Getting back into life after a month of conferences...

I know it may not seem like it, but I actually have seen quite a bit of theatre this past month. However, between the shows and the fact that I have spent the past three weekends at conferences (Women's Directing Intensive with Carey Perloff (Banff), imedia (Edmonton), and Community Theatre Summit (Banff)) that I haven't had much time to blog about it all... 

So, this month I saw:

Children of God at the Citadel - A musical about the impacts of the residential school system focusing on one family: a daughter lost, a son damaged and a mother who had no choices at the time but who is trying to help them heal. The music was gorgeous and the production honest and heart-breaking and it ended with one of the most magical moments of hope and invitation that I have ever experienced. It's gone now to WCT in Kamloops. 

Blood of Our Soil by Pyretic Productions - Built from testimonials and personal investigation, this show told about the history of the Ukraine from the perspective of a young Canadian women reflecting on her relationship with her now deceased grandmother. In a way it was two plays in one as the first act was very different from the second in how it told it's story. It was a compelling piece that certainly exposed me to world history I was unaware of. 

Romeo Initiative at Skirts AFire - Did you know that in post war Germany the East Germans cultivated men to romance West German office workers to gather intelligence? I didn't, but now I do. The play was fascinating with it's twists and turns and it demonstrated the complexity involved when romance is combined with espionage. 

Outside Mullingar at Shadow Theatre - A very Irish play about two misfits who live next door but who should definitely be together. Funny, charming and sweet. 

The Ladies Foursome at the Mayfield - Following the death of one of their friends, 4 women play their traditional weekly game of golf. There are many laughs and secrets revealed. Not Norm Foster's best script but a quartet of solid actors lifts it up. 

Do This in Memory of Me at Northern Light Theatre and L'Uni Theatre - Such a great show - great script, terrific trio of actors and excellent direction. Of course I might be biased because I hit a lot of the markers having been raised Catholic with hockey playing brothers. This was funny and sad, and tackled gender roles, and the power of prayer, with whimsy and magic. 

Poison by Wildside Productions at Theatre Network - An estranged couple reunites at the cemetery 9 years after the death of their son. This was a challenging piece - the first third a little uneventful but it picks up and then the last third was very compelling. The acting was strong, but the script itself challenging. Perhaps it's the nature of a translation. 

Anyhow, it looks like a lot to me! 

I am heading into the next month looking forward to seeing:

Betroffenheit (Citadel)

Cleave (Tiny Bear Claws)

Blue Stockings (Walterdale)

Undercover (Citadel)

Slut (NLT)

Going to St. Ives (Atlas - Varscona)

The Silver Arrow (Citadel)

All Shook Up (Mayfield)

There will be more... I just haven't gotten my list yet! 

March Madness for #yegTheatre!

There's a lot on the go this month for theatre.  The start of the month is jam-packed with indie theatre options so there's really no excuse to stay home!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've already taken in Hot Mess and The Other, two of the indie options on the docket.

Next up for me is Alice Through the Looking-Glass at the Citadel.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Super-Star Edmonton-cast of this show which promises to embrace the topsy-turvy sensibility of the Lewis Carroll story. The costumes and set are fantastic (designed by Bretta Gerecke) and the scenes I have seen as part of the media call looked very cool.  Can't wait to see the Jabberwocky and the Walrus and the Carpenter come to life! I studied both of the Alice books in University and kind of want to re-read them to refresh my memory...

I'll be taking in 2 more shows this weekend. A little musical treat with Wish You Were Here by the Plain Janes and then a hard 90 degree turn with the parent-teacher interview premised Gidion's Knot presented at Skirts AFire. Then next week I will be seeing This is War by Hannah Moskovitch presented by Punctuate Theatre. As you can see, this first half of the month is a real roller-coaster!

I'll check back when I've seen a few and let you know what's up for the rest of the month later!

In the Haze of Illness, I forgot to reflect on this year's Skirts AFire Festival!

