Evolution Theatre's Arabian Night

The reviews have been pouring in for Evolution Theatre's Arabian Night. See what everyone is saying and then call Cube Gallery to reserve your tickets - 613-728-1750 The show runs from Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm and half the tickets for Friday and Saturday night's performances are already gone.

If you want to stop on top of what Evolution Theatre is doing, be sure to join our facebook group!

See you at the Theatre!

Nancy

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Patrick Langston - Ottawa Citizen "Emily Pearlman('s) physical expressiveness always delights" "Richard Gélinas... does his best work in these disconnected roles" "Evolution Theatre to its credit continues to take risks with its play selection."

Read the full review here.

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Alvina Rupretch - CBC Radio "A VERY (capital letters hers, not mine) interesting play. Good ensemble work. And it’s sure that no other company in Ottawa is doing what Evolution dares to do. So do take a chance and go see it. It's very good."

Listen to the full review here, after the Drowsy Chaperone review

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Wayne Current - (Cult)ure Magazine "One of the strongest casts assembled this year."

Read the full review here.

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Lesley Buxton - The Wellington Oracle "The acting is first rate." "This is an important production..."

Read the full review here.

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Erika Morey - Apt613 "Most noteworthy, however, was Kate Smith’s riveting performance..." "...take advantage of the opportunity to see high-calibre experimental theatre right here in the city..."

Read the full review here.

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Nadine Tornhill - Local Blogger "Emily Pearlman and ... Kate Smith are some of this city’s strongest performers." "Evolution Theatre is never boring."

Read the full review here.

No Absolutes - The Life of the Artist

I have some news. I've been avoiding posting this news because I didn't want to overshadow Evolution Theatre's production of Arabian Night. However, since that show is going into it's second week and the wonderful reviews are now pouring in (more on that soon!), I figured it might be a good time to make my announcement. I've finally been cast, after a year of nothing, in a professional theatrical production! Are you doing a happy dance for me? I know I did.

The play is called Shining City. It's directed by John P Kelly (who was just recently nominated for a Capital Critic's Circle Award) and will be taking place at the Arts Court Theatre from November 17 to 28.

On its own, this is a pretty big deal for me, but this is only a preface to what I want to talk about here.

You see, I was also asked by the production company to do the publicity work for the show (which reminds me, I should probably update the website...). Though I find the part I will be playing to be incredibly challenging, it is a relatively small role and I would therefore have the time to dedicate to this side venture. Besides, who would be better at promoting a show than someone who has a vested interest in it's success?

A while back, I had decided that I no longer wanted to handle marketing a show I was performing in. I found it to quite often be a headache and a hassle. I knew when reviewers were in the audience and, when ticket sales were low, I took it to mean I was not doing a good job. This in turn was awkward and affected my work as a performer.

Recently, however, I've come to realize that it's my own insecurity and not my ability to do my work that's the problem. I didn't believe in myself as an actor (and, in the case of Fringe, as a writer) enough. If I didn't fully believe that people should see me in a show, why should I be surprised when they don't?

It was also a form of laziness on my part or, better yet, a sense of entitlement; the 'I just want to be an actor' factor. To be perfectly honest, I don't want to 'just be an actor.' How boring is that? I want to be a creator, an innovator, an artist. I believe that a true artist is one who is well-rounded and well-versed in all aspects of his art. And yes, even the business side can be an art.

The best example I can think of involve the myriad of people I met on the Fringe Festival circuit. No one there does just one task. Everyone works their fingers to the absolute bone and then spends their nights chilling out, enjoying the fruits of their labour. It's beautiful. It's amazing. It's inspiring. It's exactly where I want to be.

My name is Nancy Kenny and I'm an artist.

Faith in Evolution

As you may know, I am one of the founders of a local theatre company called Evolution Theatre. We are now at the end of our fourth year in existence and I am just blown away by how far we've come in such a short time. We've put on a total of 9 productions, we've received a number of award nominations and acknowledgments (CBC Radio's Alvina Ruprecht once called us an important contribution to the professional theatre scene in Ottawa), and we've become a registered charity with a season sponsor and a variety of donors. We've made it a personal mission to bridge the gap between the French and English theatre communities in Ottawa. Many of our shows have been translations of Québécois work (to the point where next year you will see our first fully commissioned translation of a piece) and every production involves Francophone actors, designers and crew. We've gone from a small independent company conceived in order to create meaningful work opportunities for ourselves into a small independent company that creates meaningful work opportunities for all local theatre artists. In addition, we've gained a reputation in this town for presenting work that is quite experimental, unconventional and takes risks that I fully believe are paying off. All in all, we make good art and I couldn't be more proud or more pleased.

We have a show that opens this week at Cube Gallery in Ottawa called Arabian Night and I want you to come see it. Here's why (in no particular order):

1 - The cast: This play involves some of the greatest actors in this community. People whose names you will recognize and whose work I absolutely admire. Richard Gélinas, Bradley Cunningham Long, Emily Pearlman, Stewart Matthews and Kate Smith. I'm not going to post their resumes here, but I am quite certain that if you have a seen a show in Ottawa over the last year and enjoyed it, chances are one of these people was involved with the production. I don't like to use the word "all-star" but I think you all know what I am getting at.

