Muskoka, film, and making my own work…

The view from my dock on Muldrew Lake.

Today I had lunch with a friend who makes films. Because we’ve been saying, “Hey, we should do something…” for at least two years now and that “something” has yet to materialize. We just haven’t both been in the right place at the right time. Until now.

We’re both feeling a bit artistically stagnant at the moment and are in need of something to keep us moving, working, and inspired. He’s got a camera, I act and I have actor friends. Get where I’m going with this?

There is “something” in the works, a little no-budget collaborative project we can both learn something from. We’re hoping for funny and character-driven. And we’re going about it in a different kind of way. My last show really drove home the importance and value of cast bonding, collaboration, and using everyone’s various talents to their fullest. As such, we’re planning to take ourselves and anyone else who cares to participate up to my lovely cottage for a few days. And we’re going to burn things, brainstorm, swim, get creative, drink beer, and film. Hopefully we’ll come up with something cool. And at the very least, we’re bound to have fun. If you’re a Toronto-based actor and you want to play, too, leave a comment. Seriously.

I’ve also contacted my sister, The Writer, to see if she can come up with some ideas for us. Because she’s hilarious. And she has a blog now. Someday she’s going to write a book like Running With Scissors and embarrass our whole dysfunctional family. But without a doubt it will be highly entertaining. And maybe I can play myself when it gets turned into a movie.

So that’s just one project currently underway (there’s a theatre one with my new Best Friend that I refuse to talk about for fear of jinxing it). Good to know that several months later I am finally taking the advice of that smart guy at Praxis and creating my own work. I have to say, this feels good.

 I did this on my dock one night with a flashlight and a long exposure. I think it’s kind of awesome.

Cast at last...

I had an audition this past weekend. I didn't mention it because, while I enjoy being honest, my tenuous grip on my self-esteem requires that I not broadcast all of my failures. But it was a good audition. And my work paid off. I got cast.

But I wasn't thrilled. I wasn't disappointed either. I was just hesitant.

The production is Twelfth Night, which I think I mentioned everyone is doing right now, and the part is Maria. I just think this is an odd choice. Not necessarily bad, just odd. This is not how I would cast myself in this particular play. But, of course, casting wasn't my job. And I do trust that there was a reason that makes complete sense for the choice, I just can't see it.

After the initial shock, I thought about it. The last show I was in I played a part that was perfect for my "type" (which is a four letter word, indeed). The show wasn't good, I wasn't great, and, were it not for my determination to maintain a positive attitude, the whole thing would've been a bad experience. A few shows ago I got cast in another part I didn't think I'd ever play. And it was awesome. I felt like maybe I should stop worrying about it and embrace it. After all, learning to see yourself in a different light can be liberating. Or, at the very least, educational. Plus, this is a wonderful opportunity to work on my wonderful comedy skills. Mad comedy skills, I tell you. So, while I think it's a weird choice, I'm going to go with it. And my Twitter friends seem to agree with this choice, so it must be a good one.

I think the most damaging lesson I learned in theatre school was about "type." Because, frankly, "type" is crap. And it is really not helpful to most of us. And it's a lazy, lousy way to cast a show. Sure, it's important to know how other people are going to view you when you walk into an audition, but this knowledge can also make it far too easy to pigeon hole yourself. And really, you don't know what anyone is thinking the first time they see you. I was told I'm an ingenue. I didn't like it. I learned to embrace it. And I've been cast against it 75% of the time since. So is this really helpful? I'm skeptical.

But every weird opportunity that comes your way is probably just another opportunity for growth. And, of course, for the making of new theatre friends. I will keep you all posted on how it goes--read through this weekend, wish me the best!

Question...

Why does it seem that everyone is producing Twelfth Night this spring/summer? I have no objections, I am just curious. I have seen audition notices for at least six upcoming productions, and today the NY Times announced that Anne Hathaway will be playing Viola in the Shakespeare in the Park production of the same this summer.

I have no objections, I am just curious--why this play now? Thoughts, anyone?

News Update.

I am still behind on blogging. I've accepted it. It will be solved when it's solved. And that's all I can do about it for the moment.

That being said, it is frustrating to be behind in the conversation. I've been doing my best to keep up on the news, but I am clearly still missing bits and pieces. Mainly, I mean the conversation on the Canada Prizes for the Arts and Creativity. The conversation gets ever more interesting over at Praxis and MK at One Big Umbrella has alerted me to these two great articles (here and here) in The Globe and Mail. The whole thing grows sketchier by the second--particularly in the way the whole thing appears to have been proposed, using what seems to be false information to make it appear more legitimate (and more embraced by Canadian artists) than it actually is, to date. But Aaron at Tracking Righteousness really seems to get it--that what the Government failed to grasp when throwing all those dollars at the "artistic community" is that we aren't looking for a handout, we're looking for a little respect.

And, completely unrelated to that debate, I find this article to be inspiring--"A Pounding Patriotic Heartbeat and Scent of Gold." About the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the impact on our nation. From yesterday's Globe and Mail. Refreshing.

Making theatre more accessible. Sort of.

J. Kelly Nestruck posted this in his Globe & Mail blog this morning. It reminded me that I did, indeed, read about it earlier this week. I just never got around to blogging about it.

The National Theatre in London is planning to broadcast several of its productions live in movie theatres throughout the UK, making the theatre more accessible to those outside of London. Tickets at the movies will be about £10 (which is about what it costs to see certain shows at the National itself). In order to recoup the costs of this broadcast, they are also proposing to sell them for broadcast abroad. The first production in this series, which will be called NT Live, is Racine's Phèdre starring Helen Mirren (!!!!!).