No, it's true.  I was hit with a horrible cold/flu (I never know which - I only know the suffering) in March and totally forgot to write about the Skirts AFire Festival! 

The illness was descending when I took in The Mothers in the days before the festival actually started. A one woman show by Nicole Moeller, starring Annette Loiselle and directed by Glenda Stirling, The Mothers explored how the mother of a child gone wrong deals with her guilt, confusion, sadness and anger over the actions of her child. The script raised a lot of interesting things about how little we know about how a dangerous child might be created. We think there must be a straight line from the baby to the teenager with clear indicators and inciting incidents and predictive behaviour, but the truth is a lot more complicated.  Loiselle has many fine moments in the piece which is as times an archaeological examination of the past and at other times an emotional exploration of her perceived failure as a parent.  I was challenged a bit by the arrangement of the script as the build was more up an down, and there were a lot of details about the mother-child relationship that seemed inconsistent.  I wondered if that was deliberate, though, in that a parent might look back and see both good and bad jumbled together and have trouble separating truth from guilt.

Then the illness struck and I was out for over half a week.  However, I dragged myself out of bed and medicated myself so that I could make it to Peep Show, where 4 new plays were given 10-15 minutes of exposure to a first audience.  Peep show is where The Easy Road started 2 years ago which led to the full reading and workshop last year at Skirts AFire 2014.  I was looking forward to hearing the 4 pieces on display this year. We heard scripts from Michele Vance Hehir, Leslea Kroll, Hayley Moorhouse and Anne Marie Szucs.  I enjoyed hearing these four new plays and the new female playwright voices.  So pleased that Skirts AFire has provided the opportunity for more new work development.

I'm looking forward to seeing what is on the docket for next season and hoping that I am not sick so that I can see even more!

Setting My Skirt On Fire! Great Women Telling Stories!

This past weekend was the culmination of the work I have been doing on my script, The Easy Road.  I first wrote the piece in the first annual Play in a Day, 24 Hours Playwriting Contest held at the Edmonton International Fringe in the summer of 2012.  I submitted it that fall to Skirts Afire, a brand new festival celebrating women artists, for Peep Show and was selected to share a 20 minute selection at the inaugural HerArts Festival.  A couple of firsts and I was lucky to be a part of both.  Getting into Peep Show was the start of dramaturgical support from APN with Tracy Carroll and the evolution and growth of The Easy Road. Like any good journey, it wasn't over then.  The script was selected once again to be further dramaturged and presented as a complete piece in a staged reading at this year's Skirts Afire HerArts Festival.  What I got was three fabulous days of workshop with 8 amazing women artists and my script grew by leaps and bounds.  The first day of workshop was way back in January with Tracy Carroll acting as Dramaturge/Director and Stephanie Wolfe, Michele Fleiger, April Banigan, Jenny McKillop and Lora Brovold playing the five women in the script.  This past week Amy DeFelice stepped in for Tracy as Director and Sharla Matkin for Lora and we continued to workshop it and I wrote two drafts and made many, many, many notes to take away for another new draft.  It was wonderful.  I love process and this experience was all about process.  The wisdom of the women I was working with was so valuable.  It was great to have them ask questions of me and of the script so I could go back to it and decide what I needed to be answered.  The reading was a delight - how lucky was I to have such actors who emotionally committed to the journey despite scripts in hand with no set or costumes. I am excited about where I am at with it and where I see it going. 

The next day, I went back to the festival to hear four other women playwright's stories at this year's Peep Show. I saw intriguing pieces by Nicole Moeller, Katherine Koller, Holly Turner and Michele Vance Hehir. It was a great afternoon hearing four distinct voices in the scripts - nothing specifically female - but all completely human.  Some were darker than others, some humorous, some an intriguing mix of dark and light. I thought what I have been thinking a lot lately.  Why aren't more women's scripts on our stages?  Why aren't more women directors working on our professional stages. 