2 - The director: This is the first time Evolution Theatre has contracted a director from outside the company. I believe this is just another aspect in our growth and it has allowed us founders the opportunity to solidify our administrative skills and bond more deeply as a team. That said, we didn't want just anybody to direct one of our shows and so we sought out an individual whose work we truly admire. Natalie Joy Quesnel was actually one of the very few names that we could all agree on. Having seen bits and pieces of the show throughout rehearsals and during the media call, I can tell you that Natalie brings a solid vision to this piece; one that is very stylized and dance-like, but meshes incredibly well with the dream-like nature of the show. You ain't seen nothing like this, Ottawa!

3 - The award nominations: The cast and crew of Arabian Night have over 15 award nominations and wins among them. These include the Rideau Awards, the Capital Critics Circle, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ottawa Fringe Festival, the Golden Cherry Awards, and the Ottawa Xpress. This production actually reunites the multi-award nominated team that brought you Third Wall's Betrayal a few years ago, among other things.

4 - The show: This is the Ottawa English-language premiere of Arabian Night by Roland Schimmelpfennig, translated by David Tushingham. At Evolution Theatre, we like being able to provide Ottawa audiences with something they have never seen before and this play is no different. We're calling it an erotic urban thriller. On the hottest night of the year, five characters spin an intricate tale that blurs the boundaries between the real and the imaginary while the heat gives rise to their deepest desires and subconscious fears. The show is a critical darling in Germany (hence why His Excellency Dr. Georg Witschel Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany will be in attendance on opening night) and has played to much acclaim all over the world.

5 - The company: People who've missed an Evolution Theatre show always seem to say "Oh I heard such good things about that! I'm sorry I missed it." Well, don't be sorry this time around and see what all the fuss is about! I will be absolutely honest with you. Of the 9 shows that we have produced, there is only one that I did not enjoy. I don't know about you, but those are some odds that I am willing to go to the bank with.

6 - The venue: This is the first time that we are putting on a show in a non-theatrical space. Cube Gallery has been an incredibly generous production partner and I believe that being immersed in the current exhibition, The Three Tooners, adds a certain level to the show that you would not find in a regular space. Plus, the exhibition is just amazing. I recommend people come right when the doors open at 7:30 p.m. in order to enjoy it all.

So, what are you waiting for? Call 613-728-1750 to reserve your tickets as seating is limited. It runs from October 14 to 24 at 8 p.m. (no shows on Monday and Tuesday, though we do have a Sunday performance). Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 for students, seniors and starving artists. Our official opening night is on Friday, October 16th and it includes a reception post show with, as I mentioned, the German Ambassador. Tickets for that event are $40 and include food and beverages post-show, as well as an opportunity to mix and mingle with the cast and crew.

There is a lot of great buzz surrounding this production. Our preview show on the 14 is already sold out and half the tickets are already gone for both opening and closing night. We're also holding a special Facebook Friends event on October 15. If you are our friend on Facebook, you will get a $5 discount on the Thursday night show if you click on the event link and tell us you will be attending the performance. Your name will be on a list at the door to receive your discount.

Though it may seem biased, I sincerely believe in this production and in the people involved. If you see this show, trust me, you will not regret it.

The Return of Blogger Row

A few months ago, I was granted a wonderful opportunity by the National Arts Centre, as a blogger, to attend a concert with the NAC Orchestra (and totally geek out from a meeting with Mr. Sulu - yes THE Mr. Sulu). The only catch was that I had to blog and tweet about the event. I had seats in the very last row of the very last balcony of the NAC's Southam Hall, which I affectionately dubbed "Blogger Row" in a tweet after realizing that I was sitting with a lot of people I followed on Twitter.

Well, the name's stuck and the NAC is doing it again. I was invited to attend Beyond the Score: Mozart's Final Piano Concerto. I won't be able to attend tonight due to a prior engagement, but I just wanted to take the time to note my appreciation to the NAC for this offer.

I've been incredibly impressed with the NAC and their social media marketing campaign. Here is a great example of an art's organization who has fully embraced new media. Their website includes videos and podcasts to make your experience more interactive; they use Youtube, Facebook and Flickr; you can access live recording's from the NAC Orchestra through their Musicbox; most of their marketing staff can also be found on Twitter.

If you're a blogger, you should definitely get in touch with these people!

As the Director of Communications for Evolution Theatre, I find this inspiring. We don't have a budget that compares to that of the National Arts Centre, but all of these means of promotion are fairly inexpensive to implement. Mostly, you just need the time to keep things up to date.

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With all this in mind, we, at Evolution Theatre, have decided to take on our own social media experiment.

Would you like a discount on our next production - the Ottawa English language premiere of Arabian Night? Then you should be our friend on Facebook!

October 15th will officially be our Facebook Friends' Night for Arabian Night at the Cube Gallery. Everyone in this group will be granted $5 off their regular ticket price ($20 general admission / $15 students, seniors and starving artists - valid id required) for this night only.

Here's what you need to do. Go to the Arabian Night event page and indicate that you will be attending the show:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6838688181#/event.php?eid=147376941961

(Check out the incredibly hot publicity photos by the amazing Tim Ginley while you're at it!)

We will be printing out the invitation list as of 3 p.m. on October 15th. You MUST let us know you are attending the event or we won't be able to verify that you are in our group and give you your discount.

Only one ticket discount per person. If your friends would like a discount, just have them join the event and the group! It's that simple.

Seating is limited, so if you would like to reserve your seats in advance (cash payment required at the door), you can do so by calling the Cube Gallery at 613-728-1750.