Joey Tremblay in Elephant Wake

Elephant Wake. For some reason, it didn’t occur to me until the end that this was a funeral reference. But not quite a funeral. This town, this unspoken elephant in the room, never reaches the stage of funeral; holding its last breath because of one last surviving resident.

How long has Jean-Claude been living alone in the Franco-Saskatchewan town of Ste. Vierge. At least twenty years, it seems, maybe more. Surrounded by papier-mache figurines. As long as he has stories to tell, memories to share, he stays.

The fiddle music invited me in, as I strolled through the walls of black curtains into the National Arts Centre studio, eagerly anticipating the design from visionary artist/director Bretta Gerecke. I already knew I loved her work in Nevermore, the show I raved about after seeing it two and a half times at the Magnetic North Festival. Who says spectacle can’t tell a story. Aristotle obviously never acquainted himself with productions like these.

I knew very little about writer/performer Joey Tremblay, except that he was good. I’ve been researching Catalyst Theatre for my master’s thesis, and of course his name comes up as one-half of that phenomenal artistic team that saved Catalyst from financial and artistic ruin about ten years ago. But what would he be like onstage…

He enters the dark stage with only a flashlight, shines it at the audience, acknowledging us, noting “Scary, eh?” We all laugh, and suddenly we all become friends.

Who knew that Ottawa audiences could relish so much in interactive theatre. What happened to us. Where did we come from. We were all children again, singing along to hymns without really knowing all the words; clapping our hands as this idiot-savant character dances on top of a white box, a true joie-de-vivre in his voice, in his body.

White. Everything is white. The stage strewn with shards of paper. Bottle-figurines represent members of the town that once were. Hints of a lively community. Small lanterns line two rows across the stage. Jean-Claude plays with the light, he plays with us; he speaks directly to an audience member named James, who seems shy but willing to join in the fun.

Admittedly, sometimes my mind wandered. I didn’t follow his every word and two hours is a long time to sit and watch one person onstage. And yet… when he left, when it was over, I so desperately wanted him to come back.

I loved this character. I loved how he struggled to speak French, his native language, and how he spoke English with such a strong accent, full of resistance. I love how he never complained, really, and always joked around. Humour is the greatest weapon, he makes this so clear.

I don’t review plays very often. But I thought this was worth mentioning. The show plays until November 14.

Greetings arts enthusiasts,

I have some rather exciting news! The Ottawa Arts Newsletter has been nominated for “Best local blog/website” in the Ottawa XPress – Best of Ottawa 2009.

All the nominees are pretty awesome — but hey, if you want to vote for me, then follow this link: http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/dossier/bestof/xpress2009.aspx.Section 4 right near the bottom! Please vote before the deadline on November 11.

And without further ado, here is your artistic line-up for the month of November…

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November 3 to 7
The University of Ottawa’s Drama Guild presents “Our Country’s Good”
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/theatre/eng/season.html

Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good is set in eighteenth-century Australia and tells the story of convicts who decide to put on a production of a Restoration drama. Directed by Arthur Milner, this Drama Guild production is designed by Martin Conboy, Roy Hansen-Robitschek, and Rick Cousins, and features students from the theatre department at the University of Ottawa.

November 3 to 14
The National Arts Centre English Theatre presents “Elephant Wake”
http://nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/0910/elephantwake/

I am really looking forward to seeing this expanded production of Elephant Wake that was originally produced as a Fringe Festival production by Catalyst Theatre (a spectacular Edmonton company that I am studying for my thesis and that recently presented Nevermore here in Ottawa). Witness writer/actor Joey Tremblay’s performance as the last man left in Ste. Vierge, a defunct Francophone town in Saskatchewan, and see up close director/designer Bretta Gerecke’s remarkable papier maché townscape. Check out the website for photos!

November 3 to 22
The Great Canadian Theatre Company presents “The Children’s Republic”
http://www.gctc.ca/plays/the-childrens-republic

Hannah Moscovitch’s long awaited new play – about a Jewish orphanage in Poland that is invaded by Nazis – premieres at the GCTC this month. Directed by Janet Irwin, this co-production with the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama features several of its students in the roles of the orphans, as well as local actors Paul Rainville, Peter Froehlich, Kate Hurman, and Sarah McVie. Heather Marie Scheerschmidt has written a great article about this show: http://bit.ly/3NOA3h

November 12 to 14
Ottawa Little Theatre and Savoy Society of Ottawa present a Double Bill!
http://ottawasavoysociety.org/

Ottawa Little Theatre presents W. S. Gilbert’s one act play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The Savoy Society then presents The Zoo, a one-act comic opera by Arthur Sullivan and Bolton Rowe.  Join an incognito nobleman, an anguished pharmacist, a saucy waitress, a grumpy grocer and his captivating daughter, with a patriotic chorus of animal lovers in this opera set in the London Zoo.

November 13 and 14
AB Series presents two readings by Joe Rosenblatt
http://abseries.org/

Author of twenty books and his poems have appeared in over thirty anthologies of Canadian poetry, Joe has received major awards such as the Governor General’s Award in 1976 and the BC Book Award in 1986. Catch him in Ottawa, then in Gatineau with Ottawa poète Andree Christensen.

November 14
2^nd Ottawa Timeraiser
http://www.timeraiser.ca/en/2nd-Ottawa

This event has only recently been brought to my attention, and I think it is a phenomenal idea. Timeraiser is part volunteer fair, part silent art auction and part night on the town. The big twist is rather than bidding money on artwork, you bid volunteer hours. You can sign up by visiting the website, and the event takes place at the National Gallery of Canada. The goal is to raise 5000 volunteer hours!

November 15
Jill Zmud CD Release
http://www.myspace.com/jillzmud

Ottawa torch-folk songstress Jill Zmud is releasing her debut album at the Black Sheep Inn this month. Check out her MySpace page to experience her soothing vocals and imaginative lyrics. For her release, she will be joined by fellow musicians Dave Draves, Chris Page, Safwan Javed and more.

November 16
The Wrecking Ball
http://thewreckingball.ca/

I was sorry to have missed this event last year, that busy time of arts cuts protests before the federal election. The Wrecking Ball is back at St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities, this time bringing together members of the theatre and literary communities. Don’t miss what promises to be an evening of incredible live performance!

November 17 to 28
SevenThirty Productions presents Shining City
http://www.seventhirty.ca/

Written by Connor MacPherson, Shining City takes place in the disheveled office of Ian, a former priest turned therapist. Ian’s latest patient, John, is in trouble. His wife has just died tragically… and he is visited more than once by her ghost. John is now terrified to return home, but Ian has his own troubles, including a new baby and a crumbling relationship. Directed by John P. Kelly, this production features Richard Gélinas, Tom Charlebois, Nancy Kenny, and Garrett Quirk.

November 18 to 28
Ottawa Chamber Theatre presents “The Mechanicsville Monologues”
http://www.chambertheatrehintonburg.ca/

Written by Donnie Laflamme, this production consists of a series of monologues and is performed by ten local actors and a handful of professional musicians. As the playwright describes, “The monologues are based on things I’ve seen, things I’ve done, and things I’ve heard. The pieces are inspired by people and situations experienced in ‘hood. I call them the dirtiest tales ever told and some of them truly are. No punches get pulled. No apologies.” Well, I’m intrigued!