And I decided, I no longer want to be 'happy' with one or two women being allowed to tell their stories.  I like that Skirts Afire is addressing the imbalance.  I love that the audiences were full of women and men. 

And So It's Happening... Workshopping THE EASY ROAD for Skirts AFire...

This Thursday I will be working with a fabulous dramaturge (Tracy Carroll) and 5 amazing actors (Michele Fleiger, Lora Brovold, April Banigan, Stephanie Wolfe and Jenny McKillop) to workshop my script The Easy Road in preparation for Skirts Afire in March.  I am nervous, but so excited.  A workshop opportunity, especially one a month and a bit ahead of the presentation is an incredible opportunity.  I can read my play to myself and make adjustments and changes, but until I hear it aloud, it's hard to really get what shape it's in.  I am in a great position.  I will get to hear it, definitely more than once, possibly with different actors reading different roles, and I will get to have fabulous discussions with someone who knows a lot more about play construction than I do.  And then, blessing upon blessing, I will be able to go away and rewrite.  And I will have time to make changes and more changes before the first week of March when we go back into workshop preparing to present it.

When I first started writing plays, I didn't really know about this process.  I was lucky enough to encounter it on a smaller scale through the APN Playwright's Circles, once at 10 Days of Madness before it was cancelled, and in courses at the University and then applying that to my rehearsal process for my fringe shows.  I rarely have had the opportunity to have a dramaturge like Tracy Carroll there to shepherd the process.  And to have this group of women reading for me.  I have seen them onstage and been blown away by them all, so to have them read my work and help me write a better play is just amazing.  We think that playwrights work alone, in a vacuum, and for some of the time, we do, but better writing happens with this kind of collaboration.  I promise to make it count!

Whirlwind Weekend! ... Next!

Had a great time this weekend rushing from thing to thing.  The boys took up a significant portion as they usually do, but with one organizing a play date for Friday evening and the other having a bowling party on Saturday afternoon it meant that I couldn't see as much as I wanted. Oh well, it happens and I can't really complain because I do get out to a lot of things. Plus I was happy to see them both engaging positively with their peers and since I didn't have to do much more than be there it was all good.

It did make for a bit of running around.  After Mark got home from work on Saturday I scooted off to catch some of the Skirts AFire Festival. I was treated to a magic show by Billy Kidd and then a reading of a work under development (Her Story) by Annette Loiselle and Nadien Chu.  It might be the playwright in me, but I really love play readings.  I also have a very strong visual imagination so I am not bothered by not having a full set and all the blocking.  Plus with the strength of the local talent for actors, I have rarely been disappointed with the presentation. The reading was compelling and I am curious to see its future development.  I know, as a playwright, that the opportunity to hear your work read in front of an audience can tell you a lot about where it needs to go next so I hope that these two ladies got what they needed from it.

Sunday was it's usual madness.  I took the boys to piano then met Mark for lunch and did the switch so I could head off to Peep Show and my play reading. I was ever so pleased with the reception of my piece and have so many idea of where to go next with it.  I was also delighted with the line up of work. It was wonderful to hear five strong and varied pieces by all the writers.  Some of the pieces were comedies, some were dramas, all five had a strong individual voice.  I am thankful to the actors - Karyn Mott, Lora Brovold, Alison Wells, and John Ullyat - for their great work in bringing the text alive.  And I am also thankful to Tracy Carroll who acted as both dramaturge and director and was a wonderful resource int he process.  As well, I am so happy to hear that Skirts AFire will definitely be on the go next year.  It was a great opportunity and based on the turn-out at the events I attended, it is a festival that people want to go to! Following Peep Show was a Closing Concert by Colleen Brown.  She was delightful and the final song of Bird on A Wire was simply beautiful.  A nice end.

Then off to my rehearsal and finally, several hours later, home to bed!  A busy time!

I also heard about the following upcoming events and encourage you to check out one or more of them:

Finally Writing... Feels Good...

