Halfway Through the Fringe

Well, we are now past the midway point of the Fringe and its been pretty exciting so far. Evolution Theatre has had 5 shows so far and 3 of them have sold out! We've also gotten some great reviews from both the CBC Radio and on the Ottawa Fringe website.
And somehow, with all that, I've also managed to see 10 plays.

So what would I recommend (besides my show, of course)?

Well, I definitely think people should check out Sorrow in the Studio Leonard-Beaulne. Don't let the title fool you. This is a beautiful, touching and sometimes funny piece written by Alan Jeans, directed by Teri Loretto, and starring Lisa Twardowska. The story follows a fictitious account of the real life of Clasina Maria Hoornik (also known as Sien), prostitute, model, and mistress of the painter Vincent Van Gogh. As she prepares to drown herself Sien vividly re-lives her journey from the innocence of her youth to the depths of her ultimate sorrow.

Also, you are a fool if you miss out on Die Roten Punkte, an absolutely hilarious spoof (dear God, I hope it was a spoof!) of the punk-rock music scene with these two german sibblings. I can't even really put into words what this show is about. Just know that it was incredibly funny and deservedly won for best production at the Montreal Fringe Festival.

The Wedding Night is a great little script (sort of Norm Foster meets Sex in the City) and I thought that Kate Smith and Joe Marques had wonderful chemistry together on stage.

Finally, A Leave of Absinthe is worth a look. It is still a work in progress, but I found many aspects of the show to be very interesting. They also got some pretty great reviews from the CBC and the Ottawa Citizen.

The Fringe continues until this Sunday night so make sure you get out there and see some theatre!

Ottawa Fringe - Day 1 Wrap Up / Day 2 Preview

I messed up my Sudoku schedule game already. Note to self: use a pencil, not a pen.
Last night was the first night of shows for the Fringe. Since we were holding our dress rehearsal, I realized I probably wouldn't be able to see anything but an 11pm show.
Well, I forgot that I needed to be at CKCU for 7:15am this morning to do an interview about This Is A Play (which was awesome and will be posted on our Facebook Group as soon as I get the file!) so I had to choose sleep over plays... I guess I'm getting old since I'm not as hard core as I used to be.
I was also planning on seeing Without A Clue at 6:30pm tonight since it has a great cast and is a throwback to one of my favorite board games turned into a movie, Clue (take that Untitled Monopoly Project!)
But since my call time is set for 7pm and I really need that time to do my hair and get focused, I am going to go check out This Is A Very Old Story. It seems interesting because, not only is it taking place outdoors but, it's also on STILTS! I missed these guys when they performed last year at the Fringe and the Magnetic North Theatre Festival.
Then, after my second performance tonight, I will be watching Vision Theatre's One Acts by David Ives at 11pm (I get to sleep in tomorrow, so watch out!)

So I have a pretty busy night ahead of me and I love it! The Fringe is a wonderful time of year in Ottawa.

Happy fringing and I'll see you at the tent!

So You Wanna Fringe It Up?

First of all, get yourself one of the handy dandy fringe programs and skip strait to the center schedule. This is your new best friend!

Then decide which one of my shows you're going to go see.

Now, be ready to play a krazy game of Sudoku.

Trust me on this one. You'll pick a show at 11pm. Then realize that another show you really want to see is also playing at 11pm. So you try to figure out what other timeslot works best for either show. And so on and so forth until you realize someone is going to be pissed you missed adding their show to your schedule... so you have to go back and start all over again...

I have dress rehearsal tonight so I probably can only make it out to an 11pm show. It's just a matter of deciding which one. Will it be Judith Shakespeare, Trashcan Duets or Hey Bartender? All of them are 2 for 1.

Decisions, decisions...

It has only just begun!

I Just Wanted To Be An Actor...

That's it. I just wanted to act. I wanted to audition for stuff and get cast in other people's projects and that would be that.

