Finster Finds

Last week I took in Two One Way Tickets to Broadway's Kiss of the Spiderwoman at La Cite.  I was familiar with source material, having seen the movie and the stage play many years ago, but was not familiar with the musical.  There are differences, clearly, as it is a musical but the base of the story is the same.  I liked the music.  It's lush and full, and Greg Caswell, as Molina, gave a layered and subtle performance which is a challenge as I think the tendency might be to go over the top. Caswell and Todd Hauck (Valentin) had a nice chemistry with each other and each did good service to their solos.  It was fascinating to see such a male-heavy show and to cheer inside at how well they all handled it.  I also really liked the set, with it's skateboard-like prison cells.  The movable units gave a great flexibility of blocking and although there were a few moments at the beginning when I wasn't worried about them colliding, they seemed to know exactly what they were

There's great course being offered at the Foote Theatre School (Citadel) that could help you get started.  The stage needs different voices, maybe yours is one that would benefit from this course. It's a Beginners Playwrighting course (although I suspect that with these two teachers a playwright at any level would get a lot out of it) that should give you some tools to get you started. I've worked with both Conni Massing and Tracy Carroll before and they are people I trust enough to go back to.  So, check it out: PLAYWRITING 101  at the  Foote Theatre School MONDAYS: MAY 4 - JUNE 15 (NO CLASS MAY 18) 6:30 - 9:00pm $225+gst  INSTRUCTORS: Conni Massing & Tracy Carroll This active, hands-on course introduces participants to the fundamentals of writing for the theatre: dramatic structure, character, conflict, and dialogue, utilizing diverse creative approaches to trigger the theatrical imagination. The instructors will guide participants through writing exercises ove

Despite a wicked cold, I made it out to three theatrical events this weekend.  First up on Thursday night, I took in Winners and Losers in The Club at the Citadel. It was an edgy night. The first hour you are laughing, hard, at the competitive banter of Marcus Youssef and James Long as they play their game winners and losers . They are quick and sharp, smart and funny, and the line blurs between when they are improvising and when they are on-script. Then it takes a turn and you're not laughing anymore, or if you are, it's that nervous laughter.  This is the show for people who like that edge.  For people who like to see what happens when you blur the line between acting and reality and maybe go too far.  It was fascinating to be in the room immediately after because of the discussions that arose as it is certainly the kind of show you talk about. Winners and Losers runs until April 18th at the Citadel. Then, because I somehow don't think that resting when you are sick

It's not unusual for me to think about a play for a bit after I have seen it.  One thing I love about theatre is when it reaches out and stirs me to think on things I haven't thought about before, or even things I have thought about but have been shown a new way to look at it.  I like plays I can laugh at and put away right after, too, but the ones that stick with me, the ones that make me think, are the ones that make me love theatre. There have been times, over the years, that I want to see a play twice. It's rare though. Unless I am directing a play, in which case I am looking for different things and need to see the play multiple times as part of the creative process, I rarely want to revisit it.  But, I have, it seems, fallen in love with a play.  The play? Arcadia , by Tom Stoppard, currently playing at the Citadel Theatre. By nature of my working there, I was lucky enough to have to see it twice for my work (Dress Rehearsal and Opening Night). After seeing it for