This project takes its cue from a few places, not the least of which is our own Stratford Festival's filming of Ceasar and Cleopatra starring Christopher Plummer. It will be shown in select Cineplex theatres throughout Canada on January 31.

While the filming of theatre is not really anything new, what is interesting to me about the National's project is that they plan to broadcast the show live--no edits--so the audience in the movie theatre will see the same show as the audience in the theatre. More or less. There are still things lost in translation from one medium to the other...but this is sort of an in between mediums idea, isn't it?

Will we see more of this in the future? I guess it depends on how these runs go...I think I will reserve judgment until I have actually seen one of these play-movies.

This just in: Praxis Theatre = Awesome.

If you're part of the theatre scene in Toronto you probably know the Praxis Theatre blog. One of the best-written blogs out there, it is a source of frequent inspiration for many of us--it is the theatre blog we all aspire to write. I'm happy to report, too, that it (and, by association, Praxis Theatre) is run by a very friendly bunch of theatre artists. And they have offered some wise words in the last week or so... While you're surfing, see what it is they do (other than write a darn good blog). Up-coming: a production based on The Stranger (also translated as The Outsider) by Albert Camus, one of the books I most enjoyed in high school. It's called Stranger. I will be checking it out, you probably should too.

Why Won't "Reality" Television Die?

MTV has just announced that they have 16 new reality shows in the works. 16?! Apparently ratings have slipped (or tumbled) causing them to rethink their programming choices to hold on to that coveted youth demographic.


But, here's the thing, I am not an effing demographic. And I, frankly, cannot deal with anymore mindless MTV drivel being paraded around like content. Nor do we need anymore Speidis or Hiltons, people with no real talents who are famous for nothing. We're not talking about the competition shows, either, like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? or Top Chef or whatever else where the contestants actually have to do something (not that those are all good shows, but at least they have to do something other than shop and party). We're talking about The Hills or Real Housewives or any other show that follows random people around with cameras and attempts to sell it as "reality" after editing it down to 22 episodes that resemble poorly scripted melodramas. And it isn't a documentary even if it has the production values of one; very little of it, if any, nowadays is at all enlightening or insightful. Newsflash: this kind of programming is no more "reality" than scripted television, this just means they don't have to pay writers. Which is why it continues to exist: "Reality" television is cheaper to produce. Plain and simple. Rebel, I say!

And, meanwhile, it is contributing to the dumbing down of my generation. Plus, it takes away jobs from our creative classes--writers. directors, actors, etc. Is mindlessness really what we need in the world right now? Or couldn't we argue that this is the kind of thing that helped get us to where we are now (big, messy, undeclared war, global recession, tanking economy, bickering politicians, etc)? We need some intelligence on our screens and some responsibility from those giant corporate networks. Or we need to turn the TVs off, which is still not the right route to go because there is some interesting work being done there. Maybe we all need to take a step back and reassess our values.

And this is my rant for today.

Wouldn't this kind of turn-around be nice?

The former star of the recently canceled, critically acclaimed Pushing Daisies, the lovely Kristen Chenoweth, has already signed on to another project! That took all of about 2.5 seconds. Chenoweth is set to star in Legally Mad, David E. Kelley's new legal drama. It is being produced by Warner Bros. Set in a Chicago law firm, it follows Skippy (Chenoweth) "a cheerful and brilliant attorney who nonetheless exhibits flashes of psychosis -- and enjoys being mistaken for a teenager." While it sounds like the perfect part for her, a) do we really need another primetime legal drama? and b) isn't this a little Ally McBeal-ish? I'm sure KC will be brilliant, though...hopefully she'll sing too...do we suppose they could work that in??

Something Worth Investing In...

Today The Guardian is reporting a new initiative to offer free seats at various theatres to people 26 and under. This is simply another affirmation that I would be better off in London.

I would love to go to the theatre, the opera, the ballet, everything, more. Or at all. But the unfortunate reality is that I cannot afford any of these things. True, some of them offer better and better discount programs, but the reality is that, for someone working at minimum wage or even just above, a $20 ticket is still expensive. It means I manage to make it out maybe once a month instead of once a week...or more! I think this is probably the reality for many artists in a position similar to mine--just starting out, etc.

Also, I appreciate the fact that the Arts Council in Britain really feels that this program they've started is an investment in culture. It's an investment undervalued in most other places, which is unfortunate. After all, what will we be remembered or known for if not our culture? And what will that mean if we have none? How can we have any when we do not see it as a worthwhile investment?

I don't propose to have all the answers...but at least I am thinking about the questions.

More importantly, how would this fit under the tree?

Richard Ouzounian, theatre critic for the Toronto Star, wrote today about his five theatre Christmas wishes that the big man in red can't grant. I would like to request any and all of the same because, basically, what they all amount to is more theatre in Toronto, more Canadian theatre, and more potential work for those of us who are "emerging actors," whatever exactly that means. So if Santa can't do it, could those of you with the power to make these things happen please work on it?

Coming Soon: Beer

Apparently two Cineplex Odeons in Toronto are going to start serving alcohol. It will be available only in specific screenings/theatres where everyone must be of legal age. This move is part of a pilot program that ends next November. While I certainly think there are some movies out there that would be much better viewed with a few beers, I'm pretty sure this puts film about on par with major sporting events. Although it would be wrong to classify everything Hollywood releases as film. More here.

Dictator Dancing

Bawren Tavaziva is set to choreograph a ballet about Robert Mugabe in England. Mugabe is an African dictator, the current president of Zimbabwe, who has held power in the country since 1980. The ballet will be called My Friend Robert and will be drawn from Tavaziva's experiences growing up in Zimbabwe. He has lived in Britain since 1994. This sounds very interesting; a bit more here.