November 19 to 28
Sock ‘N’ Buskin Theatre company presents “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”
http://www.carleton.ca/socknbuskin/mainstage.htm

If you haven’t yet seen this play, it’s a good one: two of Hamlet’s most underrated characters are given centre stage in this existentialist comedy that is reminiscent of Waiting for Godot, but with a modern Shakespearean twist. Directed by Dave Dawson, this production opens Sock ‘N’ Buskin’s 66^th season in Ottawa.

November 26 and 27
Ottawa Chamber Music Society presents the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra of Heilbronn
http://chamberfest.com/

Two wonderful concerts in one weekend! The Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra plays at the Shenkman Centre on the first night and at the Dominion-Chalmers Church on the second. These concerts are in commemoration of the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

November 28
Halabisky’s Uprising CD Release “State of Emergency”
http://www.myspace.com/halabiskysuprising

Antizario saxman Dave Halabisky releases his debut solo album at the Mercury Lounge! The CD release party will be hosted by spoken word artist Ritallin and will feature a live performance by Dave and his Uprising band. The album features new music by Dave and collaborations with Moka Only (Swollen Members), Amalia Townsend (Sekoya), Atherton and Sadie Hell.

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Just a bit more house-keeping…

Youth Infringement
Deadline for applications: November 27 (for directors) and December 31 (for playwrights)
http://www.youthinfringement.ca

The Ottawa Theatre Network…

…now has a blog! Visit http://ottawatheatrenetwork.wordpress.com/ to find out more about how YOU can get involved with Ottawa’s diverse theatre community.

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Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to vote in Best of Ottawa 2009!

Artistically yours,

Jessica

The Drowsy Chaperone: Canadian Company

Review by Jennie Barnes

Sprightly, frenetic, and utterly ebullient, the National Arts Centre and Citadel Theatre’s co-production of The Drowsy Chaperone is certainly not what its wearisome title suggests. Originally conceived as burlesque stag party entertainment by playwrights Don McKellar, Lisa Lambert, Greg Morrison and Bob Martin, this Tony award-winning Canadian show makes its Ottawa debut and runs in the NAC Theatre until October 31. Branded as a musical within a comedy, Drowsy ushers in the 40^th season of English Theatre at the NAC with an apt fusion of wistfulness and mirth.

Even before the curtain rises, uproarious laughter seizes the audience. “You know what I do when I’m sitting in a darkened theatre waiting for the show to begin? I pray. Oh, dear God, please let it be a good show,” sighs Man in Chair (Jay Brazeau) a jittery, Zoloft-addicted divorcee seated at stage-left. But he need not fret; the cast of this vaudeville pastiche are anything but lackadaisical. As the middle-aged recluse sets his record player to his favourite 1920s revue, kaleidoscopic lighting (Gerald King) transforms the stage into a histrionic universe teeming with song, spit-takes and tap-dancing.

The Drowsy Chaperone, the musical to which the Man in Chair introduces us, mainly centres on Janet (Debbie Timuss) an ostentatious showgirl poised to abandon the limelight in order to marry Robert (John Ullyatt), an equally vainglorious oil magnate who spends a good part of the play blindfolded whilst roller-skating across the stage in a slapdash fashion. Scatterbrained wedding planner Mrs. Tottendale, played by veteran actor Nora McLellan, endears herself to the audience with her odd facial expressions and other such winsome foibles. Susan Gilmour skilfully portrays The Drowsy Chaperone’s eponymous heroine, an alcoholic duenna tasked with keeping the bride and groom apart prior to their nuptials.

Thom Allison steals the show as Aldopho, a stereotypical European playboy commissioned by Feldzieg (Mark Burgess), Janet’s frantic producer, to ruin the celebrity wedding. Other notable performances include Josh Epstein and Neil Minor as pastry-chef gangsters, Ryan Reid as best man, Julien Arnold as Underling the butler, Nathalie Marrable as Janet’s lacklustre successor and Lovena B. Fox as the Aviatrix.

Sumptuous stage design (Jean Claude Olivier) and flamboyant costumes (Phillip Clarkson) provide ample eye candy for the audience. In the wake of musical director Lloyd Nicholson’s untimely death days before opening, replacement Scott Davey does a superb job of conducting the on-stage band. Thirteen numbers with intentionally asinine titles such as “Cold Feets” and “Love is Always Lovely” breathe comical life into the hackneyed plotlines.

Man in Chair warns the audience that Janet’s “Bride’s Lament” is especially lame as the lead singer bemoans having put a “monkey on a pedestal” after a ludicrous argument with her fiancé. Admittedly, Man in Chair’s caveat could apply to the entire performance, which is largely satirical. In any event, director Max Reimer has categorically succeeded in staging a show “so bad that it’s good.”

Jennie Barnes is an undergraduate student at the University of Ottawa.

Ottawa XPress

The Ottawa Arts Newsletter has been nominated for “Best local blog/website” for the Ottawa XPress – Best of Ottawa 2009.

I’m pretty thrilled! I have been writing this newsletter for approximately 3 and a half years now. Getting to know Ottawa’s incredible artistic community has been so rewarding, and it seems that the online media has made a concentrated effort to focus on local content over the last few years. It is very encouraging.

All the nominees are pretty awesome — but hey, if you want to vote for me, this is the link. Section 4 right near the bottom! Please vote before the deadline on November 11.

Thanks so much for your support!

Photo by Tim Ginley (LtoR: Emily Pearlman, Richard Gelinas, Kate Smith, Stewart Matthews)

Review by Erika Morey

Evolution Theatre finishes off its 2009 season this week with Roland Schmimmelpfennig’s Arabian Night (in an English translation by David Tushingham) directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel. Nominated Play of the Year by six German critics in 2001, this sensual urban thriller tells the intricate tale of five individuals who unwittingly cross paths in an apartment building one night as they each struggle to realize their own most personal fantasies.  In discovering these desires through series of dreamlike events, each character undergoes a transformation that culminates with the revelation of the play’s central message – “We simply can’t stop revealing our true natures”.

Overcoming the inevitable challenges that come with working in a non-traditional theatrical space (Evolution chose to use the Cube Gallery as its playing space), the production offered a simplistic yet versatile setting that mirrored Quesnel’s illiteral approach to the play. Six translucent curtains and two white sliding staircases were drawn back, flipped and removed by actors to create a surreal environment that contrasted with the very literal nature of text, which is essentially a collection of stage directions spoken aloud. Striving to be evocative rather than illustrative, the production is unique in its intention as well as in its set (John Doucet), lighting (Pierre Ducharme), and costume design (Mishka Lavigne).

Quesnel’s fresh interpretation was matched by the work of an exceptionally talented ensemble, all of whom brought a distinct energy and individuality to their roles. A reliably comical Richard Gelinas delighted the audience as the indecisive apartment building superintendent Lomeier , and Bradley Cunningham Long brought an unexpected  whimsicality to Kalil, a moped-driving young man who visits this same building to visit his girlfriend Fatima. Stewart Matthews was also exceptional in his portrayal of a curious and infatuated Karpati, who is drawn into the building at the sight of a beautiful woman on the 7th floor.

