Cool People Doing Cool Things

Derby theatre is so hot right now! If you are in any way a regular reader of mine, you should know all about my one-woman show, Roller Derby Saved My Soul (and if you don't, click on that link now!). Then today on Twitter a friend sent me this link from Time Out Chicago about The New Colony's upcoming production of Down & Derby.

ZOMG! There's another Roller Derby play out there!

The production sounds so completely different from my show (11 person cast! on an actual track!) and yet playwright Aaron Weissman seems to have hit on all the same notes I did when discovering derby and its "theatrical potential". Are Aaron Weissman and I tapped into the same Universal Mind? Did we play roller derby together in a past life? Are we long lost Wonder Twins? Who knows?

What I do know is that if you are in Chicago right now, you need to go out there and see this show. And then call me, maybe, and tell me EVERYTHING!

Or you could also figure out a way for me to get to Chicago and see this show for myself.

Either way, I think the Windy City just shot to the top of my list of cities where I need to tour Roller Derby Saved My Soul.

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Down & Derby

A young roller derby team, the Larkin City Misfit Mavericks, skate for glory in their small home town –– until rival ambitions begin to tear the team apart. IT'S WAR ON WHEELS and THESE SKATES ARE REAL.

PREVIEWS Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28

OPENING Tuesday, October 30

RUNS Thursday - Saturdays, November 1 - December 8

7:30pm Doors, 8pm Whistle

Written by Aaron Weissman Directed by Thrisa Hodits

Starring Hannah Alcorn, Joel Kim Booster, Lucy Gossett, Jaclyn Keough, Evan Linder, Aileen May, Morgan McNaught, Kitty Mortland, Kristi Parker-Barnhart, Rania Salem Manganaro, Carol Saller, Lauren Sivak, Sasha Smith, Sara Stern, Mary Williamson, and John Wilson

Choreography by Katie Spelman Scenic design by John Holt Lighting design by Heather Gilbert Costume design by Curtis Cassell Sound Design by Nick Kawahara

Learn more about Down & Derby at http://thenewcolony.org/view/down_and_derby

Buy tickets at https://thenewcolony.tixato.com/buy/down-derby

Cool People Doing Cool Things

It's been a while since I've done one of these blog posts but I've definitely been inspired lately by the outpouring of Indiegogo campaigns that some very talented people I know have put together. From personal experience, I know how difficult raising funds can be even if you have the greatest project in the world. These projects are all pretty amazing in their own way and I hope that you will take a moment to click on the links, learn about them, and support them in any way you can. Because as my friend The Visitorium so eloquently put it: "Fuck that Tesla Museum bullshit." Here are some people who actually NEED your help! So without further ado, meet everyone:

Gruppo Rubato's 10th Anniversary Project: Snapshot I had the pleasure of participating in one of the first public reads of Snapshot by Karen Balcome and immediately fell in love with this story and you will too. This production is also Gruppo Rubato's 10th original theatre production, coinciding with the company's 10th anniversary. And they are just looking for $10 a person! Definitely worth supporting, especially if, like me, you can't make it to the performance happening later this week.

Day in the Life of Death Some of my very favorite up-and-coming filmmakers are putting together funds for a dark comedy web series. This is a super talented group of people who write and produce some top-notch, quality stuff. Just watch this trailer if you don't believe me:

Pornstar Another webseries, this one taking a behind the scenes look at the porn industry. This project comes from a bunch of uber-talented actresses I have the pleasure of calling friends. Plus, I just love this tag-line: Sabotage, hilarity, and skin abound as the girls compete to be the next porn superstar. Nuff said.

Second Skin Theatre Not an Indiegogo campaign, but I thought I might spread some love across the pond to my friend Jessica and her new theatre company. The money will actually help them renovate a space I hope I will one day get a chance to visit.

HOW IT WORKS: Free tickets for at-risk youth A thousand apologies to the gang at Plosive Productions! Unfortunately this blog post comes too late to be any good to their Indiegogo campaign. That said, it's a really good cause and I'm sure if you email them directly, they won't say no to an additional donation.

