Spice, Proof and an unfortunate Germ or two...

This weekend was to be a little holiday for me.  My sister came to town on Friday so I took the day off work to go get her from the airport and get some visiting in.  Of course, the weather has been crap so a normally 45 minutes drive to the airport took an hour and a half.  I left plenty early so that was alright and the drive back meant for more visiting so that was all cool. I had, however, woken up with a scratchy throat and low-grade headache which did not bode well for the weekend... Good thing my husband is a pharmacist.  I medicated and hoped adrenalin and positivity would carry me through the weekend!

We took in Wannabe (Spice Girls Tribute Band) at the Citadel Club that night which was so much ridiculous fun.  We were joined by friends Kim and Cliff and enjoyed much chair dancing and singing a long to the tunes we guiltily knew all the lyrics to.  Cliff provided the biggest moment of entertainment however when he and a couple of other guys jumped onstage during the encore and he recreated the splash moment from Flashdance.  It was hysterical!  A fun night and my medicine managed to carry me through it alright. It was also great to see the house so packed.  The Club is a fabulous space for shows and I am so looking forward to Hawksley Workman in January for The God That Comes. 

Saturday I was supposed to do some shopping but instead I slept in and left my sister to go off shopping with my mom and brother.  I think I needed the sleep and that night we had dinner with more family before the Closing Night of Proof. It was nice to have our biggest house for the Close and share the play with so many friends and family.  Everyone seemed really impressed with the show so I was gratified that the hard work paid off.  We then had a relatively quick strike of set and theatre clean and then a nice potluck party where we enjoyed no-pasta pasta and square root vegetables and other yummy treats.  My ongoing sickness meant I wasn't going to be able to stay too late, but it was a nice wrap up to a wonderful theatrical journey.  I was so pleased with everyone on the team and in the cast.  I hope to be able to work with them all again!

Sunday the cold kicked into high gear.  I missed breakfast with the family and slept quite late.  I also missed a baby shower for a good friend but sent the gift on without me and my germs.  You do not bring germs to an 8 month pregnant lady.  You just don't...

And the cold continues... I missed work on Monday - did some work from home (was actually impressed with how much I could do from home - this Internet thing is pretty cool!), but slept a lot and medicated a lot.  I made it in today because the low grade headache seemed to be abated, but still left a little early when the productivity seemed to drop off.  I am hoping for even better tomorrow.  I have a long day tomorrow as it is Christmas Concert time for Gibson at his school.  I'm trying to get caught up with Christmas prep - a little baking, a little cleaning, bought a turkey, did some of my cards and some of my shopping - but I have a ways to go and if I don't get back to 100% soon, I am not going to be ready! Wish me luck and good health, please!

Anyhow, there are a few great theatre opportunities for you all this holiday season - The Snow Globe Festival is in it's third year, A Christmas Carol at the Citadel has a week left in it's run, With Bells On at Theatre Network is on, The Best Little Newfoundland Christmas Pageant Ever is at the Varscona and Grindstone Theatre is a having a special Christmas 11 O'clock Number. So there is a lot to see this week.  It seems to quiet down over the actual holiday, but this week is packed with things to do and see!

Winding Up a Great Couple of Months with Math, Madness, Genius and Doubt...

We are approaching the end of the run... only two more shows left and the journey that has been Proof will be over.  It's been a great experience. The cast really rose to the challenge of the script and they have consistently delivered engaged, present and compelling performances.  I was blessed with a fabulous design team who delivered pitch perfect details in set, costumes, props, lights and sound.  It was really lovely to just direct and not worry about the details because I had a team that was looking after it.  And my crew... I left the show in their capable hands with no hint of fear that it would be well cared for and looked after.

There were disappointments, mostly that we were hit squarely with the cold and snow and that affected attendance.  It descended on opening weekend, receded a bit around our dark day and then came back today.  It's hard to compel people to venture out when police are recommending people stay indoors. Throw in a lack of media attention and you have a recipe for disaster.

We did get a fabulous review from Sound and Noise which I was extremely pleased with.  You can't knock a review like that. Also, local blogger Louise Mallory wrote a nice review of the show.   VUE Weekly and St. Albert Gazette also did lovely preview articles on us. We also hosted a tweet-up night and had great fun following the show on twitter.  It was very cool to catch the reactions of the audience in near-real time. Anyhow, have a read and then buy your ticket.  I guarantee it is worth the price of admission and venturing out in the cold.