Most noteworthy, however, was Kate Smith’s riveting performance as Franziska, a narcoleptic blonde-haired beauty whose memory slips into obscurity each day as morning fades to night. Drifting around the stage as if sleepwalking for the first few minutes of the play, she later becomes both active and aware as she describes the images that come to her while in a deep sleep. Effective in her ability to engage the audience, Smith chillingly portayed her character’s shift from vulnerability and confusion in reality to the confidence and understanding she finds within in her dreams.

In attempting to stage such an ambitious piece, Evolution took some major risks for a relatively young company emerging into the Ottawa arts scene. Luckily, with so many creative minds on board, Evolution is certainly living up to its mandate to entertain audiences with thought-provoking, emotional, and evocative contemporary theatre. Theatre-goers in Ottawa should take advantage of the opportunity to see high-calibre experimental theatre right here in the city, and should expect to be both entertained and challenged by what Evolution has to offer.

Erika is a first year theatre student at the University of Ottawa.

Greetings arts enthusiasts!

I’ve been making a concentrated effort over the last few months to restrict this newsletter to only 10 events per issue. However, this month there is so much happening (and I promised so many people I would include their events…) that I had to raise the limit to 12. I also cheat sometimes and include two events under one heading. Oops!

Be sure to read to the bottom this time for AUDITION information and news about the Ottawa Theatre Network.

October 1 to 3
Tara Players and Ottawa Little Theatre present ‘Women on the Verge of HRT’
http://www.ottawalittletheatre.com/

This Irish coming-of-a-certain-age story looks pretty adorable. Two 40-something women trapped in loveless marriage go on an adventure to see Daniel O’Donnell in concert, and much more. All the charm of Thelma and Louise, minus the rape and murder. Directed by Sarah Hearn, this show features local actors Lori Jean Hodge, Irish O’Brien (could they have picked a better name?), and Kevin O’Reilly.

October 2
Ottawa Storytellers presents ‘Gossip, Tales and Yarns: A Collage of Canadian Stories’
http://ottawastorytellers.ca/SC-CC.htm

Tales, yarns, stories, recounted by some of Canada’s premier storytellers: Dale Jarvis, Cindy Campbell, Mariella Bertelli, Pearl-Ann Gooding, Mary Gavan, and Moira Cameron. Check the website, also, for information about the monthly story swaps!

October 2 to 4
The Inséparable Collective presents ‘Inséparable’
http://ossd.com/

Blending French and English theatrical styles, this piece depicts a comical (and fictional) chance encounter between Wolfe and Montcalm in the early morning of September 13, 1759, sometime before the fateful Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Both playwright Louis Lemire and director Matthew Romantini act in the show, joined by local actor Jerome Bourgault.

Other plays closing this weekend include ‘The Syringa Tree’ (GCTC), ‘Old Times’ (Third Wall), and ‘The Pillowman’ (Vision Theatre).

October 3
Danielle K. L. Gregoire launches ‘Optimism is a Constant Struggle’ at Capital Slam
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=102457898755

Aside from being just about the sweetest person I know, Danielle is also a talented poetess with a refreshing fascination with all the things that make our world beautiful. She is launching her very first CD that contains her impressive repertoire, the stuff that will brighten your day and inspire you to take positive action. She has invited a number of poets (myself included!) to join her onstage for certain poems. It should be a phenomenal evening.

October 3
The AB Series Third Season Launch
http://abseries.org

The AB Series presents performance poetry ensemble The Be Blank Consort at Gallery 101. The series is also hosting a reading by poet/fiction writer Margaret Christakos on October 14. Check out the website for more details on upcoming events!

October 3
Negative Theatre presents Gogol’s ‘Diary of a Madman’
http://negativetheatre.org/

This is a brand new Ottawa-based theatre company looking to produce challenging works and reach out to multilingual audiences. If I weren’t performing in another show this evening, I would definitely check out this company’s inaugural production. Adapted/Directed/Performed by Ozgur Cinar, this show is performed in Turkish with English Surtitles.

October 8
isme(e) performance cabaret at the Saw Gallery
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2344143106&ref=ts

Weird, wacky, and wild. Expect the unexpected. From spoken word to performance art to interpretive dance to stand up to rock bands and everything in between. Lovingly hosted by Scott Florence and Annie Lefebvre.

October 12
Toto Too Theatre presents ‘The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later’
http://tototoo.ca/

I first saw the original Laramie Project at Canterbury High School when I was a student there. It is powerful stuff: verbatim interviews with inhabitants of the town where Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. Toto Too Ottawa’s Gay and Lesbian Theatre is one of the many companies around the world that is presenting this reading of a new series of interviews, ten years after the hate crime occurred. Directed by Teri Rata Loretto, this reading features local actors Lawrence Aronovitch, Chris Bedford, Simon Bradshaw, Janne Cleveland, Nancy Clue, Lawrence Evenchick, Lori Jean Hodge, Nathan Ings , Kris Joseph, Margo MacDonald, Jim McNabb, Kel Morin-Parsons, Chantale Plante, Garrett Quirk, Kelly Rigole, Denis Schryburt, and Matt Smith. Tickets are FREE, but you have to reserve!

October 14 to 24
Evolution Theatre presents ‘Arabian Night’
http://evolutiontheatre.ca

This erotic urban thriller (nice wording, Nancy!) is directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel and features some of my favourite local actors: Stewart Matthews, Richard Gelinas, Kate Smith, Brad Long (recently seen in The Pillowman), and Emily Pearlman. I read this script in my dramaturgy class last year and loved it: sexy, mysterious, mind boggling, and gives the director a lot of creative freedom. I’m looking forward to seeing what Evolution does with this one.

October 19
Newstalgica Poetry Series featuring Jessica Ruano and Poem de Terre
http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/my-next-performance/

Well, you already know who I am. So I’ll just tell you a little about my co-feature for this Newstalgica event (which, by the way, happens once a month on a Monday at Cafe Nostalgica at the University of Ottawa, hosted by Devin Zane Shaw and JF Lafleche):  Poem de Terre is a multi-disciplinary ensemble melding live folk music and spoken word with contemporary and more established musical forms. And they have their own t-shirts. Check us out!

October 14 to 31
The National Arts Centre English Theatre presents ‘ The Drowsy Chaperone’
http://nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/index.cfm

Don’t miss this extraordinary Canadian musical that made it big on Broadway after starting out at a local Fringe Festival. My sister saw it in New York City and loved it, therefore highly recommended!

ALSO: ‘The Ark: The Theatre of Ancient Greece’ on October 24

October 29 to November 14
The Gladstone presents ‘The Final Twist’
http://thegladstone.ca

The Gladstone continues its second season with a classic thriller – by Ken Whitmore and Alfred Bradley, directed by local artist John Koensgen – about a playwright who is offered an unusual commission that treads the line between fiction and reality.

And now a message from Sterling Lynch:

The Ottawa Theatre Network is born!

Are you involved in professional theatre in Ottawa? Would you like to assist in its growth?