Click on all the title links to find out more about each individual campaign. If you don't the money to spare, don't worry! You can still help out just by spreading the word.

Happy crowdfunding everyone!

Cool People Doing Cool Things

Meet Jayson McDonald. I've mentioned him within these pages before, mostly as the producer of one of my very favorite little festivals - London's Big Comedy Go-To (coming up in an April near you!) But Jayson is also the creator of some of the most awesome Fringe shows I have ever seen (including one that I was so very proud to be a part of The Last Goddamned Performance Piece). The first McDonald show I saw was in Ottawa in 2008. It was called Boat Load and it just blew me away. In a previous post I said of it that "I never realized until then that one person could do so much on stage with so little and still tell a beautiful and compelling story."

I remember talking to everyone I knew at the Fringe Tent about Boat Load and how amazed I was by it, so much so that I think I saw it twice. The general response from people in the know was along the lines of "well of course it is, haven't you seen him in Robot?" Oh Giant Invisible Robot, how you have haunted me since then.

Giant Invisible Robot was Jayson McDonald's first solo Fringe show and it has always been an incredible success.  It had played at the Ottawa Fringe Festival the year prior and, somehow, I had missed it (if you can believe it, there was actually a time when I didn't see everything).  In 2009, I started my own touring adventures on the Fringe Circuit and Jayson became a good friend. He's produced Giant Invisible Robot multiple times to unbelievable success everywhere he's gone, but somehow I always missed it. I would never be in the same city at the same time. Robot became my Polkaroo. This went on for FOUR goddamn years. It got to the point where I was asking Jayson if I could just give him some money RIGHT NOW would he just do the show for me.

One person shows work that way, right? Unless they take place on roller skates, in which case I will tell you I am wearing the wrong pants and can't give you a personal performance of Roller Derby Saved My Soul.

I thought this trend was going to continue even after hearing that Giant Invisible Robot would be clearing a path of destruction all the way to the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa, because, BLAST, I was going to be in Toronto. But then Fate intervened. It just so happened that I would have an audition in Ottawa on the very same day that Robot would be opening. Now, my plan was to attend the audition and then boogie back to TO in time to catch my roommate's opening night of Dying Hard because, I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I love my uber talented roommate very much. When she caught wind of my plan and realized that I hadn't seen Robot yet ("What do you mean you still haven't seen it? How is that even possible?" - see my response above), she convinced me to stay in town to watch it. I'd be able to catch her show later on in the week anyway, but this could be my only chance to see Giant Invisible Robot. And, in her words, I just HAD to see this beautiful show.

And you know what? She was right. So right that I sent her flowers. The show is as worth it as everyone has told me it was.

Well, what are you waiting for Ottawa? I waited FOUR years to see Giant Invisible Robot, you shouldn't wait another minute. It's at the Gladstone Theatre until Saturday. And if you're feeling extra keen, stick around on Friday or Saturday night and catch another personal favorite of mine, Paul Hutcheson, in Third Time Lucky, right after Robot. That is one awesome night of theatre right there!

Cool People Doing Cool Things

Meet Mikaela Dyke. She is currently one of my absolutely favorite people in the whole wide world. And I just so happen to be lucky enough to get to live with her too.

She is funny, entertaining and quirky in all the right places. She's an independent artist who inspires me everyday because she is able to live fully doing what she loves best. She's really smart, a hard-worker and incredibly multi-talented. Not a single day goes by that I do not learn something new about her; whether it be the fact that she speaks Russian (among many other languages), used to do gymnastics for years, or can reprogram a computer just by looking at it.  She always knows the right thing to say when a boy breaks my heart ("Fuck that guy!") and makes sure I don't do things like burn down the apartment, which she tells me would be inconvenient.

And did I mention she's funny? If you live in the Greater GTA and you happened to laugh at something today, chances are Mikaela Dyke made it happen with her magic laughter creating powers.

But, if you live anywhere else in Canada. You also know that Mikaela Dyke is an incredibly gifted dramatic actress.