I will miss this when it's done. When you direct you kind of feel lost once the show opens.  I have been back a few times but I wanted to give the show and cast time to deepen and grow.  But I am really looking forward to seeing it again on Closing.  It will be a bitter-sweet evening I am sure.

I hope to see you out, if not at my show, then maybe at yours...

Chekhov Makes Me Laugh! Yay!

This past week was insane!  I had two Openings: Proof on Wednesday and A Christmas Carol on Thursday.  As Director of the first and Marketing Administrator for the second I was very busy!  Fortunately both went very well.  I have been very pleased with Proof and it was great to share it with an audience.  Although the weather kept the turn-out smaller than I would have liked, they were extremely appreciative and I received glowing reviews from audience members at the reception following the show.  I hope that you all can take the time to see it.  I guarantee a great night of theatre worth braving the cold for. It runs until December 14th and the tickets range from $12-$16 so it's really an affordable theatre opportunity.

A Christmas Carol also went well.  It is so cool to see the people coming to Opening Night for this show.  Many of them have seen it before and they all look so excited to be back for it.  For many of them it is the kick-off of their Christmas season.  I also liked meeting the parents of the kids in the show. The pride and expectation is visceral.  If you haven't seen it before it is definitely worth checking out.  If you have, you know it's worth a return visit.  There's a very good reason why so many people have made this part of their holiday tradition!

Today, I saw the penultimate performance of Broken Toys Theatre production of The Three Sisters at the Varscona.  IT WAS SO GOOD!  I really wish I could have seen it earlier so I could have told you all how good sooner (but this literally was the first chance I had to get to it...).  The last show is currently underway so if you missed it you are out of luck. Clinton Carew did a fantastic job as both translator and director.  It's the same play by Chekhov, but he made it accessible and engaging. I'm really hoping this qualifies for Sterling 'new work', I am not sure how the category works for adaptations/translations.  He really tapped into how funny Chekhov should be.  The direction is also very elegant.  His use of the space is brilliant and often there are three clusters of action onstage, but never are you focused on the wrong grouping.  It moves briskly so that the 3 hour running time flies by.  Great performances from all involved.  Indeed the cast list is amazing.  It's so cool to see so many bodies onstage in an indie theatre production.  Everyone is in the same world.  Hard to pick a favorite when everyone is so strong.  Well done!  This is their second production and they are certainly proving themselves to be a company to watch!

The past few weeks...

I have been working on Proof at Walterdale.  We are a hair's width from Opening so that will mean my schedule will open up and I will be able to post in a more timely manner. I did manage to squeeze in a few shows over the last little while... better late than never!

A couple of weekends back I managed to get to Two One Way Tickets to Broadway's Forbidden Broadway at La Cite.  It was a fun night of parody of Broadway musicals.  I think it really worked for people who know musicals.  I am not sure how it would play for people who don't know the shows and performers being mocked.  It was pretty quick and the four performers all sang well and went for it.  My favourite moments were an outrageous Carol Channing performed by Kyle Thulien and almost every time Kristin Johnston was onstage. She has an electric stage presence and is a quadruple threat as you can clearly add comedian to the list of singer, dancer and actor.

Last weekend I grabbed the last available ticket for the Saturday Night performance of NLT Bitches and Money 1878 at the PCL Theatre. This was a surprising departure from last season's shows.  It was a non chronological steam-punk caper of sorts.  Very well directed, acted and designed with an intriguing script that left you with a few more questions than answers.  It was fun, but I do admit I wanted a little bit more, but I think that was the script more than anything.  I liked the play with chronology and the absolute commitment to the choices.  It was also a nice surprise in that I have seen two of the three actors before (Ben Gorodetsky and Andrea Jorawsky) but never quite in this way and it made me appreciate the depths of their talents more.  The third actor (Laura Gillespie) was new to me and a delightful discovery.  Nice to see three young and skilled performers bringing it with such an interesting piece.

Tonight I took a drive out to Spruce Grove to see Marion Bridge at Horizon Stage.  I'm a sucker for a Daniel MacIvor play!  Indeed, if I weren't directing Proof, I would have been auditioning for this show. I did get to take part in a small way by contributing to the sound design as the evil Kara Ryan in the audio from the TV Soap that the sisters watch off stage.  As it was, they certainly didn't need me as the trio onstage were totally up for the job.  Director Anne Marie Szucs kept it simple and let the script do the work. This was a wise choice in the severe thrust of Horizon Stage. It's a hard space to block in but I think they did a nice job considering the constraints. I really liked the interplay of the three sisters, eldest-alcoholic-rough-around-the-edges Agnes (Erin Forwick-Whalley), middle-never-a-problem-ever-patient Theresa (Julie Sinclair) and youngest-strange-homebody Louise (Sarah Van Tassel).  The three worked well together and felt believable as sisters. They managed to raise them above the potential stereo-types of the characters and make them real. I love the script but had forgotten how funny it was.  This production used the humour to lift it up above the events that could otherwise seem very sad.  It was a lovely night out and totally worth the icy drive!