The Ottawa Theatre Network wants to know who you are! Please read this call to action and find out how you can help: http://sterlinglynch.wordpress.com/the-ottawa-theatre-network/

These are exciting time for professional theatre in Ottawa. Find out why!

Also, AUDITIONS!

Auditions for J.M. Barrie’s classic fairy tale Peter Pan will take place on Saturday October 3 & Sunday October 4 at Carleton University. To book an audition time email snbtheatre@gmail.com, or call (613) 520-3770

Auditions for the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat will take place October 6 and 7 at the Soloway Jewish Community Centre. To book an audition, please contact Sue Walker at 613 725 3519 ext 113

If you have any more events to add for this month, please post a comment on my website: http://jessicaruano.wordpress.com/blog

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful month!

Artistically yours,

Jessica

Interview by Ren Tomovcik

Jessica Ruano’s online bio will tell you that she’s a publicist, publicity consultant, arts journalist, photographer, drama coach, director, spoken word performer, and general arts enthusiast – but she’s so much more than the sum of her (numerous) activities.

The University of Ottawa graduate student has become known as a tireless advocate for the performing arts scene in Ottawa, keeping the capital’s inhabitants informed about what’s going on with the Ottawa Arts Newsletter and promoting upcoming events on her website.

Jessica’s work is thoroughly imbued with her love of the stage, and her enthusiastic endorsements have likely enticed countless audience members into their seats at Ottawa’s many theatres.

Lately, Jessica has been embracing the role of performer.  She was a headlining reader in the Voices of Venus series this past summer, and next month she’ll take the stage at Cafe Nostalgica, the “belonging place” where her passion for spoken word performance began.

Jessica chats with Ottawafocus about theatre, inspiration, and the arts scene in our city that’s alive and kicking!

Check out the full interview at Ottawafocus.com

I was thrilled when I heard the news. Not because I found anything particularly offensive about Richard Gélinas’ former day job, but simply because I adore seeing him acting onstage and am glad that he’ll be doing so more frequently. From now until November, Richard will be featured in 4 – count them, FOUR – productions in Ottawa. To celebrate his new found employment, I thought I would check in with this busy thespian to see how he’s doing.

Richard working hard

Ottawa Arts: So, Richard, I hear you quit your day job to become an actor. Are ya nuts?

Richard Gélinas: Yes, it does fly in the face of conventional wisdom, doesn’t it?  The fact is, though, that while I’ve quit my latest dayjob, I haven’t quit the concept of day jobs.  We all need dayjobs from time to time; mine had benefits, and paid for the mortgage and the cats and my high-roller lifestyle during the down time between theatre jobs.  But I have been fortunate enough to see a few overlapping projects come my way to see me through the Fall, and I was able to say, You know what, dayjob? You can go your own way.  And sure, like Paddy Crean said, nothing is ever in the bag, and we’re living in BLEAK ECONOMIC TIMES, but for all that, it seemed like the right time.  If sitcoms have taught me anything, it’s that every bad thing that happens to you is funny for someone else, and ultimately, no matter what, no lasting harm will be done.

OA: What do you have planned – theatre wise – for the next few months?

RG: Boy howdy, am I glad you asked.  I am right now in rehearsal for Third Wall Theatre Company’s Old Times by Harold Pinter, which opens at the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre Studio on September 23.  James Richardson is directing, and Kristina Watt and Sophie Goulet are in it with me.  James plans some kind of viral internet video campaign to advertise it, and he’s been blogging and everything.  Watch out!

Also in September is the remount of Théâtre la Catapulte’s Rideau Project, which was a series of short, site-specific plays performed in the spring at the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.  The remount is part of the NAC’s Zones Théâtrales.  The play I’ll be in is Pierre Brault’s The Rhyme of the Nicholas Street Gaol, a fictional account of the final moment of the last man hanged at the jail that is now the cheery local hostel.  It was directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel, and since she gets me most of my work, I would appreciate it if someone could send her flowers or something.  The other cast members are Simon Bradshaw, Todd Duckworth, and Kate Smith.  We do the show in a former document vault in the basement of Arts Court, to simulate a death row cell.  Creepy and dark, sure, but I got a wireless signal down there, which made me feel a little like a tech-savvy Indiana Jones for a really, really little while.

I’m also rehearsing Evolution Theatre’s Arabian Night by Roland Schimmelpfennig, which opens October 16 at Cube Gallery.  I’m told there’ll be a gala opening for that one, with real live Germans, so do come out.  Natalie Joy Quesnel is directing it (see? hires me all the time).  Arabian Night also features Brad Long (who’s also in Vision Theatre’s The Pillowman), Stewart Matthews, Emily Pearlman, and Kate Smith, all of whom I can personally attest are swell actors.

Finally, in November, SevenThirty Productions will put up Shining City at Arts Court, and I have convinced John P. Kelly that I should be in that, too.  After that I’m available, if anybody’s got anything.  Seriously. High roller lifestyles don’t sustain themselves.

OA: Is there suddenly a lot more acting work in Ottawa? I mean, really: what is happening to this city?

RG: There are people with more sensitive fingers than I on the right pulses who would be better positioned to answer that question.  I think we go through cycles, and right now it looks like we’re in something of an upswing.  Some indie companies that started up a few years ago are hitting their stride, the Gladstone opened and hired a bunch of people, and these factors and others beyond my ken are making people stay in Ottawa longer, and some people are even coming back.  This means that a lot of new work is being made right here at home – just look at a Fringe program if you don’t believe me.  There’s certainly a lot of optimism, and sure, it remains to be seen whether a surge of theatre in Ottawa can find an audience big enough and interested enough to keep it going, especially in these BLEAK ECONOMIC TIMES, but aside from bitter and possibly drunken living room speculating, I don’t know how to find out except by doing it.  So, keep doing it, independent theatre companies, and keep hiring me!  (flash image of Rosie the Riveter with my face) We can do it!

OA: Why should people want to watch you onstage? Aside from the obvious.

RG: There’s an obvious?  I mean, I know why I think people should want to watch me onstage, but that probably isn’t why they actually do.  Ultimately, I think someone who’s already seen me on stage would be better placed to answer that, so if anybody wants to start a Richard Rocks the Awesome blog, please do.  I will provide photos, pithy anecdotes, and interviews with my family.

OA: What is one thing you would never, ever do onstage?

RG: You never know what’s going to happen, so I can’t say there’s anything I would never do.  There are things I’d rather not do onstage, like poop, or bite the head off a live chicken, and things I’m not likely to do, like sing an aria or develop rickets.  But what if?  What if I’m out of Immodium and don’t have time to get any on the way to the theatre?  What if the chicken is on a killing spree and is otherwise unstoppable?  I don’t want to end up in the moral quandary of comparing people’s lives to my commitment to never bite the head off a live chicken onstage. My morality doesn’t need that kind of strain.

The online arts world goes boom

Last week the Great Canadian Theatre Company hosted a backyard theatre conference to talk about the potential in Ottawa’s theatre community. The minutes from the meeting are posted below.

Thank you, Nancy Kenny, for posting this on your website! If you want to get more involved and perhaps take part in the committee, please join this new group at http://ottawatheatre.pbworks.com/.

