The Word is Out! The Cube’s Cultural Salons are not to be Missed

I really enjoyed the last cultural salon at the Cube so when I discovered that the series was being continued I eagerly set off to review the latest salon for (Cult)ure. I arrived a good 20 minutes before the official start time and was taken aback at the crowd. The place was packed and almost every available seat was already filled. In the end, the show was a standing room only affair. The word is out! The Cube gallery’s cultural salons are a great way to see the best of local artists performing predominantly original work. (For the full review at (Cult)ure click here.)

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As an update, I will be reading the stage directions in this performance, so come check it out. It’s an award winning play people!

My Big Lottery Win

It’s official, I’ve won the lottery. No I won’t be chauffered around in a Rolls Royce anytime soon. In fact, this lottery has already cost me $600 and has not paid me a cent and guess what? There will be even more costs to come. You’re probably wondering how a reasonably intelligent blogger type could have fallen for, what appears to be, some kind of scam. Nothing at all sketchy here friends.

I’ve won a spot in the Ottawa Fringe Festival.  This is a festival that takes place in downtown Ottawa every June. The Fringe features short performances (less then an hour in length) for the accessible price of $10 a show +Fringe pin. What is particularly interesting about this festival, is that anyone who is willing to put up the $600 fee has a shot at getting in. The companies are chosen by lottery out of a large collection of applications (international in scope). There were many applicants this year and I was fortunate that my name was pulled from the hat.

I’ve had the directing/producing bug for awhile and this lottery win has given me the motivation to create my own company. I’ve decided to call it Current Productions. The company’s name is  a play on words of sorts:  I  believe in putting on contemporary work by living artists. In other words, work that is current and “Current” is also my last name. Combining the two seemed like a no brainer. What do you think? Kind of catchy huh? It’s certainly easy to remember.

For our inaugural show the company will be putting on Prisoner’s Dilemma by local Ottawa playwright Sterling Lynch. Sterling has had a lot going on recently. His play Tangelico (a former Ottawa Fringe show) will be performed in Phoenix Arizona in conjunction with Cube With a View written by Mare Biddle. This looks like a fantastic evening. If you’re in that part of the world, I fully recommend checking it out.

Also a dramatic reading of Sterling’s award winning Home in Time will be the theatrical feature of the Cube Gallery’s next Cube Salon (Feb. 13). This play has been described by Sterling as the sister play to Prisoner’s Dilemma. Both plays deal with similar themes in a humourous, insightful, and unexpected manner. The Cube Salons are a lot of fun, a combination of music, poetry,and theatre by local artists with complimentary munchies. They are fantastic evenings and worth checking out.

So I have a script from an award winning playwright and a spot in the Fringe. What’s next? Watch this blog for more stories about my preparations for the Fringe Festival and  my thoughts on running a brand new theatre company. This is going to be fun!

Going Big: The Pros and Cons of Large Casts and Highly Technical Shows

Recently, I was at a preview performance of Peter Pan at Carleton University.  A play like Peter Pan is certainly an ambitious choice for a university theatre company. It has several very technical elements: sword fights, a giant crocodile, a fairy, and flying actors. The cast is also huge. Generally, previews are not reviewed and I will honour tradition and not review this show;however, I think a general discussion of the pros and cons of community theatre staging these large technical shows might be interesting/useful.

Let’s deal with the cast size first. There are certainly advantages to having a large cast. The first being a guaranteed large audience (friends and family of the cast). Large casts also allow more people to be involved in the show. I think, for a university theatre company, there is something nice about a show that gives a large group of people the opportunity to share the experience of putting on a play.

The downside of large casts is that it is very difficult for a director to give each actor sufficient attention. There simply is not enough time. Often (but not necessarily) the performances will suffer as there are not enough talented actors to play every character.  Also, a large cast will also most likely involve more costuming, props etc., which can put more pressure on the stage managers keeping track of it all and the costume/set designers etc. who have to produce everything (probably on a shoe string budget).

The second issue is the highly technical aspect of these large productions. On the positive side, it is great to take on something challenging that will require a lot of creativity on the part of the production team. Fight choreography, elaborate sets, and complicated lighting design can be a lot of fun. There are many in the theatre community who live for these kinds of technical challenges. Everyone has to start somewhere, and university theatre can be a great place for people with an interest in the technical side to have an opportunity to get some experience.

That being said, the more technical elements there are in a show, the greater the risk that there will not be sufficient time to pull everything off. One or two technical elements carried off well will, ultimately, have a greater impact on the audience than a show with a lot of technical elements that are not completely successful.

