A Weekend of Theatre

   This weekend I saw two theatrical performances. The first was a one woman show by Sara Weber at the fundraiser Banter & Bluegrass at The Pearl Company. I had the pleasure of working with Sara on The Metamorphosis and when I finished working on that production with Sara I remember writing in her thank you card that I would help and support her in any of her future theatrical endeavours. She is an absolute delight to work with, and a delight to watch on stage and her performance at Banter and Bluegrass was no exception.

   Sara gave us a glimpse into her childhood which was spent in Alabama and I ate it up like it was a delicious side dish to the pulled pork and baked beans served that night. I'm a nostalgic person, I love hearing the stories of people when they were children and seeing how little they've changed. Highlights for me included a story involving a southern belle and crotch itching, the picture of Sara's father and how he basically spends his days playing 'cowboys', formally known as 'cowboys and Indians', but that's not pc these days, so Sara just calls it 'cowboys'. Also, Sara mentioned drinking sun tea, which reminded me of my mother who is from Michigan, brewing tea in the sun during the summer months. It's too bad this performance was a one time deal, because I know many people that have worked with Sara in the past who would have enjoyed the evening immensely.

   The second show I saw this weekend was at the Citadel Theatre, which was formally known as the Downtown Arts Centre. I saw the first play in the Citadel's season, Mass Appeal by Bill C. Davis. Mass Appeal opened this past Friday but continues it's run next Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8pm. I suppose I'm making an appeal of sorts to get people out to see this show. Simply put, it is a great production. The production values are high, very strong performances and the script itself is something you shouldn't pass up seeing staged. The very basic synopsis is that of a passionate student working towards becoming a priest who is assigned to a complacent priest comfortable in his position, and the two have vastly different approaches towards leading a congregation. What this play is really about is a dialogue between two people who are constantly engaged in a power struggle, but not always with one another. This theme of a dialogue is introduced within the first scene of Mass Appeal and is seamlessly weaved in throughout the play, and this is not just done with the script but through direction and the performances. The plays I have always loved are the ones in which characters fight for two hours on stage, where the stakes are constantly being raised and each character has everything to lose. I don't see plays for happy endings, I see plays to be engaged, to watch a struggle, to question; this is entertaining to me. And Mass Appeal had all those elements.

Mass Appeal was poorly attended on it's opening weekend, and of course I sympathize because I know what it's like to give a performance to an audience in which the cast out numbers them. You're always extremely thankful to those that have come out, but when you put in so much time and effort and the outcome is something truly wonderful and something that you can be proud of, it's a shame when there isn't an audience there to share it with.

   So, basically what I'm saying here is, if you missed Sara's show at Banter and Bluegrass, you missed out. It was a wonderful performance, extremely entertaining and enjoyable, but it was a one-time event, and it did sell out. But there are three more opportunities to see another wonderful production that hasn't yet had the audiences it deserves.  

Emerging Artists Series: It's a Wrap!

The 2011 Emerging Artists Series has finished, and what a whirlwind it was. It was only three weeks of shows, but they were in the works since approximately February and although the board members of Black Box Fire don’t have a great deal to do until the last few weeks, it has been an exhausting task this year. For myself, towards the end of the run, I find myself more tired than usual when working on a show, and I think that may have something to do with not having the adrenaline you usually get from being involved in performing a show. Regardless of my energy level the series was a success.

The first week of EAS was a well-made play entitled, A Trip Aboard by Eugene Labiche. It was a translation of a French play from the 19th century which was part of the genre that was a predecessor for sitcoms. It was an extremely entertaining production, with a creative backdrop of mountains in charcoal on paper, extremely well-done and tailored costumes, but it was definitely the performances that made this production. It featured some of the best character work I’ve seen in a long time, and as an audience member, it was clear that the performers were having a great time on stage.

4.48 Psychosis dress rehearsal

The second week of EAS was 4.48 Psychosis, written by Sarah Kane a British playwright who is often compared to Sylvia Plath because of the style of her work, as well as they both committed suicide. The show was a poetic and dark piece about one person’s struggle with mental illness. Not necessarily a piece that someone would say they ‘enjoyed’  as it was a very draining play to watch, but that‘s not to say it was un-enjoyable. This play is a good reminder that theatre doesn’t always supply answers, or tie everything up neatly at the end, but often requires some engagement with the piece on the part of the audience. 4.48 Psychosis will also be performed at the Fringe Festival this month at Theatre Aquarius. It was a last minute, but great opportunity for the production and first time director who is still in high school.

