Looking Back at 2013 - A Year in Theatre... Part One: What I Did...

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 Twitter and heard from cast and audience members about how absolutely wonderful the experience was.

I overlapped this with Chairing/Production Managing From Cradle to Stage at Walterdale - the annual new work festival.  I also set designed and mastered-painted that.  Luckily the run for it nested between the two weeks of Putnam so I could make it work but I was stretched pretty thin.  My goal was to create two sets that didn't feel thrown together and that could share the same space.  This doesn't always happen as the focus for this festival is on the scripts, but I wanted these playwrights to have a fully realized world for their scripts.  I think I made it work.  I had some challenges with  people on the team who didn't quite understand the lines of communication, but in the end I was happy with what was on stage.  Sometimes you just have to have longer conversations to get what will work for everyone, and Walterdale is about learning so hopefully some learning happened.

I started directing a piece for Fringe 2013, but we were on the Wait List and never came off in time to make it work. With 3 of the cast in other shows we anticipated conflicts so we let it go.  It was fun to dip the toe into the work, but letting it go cleared the way for my new job at the Citadel. I don't know if it would have been as smooth a start if I was still committed to directing.

This fall I rounded off the year with Proof at Walterdale.  I have been in love with this script for a few year now and was blessed with the support of one of the finest teams I have ever worked with. And then I got a tremendous cast.  What a cast. I will be honest, I was spoiled at auditions, there were several fine casts in there, but I was truly pleased with the one I chose.  Such dedication and commitment to the show and my process.  It was so wonderful to see onstage.  I was very, very proud of it.  The only fly in the ointment was the relatively low attendance.  I will admit being disappointed by some of the no-shows, but the crappy weather, the lack of media coverage and the Christmas season wasn't doing us any favours.  I know I have to let that go.  I don't get to everything myself because I get busy, so I can't expect everyone else to.  We did the show for those who came and everyone seemed to love it so I think I can be happy with that. Plus, my Mom, Dad, Sister and 2 of my Brothers came to see it and that hasn't happened in forever!  That was pretty cool.

Your Home is the Place Where your Heart is - Summer and Smoke at Walterdale

Tonight I was at Walterdale to work FOH for Summer and Smoke and to see the show.  I try to work FOH at least once for each of the shows and because my time this month is so full I did Coffee Bar because I could see the show at the same time.  I am not sure what I will do when my Proserve expires as I actually do not love doing Coffee Bar but that's for the future so I am not thinking about it much now. I worked with Joan Hawkins who co-designed and painted the gorgeous set and I always love a good visit with her so all was good.  It always feels kind of weird to be there working for a show that you didn't work on, but Walterdale has been my theatre home for a few years now so there is also a feeling of home when I am there.

The show was sold out, actually it oversold, so that was great for the theatre and the show.  It's the 6-Pack show and it's Tennessee Williams so it is hard to argue with the extreme saleability of the piece. In that light, I recommend getting your tickets in advance if you plan on going. Otherwise you might be disappointed.

I was quite impressed with Erika Conway who played the lead, Alma - the repressed minister's daughter in love with the wild boy next door.  She was outstanding a few seasons ago as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and this show proves that her talents are not limited to Shakespeare.  She has a vulnerability and an electric quality that is mesmerizing and she handily kept the audience engaged for the entire 3 hours.  She was offset nicely by Justin Deveau as John Buchanan.  Justin is able to play the cad and still make him lovable and sincere. The two of them played their juxtaposed arcs nicely against each other and it was quite easy to believe in their spiritual connection.  The show is also gorgeous to see.  Geri Dittrich's costumes and Joan Hawkins' and Alli Ross' Set are pitch perfect.  I am intent on finding a place to keep the Angel Statue that watches over all. It's amazing.

I was a wee bit disappointed not to hear Oliver in the prologue recording.  He had been asked to come in and record a piece and I guess they tried a few different things and he wasn't in the one they decided to use in the end.  I understand that as a director.  You make choices based on what works and what doesn't work.  As a mom, I was just disappointed not to hear him because I hadn't heard that they'd made a change. I was also a little disappointed that he wasn't in the program as I had planned to bring one home to him, but perhaps because he was cut from the track they decided to use they had felt it might be confusing to acknowledge him. He won't know the difference, it's just the Mama Rose in me that was sad.

#10 in my 2013 Theatre Goal

Look What We Got Here in YEG - Cole Porter at The Citadel Club and a meeting of YEG Theatre Minds to Talk Resources!

On Saturday night I was excited to take in John Alcorn: The Cole Porter Songbook at the new Citadel Club in the Rice Theatre space.  I've been curious to see what they had done to the space and was quite pleased with it.  The room is gorgeous and feels so upscale and classy and was a perfect environment for the concert.  Alcorn and his fellow jazz musicians were excellent as they interpreted Porter's music.  The approach was definitely more jazz than musical theatre, but they kept us all engaged for the evening.  I preferred the more upbeat numbers, with Let's Do It , Let's Fall In Love and You're The Top being my favorites, but I felt they offered a nice repertoire overall with variety that showcased their strengths and made for a delightful evening.  I'm hoping to go back and check out other events at the space.  Bridget Ryan and Rejean Cournoyer are both slated for cabarets later in the season and they are both sure to offer up a good evening of entertainment. It's an interesting addition to The Citadel and Edmonton and I hope to take advantage of it.

