes!  It was a really solid show in January and I am pleased to say ...

This past week I had the opportunity to sit down with 3 other #yegtheatre Bloggers and the What It Is Podcast to talk about the past theatre season.  It was a terrifically fun hour with the What It is guys, full of great discussion of theatre blogging in Edmonton as well as a ridiculously fun game where we had to remember what we wrote in our blogs, and what the others may have written.  The other 3 Bloggers were Louise Mallory ( Ephemeral Pleasures ), Jenna Marynowski ( After the House Lights ) and Savanna Harvey ( The Pretentious English Major ).  I know Louise and Jenna very well and often see them out and about and it was great to meet Savanna.  I think we each add something different to the online #yegtheatre landscape. You can listen to the podcast here .

Friday, I got to have one of those incredible experiences that really underscores for me why I volunteer as a Theatre Alberta Board member.  We try to have our board meetings coincide with the programming that we offer: Emerge, Dramaworks, Playworks Ink, Artstrek.  It's a great opportunity to see what we are actually putting the work in for.  Two years ago, we were supposed to attend on one of the Artstrek sharing days, but the flooding that happened made that impossible as there were emerging issues that had to be dealt with and the board meeting was pushed to later in the summer. This summer, however, we were able to be there for Exploration I sharing.  I 'knew' that Artstrek was an awesome program, but I had never seen or felt it.  The energy and the spirit and commitment to practice that I saw on stage made my eyes well up with tears more than once during the one hour sharing.  There was such a phenomenal spirit of respect - from the students to the i...

Sunday night my husband and I took in As You Like It in Hawrelak Park - the comedy of the Freewill Shakespeare Festival.  It was so lovely to be back at the park under the big white canopy.  I enjoyed Taming of the Shrew last summer, but there is something about seeing Shakespeare outdoors that feels so right. It was good to be back. The show was so much fun.  No terrific surprises in the delivery of the play, but solid performances from everyone and a lot of laughs for the audience.  I loved the Downton Abbey inspired costumes by Hannah Matiachuk. Everything was picture perfect and the aesthetic really seemed to suit the play.   As You Like It is one I have seen a few times before, and this look gave the play a really fresh feel. The company is so very solid, and we see many familiar faces on the stage.  I think if you normally shy away from Shakespeare because you feel you won't understand it, then this is certainly the show to see to get you ove...

Tonight I will be attending and to some degree participating in the following event: YEG Reading & Panel Discussion - July 4, 2015 - (7 pm) The Space - Casavant Productions - 6776 - 99th Street - Edmonton Come and join us for our final event of the inaugural APN RBC Emerging Artist Mentorship Program. The event features a panel discussion with Edmonton Artistic Directors entitled "What Was I Thinking?". Panelists John Hudson(AD - Shadow Theatre), Heather Inglis (AD - Theatre YES) & Bradley Moss (AD - Theatre Network) will be discussing what goes into the selection of works for presentation at their theatre. Following the panel discussion there will be staged readings of excerpts from the plays that were created as part of the mentorship program. Readings from Sarah C. Louise, Alison Neuman, & Kristen M. Finlay. This event is open to the public, but seating is limited. To RSVP please email:  trevor@albertaplaywrights.com Desp...

Last night I took in Opening Night of A Man of No Importanc e at Walterdale Theatre. It's a musical version of the 1994 movie starring Albert Finney, about a bus conductor Alfie (played with subtley and charm by Morgan Smith) in Dublin in the 1960s who finds a happy life leading a local amateur theatrical troupe in the local church and living with his older sister who is just waiting for him to get married.  He is deeply closeted as it is a time in the very Catholic Ireland when homosexuality is both a crime and a sin. When he decides to produce Salome by Oscar Wilde the resulting scandal turns his well-ordered life upside-down and he decides to confront the truth of who he is. It's a wonderful piece of theatre.  It celebrates and it mourns. It celebrates the community of community theatre, really of any theatre collaboration.  All the members of the troupe come together to be something more than what their lives are.  As directed by Lauren Boyd, this cast does a l...

On a day like today, it was quite delightful to spent the afternoon and the evening in air conditioned theatres, particularly since my van's AC has crapped out (great timing...).  Anyhow, it's even better when the theatrical fare is entertaining and well done! I took in Teatro la Quindicina's newest offering, Saint Albert , in the afternoon.  A last minute cancellation of my original date combined with great timing on behalf of my husband meant for a surprise afternoon date.  He'd never seen a Teatro show before so it was nice to finally introduce him. He had fun and I think he'd go again. The show is a bit hard to describe without spoilers, but provided quite a few laughs especially from Jeff Haslam as the mysterious Magnus.  There's also a terrific song, Onion Bun, evidence of the Europop success of Desi played by the bright and perky Rachel Bowron. I am hoping that we might be able to download it eventually.  It was super-catchy in the spirit of ABBA an...