When the Boys are Away... The Mom plans her Calendar!

My kids have gone fishing with their Grandpa this weekend up North at Grist Lake.  As a result the house is very quiet.  It feels weird.  I realized that when the kids are home I am always "on" and with them being gone I feel this void of intent.  It was weird this afternoon when I realized that I didn't have to get home at any particular time and I kind of lost focus.  I dream of having time to myself but there I was, with time to myself, and I hadn't planned to do anything so I was just wandering aimlessly... Ha ha ha... If I hadn't been so busy leading up to them going today I might have planned to do some of the things I want to do, like write... It was a lost opportunity but it was also very interesting to see where my brain went without the overriding focus of the kids to power it.

Anyhow, I took the time to map out the calendar for my upcoming theatre and other things. It's all on my iPad but it needs to be transferred to the Big Calendar.  I have Freewill Players Lear and Midsummer, Walterdale's Anything Goes, rehearsals for Death Comes to Auntie Norma (Fringe) and production meetings for Proof. It sounds like a lot, but it's spaced out nicely and hopefully this kid-free weekend will help me relax as I enter summer.

Maybe I will see you at some of the shows?

New Projects - Death Comes to Auntie Norma and Proof!

The other evening we had our first real rehearsal for the Fringe show I am directing, Death Comes to Auntie Norma.  As I inherited the majority of the cast from a previous production it was also a bit of a meet and greet for me.  I love beginning a new project and it was fun to read it through with the cast and hear their voices in the roles.  I wrote notes in my script and ticked off places where I got ideas and generally it got me charged up about it which is a very good thing! I have to admit that with the completion of my last two projects and then my trip out East I kind of shut off my drive so the read was just what I needed to get myself geared up.

After the read through - we started working.  I used the system that my friend AM taught me that she learned from her time at Seacoast Studios with Scott Swann.  It is always fun to start this process with people who have never tried it before.  There is a look of fear at the beginning and then by the end of the rehearsal everyone is just playing and trying new things and listening and revelling in making discoveries.  I think this foundation will be a good place for which to work as it is a strange thing to come in after another Director and re-direct a show.  I am not sure how much will change, but I do know that I am doing more than just recreating what has happened before, otherwise there is not much point to having me there! I would like to make a contribution...

Spurred by the creative energy of that night I took another look at my Audition Notice for Proof at Walterdale Theatre.  It will go out in a a few weeks after the Dracula Auditions finish up so I wanted to make sure that they were all in place. I am excited to have a pretty full team of great people who I know will make my life easier! I am still looking for an Assistant Director so if anyone is interested...

Closing Night... and On to the Next Thing... But First... A Wee Break!

We closed the show last night.  It was a great show with a fabulous audience and like most closing nights it had that feeling in the air of something extra special.  Overall, it was a great experience for me as a director.  I had a couple issues with actors not trusting my vision, but it all came together. I think when people have been allowed to do whatever they feel like in the past, they have a hard time cultivating discipline when asked to.  Sometimes it takes longer for people to trust the Director and you do what you can to earn it, but you can't always compel it to happen.  All I can do is work hard and work in excellence and let my work speak for my skills. I know that the show was very good and underneath the laughter causing moments there was a real truth, so that made me very happy, and it made many people cry. An added bonus was meeting new wonderful people who I will hopefully get to work with again and working with some favorites from the past.  It's always good when you surround yourself with great people. I take a break from musicals for a little while as I move on to other projects, but I do have my ear to the ground for a good option or two that I can coerce the Magnificent Sally Hunt to work with me on!  If the Fabulous Jake Hastey joins us, I certainly won't argue against that! We ended the show in fine form, strike was remarkably fast, and then wrapped it up with a party around the campfire!  It was nice to socialize and relax and enjoy each other's company.

I do have another project on the horizon.  I will be directing Death Comes to Auntie Norma at the Edmonton Fringe this summer.  I now have to knuckle down and construct a schedule for that. I also have to do the books for From Cradle to Stage at Walterdale.  I did feel a weight lift off my shoulders when I woke up this morning, but now, thinking about the things I stall have to do, I am starting to feel it again!  Oh well, I have to get the books done today or tomorrow and same with the schedule, because on Wednesday I am off to Toronto to visit my sister!  It is a much needed trip away and it will be nice to go and not be responsible for anything!

Overlap! Knee deep in two major projects, attending read-thorugh for the next one tonight!

So, despite my desire to slow down this season, I did not... clearly... I am directing The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee for ELOPE which runs May 16 - June 1 at La Cite Francophone and I am Coordinating and am Production Manager (and set-designing and painting) for Walterdale's Annual From Cradle to Stage festival of new one act plays which runs May 20 - 25 at Walterdale with a Playwright Workshop on the 26th.  So if you look at those dates you can probably figure out why I might get cranky over the next few weeks... So far so good. I think I have managed to hold myself together despite numerous hiccups primarily concerning ridiculous arising scheduling conflicts with the first one and some minor communication issues with the second.  Everything is delightfully on track and barring any further complications I should survive May! With my set painting I am ahead of schedule due to some terrific volunteers who came out to help me and that is very nice as it meant I could do a few other things today instead of going in to the theatre.

Anyhow, tonight I get to dip my toe in the waters of my next project.  I have been asked to direct a Fringe show - Death Comes to Auntie Norma!  Tonight we have a read-through so that I can hear the play aloud and so that the playwright (Zack Siezmagraff) can revisit it before he writes his next draft.  I am looking forward to meeting the entire cast and hearing the play so that I can let it percolate in my brain under the surface before we start really working on it in June. Should be fun!