New Educational Journey Has Begun!

Today was class three of my Fall course, Drama 257. I was a little leery (as usual) at the beginning, but I am really enjoying it. The 'kids' are nice and I like the style of our instructor, Donna Marie, and I think that I can get something out of it. I always worry about those things when I take classes at the Uni now. Being that I am 20 or more years older than most (read: all) the other kids in class and I might even be older than the instructor, I tend to worry about how I will fit into the dynamic. However, this group of students seem to like me and accept me as one of them (whew!) not just 'the old lady' in the class. The first two Projects that we presented I think demonstrated that I am not just a dilettante, but that I am serious about this and that I have something to offer.

I am anxious for script work. I understand the vocabulary of intention and specificity and choice and being present, so I want to apply that to some script work. I am curious as to who I will be paired with. As I have done in my previous acting classes, I am trying to work with as many different people now to get a sense of who they are. I can definitely tell there are stronger and weaker students in the class and students who will be easier or harder to work with (they unfortunately do not all match up). I think I offer a variety to scene choices for the instructor as I am older and that contrast in age and maturity will mean different situations to explore. I hope that she pushes me from where I am now, not from where the majority of the class is. I think that if I feel she isn't, I could easily talk to her about and she would be keen to do so. Anyhow, it is going well. Thursdays are like my Fridays and I am enjoying the rhythm of the Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Let's go!

Sunset, Sunrise...

A Little Night Music closed yesterday. It felt strange. Closing on a Sunday Matinee never really feels like a closing, but it was. I loved doing this show. I really enjoyed the character and the music and although I would have loved to sing more than I did in the show, considering how much I had on the go, it was probably a good thing I didn't! I also loved working with the cast. There were only 16 of us on the stage and we also had a nice close-knit crew. It was a delight. The best of theatrical experiences! It is now done and I have only the memories...

So now what? I have my class and I am getting started with my school volunteering. I am also waiting to find out when the boys activities will be so I can plan the rest of my life. Today was a bit of a write off. I did get some stuff done, but I am very, very tired from the last week. Exhausted. Tomorrow will be better. I have an audition tomorrow night that I need to prepare for and a props drop at the theatre that I need to look after. The rest of the week is pretty slow so that is good. I have some writing deadlines that I am waaaaay behind on. On to the next project, right? Just have to figure out what that is...

Opening Night - Check!

Last night A Little Night Music opened. The show was solid and we thrilled to the response from the audience. A few jittery hiccups here and there but that's live theatre! I truly enjoyed playing the 'bitchy' Charlotte and getting laughs for my barbed lines. Tonight is show 2 and we only have 4. Most of the people I know are coming on Saturday night. It has been a great adventure so far and I am sad that we only have 3 more times to do it! In any case the audience really seemed to enjoy the show and that's what it's all about! I hope to see you there.

Excited about Sondheim!

We are getting closer to A Little Night Music opening! I am getting excited. Between last night and tonight I had a pretty awesome show (take the best sections from both). All I got to do is put it all together. The show has really gelled in the last week and a half. All that work stretched out over so much time have truly paid off and in a strange way the length of rehearsal time has reduced the stress. Tomorrow we have a media call and I have to get my hair on for that and head out to Festival Place in the morning! Hopefully I can sing as well at 10:30 a.m. as I can at 8:30 p.m. at night!

We only have 4 shows for this. I am anticipating a good turn out since the Christmas show consistently sells out and they have many, many more shows. The cast is also so incredibly strong. Everyone can sing and is well cast. I love the fun that is happening both onstage and off. The show has beautiful music (Sondheim! Squee!) and is funny (a bedroom farce, if you will) and I have the most delightfully sarcastic lines (my favorite!). I hope that you all can make it to see this lovely show!

We run from September 8th to 11th. Evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased through Festival Place.

Here We Go!

The boys have one more day of summer holidays and then they return to school. Gibson is entering grade 2 and Oliver will be going to grade 5 this year. I get more and more relaxed as the years go by. I knew with Oliver that he would settle in as he grew more mature. He had a challenging time socially and behaviourally in the first few years of school, but by the middle of grade 3 those issues disappeared. He still wants to work fast and not necessarily well, despite being capable of better, but that too is improving. Hey, when my kid consistently cites Math as his favorite subject, I am going to be happy about it. Gibson has been a bit of a surprise as he seemed more mature socially than Oliver but the end of last year and this summer has shown a crankier and less cheerful child. I know some of the crankiness is a frustration with others when they do not get things as quickly as he does, but it is not going to serve him well in school. Academically he excels, and I want that to continue, but his social impatience needs to be tempered a bit. I think grade 2 will be challenging for him in this regard. We shall see. I expected smooth sailing from him behaviourally, but I think I should never ever plan for kids to be as I predict.

I know I shouldn't let it bother me, but a blog post by one of the Edmonton Journal writers has me cranky.