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Production and Creative teams for 'Death of a Roller Coaster'
and 'A Trip Aboard' at auditions.

This last week of EAS was the double bill of original works Death of a Roller Coaster and Enter Alice. Death of a Roller Coaster was an ensemble piece about an old beloved roller coaster being retired at Beaver Tail Island amusement park. This was another show where it was easy to see that everyone on stage was having a lot of fun! The highlight of this production was the roller coaster, The Great Canadian Grizzly. The coaster itself was very simple, a few rows of chairs covered in black, and they constructed the front end of the coaster, but the sound effects and the actors made this rollercoaster a real pleasure to watch! They choreographed the actors’ movements with the sound effects and it was easy to envison the track the coaster was whipping around on.

Board members of BBF
organizing EAS auditions. 

The final show of EAS was Enter Alice, which had previously been in the Sears Drama Festival. This was an absurdist piece that had a very polished presentation. It took place in a nightmare of a theatre where the actors were puppet-like and the ‘fears’ from their previous lives clung to and manipulated them throughout the show. Playwrights Thomas and Lewis offered comedic relief and manipulated the happenings on stage.  Among all this theatrical madness, a boy from the ‘real world’ stumbles into the theatre looking for his drunk and lost father, but eventually is given the choice to return to the real world fatherless, or to become a puppet-like actor where Lewis and Thomas offer him a scripted life, with a father.

EAS this year was once again very diverse, and offered both established scripts and original works. I guess at the end of it all, what I really hope is that it was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Hot Ticket Items

On May 28th Black Box Fire will be having their second annual yard sale to raise money for this year's Emerging Artists Series. I have already collected a mass amount of things, and I wanted to share a couple of the lovely items I have found while going through some of the boxes and bags of stuff.
The yard sale will be taking place May 28th, at the break of dawn (almost) at 40 Chatham Street which is just between Locke St. (West Town) and Dundurn St. (The Beer Store).

A beautiful Christmas plate, circa 1972.

Another beautiful Christmas plate, circa 1973.

A big ol' Cowboy Boot Pinata. 

Ladies cowboy boots.
From my bad ass aunt Cynthia who probably wore these while riding her Harley. 

Add a touch of class to your bed by tossing
this tiger print throw over it.

A wall hanging...this picture doesn't do it justice.
It's nice!

Parents/boyfriend/roomies won't let you get a cat?
Here's 20 to toss on your bed. 

What does Bashful think he's doing there in front?
Regardless, Snow White is always a princess, isn't she?

The original calculator.

Snake skin boots. These are from my aunt Lois Lane.
Think of how you could tell people you had Lois Lane's snake skin boots!

A fab satchel. 

Some Things I've Made

Blocking the granny squares for a garland.

My Spring time/Easter garland.

A little felted bead. I haven't done anything with it yet. 

We Want Your Junk

Black Box Fire has already started work on this year's Emerging Artists Series. We haven't made the selections yet, but the ball is rolling. The productions in EAS go up the end of June, early July, but from now til then there is a lot of work that has to be done. We have director interviews, then auditions, and then two months of rehearsing and a couple social events in-between. 

BBF supplies the venue, promotional materials, and a few other things to the productions, including a small start up budget of 75 dollars. At the end of it all, a percentage of the profits are split up among the directors. To help increase that amount I held a yard sale as a fundraiser last year to help cover BBF's costs, like the venue rental. It was a big success. I gathered up donations from friends and family and anything we didn't sell, we donated to Value Village and a women's shelter. In the end, we made just under 500 dollars, which was about twice what I had expected. So, I'm organizing another fundraiser yard sale for this year's EAS and I'm hoping to exceed what we made last year. I know a lot of people are moving around May, and the time for Spring Cleaning is upon us, so if you find you have any junk that you want to get rid of, perhaps consider donating it to the BBF yard sale! 

The date is set for May 28th, but I would gladly take donations before that time. So, please keep it in mind, or use it as an excuse to go through boxes or clean out your drawers. If you want to get in touch with me about the yard sale, email me at lrenrepei@gmail.com.

We had baked goods as well as 'junk'.

At one point, AJ put this on and went to King St to get people to come to the sale.

We also had My Dog Joe coffee.