Knee Deep in Proof, First Contact with Christmas Carol...

This week we hit an important milestone in our rehearsals for Proof.  We finished Blocking the whole show.  We now move into putting the whole thing together and getting the feel of the arc of the show through stumbles and runs of larger chunks of it.  Sunday will see our first Stumble Through of the whole show and we will see where we are at for lines.  Since we did so much text work off the top I am not worried about that.  Already my actors are taking sizable chunks off-book and trusting themselves.  With a cast of four that means that everyone has a lot to get into their brain and body but they are all hard workers and seem to be really trusting the process.  Already I am seeing them trusting the emotional response and on Tuesday night we had a few moments of us tearing up at the table as we watched their work.  Truly lovely moments coming through.  Makes me happy as a director!  Now to put it all together! We are also blessed with a super fast and dedicated production team.  The set is built and we have blocked the whole show in situ.  Layers of paint have made for cool discoveries as we come in to see the world becoming more and more real each rehearsal.  It makes it easier for the actors to inhabit the world when it feels so complete right off the bat. We are lucky!

At work, we started Christmas Carol rehearsals this week.  Tuesday was the Meet and Greet and First Read Through.  There are quite a few new faces this year.  I have only ever seen the show once (last season) and this is my first year on staff for Carol, so I stayed for the Read to hear it.  I was a little surprised to see how much it moved me just from the table.  I must admit I had a couple tears to wipe away.  It is a testament to the actors in the cast that they could bring the piece to life without anything but their voices and their emotional commitment.  It will be all the more magical with the sets and costumes, but for me there is always something special about that first Read-Through! In any case, it is going to be a bit more active and noisy at the theatre with all those kids and the rest of the cast in the building.  I am looking forward to it.  Some of my favorite local actors are onstage, so it will be great to see it again!

Work Takes Over My Life... In a Good Way...

A month ago I started my new job at the Citadel Theatre as the Marketing Administrator.  This shift in my life had some major implication primarily in regards to child care and balancing all the things I do.  I have tried to cut back a bit.  This meant fewer than usual Fringe shows, but still a respectable amount (16!). It also meant more camps for the kids and some crazy driving to pick them up on time and a discovery of being very tired and not being able to stay up to watch the Colbert Report. 

The best news, however, is that I really like my job.  It has a lot of different tasks for me, which I love, because I hate being bored. Right now the learning curve is steep but not insurmountable so I feel engaged and good about my ability to pick things up.  Today I got my first Playbill Proof and it feels good to see it all come together.  I will never look at another Citadel Theatre Playbill in the same way after this.  I never realized the number of people involved, nor the coordination required to make sure it's perfect and complete. I really like the people I am working with.  Everyone has been great with answering questions and helping me figure things out. An added bonus is that I have run into quite a few other friends from long ago that occasionally work in the building. This month is going to get crazier for me.  It has meant that I have had to get really, really organized for the other upcoming things in my life (Proof at Walterdale), and while I am normally really organized for the shows I direct I will have to be a little less flexible on schedules because I simply do not have the room in my life schedule to have more options for rehearsals. I am currently booking auditions and we are up to 48 people for 4 roles.  It's going to be tough to cast this, but in a good way.


Anyhow, it's a great adventure.  I am so looking forward to the first play up on deck, Long Day's Journey Into Night, a script I have loved since I first read it 22 years ago.  Now that I have done more research on it I am amazed that O'Neill managed to write such a perfect script without the benefit of ever seeing it staged (it was published posthumously and he never intended for it to be produced). It is a true testament to his genius. The cast is also terrifically perfect so I couldn't be happier!

Getting Ready...

This week is about getting ready it seems.  Getting ready for my new job that starts after the long weekend.  I have a closet to assess and then likely some clothes to buy for that.  I have pretty much everything in place for the boys at this point.  I have lots of nerves and excitement to deal with.  I will be starting at the Citadel Theatre as the new Marketing Administrator.  It's an exciting new challenge and I feel I'm am in need of it. I am figuring the learning curve will be steep in August but it's that kind of push that motivates me!  Wish me luck!