Theatre Community Backyard BBQ, August 24, 2009

The Key Suggestions:

1) Professional Ottawa Region Theatre Alliance (PORTA)
- administered by a paid staff member
- a volunteer steering committee
- perhaps provided a desk in the Ottawa Fringe office
- PORTA could ostensibly perform the hybrid function of Toronto’s Association of Performing Arts (TAPA) and the Small Theatre Administrative Facility (STAF), through administering projects such as:
o The Ottawa Theatre Passport: a multi-play pass that would allow audiences to pay one membership price for access to a variety of independent productions. Each theatre company would put one play forward each season to be included on the passport.
o a central database where information about all upcoming workshops and performances could be posted – could also be an active blog site featuring peer-reviews of productions
o PORTAL (Professional Ottawa Region Theatre Alliance List; suggested by Judi Pearl and based on her e-list) would be a comprehensive mailing list which would be used to notify the community of upcoming workshops and performances. Judi has volunteered to manage this list until a paid staff person is chosen.
o a roster of mentors (directors, designers, actors, playwrights, artistic directors, general managers, publicists, etc) who would be willing to provide guidance to emerging artists on their projects – this includes assistance in company development, grant writing and the drafting/dissemination of press-releases (ideal for companies which presently lack administrative infrastructure)
o a central props/set storage into which companies could donate props, costumes, and set pieces from previous productions rather than throwing them out upon completion

2) A New Space (or an old space re-defined)
Is it time to pool resources together and create a new space dedicated to the creation and presentation of new work? Could a collective of artists/companies (not restrictively theatre) pool their resources together and fund a new space? It could function similar to a time-share or co-op. Could the Ottawa Fringe lease a permanent rehearsal/performance space (ex. Montreal Fringe)?

New Play Development Blanket Notes

Is there enough new work being developed and produced for the size of population?
- no
- what are the problems?

Funding
- there is a general lack of knowledge of grant writing

Space
- make a rehearsal/performance space available to members of the community

Key Points:
1) The Atelier
– many voiced a longing for the NAC’s Atelier where there was a) a space to create new work, b) a programmed season of new work, c) an audience who attended a season of new work
– it drew national audiences, writers, dramaturges, directors, and Equity actors – it also supported the playwright, not just the work

2) Is a GCTC Studio Series a potentiality?
- many view the studio as an under-used and unaffordable space
- a programmed series of works by independent theatres in Ottawa (similar to CanStage’s Berkeley Street Project)
- can the GCTC rely on local companies to secure the necessary funding before being programmed?
- could it become the replacement of the Atelier with collaboration of the NAC?

3) A New Space
- new spaces haven’t contributed rehearsal space (ahead 2 theatres, but down space)
- as The Atelier proved, one of the keys to new-play development is a dedicated space to the activity
- this becomes particularly pertinent when regarding creation-based/devised work
- could a collective of artists/companies (not restrictively theatre) pool their resources together and fund a new space? (ex. The Theatre Centre in Toronto)
- organizations that give tax credit to new condos if they offer rehearsal space to artists in Chicago
- artists pay fees into co-ops, communal space
- could the Ottawa Fringe lease a permanent rehearsal/performance space (ex. Montreal Fringe)?

4) Reading Salon
- an opportunity for writers to get together and read their work
- task several new independent theatre companies with forming their own unit if one is not provided by a larger regional theatre
- sometimes writing groups become production groups

5) Existing Resources

Partnership with the Writers Festival – interest in more playwrights being represented

Potential opportunity for gap programming at Arts Court

There was much discussion over overcome our insularity from the national theatre community.
- must take more advantage of Magnetic North Theatre Festival (it’s coming back in two years – let’s be ready with something!)
- touring our own work
- there must be greater dialogue with the current performance creation trends across our country (exchanges, workshops, touring)

6) The arts community remains fairly entrenched in their separate disciplinary silos. A database that would help artists find the people needed to create cross-disciplinary work (music, language outside of theatre). PORTA’s database could fulfill this function.

Professional Development Blanket Notes

Consensus that professional development opportunities are important- in order to increase artist retention in Ottawa, we must enable artists to grow at their craft

Key Points

1) Masterclasses/Training
- accessibility of workshops are an issue – time of year, cost, and time commitment were all sited as reasons not to attend – some felt short, weekend sessions were preferable while others desired more integrated and extended ones
- need to place more emphasis on bringing in nationally vital artists into the community (success of Maiko Bae Yamamoto’s workshop at GCTC)
- requested masterclasses included: voice training for actors, directing, technical skills (i.e. sound design), arts journalism, fundraising and grant writing, basic admin

2) The need to create an umbrella organization (with an online communication space/database) to help disseminate news of upcoming workshops. The need for a database of mentors was also frequently sited. PORTA’s database could fulfill this function.

3) Next Stage Festival in Toronto is an excellent example of a professional spring-board opportunity for successful Fringe productions. Could Ottawa support/does Ottawa need a Next Stage-like festival?

4) A Conservatory
- Volcano Conservatory and the Soulpepper Mentorship Program are excellent examples of intensive annual programs which facilitate interaction, dialogue, and creative growth amongst directors and actors. These units benefit from bringing in respected international artists as mentors.
- Could the NAC and GCTC collaborate on creating a professional conservatory of this nature? A director’s lab which also provided development opportunities to actors?

5) The theatre community needs a bar. This needs to become a vital cornerstone in our community.

6) Increasing caliber of arts reporting will in turn increase caliber of work
- a committed community of bloggers who attend every show and write informed peer-reviews (could be posted on PORTA’s website/database)
- Plank Magazine in Vancouver was sited as an example of a successful theatre publication – could we work with Guerilla magazine to improve quality, quantity, and frequency of theatre reporting?

Audience Development and Community Outreach Blanket Notes

Common points from all four blanket sets:
1. share/pool resources
2. develop a shared subscription or passport (to a number of theatres)
3. develop an theatre calendar – on line and print
4. develop a theatre website
5. share theatre ad space
6. Do social media initiatives
7. Develop a blog group for the theatre community (both theatre bloggers and bloggers from other interest groups)
8. Collaborate on mailings (piggy back on each others’ mailings)
9. Inserts or ads in each other’s house programs
10. Do cross promotion with each other
11. Word of mouth is good
12. Work collectively with media
13. need a balance of traditional methods and social media methods
14. need for more mainstream media participation

Debate
1. to target/segment audience according to the theme(s) in the play vs not to do that

Common Barriers
1. ticket prices too high
2. theatre company marketing budgets too low
3. human resources
4. training and skills
5. track record of the theatre company
6. independents under value their work
7. audience think they will feel stupid
8. the walls of the theatre/venue – we need to get out from behind the walls: do theatre outside, or do sneak peak/mini “commercial” or live teaser of a scene from the play in a public place
9. Competition
10. The theatre companies not knowing about opportunities to develop audiences
11. The majority of the public do not attend if they are not familiar with the name of the play
12. limited space
13. difficulty securing project funding

National Reliance
1. Initiative to participate in a national theatre magazine to gain a national profile for the theatre work done in Ottawa. Example: Plank Magazine out of Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto www.plankmagazine.com. Previews, reviews and discussion stories, what’s happening type articles.

