More Fun Times in YEG - Holiday Weekend...

Some of you know this and some of you don't, but other than Fringe I really try hard to avoid crowds.  I am never comfortable in a big group of anonymous people.  That's cool.  I know some people love it, but as a result of my anxiety I try to minimize my exposure to them!  So what we did this year was instead of going to Heritage Days we went to Fort Edmonton Park.  There were still quite a few people there, but I imagine compared to the packed Hawrelak Park, we were in good shape.  We also went early in the day so the morning was delightful! 

I really like Fort Edmonton Park, and so do the boys.  We started at the Mid-Way.  Oliver was keen to hit the Ferris Wheel and Gibson was tall enough to go on without a parent so the two of them rode it together.  Gibson's cries of "Let me off! It's too high!" were a bit of a surprise, but he actually went back for a second ride later so it obviously wasn't too traumatizing. They played the midway games and won some cool prizes.  The staff were lots of fun, chatting in a newsies-like accent and being extra generous with the prizes. After spending a few tickets we boarded the train and rode out to the Fort.  It's interesting to see the boys at different ages at Fort Edmonton Park.  Oliver has been on some school field trips out there and he clearly retained the knowledge explaining a few of the activities and locating the public bathrooms quickly when needed. They also have their favorite things to do so we took in some mini-golf and giant checkers followed by ice cream.  Gibson was particularly interested in watching the interpreters make Rabbit Stew.  I think he was hoping to get to be a taster but it wasn't ready for that! We also got to take in the new Capitol Theatre.  It's something else!  I have seen a play there before so I knew about some of the bells and whistles but the boys were new to it so that was very fun to see.  I really liked the demonstration movie and felt that it suited the Park as well as showing off the Theatre.  I am going to keep an eye out for the movies they show in hopes there will be one that the boys will be interested in seeing there. Before we left, Oliver needed one last Ferris Wheel ride so Gibson and I went window shopping in the gift shop while Dad waited for Ollie. 

We were there for about five and a half hours and there was lots to do and keep the boys engaged and entertained. Lots of walking and lots of seeing. All in all a great Heritage Day weekend outing.

Poof! There is is!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to be in a 20th Street Production (Fort Edmonton Park) called On the Wire.  It was directed by Amanda Bergen and written by Nick Green and I had a blast working on it.  Last night, I returned to the Park for Nick and Amanda's production of Poof! The Musical.  It was my first time in Capitol Theatre which was only a plan when I performed in the Park.  The Theatre is lovely - a nice vintage inspired space that looks perfect in it's location and which also really suited the production.  There are some special features to the space that were used very well - I loved how they created a complete world using the projections and when the seats literally shook I was giddy with glee!  I often get worried about the reliance on projections in productions, but T. Erin Gruber's design worked delightfully so much so that you often forget those weren't real walls and paintings behind the action.

The show itself was a fun, spooky, campy piece which was performed and sung excellently by the three actors onstage. Green's script is tight and sassy.  The script merged well with the actors onstage, and Bergen's direction creates some wonderful moments including a side-busting chase sequence. Garrett Ross as Awanda Brumschtic (complete with 3 inch heels and mini-skirt) attacked his role with such finesse that it almost felt like he was improvising, but the banter was so sharp I am pretty sure it is exactly what was on the page.  Eric Wigston and Madelaine Knight hold their own in the comedy and singing department and it was an excellently balanced show - no weak links!  It's a very silly play, but filled with fun, clever jokes, biting sarcasm and well-sung, well-written songs.  It's got a nice spooky element (the 'ladies' are witches after all) for this time of year.  It's not really for kids, but I would say that it would have been perfect for my 11 year old.  He would have been howling. 

I also wanted to note that it was really great to see an original musical on an Edmonton stage.  I love all the Broadway shows that people do, but there is something cool about seeing something brand new and to see a company take a risk like that.  To also have it tuneful, well-written and well-performed is a testament to our local talent. As well, this company has worked hard to make the show affordable, with tickets starting at $20.00 for students/seniors to $28.00 for adults.  A pretty sweet deal for a great gut-busting night of entertainment!

*#46 in my Theatre Goal for the Year.  BBoyism was #45 and A Few Good Men was #44.

Filling Up the Days...

Yesterday was quite busy for me and this past week, in general, I have spent arranging meetings and planning and recording rehearsals for the various projects I have coming up. I have two current projects on-the-go. The first being the Directing/Dramaturgy of Uncle Robert's Funeral which will be read at From Cradle to Stage in May at Walterdale. It is a nice project, which does not require a ton of time on my part at this point in time because the playwright is currently working on re-writes. We had a few reads and discussion and she went away to rewrite and we come back together on next Sunday to do the same with the next draft. The other project is the one that kind of fell into my lap. A friend passed a long a message that a group was looking for a 40+ actress to play an 'aging starlet' for a play being produced at the Selkirk Hotel in Fort Edmonton Park. The dates looked good considering my other obligations and it was to be a paid gig (how cool would that be?) so I sent in my resume and head shot and schedule. I was fully prepared to be asked to audition (or not, if they had someone else) but sight unseen I was offered the role. We had a great read-through yesterday - lots of laughs - and the schedule is indeed very forgiving! I am really looking forward to this. I know the rest of the cast, but the director is new to me, but the atmosphere was really fun. It is also the kind of role I love - lots of different accents and a little bit of singing and very stylized in a 1930s kind of way. It will only be 3 shows, but that is cool - I have the most fun during the process! It is called On the Wire and was written by Nick Green.

When that wraps up we will head right into The Best Little Whorehouse. I still would like more men to sign up (and women too - the more the merrier). I need more guys than people might realize. They seem to think it is all about the girls in the Whorehouse... yikes!

A Day in the Past....

Yesterday was Father's Day - Mark's choice of activity. He decided he wanted to go to Fort Edmonton Park. So we did. It was nice. We started at the little carnival and the boys had fun. Gibson didn't want to do the Ferris Wheel, so Mark and Oliver took a spin. We visited the fish pond and walked away with some little prizes (every one's a winner), then the big carousel. I went on with the boys, just to keep an eye on them. We rode the streetcar over to 1920's street and found some food and discovered that every place we went said 'no debit'. Luckily we found $25 on our persons and we could get a few things. The boys didn't mind. The things they wanted to do didn't cost money or else we already had some tickets. The day was overcast but didn't rain, so it was all good that way. Anyhow, we had fun, and really, the lack of debit machines just saved us money in the long run!