However, I realized recently, that it was not meant to be for me.

No no, I'm not saying I'm giving up acting (it's not that time of the month yet). What I am saying is that I won't just be an actor. I'll always be involved in some other way as a producer, a publicist, a set builder, a front of house crew, a writer, a director maybe, and/or whatever else might need to be done to achieve my goal to act. I'm always going to get my hands dirty.

And I think I am finally ok with that.

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Speaking of getting my hands dirty, the Ottawa Fringe Festival is quickly approaching! I am serving double duty as actor and publicist for Evolution Theatre's presentation of Daniel MacIvor's This Is A Play.

You can check out the schedule here and even buy your tickets online!

Please note, you have to have a 2$ Fringe pin to attend any shows at the festival. Also, our venue only seats about 30 people so come early enough to get your seat!

If you have Facebook...

The Ottawa Fringe has this wonderful little Facebook application that let's you sign up for the shows you want to see and invite your friends to see the show with you.

I definitely recommend you get it here: http://apps.facebook.com/ottawafringe/home/

Be sure to add This Is A Play to your viewing schedule!

Coming Soon To Your Friendly Neighbourhood Fringe:

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is coming up soon, and I'm very excited. I think the Summer Camp theme they've got going on this year is appropriate since that's always how I saw it. You show up, drink, play, make friends for ten days and then your mom picks you up and you don't see them again until next year.

I will definitely try to see as many shows as I possibly can. Some local stuff that I'm looking forward to right now (and this list is by no means complete) include The Wedding Night by Silent Quemb Productions, Without a Clue by Enigma Productions, Vision Theatre's night of One Acts by David Ives, and A Leave of Absinthe with mutatis mutandis.

And of course, you just have to check out Evolution Theatre's latest offering (which also stars yours truly):

Daniel MacIvor's This Is A Play
Directed by Chris Bedford

Starring:
Scott Goldman
Nancy Kenny
Kel Parsons

Show Dates and Times:
Friday, June 20th - 8 p.m. (2 for 1 Tickets) and 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 21st - 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 22nd - 7 p.m.
Wednesday, June 25th - 8 p.m.
Thursday, June 26th - 10 p.m.
Friday, June 27th - 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 28th - 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 29th - 6:30 p.m.

We are located in Studio 311, which is on the third floor of the U of O Theatre Building - right above two other official fringe venues and mere seconds from the beer tent!

Tickets are $10 at the door.

They can also be purchased in advanced at the Fringe Office OR ONLINE!.

Discount festival passes may also be purchased.

Visit www.ottawafringe.com for details.


See you at the Fringe!

Random Ramblings and Internal Debates

Sometimes I think I may be a robot.

First of all, I like schedules and knowing exactly what I will be doing, when and where for almost every minute of every day. I like predictability and have trouble adjusting to change. I get annoyed if someone happens to be using my "usual" stall in the bathroom at work...

When learning a new song, I usually do so by ear. Every note, every rythm, every twang in the voice, I faithfully copy and repeat without any modifications or adjustments to make it my own. I'm an excellent mimic. The end result is then flat, colourless... robotic.

I realized last night that I also do this when I'm acting. It's as if I don't want to consider it an art form, but a science with formulas and absolutes.
Something like: Acting = Lines + Blocking + Emotional Motivation

This is serious stuff. It is work and I want to be taken seriously. Tell me how you want it to be done and I will do it exactly that way without originality or fun or deviation from the chosen path... And the end result was flat, lifeless, robotic.

I know better. My head knows better. But somehow my wires seem to be crossed and I can't connect what's in my head to the rest of my body. Instead of true human behavior, I end up with an imitation of human behaviour.

Or maybe I'm just a human who wants to be a robot. A human who shuts herself down so she doesn't have to be brave and really feel something human because humans are imperfect and insecure and easily get hurt.

Nah, that sounds too deep. I probably shouldn't be watching so much Battlestar Galactica before I go to bed...