So here’s a few questions for you: Should community/student theatre companies attempt large highly technical productions? If so, what are some strategies to mitigate the obstacles? Care to mention any other positive/negative aspects that I’ve missed here? or share stories of successful, or unsuccessful, community theatre productions with large casts and a lot of technical elements.

Notes To A Younger Wayne

This post is inspired by Nadine’s most recent blog post

Notes To A Younger Wayne:

1. Hey 7 year old Wayne. Don’t be afraid of World War 3. So far the world has managed to avoid a nuclear holocaust. I know, I know, you saw that children’s play and up to that point you couldn’t even imagine the possibility of nuclear war and now you’re terrified the world is going to blow up. The only solution being offered to you is making origami cranes as a symbol of peace. For what it’s worth, you’re absolutely correct; origami is not a realistic solution to prevent nuclear annihilation. Your teacher won’t EVER get that. Keep it to yourself and just make the stupid paper bird.

2. Sorry to break this to you, but George Lucas will wreck Star Wars. Greedo will shoot first. The prequels will all suck. Try not to spend well over a decade anticipating these films. You’re in for a huge letdown. While were at it, the same is true of Aliens and Terminator. Don’t bother to watch anything past the sequels.

3. Hey adolescent Wayne. Grade 7 and 8 is going to be awesome! Sean and Sterling will remain friends for life. You’re going to have a blast. Would it kill you to try talking to more girls? You say “you’re not afraid”. Prove it! I triple dare you!

4. Grade 9 is going to suck. You will be eating through a straw for a couple months after you break your face. I won’t tell you how, because after it happens you will never do that activity again. Right now you are enjoying this activity and I want you to have fun. As much as the accident will suck, you will learn something valuable about yourself.

5. Senior High school Wayne: Playing guitar is awesome. Your hair is long, your jeans are ripped at the knee, you’re wearing brown docs (rebelling against the rebellion). Also, you’ve written, directed, and produced your first play and started a band “Fresh Garden Salad”. Grunge is cool. Cobain is still alive (not for long though). Here’s the thing. Somehow you became cool. Surprise huh? What still don’t believe me? “It’s cool not to be cool.” Sorry dude. You are now the quintessential cool guy. Deal with it. Preferably by hitting on Meagan’s friends.  So what if she’s “Sean’s little sister?” Man, you’re killing me!

6. 20 something Wayne. Quit CD Warehouse! and go back to school, finish your honours, and get your masters. The government will pay you a lot of money to write. Much more than the $10/hour you’re making now. I know you don’t think you are “suited to a desk job” and you like the free concert tickets. Bullshit!

What would you tell a younger version of yourself? Feel free to respond here or at the Adorkable Thespian.

Bash’d: a gay rap opera for everyone

On January 14th I saw my first-ever gay rap opera, Bash’d, at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre. To be honest, I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from this show. Would this production be a campy comedy? A politically-driven hip hop performance? A love story?

Impressively, the performance is a compelling blend of all three.

Written and performed by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cukow, this is the story of two men Jack (Craddock) and Dylan (Cukow) who meet and fall and love as teenagers. The first part of the performance is about being a gay man in a small town, the pain of coming out to your family, and the giddy joy of finally finding real community after moving to the big city.

After the passage of the Civil Marriage Act (2005), Jack and Dylan decide to get married. Of course, despite the new law, currents of homophobic violence still run deep in Canadian society. This is made evident in an emotionally powerful scene where Jack is brutally assaulted. As the second half of the performance unfolds, we see the impact of this violent act on the couple; the fear, the anger, and then, unexpectedly, something more – a desire for revenge…(Read the full review at the Wellington Oracle. Click here)

A review of Christopher Morris’ and Human Cargo’s Night at the NAC

I was intrigued by the description of Toronto-based multi-disciplinary theatre company Human Cargo’s approach to the creative process. They aim to “transform their life experiences into theatrical language” through a “cross cultural exchange and professional mentorship.” With this process, Human Cargo aims to “expose and discuss” social and political issues. My attention was peaked, so I set off to the National Arts Centre to see Human Cargo’s latest work, Night.

According to playwright and director Christopher Morris, Night was created by a collective of 17 individuals over three work shops — a process that took 6 years. It’s worth noting that despite a clearly collaborative approach, it is Morris who receives top billing as the writer of the play. Responsibility for the script in its final form, therefore, resides with him.