In 2009, in one of my annual "must-see" Fringe lists, I wrote the following about a play called Reflections on Giving Birth to a Squid:

I saw this show in Winnipeg on a whim without knowing anything about it or anyone in the cast and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. This was a very original show with an interesting concept that never got too hockey or sentimental. I believe this was due to some very strong acting from the lead actress whose name I have unfortunately forgotten. In the spirit of Fringe, take a chance on this show.

That actress who's name I unfortunately forgot? Yup. Mikaela Dyke. I'm not going to forget that name again (mostly because it would make things awkward at home), but you won't either Toronto, after you see what all the fuss is about in Dying Hard, next week at the Tarragon Extra Space.

I had the privilege of seeing this show in Ottawa, before the two of us had even entertained the notion of being roommates, and I was simply blown away. And I'm not the only one. Dying Hard has toured coast-to-coast, picking up awards and accolades in every. single. city. Seriously.  You can check it out below, along with all the proper show details.

I will be seeing this beautiful show next week. Of course, since I live with the lead actor and principal creator of this piece, I was offered a complimentary ticket, but I turned it down. Why? Because this one is worth paying for.

See you at the theatre!

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The Theatre Elusive in co-production with A Vagrant presents:

DYING HARD

"There's whole families here wiped out. It's time for someone to make a noise." ... One of the Calgary Herald's most memorable theatre moments of 2011.

Six true stories from a community struggling to survive the ravages of industrial carnage. Taken from archived interviews, Dying Hard reveals the strength and grace of Newfoundland fluorspar miners in spite of the extraordinary hardships they faced.

Based on interviews taken by Elliott Leyton in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland. Adapted for the stage by and featuring Mikaela Dyke Directed by Dahlia Katz

Dates: March 13th - March 17th, 2012 - 8pm March 17th - March 18th, 2012 - 2:30pm

Tickets $25, $20 for students/arts workers.

Box office: 416.531.1827 Online: https://tickets.tarragontheatre.com/TheatreManager/1/tmEvent/tmEvent324.html

***Winner - Best in Fest - Halifax Fringe Festival 2010*** ***Winner - Best Performance - London Fringe Festival 2010*** ***Winner - Best Female Performance - The Beat Magazine 2010*** ***Winner - Outstanding Solo Performance - Ottawa Fringe Festival 2011*** ***Winner - Best Female Performance - CBC Winnipeg 2011***

"★★★★★ - Pure Storytelling Magic" - Calgary Herald "Larger than life... Strikes a chord of classical tragedy." - CBC Ottawa "Her performance is a wonder" - CBC Manitoba "Riveting." - Ottawa Citizen "Intense, if not stilling." - The Telegram, St. John's "I challenge you to see this show" - The Coast, Halifax

Cool People Doing Cool Things

Meet Kate Drummond. Kate is my beautiful, talented, funny and most athletic of all my friends. She's also pretty damn hilarious.  So what happens when you mix all those traits together and your throw them in the kitchen? Well, you get A Jock's Guide.

She's been getting a lot of awesome buzz so far with her short cooking episodes on Youtube and recently launched a pretty awesome looking site.

About A Jock's Guide:

We’ve all seen those cooking shows. You know, those ones. The shows that make us all feel incompetent in the kitchen and never seem to lead us to a creation that is as lovely or jaw-dropping as the one depicted.

A Jock’s Guide is the “most real” reality cooking show online!

It’s a one-woman show, from start to finish. It’s filmed and edited on a laptop, with no script or retakes and in whatever kitchen will have her! Really, it’s cooking in its rawest form, and even though the process may not be always pretty, the recipes are 100% crowd pleasers.

Here's the latest episode on making Beaver Tails:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rOGvyHsOYA&feature=player_embedded#!]

I personally enjoy her discussion on Dutch Ovens and Boney M.

Plus, she's now teamed up with registered charity Kids Sport Ontario so donations to the site can go do a good cause.

I highly encourage you to check out all her episodes (there are 8 so far) and, if any of you have any connections to Wendel Clark whom Kate would love to get on her show (see Episode 6 for more), please let her know!  It's for the children after all. Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children? ... And you know, Kate's lifelong dream to meet Wendel Clark.