More good thoughts
1. Need to bring theatre to the audiences instead of the audiences to the theatre
2. videos of our collective work
3. Coming soon to a theatre near you: screens up in public areas showing short videos of a number of theatres’ work
4. setting up sets, props, costumes in public places or in each other’s theatres in order to cross promote the work of each other
5. Be interactive with the audience
6. Build a conversation with the public
7. make it a whole experience for the theatre goers – from the minute they walk through the door – the show – a talk back or reception afterwards
8. Cross pollinate with other art forms
9. Set up meeting with the Citizen – in print, on line, how can we help you help us
10. Develop a theatre alliance group
11. Importance of publicity: 1. know the show 2. know the audience 3. know where to find that audience. Know how to spin the plot of the play to develop interest, prep media and prep the artists
12. Work with tourism
13. Engage the business community

Questions
1. What role does programming play in audience development
2. What role do the media play in audience development?
3. Why do music concerts and big events (spectacles) draw people?
4. How to get Cultural diverse audiences (programming, outreach, diverse actors on stage)
5. Chicken and Egg Question: What comes first – critical mass in audience, performances or artists
6. How do we help each other thrive

GCTC will work on
Affordable rental possibilities in the studio
Exploring how to continue the production mentorship program
Hosting master classes at affordable rate
Work with who ever is interested in audience development

Independent Theatre Blanket Notes

Common points from all four blanket sets:
15. sharing resources; publicity lists, volunteer base, performance schedules,
16. sharing physical resource; rehearsal and storage space
17. Create an online inventory of available props, costumes.
18. Create a “Theatre Alliance”.
19. create central box office, promotional tools, subscription season
20. Need a paid person to run “theatre alliance”
21. create a committee to oversee the “alliance”
22. Local community needs to get exposure to work outside our region to expand our horizons and raise the bar
23. Need more bartering among companies
24. advertise together to get impact
25. Need to get younger audience engaged.
26. There is a lack of communication among theatre companies
27. No training on how to create companies

Debate
2. Do we need lasting independent theatre companies? Should project based work be enough?
3. The limits/benefits of a mandate? It should be a living document to be revisited.
4. How much does audience need come first?
5. Value of Project funding vs. Operational funding.
6. When to incorporate? Or incorporate at all?

Common Barriers
14. lack of “affordable” space
15. equity vs. non-equity mix. Makes harder for Equity members to work on some projects
16. Lack of funding makes us competitive with each other. Need to rise above it.
17. National presence overshadows local work
18. Time spent on admin/production vs. creating art
19. Insurance

More good thoughts
14. Get city on board to create kiosks or billboards to promote local theatre
15. Have a collective season launch
16. Plan ahead. Good theatre takes time.
17. The resources are there but need to get to the people who need them
18. With collective wisdom you need a collector
19. Tie Theatre Alliance to Rideau Awards (Dora Awards given as an example)
20. CAO is a great resource that is underused.
21. Other available resources; Flying Squad, CRHC
22. Sometimes failing is the best training

Questions
7. Where does money come from to create “shared” pool?
8. Do we need to “grow” to be considered successful?
9. How do we maintain rigour while doing other jobs?
10. How do artists find information?
11. Do we even know who the independent theatre companies are?
12. What drives the need for independent theatre?
13. What does the city get out of a community?
14. How do we convince city of the value of that?
15. Where are the francophone companies? How do we work with them?

For previews, reviews, and interviews, check out: www.jessicaruano.wordpress.com/blog

Greetings arts enthusiasts!

Is it just me, or did summer pass us by very quickly? Festival after festival after festival, and suddenly gone. This is an exciting time for me because I am entering the final class-based semester of my M.A. program at the University of Ottawa; after Christmas I just (understatement of the day…) have to finish writing my thesis on theatre festivals in Canada. I am also eagerly anticipating a whole slew of opening season shows from numerous Ottawa theatre companies, as well as a series of other events. Let’s get right down to it!

September 3 to October 10
The Gladstone presents ‘Noises Off’
http://thegladstone.ca

Opening the Ottawa theatre season is that which has been called ‘funniest farce ever written.’ I have never seen this play onstage before (only the movie version with Michael Caine), so I can’t wait to see this production! Directed by John P. Kelly (who directed ‘How the Other Half Loves’ last season) this show features a phenomenal cast of local actors, consisting of AL Connors, John Koensgen, Michelle LeBlanc, Margo MacDonald, Patrick MacFadden, Steve Martin, Chris Ralph, Colleen Sutton, and Jennifer Vallance.

September 3
Guerilla Magazine Party
http://getguerilla.ca

After the opening night of ‘Noises Off’ I plan to party the night away at the launch of yet another print-edition of Guerilla Magazine. Bringing the underground arts scene to the surface, Guerilla always knows how to throw a great party. As usual, this edition of the magazine includes my local column entitled ‘Arts Smarts.’

September 4 to 6
Clown Intensive with Nick Di Gaetano
To register: nick@micasatheatre.com

Spend the first weekend of September clowning around with one-half of Mi Casa Theatre! From the guy who brought you the hit-show ‘Inclement Weather’ at this year’s Fringe Festival, comes a weekend-long workshop at which Nick Di Gaetano will share with you all his clown secrets. No experience necessary; though experienced performers are very welcome. Register now!

September 4 to 27
Canteen Vernissage + exhibit
http://canteenlife.com/splash.html

I became acquainted with Canteen recently when I performed in an event called ‘Summer of Love.’ It is a beautiful little gallery on Dalhousie Street with unique (and affordable) works of art from a number of different disciplines. This month don’t miss ‘MIX,’ two new works by media artist Ryan Stec with a high definition video mix and a holographic print; also check out ‘Batteries not Included,’ a collection of Chris Brett’s various cute&creepy critters&creatures as mixed media paintings, silkscreen prints, and 3D works. The vernissage happens on September 4 and the art work is on display all month long.

September 5 & 8
Poetry in the capital!
http://capitalslam.com
http://www.umicafe.org/

There are always a multitude of poetry shows going on in the capital city. Most of them are PWYC or under $10. Check out Dusty Owl, Bywords, Tree Reading Series, Umi Cafe Open Mic, Newstalgica, the Oneness Poetry Collective, and more!
Two highlights for me this month: the first show of the 2009-10 Capital Slam (Mercury Lounge 7pm) season on Saturday, September 5 featuring Mark Berube and showcasing a ton of local talent; and then on Tuesday September 8 is Voices of Venus (Umi Cafe 8pm) featuring local writer Shannon Beahen and an open-mic just for women.

September 11 to 13
‘Quilting Pieces’ with the Valley Players of Almonte
For information: 613 256 3754 or mvtm@magma.ca

Ottawa artist Bronwyn Steinberg directs ‘Quilting Pieces’ in Almonte as part of the city’s annual Fibre Fest. This Canadian-made play features stories and music about quilting, and several quilts made by members of the community play an integral role in the production. I’m totally bringing my mum to this one. Contact the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum for more details!