Night tells the story of a Torontonian museum worker Daniella (Linnea Swan) who at the request of an individual in a Northern community has taken it upon herself to return something of value to that community. Her effort is an attempt to reconcile a historical crime, but her naivety results in a series of culture shocks. Some of these are humorous (like her surprise at the price of a grill cheese sandwich in the far north), others result in revelations that call into question her entire project and, by extension, the reconciliation efforts of well intentioned, but equally naive, Southerners in general.

There are some strong performances in the piece. Michelle Montieth gives a subtle and understated performance as Gloria, which has a lasting impact on the audience. It’s a difficult part to play, and I was very impressed by her performance. Similarly 16 year-old Abbie Ootova’s (Piuyuq) final monologue, a defiant call to action, resonates long after the show is finished. Mike Bernier is challenged with playing five separate characters, some of which are very good — the Mayor, Piuyuq’s father, and the Candyman. Unfortunately, on opening night, his portrayals of an RCMP officer and a teenager fell flat.

The script feels very much like the product of many hands over several years and Morris, as playwright, ultimately fails to give it cohesion. Many scenes feel tacked on haphazardly (possibly the product of previous incarnations), and this results in a jarring experience for the audience… (For the full review at (Cult)ure Magazine click here)

Home Theatre

Those of you following my blog will be interested to know that I finally saw MiCasa Theatre’s Countries Shaped Like Stars. This was a raincheck performance for a show that was cancelled due to illness back in November. The show was sold out (when does this show not sell out?) but Charlie and Bridget were kind enough to squeeze me in. I’m very grateful they did. Seeing theatre in a home was a novel experience for me. What a great idea!  I’m  a firm believer in taking theatre to audiences. Performing in a living room seems the most direct application of this concept.

The audience itself was an interesting eclectic mix of people (neighbors, friends, musicians, theatre types and one lone blogger.) All told, there were approximately 40 people in attendance.  Charlie and Bridget are warm friendly people and wonderful hosts. I’m not surprised they had such a large turn out. In fact,  this was not the first time that they have hosted artists in their home.  I was intrigued to learn about a network of folk musicians who tour across the country putting on concerts in peoples living rooms. The artists make money off of donations and by selling other products.

So what did this reviewer think of Countries Shaped Like Stars? I think any show that receives this kind of enthusiastic response from audiences is pretty special. Yep, I liked it too.  I’m especially thrilled that this was an original work (based on text by Emily Pearlman) produced by an independent theatre company on a shoe string budget. This is clearly a theatre success story.  Ottawa theatre-goers and theatre practitioners are wise to celebrate it.

It’s worth noting that MiCasa Theatre now has CDs available for purchase of the music performed in the show. Order a copy if you’re curious to see what all the fuss is about.   For those of you in New Mexico, the show is coming your way contact MiCasa for the details. I recommend buying tickets early. This one sells out fast.

2009: The Year in Review

January: My contract with NRCan continued. I spent a lot of time trying to avoid a colleague who was clearly a nutcase. Many of the experiences I had there (along with other government departments) have inspired the script I am currently working on.

February:  Skated the length of the entire Canal for the first and last time that year. It almost killed me painfully demonstrating how soft and doughy I had become.

March: A quiet period at work led to the creation of this blog. My supervisors seemed to be getting annoyed that I kept asking for work when they had none to give me. My blog became a lifeline to keep sane and kill the day.

I went to see Chamber Theatre Hintonburg’s performance of Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge at the Elmdale Tavern and met the talented and friendly  Jessica Ruano for the first time. Little did I know then, that this vibrant stranger, I met in a bar, would become a good friend by the year’s end.

Also in this month, because of Sterling’s blog, I gave up all beer that wasn’t organic for 40 days (almost) Link

April: Checked out BC scene and wrote about Playing with Death. I also joined Twitter and began Tweeting, following and being followed.

May: Work was once again very slow and so on May 27 my contract ended. I applied for EI and decided to take a few months off to pursue creative projects. Including: directing a play, writing for a friend’s online mag. and playing guitar (maybe an open mic.) Did two of the three.

June: I began reviewing theatre for  (Cult)ure Magazine at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. On day 1: Hung out with HM in person (we had communicated previously in the blogosphere) and began a series of ongoing conversations about theatre and the function of reviews and reviewers.  HM now writes about theatre too and her work can be found at (Cult)ure and the The Wellington Oracle.

Evan, the editor of the Wellington Oracle and now also Spacing Ottawa was another Fringe friend with whom I have since enjoyed many conversations about theatre, Edward Said, and how to best use technology like google docs. (usually over pints).

It was also during this festival that I met Nadine . I had no idea what was in store for me when I offered to buy this talented actress/playwright a drink at Fringe. Nadine holds the record for the fastest entry into my inner circle of friendship.