It is no secret - I write to deadlines and from feedback.  So, luckily I have had both to motivate me in the past few weeks.  I was happy to hear that one of the scripts that I submitted for the First Annual Skirts AFire - herArts Festival - Peep Show was selected.  The selection of The Easy Road (which I wrote at last Fringe's Play in a Day) led to a great meeting with Dramaturge Tracy Carroll and gave me the impetus to write a new draft to get ready to submit to the APC (Alberta Playwriting Competition). This was a bit of a challenge as the deadline of March 1st means that I am torn between getting T4s done and working on my writing!  Every year the same thing happens and one of those things I kind of have to do or else Canada Revenue and our employees would be ticked off at me!  Anyhow, I managed to finish a new draft and send it off.

In preparation for Peep Show, we are using the original submitted draft because some of the structural changes would make the new draft a challenge.  I get to sit in on the rehearsal this Thursday and will hear three fabulous local actresses bring it to life on Sunday afternoon.  There are a few other scripts in Peep Show which showcase some of the fabulous female playwrights in Edmonton.  I think it will be a great afternoon of theatrical teasers!

Here are the details on the event:

PEEP SHOW!

A PARTNERSHIP OF THE INAUGURAL SkirtsAFire, herArts FESTIVAL and ALBERTA PLAYWRIGHTS’ NETWORK

March 10, 2013 2:00pm

Alberta Avenue Community League- 9210-118 Ave.

Glimpse into the future of SkirtsAFire and the Edmonton arts scene through a tease of new plays presented in partnership with Alberta Playwrights Network.

Five exciting new plays by five fantastic female playwrights:

Marathon/Sprint by Heather Morrow

Going, Going, Gone by Jana O’Connor

Secrets by Jacqueline Dumas
Last Chance Leduc by Katherine Koller

The Easy Road by Kristen Finlay

Our ensemble of actors:
John Ullyat
Lora Brovold
Karyn Mott
Alison Wells

For more information check out the website: http://skirtsafire.wordpress.com/

Excited to be a Part of Skirts AFire! Peep Show!

I found out this last week that one of the two scripts I submitted to Skirts AFire - Peep Show was selected.  The Easy Road, which I wrote during the Play in a Day competition during the 2012 Edmonton Fringe was selected, and an excerpt of it will be presented along with three other scripts at Peep Show on March 10th as part of the first ever Skirts AFire Festival.  I am thrilled as this is providing the necessary motivation for me to spend more time on my writing.  Too many other things in my life have caused me to shove my writing to the back-burner so my plans to write more this year have not come to fruition.  I will also get to hear a section of my play read by some of Edmonton's top actresses.  It is always so thrilling to hear your work interpreted by other people.  I find that is when I discover the most about where the play must go.  The filter of collaboration tends to clarify the direction of the piece. So, stay tuned and I will provide more information about this event as it comes to me!

It's Coming - the First SkirtsAFire, herArts Festival! Want to help?

So I got this information today!  Knowing so many talented women in the Edmonton Theatre community I was excited to see this come to my in-box.  I love the idea of this festival and look forward to seeing what's on the ticket!  They are looking for people to help out - so check it out if you are interested in lending a hand!

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Until March 7, 2013

Volunteers Needed to Help Ignite the Spark!

Edmonton’s newest festival, SkirtsAFire, herArts festival is in need of helping hands to launch its first season! FromMarch 7 to 10, Alberta Avenue (118th avenue) hosts a celebration and showcase of women’s stories and the female voice in art.

SkirtsAFire is looking for help leading up to and during the festival. Whether you can volunteer your time at the festival, a few hours stuffing envelopes, or one of your many valuable skills … as a wise woman once said, many hands make light work.

SkirtsAFire creates a platform for women writing, directing, designing, choreographing, painting and putting music to their own stories. SkirtsAFire aims to bring women together from all artistic disciplines, as well as mothers, leaders, philanthropists, workers and students to share in our vision and stories.

For more information about volunteering, or for information about the festival itself, please visit skirtsafire.wordpress.com.