Last year's yard sale.
Matt, Steph and I at the end of the day with our goal chart.

Yes, I want to go where it never snows.

My friend Tara mentioned this band, Tennis, to me not that long ago, but it took me too long to check them out. Well. Now I just can't stop listening to them. Specifically, the title track. It's the kind of song I have to listen to twice in a row, because it's so good, and it's too short.
It's just too catchy.

For once in my life I wish I was blonde.
And roller skating along a sunny boardwalk.

"Raw and Sincere"

Zastrozzi opened last weekend and despite small houses, went very well. The Spec reviewed the show on opening night, and we were all extremely happy with the review. The reviewer loved Mark, who plays the title character. I think this is my favourite quote from the review.

"His Pietro Zastrozzi is Dracula in heat, drowning in a mirror of his own narcissism."

I can only hope one day someone uses a similar phrase to describe me. Not a performance of mine, but the real me. 

It was a great review though, and I hope it will get some more people to the theatre this weekend for our final three performances. 

Zastrozzi and Victor at the Inn

Backstage ASM, Lighting Operator and Stage Manager

Verezzi and Victor

Matilda, Bernardo and Zastrozzi

Victor resorts to Verezzi's ways.

Zastrozzi awakes from his waking nightmare

ZASTROZZI!!!!

Zaztrozzi by George F. Walker is the final production in Black Box Fire's season this year. It opens this Friday. Yesterday kicked off a long week of rehearsals which end on Thursday with our dress run, and then three performances follow that on Friday and Saturday.
I have a smaller role in this production, which is a nice change from the last few productions I've been involved in. I swear, I am in this show, even though there are no pictures to prove it.

Bernardo reports as Zastrozzi and Matilda hang out.

"Shut up!"

Ta-da!

Boys will be boys!

What is this, the Metamorphosis?

Yowza!

Verezzi takes a swing at Bernardo

A lovely, and tidy man.

Creative death threats

My Favourites, pt 1

There are a number of theatre productions I've seen over the years that I will always remember, many of them because when I saw them I thought, this is what theatre should be.

Studies in Motion was one of the most recent shows I've seen, which was this past Fall at Can Stage. The images and choreography in this production were stunning. This play was about Eadweard Muybridge, who studied locomotion and used multiple cameras to study motion in animals and people. The play examined one of his major studies, where by the end of three months he had over one hundred thousand photos. It also showed the resistance against his studies, a great deal of which came from him using nude subjects/models. He also went to trial for killing his wife's lover, which was not the focus of the story, but the scene where he shot the man was one of the best scenes in the play, as they used multiple actors to map out the way the victim fell and staggered about as he died. 
Multi-media was a huge element in this production and it was used so seamlessly and effectively. The entire show was just completely engaging from start to finish. 
Also, my friends and I were in the second row, AND just a couple seats over from us, sat this actor, who I didn't know his name, but I recognized him from another favourite show of mine, East of Berlin, which I saw at Tarragon a number of years ago.


East of Berlin by Hannah Moscovitch is probably one of my favourite scripts or productions I've seen, most likely due to how intense it is. Last Fall, I started thinking this may be a show I would like to direct with Black Box Fire soon, though it is quite an undertaking. 

The production I saw had one of the best opening images I have ever seen on stage. The main character was seated in a chair, and he was only lit from a top light which was lighting him from above a ceiling fan which very slowly was turning, causing the shaft of light to shift over top of the actor who was smoking so these little wafts of smoke just wafted up through the light. It was very simple, but extremely effective at setting the tone and atmosphere of the production. 
The very basic plot is that this man, Rudi, after having left his home in Paraguay about ten years ago,has returned to see his father. The play goes in and out of the present and past. We find out that Rudi's family is German and they escaped to Paraguay after WWII. Rudi knows nothing of this until he finds out from a classmate that not only was his father a war criminal, but Rudi's father was a doctor at Auschwitz who performed experiments as well as the selections. The play is about Rudi's discovery of this, and his inherited guilt of his father's past. One of my favourite lines is from this play, Rudi says of his father that what he did in the war 'revolutionized our notion of evil'.


My favourite play, for a number of years now, has been The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh. It's an extremely popular play, there have been many productions, professional and not, which is I think must say more about the text than anything else. It's about a three hour play, and not an easy play to tackle, especially since it requires a number of strong male performers, and those are often hard to come by.

