Last Time, With Feeling

I'm just a few hours away from my very last performance of Roller Derby Saved My Soul of the summer, as a Pick of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, and for the foreseeable future. Sitting here in my special tank top, though I'm feeling a bit nervous, as I do before any performance, I also feel a great sense of accomplishment and gratitude. What an adventure I've been on! Four months on the road, 55 performances in multiple cities across this beautiful country, tons of friends old and new, two very special colleagues who helped me realize my vision of a feature-length documentary in one awesome little car from the amazing people at Hunt Club Volkswagen in Ottawa... Man, do I ever have a lot to be grateful for. A more personalized list of thank yous will be coming soon, but for now, I just want to let all of you reading this that I couldn't have done it without your support.

Thank you thank you thank you. And I will see you on the flip side.

P.S. Don't tell Tania Levy that my last performance takes place on a raised and very lumpy stage. She worries ;)

Terminal City, Last Stop

I arrived in Vancouver not really knowing what to expect with this Fringe. I've always loved the city and Granville Island in particular, but I had never performed here before. My last three cities (Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria) had been just fine, so I expected just as much here. But both the weather and the festival went well above and beyond my wildest expectations. I arrived in town to what I quickly discovered was some mad media buzz. In addition to the Georgia Straight review from the Victoria Fringe, I got to attend a media call and I was named a festival pick in almost every local publication, both online and in print. I once again thank my lucky stars for my amazing promotional pictures, which I am sure played an important role in getting me noticed.

I started flyering and right away the response was incredibly positive. Still, I had no idea what to expect on opening night. Let me tell you I was pretty blown away when I found out that my show had sold out and there were multiple people turned away at the door. My family almost didn't make it in. I kept working it throughout most of the week and ended up with virtually a sold out run in Vancouver. But the good news doesn't stop there! I was selected as a Pick of the Fringe, which means I get an extra performance on Sunday, September 21 at 5 p.m. So if you are in Vancouver or have friends who are, this is probably your last chance to see Roller Derby Saved My Soul this year.

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As I write this, Cory is now on his way to the airport to board a plane back to Ottawa. Most of the filming on the documentary is done, though Natalie will be around to talk to me after my last performance on Sunday. It's been quite the adventure traveling across the country with these two and I honestly couldn't have had a better team. We not only worked well together, we travelled well too, which I think is important. And although a chapter in our journey is now coming to a close, we still have all of post-production to get through first.

But more on that and my own travels back to Ottawa in my Hunt Club VW Passat in another post. And if you would like to have access to some exclusive content and information in regards to the tour and the documentary, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter here.

We can rebuild her, we have the technology

Roller Derby is a very physically demanding sport and injuries are common. One of the main reasons I don't play in any actual games is, in fact, to avoid injury at all cost. After all, if I get hurt, I wouldn't be able to do my show. It never really occurred to me that I could get hurt doing the show. First of all, I'm by myself, so there's no chance of getting knocked down hard and all the falls I do do are carefully choreographed. But I'm doing a show on roller skates practically every day for the past 3 months. In some cities, like Edmonton, I would even flyer on my skates, spending 4 to 5 hours a day in them. Like runners training, there's bound to be some wear and tear overtime.

And I'm not quite sure if that's what it was? Overuse and bad posture maybe? Or maybe the floors in the Falsecreek Community Centre were just harder than what I've been used to - I've been told it's a sprung floor but it doesn't feel that way. Or maybe, this one time, I landed funny? But during my tech rehearsal for the Vancouver Fringe on Wednesday, when I practiced my jump and landed on my skates as I zip around my makeshift track, something felt off in my right knee. With the limited amount of time you get to tech, I brushed it off, finished the rehearsal, and with a half hour to spare, tried it again on different skates, since my outdoor wheels have more cushioning than my indoor ones. Then I tried it one more time on my regular skates before thinking that maybe I should stop now...

I called my director. Her first suggestion was the sensible one - "Cut the jump." - So of course I didn't want to hear it. Thoughts of a Calgary Fringe review ran through my head: "The novelty of wheel-powered theatre eventually wears off." 