This afternoon I made it to my first Theatre Edmonton Meet-up at C103.  Provided as part of Canoe Festival, the topic of discussion was Resources and the meet-up was a great opportunity to talk to other theatre professionals of various levels and talk about what Edmonton has and was Edmonton needs in the way of theatre resources. The event was facilitated by Theatre Alberta's Aaron Talbot and was a great discussion.  Space and Touring were the biggest topics followed closely by Funding, but I found the best thing was the openness of the assembled artists to talk with each other and share their ideas, needs, wants and knowledge. I hope to make it to more (always schedule dependent) as it gave me a few ideas for pursuing venues for producing.  It was also refreshing to hear that the things that I feel challenged by are shared by others.  It's nice to know you are not alone!

#5 and #6 of my 2013 Theatre Goal

Diving into my 2013 Theatre Goal!

Now that I have got the show cast, and we are starting rehearsals, I can dive into my theatre/arts goal for the year.  January is always a slow month to start as there just isn't much on.  I did catch Songs for a New World on the 2nd, but now I really get going.

This weekend I am going to catch Tania Alvarado and Mile Zero Dance at the Timm's Centre and Free-man on the Land at Theatre Network.  Those are nested between Basketball and rehearsal but it should prove to be a great arts filled weekend.  I am also currently trying to figure out what I will get to at the Canoe Festival.  I plan on catching the new version of The Tudor Queens and am looking forward to seeing the show in a venue with better sight lines.  I loved it at the 2011 Fringe and have heard a lot about their rehearsing for this new production so I am keen to see it again. I really want to see White Rabbit Red Rabbit, but it will mean finding someone to take either my Del Barber or Jeremy Fisher tickets off my hands.  I don't want them to go to waste! Either way, I am seeing something great!

In any case, this feels like a Here We Go! Weekend. I got my seat belt on!

Looking Back/Looking Forward

Last post of the year...

A good year.  Sometimes I was busier than I would have liked and sometimes I was less busy than I would have liked.  It all evens out in the end.  I leave 2012 excited for what is on the horizon in 2013 and knowing that with my two major projects that the first five months will be very busy.  I am working hard this week to schedule, schedule, schedule so that Spelling Bee and From Cradle to Stage are organized ahead of time and not on the fly. 

After those are done, I am not sure.  Finally Sauces is investigating BYOVs for Fringe, but if we don't get those then we will move to Plan B.  Just have to figure out what Plan B is... I have some ideas. The other Fringe project definitely has a Plan B that we just need to decide on details for. So, you see... busy.

The country is in a weird place right now.  Idle No More has replaced Occupy as the latest rallying movement.  It seems to be more organized and have more focus, but like Occupy, I still have trouble connecting with it.  It's hard to have 6-10% of the country's population telling you that they want to dictate what is best. Isn't that why we have elections? I still don't understand if this bill (C-45) and others violate the agreements in place, why there is not a legal way to prevent it.  And I do not personally connect to round dances and hunger strikes and train stoppages. Part of it is a cultural disconnection (I'm not even big on my own cultural rituals so imagine how someone else's won't grab me) and part of it is my respect for following the rules.  I'm a rule follower and I know I'd've been so ticked off to have been on that train. The cynical me always thinks it's really all about money - not the environment - but I always think that economics are always the fuel behind any push.  I'll keep reading.  It's hard to sort through the rhetoric.  It's better than Occupy was for information dissemination, but still hard.  It's also hard to respect some of those pushing Idle No More when they use words like Evil, Douchebag and Racist to describe anyone who does not agree with them. For a movement that preaches that it is open to all it has some very vocal supporters who seem very antagonistic and closed off. Sigh. Anyhow, I will welcome links that help explain the situation better, but please stay away from rhetoric.  I'm a facts and figures person.

Anyhow, I felt more grown-up this year than ever before.  Actually this was the first year in my life where I actually felt OLD.  I am 45, how come it took so long to hit? I don't know.  But I felt it.  I felt a real shift in how I felt about myself and other things.  There were many times when I lost patience with childishness and incompetence. I felt like an old man... I hope this passes... I think it's part of me still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up and realizing that I have to figure it out fast if I want to get it done. Maybe this year...

Goals for the Year:
1) Submit a play to APC and cross my fingers
2) Submit scripts to at least 10 competitions
3) Finish first draft of Pitchfork
4) Finish second draft of The Easy Road
5) Finish Fourth draft of Little Monsters
6) Go to or be involved in at least 50 Theatrical Events

Dream Goals for the Year:
1) Take the boys to Disneyland/Disneyworld
2) Visit Toronto
3) Visit Havasu

Let's see what happens.