September 13
CATWALK: Centretown Art Tour
http://www.catwalkottawa.ca/

Meet urban artists in their natural habitat at the Centretown Art Tour! I took this self-directed tour last year and had a wonderful time. Local visual artists welcome you into their homes replete with goodies and art on display. This is a great event if you’re looking to purchase art, or just browse, or just take a nice walk outside on a (hopefully) sunny day. Visit the website for a map of the area, and have fun!

September 15 to October 4
The Great Canadian Theatre Company presents ‘The Syringa Tree’
http://gctc.ca

The GCTC opens their new season with a one-woman show from South Africa that presents the horrors of apartheid as seen through the eyes of a six-year-old white girl and a multitude of other characters. This production is directed by Ottawa’s own Lise Ann Johnson and features Toronto actress Patricia Fagan.

September 22 to October 3
Third Wall Theatre Company presents ‘Old Times’
http://thirdwall.com

In a farmhouse somewhere by the sea, three people digest and reminisce about the past. Anna once shared a flat with Deeley’s wife Kate, and the two women rhapsodize nostalgically about their youth as London secretaries, playing records of Gershwin. As with all of Harold Pinter’s plays, expect sexual tension, struggles for power, dramatic subtext, and, of course, the classic ‘Pinter pause’. A real treat for actors and the audience alike. Directed by Artistic Associate James Richardson, this production features Richard Gelinas (Coming soon: personal interview with Richard on my website!), Sophie Goulet, and Kristina Watt.

September 24 to October 3
Vision Theatre presents ‘The Pillowman’
http://visiontheatre.ca

Thought-provoking, frightening, and hilarious, this award winning play by Martin McDonagh focusses on a writer in an unnamed totalitarian state being interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a series of brutal child murders taking place in his home town. Directed and designed by Ken Godmere, this production features Kris Joseph (gee, does that guy ever take a break?), Geoff McBride, David Whiteley, Brad Long, Alison Almeida, Mélodie Courval and Zach Counsil, as well as a mix of shadow play, mask work, animation, and projections.

Check out my website www.jessicaruano.wordpress.com/blog for somewhat regular updates through the month. And if I have missed any events, please do not email me, but rather feel free to write a comment with all necessary information under the post on my website.

Have a fantastic month!

Artistically yours,

Jessica Ruano

–
Tschüß!

Jessica Ruano
Ottawa Arts Enthusiast
Publicist, Journalist, and Theatre go-er

www.jessicaruano.wordpress.com

Tina Goralski / Photo: Richard Ellis

Stage Manager Tina Goralski announced over Facebook this evening that she has been fired from The Gladstone’s production of Noises Off:

“Cat’s out of the bag. I was fired from Noises Off. It’s going to be a weird opening but I wish the cast and crew all the best. My heart is with you guys. Merde!”

The decision was made this morning by the show’s producer Steve Martin, who is the owner of the building, as well as an actor in this production that opens The Gladstone’s second season in Ottawa. The reasons for dismissal seemed to be based on personal differences, with no specific incident indicated as the main cause.

The production is currently in tech week and it is set to open one week from now on September 3rd; it runs for five and a half weeks until October 10.

The show will go on, regardless, with the three Assistant Stage Managers – Allye Vice, Hilary Nichol, and Sean Green – that worked with Goralski on the show until this point. There has been no mention of finding another person to take on the official role of the Stage Manager.

As seen in this video created by actor/blogger Kris Joseph, Noises Off is an incredibly tech heavy show that requires an able production team to succeed. For the sake of the cast and crew, here’s hoping things go smoothly nonetheless.

Junkyard Symphony

I spent two glorious days at the Ottawa Folk Festival this past weekend. I was there mainly to spend time with Jah Youssouf from Mali and his Canadian group The Woodchoppers Association; but I was also glad to see a number of fantastic artists from around Ottawa and across Canada. Watching The Arrogant Worms onstage was definitely a highlight. I also loved seeing Ottawa’s Junkyard Symphony once again: two very talented buskers/musicians that really know how to interact with children and entertain the whole audience.

I managed to take several photos this weekend. I’ll post a few here, and the rest can be seen on my Flickr account. Enjoy!

Jah Youssouf

Arrogant Worm

Ana Miura at Bluesfest 2009

Okay, well the festival opened last night: but I’m checking out the Britannia Park action for the first time today and also Sunday. I had an awesome time last year, saw a lot of great musicians; and I’m expecting great things from this year’s festival.

Here is a glance at some of the local line-up for this weekend:

Saturday

10:30am
Junkyard Symphony

1 & 7:30pm (and more)
Cellist Anne Davison and Ukulele player James Hill

2:15pm
Guitarist Ana Miura

9:30pm
Bruce Cockburn.

—

Sunday

11:45am
Sax and Flute player Linsey Wellman

Also, my friend Jah Youssouf from Mali is coming back to play for a second year! Playing at various stages all day Sunday, this one musician you won’t want to miss.

Jah Youssouf 2007

Noises Off

The Gladstone opens its second season with the incredibly funny farce-within-a-farce, Noises Off by Michael Frayne. Directed by the incomparable John P. Kelly, this show runs a bold 6 weeks and features an irresistible cast of local actors, consisting of: AL Connors, John Koensgen, Michelle Leblanc, Margo MacDonald, Patrick MacFadden, Steve Martin, Chris Ralph, Colleen Sutton, and Jennifer Vallance.

If this show is anything like Kelly’s hit production of How the Other Half Loves, then Ottawa audiences are sure to have a most memorable evening out. Enjoy a few amusing shots I took at the media call this afternoon! The beautiful set, by the way, was designed by Ivo Valentik.

Noises Off

Noises Off

QUEERING OLYMPIA. One of the most notorious paintings of the 19th century gets a redux with a performance piece by Kate Barry.

(Courtesy of Kate Barry)

What is the story behind the woman in the painting? Modern artists have studied and pondered the lives of the Girl with a Pearl Earring, Dora Maar, and the Mona Lisa, the muses that inspired the greatest and most passionate painters. In Ottawa, queer artist Kate Barry physically embodies the subject of Édouard Manet’s Olympia in her new performance piece, which takes place this month at the Axe Neo-7 Gallery in Gatineau.

For her Master’s of Fine Arts final thesis, Barry has created a solo exhibition that examines Victorine Meurent’s career as a model and a painter in her own right. In addition to this current project, over the past ten years Barry has exhibited nationally and internationally, and she is known for the following series: Suffragettes (2000), Andy Warhol (2003), Mud-Flap Girl (2006), Illustrated Woman (2006) and Gender Performance (2007).

To read the interview, follow this link to the Capital Xtra website.

Impromptu Splendour

I have been raving about this show all weekend. In fact, I loved it so much that I saw it twice. Sort of. You see, you can never see the same play twice because the whole thing is completely improvised. This company – modestly titled The National Theatre of the World – gives itself a challenging task by selecting a famous playwright (in my case, I witnessed Samuel Beckett and then Harold Pinter), asking for suggestions from the audience, and then creating a close-to-one-hour play on the spot, in the style of that playwright. They only prepare basic costumes and set ahead of time.