I've seen two productions, one at Can Stage, but the first one I saw was in Calgary, by Ground Zero, which I thought was the better of the two productions. I can't really explain why I love this play, or what it was about the production. It was intense, and completely captivating. It's just really great story telling. It's a really good read, it's probably a better read than some of the actual productions out there. 

Cool Girl

My friend Tara is a really cool girl who is really good at crafting. We did the Maker's Market this past Christmas together and sold knitted goods. She has a new etsy store with some lovely hand crafted goods. Check it out!

Emerging Artists Series

The Black Box Fire Emerging Artist Series, or EAS, is an amazing opportunity for people to get involved in theatre, especially those who may not have a great deal of experience, or for those who have a project they want to work on, but may not have the means to do so. BBF gives you artistic control of your project, supplies a small start up budget, they facilitate the auditions, provide promotional materials, and they provide the venue, which is HTI Studio theatre. EAS usually runs three weeks at the end of June and early July. Each production is usually double billed, and there are four performances of each show in one weekend, so each week features different productions. Past productions have included both established plays and original works.
The applications for EAS are due at the end of February. Anyone can apply. If you want to direct a play, if you have a play you have written but no director you can still apply. If you are interested in stage managing one of the productions, or if you have a script you'd like to act in, fill out an application.
If you have questions, send them to contact@blackboxfire.com

My EAS production of the original script, A Long Winter

The Psycho, The Dr. and The Mogul 

EASies at My Dog Joe.

Everyone's a Critic

The show is over now, it finished over a week ago, but I forgot to post a link to the review of the show. This is a review of the opening night performance that appeared in the View. Not a bad review, he loved all the performers, and even mentioned the stage manager and producer. I still stand by my costuming and make-up choices. I don't quite agree with The Metamorphosis being a risky show to take on, or that it is an unlikely show to bring in a crowd. People love Kafka and the story The Metamorphosis, and I think that was a big part of the show being well attended. I think it also shows that Hamilton audiences want to see different genres of theatre.

The Metamorphosis closed last night. We had a great run, with amazing houses. Even our last matinee almost sold out, and that has never happened in any show I've been involved in, so that was pretty nice. Interesting story, Friday around noon I received word that one of our actresses fell and broke her knee so obviously, and unfortunately could not finish the run of the show. One of the other actresses stepped up and played two parts in the play and memorized the lines and blocking Friday afternoon and pulled off the character of Alta effortlessly, and got laughs, for the remaining three shows.
As happy as I was with the outcome of the show, and the attendance, and I will miss the cast and crew, I'm tired, and I'm ready to not direct for a while.

Audition Alert

 The third show in Black Box Fire's 2010/2011 season is having auditions this Wednesday, the 19th. The show is George F. Walker's Zastrozzi, The Master of Discipline. The play is inspired by the novel Zastrozzi:  A Romance by Percy Shelley. It has sword fighting, seduction, comedy and most importantly revenge.
 George F. Walker is one of the most widely produced Canadian playwrights both in Canada and internationally. Some of his most famous plays include Criminals in Love, Heaven and Suburban Motel which includes Problem Child.
 There are four male parts to be cast, and there is only one audition day, so if you're unsure whether or not to audition, it would be better to just audition since there is only one day to do so.

Check out the BBF website for more audition info.

The Lady in Fur

The Lady in Fur is Gregor Samsa's favourite picture. It's important in the novella and also in the play, so I had to make sure we had a picture of a lady in fur. Such a picture is not something you easily come across, so my friend Damian, who designed our black and white poster, who is also a magician with the camera, took a picture that we could use in the play.
I don't know that I'm much of a lady, but fur and pearl earrings really help to give the illusion.

"You think you'll get this picture? You never will!
Try it and I'll fly in your face!"

Smooth Sailing

I didn't keep up very well with this in the last week or so, as it was a very busy week. We started our tech week on Monday and the show opened last night. Everything actually went really smoothly. Danielle, my stage manager and I, glued and taped a sheet to a 15 ft pole for the opening scene of the show, and then had to figure out how to get it off stage quickly after the two minutes we need it on stage.
Tuesday, we had someone come in who built us a door in a frame, a ladder and 'bed' flat. It all went in extremely easily. We had a couple days of tech runs and then our dress rehearsal, and all in all, it was a great tech week with no problems.

AND, we had a great opening night last night with a close to full house and the performance was a great one.

"She wans to see what I like"

Mmmmmm.