I am so proud of Kate for doing these videos. Do yourself a favour and check them out.

Cool People Doing Cool Things

Meet Joanna Maracle. Joanna and I met last year when I auditioned for a student commercial project she was working on at Humber College.  Her skill level and professionalism really impressed me and I was thrilled when she later asked me to read for a short student film she was producing.  That last project, entitled The Sheppard, was a blast to work on (and having just watched a picture locked version of it, I can tell you it looks pretty damn good too!) and I would drop everything to work with that gang again.  That's why it's with great pleasure that I let you know of another project that Joanna is working on.

She is currently the Volunteer Captain for the Female Eye Film Festival, Ontario’s one and only annual international independent film Festival showcasing films directed by women, which will be taking place from March 28th to April 1st in Toronto.

She is currently looking for volunteers and would love to have you as part of her team.  If I wasn't going to be in Ottawa for rehearsals, I would sign up myself.  Details below:

THE 10th ANNUAL FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL, March 28th - April 1st, 2012 (Toronto, Ontario)

The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF), a registered not for profit organization, celebrates its 10th Anniversary edition, March 28th - April 1st, 2012.  The Female Eye is a competitive annual women directors film festival. The FeFF simply couldn't offer such a broad range of initiatives without the impressive skills and commitment of our volunteers. We are grateful for the ongoing contribution made by our many volunteer teams.

THE FEMALE EYE IS ACTIVELY RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Hosts: Program hosts are wanted for theatre screenings. Hosts greet the audience, introduce the film program and moderate the audience Q & A's with the filmmakers in attendance following the screenings. Film programs are 120 min in duration. Hosts must have a deep appreciation for independent cinema and must be knowledgeable in regards to the status of women directors.

Volunteer Coordinator: The Volunteer Coordinator ensures that volunteer information forms are complete and up to date with volunteer contact information, and assists the Volunteer Captain with her duties via the dissemination of information.

General Volunteers: The FeFF seeks ushers for film screenings, as well as, volunteers who can assist with the set -up and tear down of the media /registration suite, panel discussions, script readings, round table discussions and Best In The Biz Tribute Series.

All industry sessions take place at the Novotel Toronto Centre.(45 The Esplanade, TORONTO, ON).

Photographers: We seek creative and talented photographers to capture the energy of awards nights, panel discussions, opening and closing ceremonies, and more.

Drivers: The FeFF needs capable G class drivers with excellent records to help in the transportation outof-town special guests as well as the safe transport of festival equipment and supplies.

DONATIONS: We seek articulate, communicative volunteers who are able to solicit donations/gifts for the VIP Registration/ GIFT Bags.

STREET TEAM (PR & Marketing) The FeFF seeks individuals who can disseminate flyers, postcards and provide ticket give-aways to local businesses in the GTA two weeks prior to the event.

NEW Volunteer or a past Festival Volunteer?

If you are interested in volunteering at this years festival please email volunteer@FemaleEyefilmfestival.com or info@FemaleEyeFilmFestival.com.

FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL (FeFF) "Always honest, not always pretty" 10th Anniversary, March 28th - April 1st, 2012 Female Eye Headquarters • 905. 264-7731 50 Wallace Street, Woodbridge, Ontario, L4L 2P3, Canada www.FemaleEyeFilmFestival.com

Cool People Doing Cool Things

Though I obviously haven't managed to make this a regular weekly feature, I'll still be throwing around some more Cool People Doing Cool Things, you know, for your own good. So this time around, meet Patrick Gauthier.

Among many many job titles to his name, Patrick is the Festival Producer of the undercurrents "theatre below the mainstream" Festival.  Tonight marks the opening night of the festival, now entering it's sophomore year and recently called one of the most 'promising developments in the (Ottawa) theatre scene in the past few years.'  The festival serves a much needed purpose for indie theatre companies looking to go beyond that 'Fringe Festival' status, but who don't have the resources (audience, funds, ect.) to fill one of those big fancy-schmancy places like the Oiving Greenberg (TM - The Visitorium).  In fact, one of the ideas behind the undercurrents Festival was to give these indie performers access to the Great Canadian Theatre Company's regular audience base.  And it seems to be working: in it's inaugural year, the festival had a whopping 86% attendance rate!

