Milestones...

Gibson, my little guy, lost his first tooth yesterday. He really lost it too. In school somewhere... so he wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining the situation. Luckily, she still came through for him. Then, this morning at breakfast he worked at wiggling the other loose tooth right next door and it to popped out. He seemed so excited about this simple little thing. Maybe it is the money from the tooth fairy, but he really couldn't stop grinning and it was so much fun to see.

The Importance of Good Writing....

Why I think you should always go for the best...

In a recent review of Rabbit Hole, one paper said that Walterdale demonstrated it's fearlessness by even attempting the script. I found this interesting. A compliment, yes, I do not contest that, but I do think the choice of the script made perfect sense to me. I chose it because the writing was so good. I always start with the writing. I will discard a choice if the writing is simple or transparent or clunky. I do not understand why you wouldn't want to start with the absolute best - no matter who you are. In my mind, strong writing makes your job easier, not harder. You have to be so much better to overcome a flawed script. It is why so many companies do Shakespeare even today - because the writing is good. It's why you do Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller, and Daniel MacIvor. Because the writing is good. So I didn't see it as fearlessness, I simply thought it made good sense. I read it and understood it very clearly... the rest was just the work.

Opening Night

I am excited, as I usually am for Opening Night. This show has truly been a labour of love for me and it is wonderful to see it come to fruition. I am proud of what it is and I think it is pretty darn good. The Previews were a wonderful experience. The first one with the generous audience setting us off on a good foot and the smaller, quieter second audience who went along for the ride in tension and who went out of their way to shower us with compliments. Everyone who has done theatre knows that the positive feedback of absolute strangers is so very gratifying. You like it when your friends and family say nice things, too, but a complete stranger who seeks you out to say 'well done' is so unexpected and since there is nothing vested for them in terms of love for you, you trust the objectiveness of the comments. One women made a point of tracking me down to tell me the show was better than a show she saw at a professional theatre this week - not that the show she saw was bad, in fact she sad it was very good, but that Rabbit Hole was better. Wow! Considering the talent in the city and the show to which she referred I was so very honoured.

Now is Opening Night. I know it will go well. It is an audience of friendly people who love me and/or the cast and/or Walterdale. I just feel like I have worked so hard for so long and it is so great to be here on this day finally. Feels good, in spite of some of the difficult decisions I had to make during the process to ensure the best possible production.

Right Fit

Last night was the first Tech Dress for Rabbit Hole. It is coming together beautifully. We have some tweaks to do yet, but it is in fine shape. It has been a nice journey, despite hiccups. One actors has suffered unpredictable illness and we had to move quickly to incorporate an understudy into the production. Fortunately that has been smoother than you might think. Last night's run proved that. We have a nice team right now, one that seems to fit together well and understand how they fit into the show as a whole. The actors have to be fairly vulnerable, so the have the freedom to be that way when they do not have to worry about all the other details. Thankfully we have a cohesive team working to make that happen.

Last night I got to see my show again after almost a week. My notes were few, and all were fixable. I felt comfortable with everyone in the space and really, that is what makes volunteering so much more than just volunteering - working with friends that you trust to be able to do their job and like being around.

Future Planning...

Yesterday AM and I met for Finally Sauces and figured out what we will be doing for the Fringe. It is kind of exciting, as I will have another one of my scripts on a Fringe stage, and even more so because we know we are in and have none of that anxiety about 'will we get in or won't we'. We decided, after looking through a number possibilities, to remount Pieces, the one-act I wrote that was produced at Walterdale 4 years ago in From Cradle to Stage. It won't just be a remounting, however, as I have done a lot of writing since and I feel I can develop it more. Currently is runs 25-30 minutes and I would like to add 15-20 minutes to develop some of the background characters more. I will also be directing, which I feel more confident about after the last Fringe experience.