I have also taken the time to work a bit on the schedule for Proof.  Of course, it isn't written in stone, as I will have to take into consideration the schedules of the actors I cast, but with my schedule getting a little tighter I have fewer options for flexibility. I luckily was informed of a new policy change at the theatre regarding move in time for the incoming production before I sent the conflicts out to those auditioning.  So, between my anticipated Citadel work conflicts and this new policy I spent a bit of time tweaking the schedule. It's a bit of a pain because it affects a Sunday and those are my absolute easiest day for rehearsing, but I will make it work somehow. I guess it's better to know now than to find out later...

I am excited about the list of people auditioning.  I can tell already I will have hard decisions to make with each character... but that's a nice problem to have.  I can take the time to find the right chemistry because there is choice. Everyone who gets cast in this play will have a great role - a complete and compelling character with an interesting journey. I'm looking forward to leading them all on it!

My Next Next Gig... Directing at Walterdale in the Fall - Proof

Hey Everyone, I have mentioned this earlier, but I am directing Proof by David Auburn at Walterdale Playhouse this fall.  They've just wrapped up the Dracula auditions so it's time to spread the word on the next set of auditions.  I am excited to work on this one as it has been on my list for a few years now.  It's such a nice tight script with complete and compelling characters with interesting and complicated relationships.  It's almost mathematical!

We have our first Design/Production Meeting tonight with the team and I am excited to share my vision so that everyone can get started thinking about the show!

Here are the Audition Details:

Performance Dates: Dec 4 – 14, 2013
Audition Dates: Sept 15 & 16, 2013; 7 – 10 p.m.
Walterdale Theatre (10322 83 Avenue)

The Team:
Director: Kristen M. Finlay; Asst Director: Katelyn Arthurs; Stage Manager: Bethany Hughes; Designers: Joan Heys Hawkins (Set), Elaina Bolton (Costumes), Richard Hatfield (Lighting), Erin Foster-O’Riordan (Sound); Master Builder: Pierre Valois; Production Manager: Catherine Wenschlag

Show Description:
Proof explores the link between genius and madness.  Catherine, a troubled young woman has spent years looking after her brilliant but unstable father, Robert.  Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions, her estranged older sister Claire and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father.

Characters:
Catherine – 25
Claire – 29, Catherine’s older sister
Robert – 50s, Catherine and Claire’s father, a mathematician
Hal –28, Robert’s former graduate student

Please note:  ages are as given in the script, and are based more on how old someone reads as opposed to actual physical age.  There will be flexibility in casting as they are also relational based on how two individuals read as siblings and parent and child.

The auditions will comprise of the following:
* A SHORT (1-3 MINUTE) PREPARED CONTEMPORARY MONOLOGUE of your choice
* READINGS FROM THE SCRIPT – These can be emailed out to people in advance of their auditions upon request.
* CALL-BACKS (if required):  TBA

A Rehearsal Schedule will be emailed when you book your audition.  Please bring any potential conflict dates you have to the audition.  Anyone auditioning for the role of Catherine must have a pretty available calendar as she is in almost every scene.

Headshots and résumés are recommended, but not required.

Copies of the script are available for reading at Walterdale Theatre.  Contact the Theatre Administrator at walterph@telus.net to sign one out (not available during Fringe).

To book an audition, contact me, Kristen M. Finlay by e-mail at smeep22003@yahoo.ca or by phone at 780.406.1256

(Drop-ins will be accommodated as time allows)

Walterdale is a volunteer/member organization.  We cannot engage Equity performers.

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...

A New Project on the Not-So-Far Horizon

Today the 55th Season at Walterdale Theatre Associates was announced.  I am pleased to announce Proof, by David Auburn, at Walterdale in the Fall.  The show will have auditions in September, start rehearsing in mid October and go up on deck the first two weeks of December.  Stay tuned for audition information.  I will be looking for 2 women and 2 men of varying ages, stay tuned for more details...
 that I will be directing

I am so excited to be directing this play.  I have an awesome Production team assembled: Joan Hawkins (Set Design), Richard Hatfield (Lighting Design), Elaina Bolton (Costume Design), Erin Foster-O'Riordan (Sound Design), Pierre Valois (Master Builder) and Catherine Wenschlag (Production Manager).  I have a few other roles on the team, so let me know if you'd like to be involved! This a great script, so incredibly well written, and it brings art and science together as it contemplates genius and madness and love and honesty.

More information about Proof and the rest of the 2013-2014 Walterdale Season can be found here.