Theatre for a Good Cause...

Theatre Network opens The Passion of Mary this week as part of their performance series.  I wrote a bit about the show earlier when I went to the launch of Skirts Afire a few months back. As part of this run there are a couple of special nights that will also support some good works.  The first is tonight (FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2012) and if you go to the show tonight and 20% of your ticket will be donated to the One Thousand Women, A Million Possibilities campaign. Tomorrow (SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2012)20% of your ticket will be donated to SkirtsAfire, herArts Festival. So, not only will you be seeing a brand new work by local playwright, Annette Loiselle, but you will also be able to support a couple of good causes!

The Passion of Mary

by Annette Loiselle

Mary Queen of Scots is caught in an act of treason which may force Elizabeth to finally execute her. Alone in her prison, during imagined red wine sessions with Elizabeth, as the scaffold is being built, she re-lives significant episodes with her husbands, Darnley and Bothwell, her son James, her friend Riccio and the births of her babies. She sets out to prove she is not a murderer, but a woman of passion and a leader of vision. But Mary needs redemption not just for the sins she has been accused of, but the sin she has never confessed…. until now.

Starring: Annette Loiselle and Sian Williams • Director: Glenda Stirling • Set/Costume/Lighting Design: Bretta Gerecke • Original Composition of Musical Score: Binaifer Kapadia • Sound Design: Paul Morgan Donald • Production Stage Manager: Gina Puntil • Publicity/Marketing: Lana Michelle Hughes

Skirts Afire - What are you Passionate About?

Monday evening I was delighted to attend the launch for Skirts Afire - HerArts Festival at The Carrot on 118th Avenue.  The brainchild of local actor and playwright Annette Loiselle and a group of equally accomplished women in the Edmonton Arts scene, Skirts Afire, is an upcoming theatre/arts festival that focuses on stories told by and for (but not limited to) women. Certainly looking around the room on Monday night I could see why this was a focus topic.  It was a great collection of female artists and art supporters in the space, come to find out what this was all about. it was a great event and we were treated to a visual art display, some poetry, a short reading from The Passion of Mary, as well as the musical talents of Andrea House.

The inaugural festival is set for March 7-10, 2013 and will be held in various locations on the Ave.  They group hopes to incorporate a variety of art mediums, including theatre, visual art, dance, and music. Still in the planning stages, programming has not been finalized, but the group is working on that and plans to bring an exciting mix to the community.  One thing is for sure, the stories shall reflect the voices of women.

In Edmonton's theatre scene, this certainly makes sense.  When I think about the number of power-house women we have to draw from, particularly in the independent theatre scene it makes me quite excited.  It is interesting to note that most of the major theatre companies in town (The Citadel, Shadow, Teatro, Theatre Network, Northern Light, Workshop West) are headed by men, and while their programming often takes into account the strength of the women in our city's theatre scene, it will be interesting to see what happens with this festival which is entirely female driven.  It has me personally and artistically excited as my own company, FinallySauces, has a mandate for telling women's stories  and I certainly write from a very female perspective (it's what I know).

A lot must go into creating a festival like this and the group is hoping to raise not only awareness, but funds, in a fundraising event tied to Loiselle's playwrighting debut, The Passion of Mary at Theatre Network this fall.  The September 8th, 2012 performance of The Passion of Mary will help support the cause.  A portion of the box office (20%) on that evening will go to Skirts Afire.  The performance will be preceded by a reception hosted by fellow committee member, Nadien Chu.

At this important stage in their development the group is looking for support in a variety of ways.  They can be contacted through their newly launched website.

SkirtsAfire Objectives

• To create a festival that empowers, celebrates, develops, supports and highlights women in theatre and other art forms.
• To create a platform for Canadian women’s stories and the female voice.
• To provide opportunities for women to take on directing, writing, designing, dramaturgy, visual arts and other art forms.
  Preference will be given to female artists but not exclusively.