The company consists of three actors – Matt Baram (though he was replaced by Colin Mochrie [yes, HIM!] for the Pinter show), Naomi Snieckus, and Ron Pederson – who really know their stuff. They have the playwright style down cold: not only perfecting the Pinter pause, but also his fascination with power dynamics, dialogue full of subtext, and the arrival of inexplicable characters on the scene. For those familiar with the playwright, the inclusion of all these elements is delicious; for those who were not familiar with Beckett and Pinter (god forbid!) the show was still enjoyable. Laughter is, after all, highly contagious.

Impromptu Splendour makes a come-back as a weekly show starting in October. For more information (and videos!), check out the website.

The Art of Catching Pigeons by Torchlight

Knowing very little about the show itself, I was drawn to this production only because my friend-from-Canterbury-high-school Jordan Tannahill wrote and directed it. And because I heard there would be a giant blanket fort.

Which, by the way, was tremendous: the audience walks into this mechanic’s garage and from all sides, up to the ceiling, are sheets, and blankets and cushions on the ground when the audience rests. There are projection slides that introduce each scene and play a role in each story. The idea of this play is exploring the lives of people who work the night shift. It was the actors’ responsibility to interview a handful of people who work at Tim Hortons, at a jail, as prostitutes, at a hospital, as a school janitor… and an insomniac. Tannahill took these recordings and created an honest, tender, emotional, and exciting look at the lives of these people. The title comes from one story; the set design comes from another. Everything ties together beautifully.

Phenomenal acting didn’t hurt the piece either. As I mentioned in a previous post, Sarah Finn as the woman working at Tim Horton’s was especially moving. When this tough woman with what could be described as a ‘hick’ accent takes an emotional turn, talking about her (ex)husband in the hospital, the switch is surprising, but completely natural. This is where verbatim theatre gets it right.

Every Time I See Your Picture I Cry

Daniel Barrow from Winnipeg tells the story of a garbage man that collects mementos from his ‘clients’ and relates his condition of partial blindness to that of Helen Keller. From the balcony level of the Passe Muraille theatre, Barrow narrates his tale first through the voice of a more-sexualized-than-usual Helen and then through the garbage collector. His co-star, so to speak, is a giant screen onstage on which Barrow projects visual images, layering each other, telling the story where the narrative does not. His drawings are simultaneously simple, shocking, beautiful, grotesque, blunt, and perceptive.

Watching it, I wondered, is this theatre? It is after all entirely on a screen; we do not see live actors. Still, it is live because Barrow is present in the auditorium and his narrative is not recorded. Would it have made a difference to the audience had it been recorded? For some time, I was not able to tell. Either way, I am grateful for a performance that encourages me to question these genres of film and theatre once again.

My Funny Valentine

This not-so-funny piece by Ottawa native Dave Deveau recounts the true story of a 15-year-old boy who asked his male classmate to be his valentine February 2008, and was subsequently killed for it. I felt a great deal of gratitude toward Deveau for having shared this story, and for sharing it passionately. He includes himself as a character in this piece (which sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t), describing his process in researching this horrible event. He also plays a multitude of characters that knew the boy, as well as the boy himself.

The piece has a sense of being a little thrown together, as some of the characters are not fully developed and it often takes time for Deveau to establish where he is and whom he is playing. But there are certain moments – such as a eulogy delivered by an intelligent and sympathetic priest – that make the performance entirely worthwhile. I would love for this piece to be workshopped and then performed again soon. It delivers a message that every person needs to hear, and I think it should be performed in middle schools and high schools.

Montparnasse

Two women living in Paris circa 1920. Artists, models, hopefuls. Written and performed by Maev Beaty and Erin Shields, this production suggested what a refined version We Never Clothed could have been. And not only because it contained nudity. Lots of nudity. Lots of full-frontal nudity from two women. It was titillating at first, but the audience got over it within minutes and fell into a fast-paced, sentimental (but not overly so), sexy story that included debates about the origin of art and the responsibility of the artist. It was very intelligent. It was also a great opportunity for the actresses to show off their range as they played a multitude of characters, including horny male French painters.Yum!

Beyond the wonderful productions and extra activities at SummerWorks, I loved meeting with the artists and chatting with them about the festival. Many of them were quite willing to share their opinions, and this has inspired me to write a little something about various issues surrounding the festival. Namely, who and what belongs at SummerWorks?

As I mentioned in my last post, unlike the Fringe Festival, this 10-day arts extravaganza is juried. What does this mean exactly? From what I understand, companies send in scripts (or detailed ideas, if a script is not yet available or if the production is not script based) to the festival staff, and from there just over 40 plays are selected based purely on quality.

I had thought at first that the festival would only accept Toronto companies producing new works. I found out during the festival that this is not the case: one company did a play by Bertolt Brecht, and another did a play that was first produced on Broadway a few years ago. Also, some of the companies came from outside of Toronto. It is not necessarily unfortunate that the festival also programs work that is not new; however, I would have appreciated knowing which works were ‘world premieres’, for my own personal interest. Perhaps this could be included in the program next year.

If the festival does not program exclusively new work, then what is the criteria?

Some artists (including those that were accepted to the festival this year) were concerned that the festival might become a bit of an insiders’ club. Perhaps shows are being selected based on the company’s name (it certainly wouldn’t hurt the box office to have a few award-winning companies on hand…) rather than the experimental nature of the to-be-produced work. That brings up another question: is the purpose of this festival to give exposure to new companies, or is it to provide more work for companies that are already established and legitimized? Should the festival be making a special effort to program those new companies with new ideas, even if they might not have the same popular draw? Does the festival want shows of ‘proven potential’ or shows with the possibility of potential?

It is nearly impossible to predict the success of a production until it has been produced. A rough script or an even rougher application form will tell you very little. Programming a new work by any company (whether emerging or established) is always a risk. And that is the beauty of the festival. While there is the possibility that you will be faced with a bad apple, there is also the exciting possibility that you will have the chance to watch a phenomenal world premiere. Still, SummerWorks – being a juried festival – does promise quality, and so they have a certain responsibility to their patrons to choose the work wisely and carefully.

Since the arrival last year of Artistic Director Michael Rubenfeld, the festival has made efforts to connect itself to the close-knit Queen Street West community. The festival now provides tours of the neighbourhoods, relating to the history of the area and its artists; there is also a Performance Gallery in different suites in the Gladstone Hotel.

Another new element of the festival this year was including music performances by a number of Canadian bands, all at the Theatre Centre. The rationale behind this musical inclusion was to attract a new audience (and sure enough, a number of music bloggers are now familiar with the festival) and connect theatre with other art forms in the community. Sounds good to me.

However, it was brought to my attention that in Toronto – like in Ottawa – there is a large number of music festivals already in existence. Is it really necessary to overcrowd SummerWorks with an element that already exists elsewhere? Also, it was argued that in some cases the musical acts were getting more attention than the plays. Case in point: NOW Magazine put SummerWorks on the front cover last week, but with a photo of one of the bands, not of a theatre piece. Is the inclusion of music taking away from the raison d’etre of the festival, or is it ensuring that the festival gets more exposure than ever?

Next up: SummerWorks highlights – my favourite moments at the festival