Thank You, Swift Current

I can't believe it's been a over week since I first arrived in Swift Current, SK, to do two performances of Roller Derby Saved My Soul. I had (with one minor exception) a crazy good time. One patron told me that in all 5 years of the festival, my show was a definite highlight for him. Oh and of course the Swift Current Roller Derby Team, the Redneck Betties came out and absolutely loved the show!

I even had a friend drive 3 hours from Saskatoon to see the show (she tells me it was worth it), before hitching a ride with her and spending the weekend at her home. Let's just say I finally understood why they call it the "Paris of the Prairies."  Seriously, Saskatoon is a beautiful city. I will definitely be back.

But enough about the Toon, this is about the Current.

The Summer Chautauqua Theatre Festival, which is held at the Lyric Theatre is really nice. The venue is beautiful, the concession sells popcorn and homemade pies, you can eat and drink during the shows, and local acts are presented in conjunction with the touring performers. I even got some media attention.

Check out this interview I did for Southwest TV News. You get a great explanation of the festival and some clips from my show, as well as Son of Africville, which I also had the pleasure of seeing. I'm at the 1:17 mark, but the whole video is worth watching (see if you notice the part were my roller skate decided to go for a solo trip off the raked stage). Oh, and when the festival organizer mentions that usually she just messages performers on Facebook? That's totally what happened to me. Another win for social media!

To any fringe performers out there, you should definitely keep this one in mind when planning your travels next year.

And for those of you who would like to support Roller Derby Saved My Soul, the fundraising campaign is ongoing!

New Beginnings

So, here it is: the new website! Do you like? I like! First of all, a big thank you Jeremy Crittenden of Critty Design for getting this baby out of my head and into the interwebs.  I'm still uploading content, so feel free to check back frequently to see what neat new things I might have in store. But this isn't my only new beginning. This week, I quit my day job. After almost 9 months, I will be leaving the Ontario Arts Council at the end of July.  Let me tell you, it was not an easy decision to make. I have gone from having nothing to becoming accustomed to a certain level of comfort. But my arts practice has suddenly picked up and I'll be damned if I'm not going to ride that wave.

I've got new headshots, a new website and a heck of a lot of inspiration from some pretty amazing acting classes I've been attending since last September. Roller Derby Saved My Soul was invited to take part in the Summer Chautauqua Theatre Festival in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and I'll be doing a special one-off performance in Ottawa before I head off.  I've been working my butt off for the past month to get back into Derby-show shape (as opposed to alcoholic homeless woman shape which was much easier to achieve).

And although I didn't get a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts (not because it was a bad application but because they only funded about 12% of the 200 people who applied), I set up an Indie Gogo campaign to help me redevelop the piece and take it on tour next year.  I'm simply floored at how well that has taken off, raising over $1000 in a day. I would be very grateful if you could take a moment to support the campaign, either through a contribution or by sharing it with your friends. Please know that every little bit helps.

I'm ready to commit to this art form once more. Join me for the ride, won't you?

Big Changes and Events Coming Soon!

A friend messaged me on Facebook recently to ask if I was still alive. When I answered that I had been taking a break from social media, she quickly wondered how that was possible since "you ARE social media." I just got tired, you know? I spend approximately 15 hours a day at two joe jobs that revolve entirely around social media. The vast majority of my life is spent in front of a screen and I just don't have anything witty to say about it anymore.  I wonder if people who work as cooks or cleaners for a living then go home and realize that the last thing they want to do is cook or clean?  These days, I just want to sit in the sun with my new e-reader (ok, still a screen, but at least it's got me reading fiction again) and hang out with the people I love.

Plus, I'm getting my shit together and re-branding this site. By mid-June, expect a brand spanking new website from yours truly.  There will be a few blog posts before then, mostly about the London Fringe Festival, which I plan on attending, but until then I leave you with this tidbit of juicy news:

Les Prix Rideau Award-winning, critically acclaimed Roller Derby Saved My Soul RETURNS!

I've been invited to participate in the Summer Chautauqua Theatre Festival in Swift Current, SK.  The festival organizer was looking up successful Fringe shows that she would like to produce, read good things about RDSMS online and contacted me directly through Facebook (contrary to what I've been saying above: gogo social media!) asking if I was touring this year and would I like to bring the show to her festival.  Though the official line-up hasn't been released, I can tell you that I will be performing on Thursday, July 5th at 9 p.m. and Friday, July 6th at 6 p.m.

That said, since I haven't performed the show in almost a year, I will be heading up to Ottawa to rehearse with my director, Tania Levy.  Which means:

OTTAWA - ONE DAY ONLY!

Roller Derby Saved My Soul - PWYC - July 2nd, 2012 (Holiday Monday) at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama - See it again or for the very first time.

Time TBD - If there is enough interest, I may do two runs of the show that day. If you'd like to see the show, please let me know in the comment section if you would like attend a matinee or an evening performance.