I met many others too but this section is getting a little lengthy. In short, Fringe was awesome!

July: I became an uncle again for the third time when my nephew Teo was born. He had a rough start with an infection and jaundice, but is now doing very nicely and is a very happy baby. My good friend Jay also became a father in the same month, which seems to have inspired him to create more art than when he was younger with fewer responsibilities.

Oh yeah, I got a job with the Department of Finance, so much for a Summer off.

August: I finally got a cell phone and there was much rejoicing (mainly from Sterling). I almost joined Facebook twice but didn’t much to the chagrin of the entire Facebook world.

September: Turned a year older and later on, had a memorable night of karaoke with Kelly and Nadine. A  significant chunk, of the evening; however, is more memorable to them than to me.

October: Began rehearsing for The Soldier Dreams. This play would go on to win many accolades at the Eastern Ontario Drama League festival including People’s Choice and Best Production. I had a small but challenging role playing a guy in a coma (dying). Staying in the moment for the entire play (including a half hour while the audience was taking their seats) takes a huge amount of effort. I also had a few (morphine induced) lines to deliver so I had to be very aware of where my fellow actors were in the play. It was a great experience and I feel very lucky that Chantale and Tim gave me the opportunity to exercise my long atrophied acting muscles.

November-December: Wrapped up my contract with Finance Canada, started writing a play, was introduced to salsa dancing, and I won a lottery. There will be more on that lottery win in another post.

The NAC’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ and the Ghost of Theatre Past

Here is an excerpt from my latest review:

There’s a new theatre company in town, and it is based at the National Arts Centre.

It has been a quarter of a century since the NAC last had a resident English theatre acting company, and I am excited that it has been resurrected.  ’The NAC 40th Anniversary English Theatre Acting Company’ is a diverse collective of 18 actors from all over the nation.  On Friday, December 11, the new company launched their season with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Dickens’ family-friendly yuletide favourite is, on the one hand, a very un-ambitious start for a brand new national company. It is, nonetheless, an appropriate choice for this time of year.  There is something timeless about the story that appeals to a broad audience, which is undoubtedly why there are so many versions of it in circulation this year. Opening night was nearly sold out, and I’m sure tickets will be hard to come by if you don’t book them early.

In many ways, the NAC’s version directed by Peter Hinton is a very conventional take on this well-known 19th-century play. Eo Sharp’s costume design does an admirable job of evoking Victorian England, and the minimalistic set design is also generally effective (though Scrooge and Marley’s names in large golden lettering far above the stage is tacky and out of place).

The show’s greatest weakness is in its lighting design, which for the most part is much too dark. It is undoubtedly meant to set the mood for the performance, but cloaking performers in shadow for prolonged periods of time only serves to hinder the audience’s view of the actors’ expressions and performances. Even as atmosphere, the content of many of the scenes is actually much lighter than the lighting design would suggest….

Click here for the full review. Please feel free to share your own thoughts on the play in the comments section.

Dating and First Drafts

Sterling suggested a few months ago that I write a play about my experience in the Civil Service. I wrote an outline quickly and was pretty excited about the idea. After all that is the quintessential Ottawa experience. The Civil Service still remains the biggest employer in this town and it colours the fabric of the community as a whole. Everyone in this town knows someone who works for the Federal Gov’t whether it’s a friend, neighbour, or a family member; there are many stories to tell.

My experience with government, while far from unique, is interesting. I work casual/temp communications contracts for various government departments. Not being a “permanent” Or (as they say in gov’t speak) “indeterminate” gives me a different perspective on the whole thing.  The play will be written from this viewpoint and I feel confident that Ottawans will relate to it because a play about this institution is really a play about all of us. Well all of us who make our home in this government town.

I’ve finally moved beyond the outline stage and into writing the text.  I’m on  scene 1 page 2 at the moment.

However, I have decided to take a little break to pass along a valuable tip from Nadine (who has recently finished a draft of her latest script) that I think will be useful for all writers. Nadine says, don’t get caught up on perfecting a first draft. First drafts are never perfect but the sooner you get it done the sooner you can work on editing it and creating the second draft. Even if it’s ugly get it done. The next phase will be easier. This is excellent advice.

Writing a first draft is kind of like going on a first date. No matter how carefully you plan, or how much you like the individual, there are going to be moments of awkwardness, things you regret saying or at least wish you said differently, and surprises that may throw you off your game. All part of the process, enjoy it if you can (I’m not that enlightened yet) or at the very least push through it because that’s the only way to get to the good stuff.

Now back to the play, before it gets jealous!