(ed. note - after posting this blog update, I learned that one show is already completely sold out - Live from the Belly of a Whale - which was also directed by Patrick Gauthier. It seems the festival is well on its way to beat last years attendance records and it hasn't even opened yet. Better get your tickets now for all the other great productions. Congratulations, Pat!)

If you read about how crazy excited I was for the Next Stage Theatre Festival, you can probably imagine how I am feeling about undercurrents.  You guys, this is going to be shitballz fantastic! (somebody quote me on that)

So what makes a successful theatre festival in NancyKenny's book?

• Keep it small - I hate missing out on things. With only 6 productions at undercurrents, I can easily catch them all.
• Keep it cheap - I want to see everything! I can't do that if I can't afford it. A $60 Flex pass gives you access to every single show at $10 a pop. Amazing! (Or you can claim blogger status, that sometimes works too...)
• Keep it central - in this case, one venue means no running around to catch the next production, which means more time to hang around, drink and socialize.  Because to me, theatre is a communal thing. I want to talk to you about what you've seen so far, what was good, and is Pat Gauthier wearing new Converse shoes?
• Keep it casual and easy - No theatre festival is complete without ample beverage opportunities and undercurrents has pretty much become the greatest theatre festival in the world by allowing drinks inside the theatre.  This means no chugging wine (ew!) at the last minute so that you don't miss your start time.  It's the little things, you know?

This is all so great that I'll be heading up to Ottawa this weekend to marathon my way through all the shows.  I'll talk about individual productions later on in the week, but for now I just want to extend a very big thank you to Pat Gauthier and the Great Canadian Theatre Company for putting together this little gem of a theatre festival.  undercurrents is just what the doctor ordered.

As always, I'll be seeing you at the theatre!

Cool People Doing Cool Things

I've decided since I like promoting other people's arts projects to start up a new semi-regular feature on my blog which I will call  Cool People Doing Cool Things.  Just to be clear, no one has asked me to do this, these are just things that I find interesting, fun, and basically, cool.  These are things that I am going to check out for myself and, since my "readership" has just boomed recently, I feel a certain amount of responsibility to let you know about it too. This is for your own good ;)

So, for my first CPDCT, meet Corin Raymond.

I met Corin last year at the Hamilton Fringe Festival when he absolutely wowed me with his solo storytelling epic, Bookworm.  That's when I also found out he was a musician, and a pretty damn good one at that.  Weeks ago, Corin found out that The Rogue Studio, where he got his last CD mixed and mastered and all that fancy musician lingo, has always accepted Canadian Tire money at par.  Since then, he's been a man on a mission.  His goal, to raise all the money needed to produce his next album.  The response has been pretty great so far, but on Monday, the dream got bigger.  Taken from his Facebook page:

I'm gonna take this thing all the way-- I'm gonna break the record for non-Canadian-Tire-affiliated-Canadian-citizen-gathered stash of CT bills. I'm going to set a record which has never been and will not be repeated in our lifetimes. I'm going to make TWO beautiful albums as a result and I'm going to spread the joy of the experience every which way, all the way, and keep you in smiles all year long. I don't even know what the record is, but I'll tell you this: it's not gonna be able to see me for dust.

His enthusiasm is crazy exciting and I want to do something to help.  Now, I've already mailed in the little bit of CT money I found in my wallet (and god damn I wish it was more!), and I want you to do the same.  Go to your wallet, your old receipt drawer, your family members' wallets and fish out those little Sandy McTire's you've been saving up.  Come on, the $2.45 you've been saving up isn't going to do you much good and you know it, but it could make a world of difference for my friend Corin.

Send your Canadian Tire money here:

Corin Raymond 39 Oxford St., Toronto, ON M5T 1N8

Or just give it to me. I've started a collection at work and I hope to drop it off next week when I attend  the live recording of the album on the 24th.  You can also  RSVP here and attend yourself on January 24 or 25 at the Tranzac.

Follow Corin's progress and read more about his story on his blog here.