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2011/08/30/the-best-choice-for-your-childs-school-is-most-likely-the-local-school/

I know that it is opinion, but I am annoyed by the push for community school when Edmonton has designed their system based on program based education. The community school model works when all the schools are not program based, but when you want something different for your child they don't always work. For example, in my case I wanted French Immersion for my kids. I also wanted strong arts education and good physical education. I 'assume' that with public schools that the basic educational needs will be met in any school (reading, writing and arithmetic...). After all, that is what the Alberta Education Curriculum guidelines guarantee. Now, I can meet the arts education and physical education needs outside of school by using my own resources. I cannot, however, do French Immersion outside the school, therefore I had to make my choice based on the delivery of that program. I also know people who have children with specialized education needs who have home schooled or who have sought programs that met those needs. Not their community schools. Another interesting point I would like to make is that OUR Community school is just as far away if not further than the non-community, program based school our kids attend. The closest school is the Mandarin school... So there are no advantages such as proximity. For many kids in Edmonton the closest school is still a 45 minute bus ride away without even taking into consideration the programs offered. The article is written without thinking about the realities of how our schools are programmed and how the schools themselves are laid out. It doesn't take into account the needs of language based immersion programs (late immersion is possible, but not preferable). Anyhow, it bugged me. It also bugged me because when the writer posed his question on Twitter the night before posting his blog, I responded with my reasons for program choice, but he only responded to those people who were rah-rahing the community school choice. I think he was only looking for agreement - not really exploring the value to both options. I know that the community school is NOT the best place for my children to learn and I know many others who have different reasons for not choosing the community school and I feel that they are equally right in their choices.

Normal for me is always changing...

No really, it is. I move from project to project so it's always a little bit different for me. Fringe is done for now but that didn't stop me from going and seeing one of the holdovers (Giant Invisible Robot) with a friend this week. Actually that was the first time I have ever gone to a Fringe Holdover. Usually I am too exhausted to partake. The show was good - would have liked to have seen it in a smaller venue for the sake of intimacy (it was a one man show), but it was good. You could tell the guy had mucho Improv background.

Now I am knee deep in A Little Night Music. We incorporated Elizabeth into the show today. She did amazingly well! I think I called line as many times as she did! Really, the lines are perfect in my car when I run them... they will come... now we have a more focused and intensive rehearsal period before we open so it will all come. We did a Sitz Probe on Wednesday night and it was lovely to sing with an orchestra again (after so long...). I am really happy with this production. I like everyone in the cast and the play and music are so good.

Today I read about a contemporary deciding to quit their job because of the success and fun of her Fringe experience. These things worry me. I know they shouldn't worry me personally - it's not my life... but a Fringe show does not a career make. You have to pay the rent... don't you? It would be nice if life could be fun like theatre is all the time, but a fun life seems like a shallow existence. Who is paying the bills? The taxes? I have known others who have done this over the years to varying degrees of success... I know it is their life... but I worry about their children and spouses and the fact that while some of them had some talent, they weren't necessarily tremendously talented. Mark occasionally asks about my goals... I just want to create and tell stories. If I am fortunate enough to be compensated for it - then that's a bonus. It's too fragile a world for me to stop the work I do for the store and my family for it. All I can do is to try to do it better. On that note - I am excited to be going to Playworks Ink this fall - Daniel MacIvor will be there!

Back to School Preparations...

We are one week from the return to school for the boys and a little bit longer for me. Now that Fringe is done I have to go through all their stuff that they brought home last June and see what I need to get. It is irritating to buy a new set of pencil crayons every fall when I know we have a huge box of half used ones at home. I think I might spend some time sorting through those and the crayons and saving some money instead of buying new ones. Don't call me cheap - call me frugal. I hate the waste!! I know they also brought home some duo tangs and loose leaf paper and Oliver has a binder that is immaculate. I'd like to reduce the purchases as much as possible.

For my school I have a list of nothing. I am doing scene study (Drama 257) so there are no texts on the list and I think I probably just need to dress to move. I am at a disadvantage there since I do not move as well as those 20 year olds, but I will do my best.

I am debating auditioning for a couple of projects this Fall. I do not want to get swamped and I want space to write. It will have to be the right project with the right people. I want to work on things where I learn... I also don't want to fill up the time and then find I am unable to do something amazing that might come along later. So, I think I have to wait for the right thing... I really should be writing more...

Night Music picks up again this week and goes into high gear next week. Sitz Probe on Wednesday and rehearsals on both Saturday and Sunday. I really need to review my lines. I know that next week will be challenging but luckily we (as a cast) are in good shape and I know we will all support Elizabeth as she finds her Desiree and moves into the show.

Today I spent some time with Gibson alone at the Telus World of Science while Oliver went fishing with Grandpa. Apparently Dad fell in the water and the fishing was not great, but Oliver had a good time and is getting quite good at casting. That's pretty cool. Gibson enjoyed having me to himself and spending my money!