I also have to figure out what will happen to me next year. The new AD will shortly be selected and that will mean a job that has taken up a lot of my time will no longer be on my plate. I will certainly miss it as I really felt that it has been a position that suited me really well. I am deciding whether I submit to direct - although I know it may be unlikely that I will get a show since I have directed there the last two years. It might be nice to take a step back and do shorter term projects. I would like to be a master painter on a show, and I am also interested in set design (although I lack the drafting skills). I also could pursue more at the University. There have been projects there I have been interested in doing over the last 2 years but my time commitments to Walterdale have prevented that. I know that I will be busy and have opportunities, but I don't like not knowing what they will be.

Feeling Artistically Full... In a Good Way...

Tonight I started learning my Mrs. Peachum music for The Threepenny Opera. It went fast and it's all recorded for practice in the car and it felt so very, very good to sing again. I felt like I was slipping on an old favorite coat that I had stuck in the closet but hadn't worn for a while. It felt good. It's just the learning stage - getting familiar with the notes and the words and the tempos and all that and I have by no means mastered the songs, but it still felt good.

All in all I am having a good week artistically. I am so pleased with Rabbit Hole and where we are at and what I am seeing. We were off book for Act one last night and it was really very good. A month out and off book and even though 'line' was called, it was all present and there was some really powerful emotional stuff happening. I am searching for the balance for my actors of making sure they have enough rehearsal to be ready while not over-working them so that they are emotionally exhausted. We have tread slowly through this script for a reason. It is a big journey for all of them and I have a cast of perfectionists who will beat themselves up. I don't want them to do that. I want to give them the time and the tools so they are ready to handle it. The script requires immense emotional commitment so I need to help them separate so they are not burnt out. I have ideas for that. But I am, for now, happy with where we are at and looking forward to next Monday when we are off book for Act Two and then we just massage this puppy.

This weekend I will be meeting with Anne Marie to discuss the Fringe spot. I need to put some time into seeing what I have to bring as options for us. I have a couple of pieces in progress and some ideas outside my own work and something I have written a lot of *in my head* that I need to get out. I have until Sunday. I should be feeling rushed on this, but I don't. I know that she has some things too, and between the two of us we will find something we want to do.

I just feel blessed to have so much filling me artistically right now. I am lucky.

A New Year!

I had a nice, relatively quiet Christmas with fun for the kids at Grandma and Grandpa Strand's on Christmas Eve and then having them (G&G) over for Christmas dinner on the actual day. The turkey was smaller to reflect the smaller crowd and that meant a later start time to the preparations and a much more relaxed day as a whole. I was surprised and delighted by a new camera (Yay!) and a few days later the arrival of The Tudors - Boxed set. Both were on my wish list. I recognize more and more as I get older that I am hard to buy for because I feel like I have everything I need except time and how can you give that? I also got 3 hours with a personal trainer from the Mom and Dad and that will be put to good use. My eldest brother and his wife got mine and Mark's names and they overwhelmed us with movie and restaurant gift certificates. We have used one of the movie gift certs to see the latest Harry Potter when the boys had school Monday but the store was closed. Very nice to be able to go out without the chilluns and although some of you might think 'what?! and you went to a kid's movie?!?!' I have to say it is not one that they are old enough to see in my opinion and although Oliver might be old enough, we have a rule that he has to read the book before he can see the movie and he is only on book 3 so far.

The boys were over-blessed again with bounty. Legos were assembled as were bionicles and puzzles and DS games were played abundantly. They wore the clothes that Mom and Dad got them and looked cute in their new pyjamas from G&G Finlay and Mom and Dad. I got to play a few Board Games because an adult was needed to figure out the rules and referee. Much fun. They also decorated their gingerbread men and ate their fair share of Lindor and Purdy's chocolate!

The week immediately following Christmas struck the household with illness. Mark and Oliver were throwing up for a few days and I was hit by something respiratory/achy all over/dry coughy... I am still in recovery as I feel okay for the most part but am still dealing with coughing fits that prevent me from sleeping well. I am hoping it is over soon... please... pretty please. Luckily I had The Tudors to keep me company as I lay on the couch for about a week.

This week is the week of beginnings... rehearsals start for Threepenny and re-start for Rabbit Hole. I have a very busy month and a half ahead of me. I am not sure how much singing I will be able to do tonight at the first Threepenny music rehearsal but I will bring my digital recorder to capture all the work and practise with that if I can't sing much myself.