I'd worked damn hard on that jump and I wanted to show it off, but ugh... Yup, I was letting my one meh review from the summer dictate my personal safety because I was scared of losing any more Wow factor from the show.

I met with the team and started icing my knee. It did feel better. But I didn't want to take any chances that it could get worse. My greatest fear was that I wouldn't be able to do the show at all. Or at least not skate in it. So I managed to get a last minute physiotherapy appointment. And am I ever glad I did!

My physiotherapist was amazing! She immediately noticed there was swelling in my knee, but after some light testing deduced that it was a minor injury. My knee got tapped up. I was given some exercises to work on, as well as some kind of electrotherapy, told to keep icing it when it hurt and Just. Be. Careful. It was really awesome to talk to someone who worked with athletes and knew how important it was for them to be able to perform the next day. She made me feel at ease and like I had options.

Opening night in Vancouver. A sold out house! I really was not expecting that at all! My knee is feeling better so I decide to go for it with the jump. Boom! Nailed it. No twitch, no pain. I feel relieved. After the show, other then residual muscle stiffness, I feel pretty alright. Five more performances to go so let's keep it that way.

Blink and You'll Miss Victoria

Hi Victoria Fringe Festival, so nice to meet you... hey, where did you go?? After our all too brief mental health day in Jasper, we hopped into our Hunt Club Volkswagen Passat and drove all the way to Victoria; arriving with just enough time to say hello to our new billets - for the first time this tour we were all being billeted separately - and head on down to Fringe grounds for the mid-week preview showcase, where all the performers who came in from Edmonton got to strut their stuff on stage.

I had my tech rehearsal the very next day and jumped right into my first performance almost immediately after... and every day after that. Phew!

I was placed in another awesome venue with a fantastic technician and, although I was further away from the main Fringe grounds, I found the audiences in Victoria to be some of the warmest on the circuit. In Edmonton, possibly due to the sheer volume of shows happening at the same time, it often felt like a struggle to, not only get people to your show, but to enjoy your show without suspicion - in the "ok, show me why I'm here and not next door" kind of way. But in Victoria, though it could take some work to get people through the door, once they were in, they were ready to have a good time with you. It felt like we were on the same team and I think my show got exponentially better because of it.

The show also got some great reviews and was nominated in 3 Pick of the Fringe categories: Favourite Solo Show, Favourite Comedy and Favourite Female Performer.  Not too shabby!

But time flies when you're having fun, and so after barely 6 days in town, we once again packed up the car and headed off to catch a boat that would take us to our final festival city. Vancouver, here we come!

Mental Health Day in Jasper

Well, the Edmonton Fringe was alright after all. Though I haven't added up my final numbers, I don't think I ended up losing any money though I didn't make as much as I did last year. I also closed the show to my biggest house of the festival, filled with an incredibly appreciative crowd of Roller Derby players, including the famed "Roxy Balboa" & "Justin (now going by Dixon) Cider". That said, knowing that we would have a brief window between the close of the Edmonton Fringe and the mid-week preview night in Victoria, I decided the best thing for us was to take a mental health day. And since I had heard amazing things about Jasper, but had never been, I knew that was exactly where I wanted to go. So, after dropping off the fabulous Randi, who joined us in Calgary and followed us to Edmonton to work on the documentary, and Cory's always awesome heterosexual lifemate Tony at the airport for 5 a.m., I packed up the car and a few hours later we were on our way to the mountains.

Now, a "mental health day" should entail no work being done whatsoever, but of course that didn't happen. On our way, we stopped a few times to film some more footage for our Hunt Club Volkswagen Road Trip Diaries, there were plenty of discussions about what/who to film in Victoria and we've started talking about post-production & distribution of the film. But when the scenery around you is so beautiful, is it still really work?

Cory and Natalie had no idea where we would be staying because I wanted to surprise them. Weeks ago I decided I would splurge a bit and ended up with a great deal on a room at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Of course, we couldn't tell anyone Cory was with us, since there was an extra charge for an additional person in the room.

The Lodge was, of course, pretty fantastic. We went swimming in their heated outdoor pool, had a great dinner and enjoyed some free smores by a campfire. It was everything I needed to relax.

The next day we woke up early, said goodbye to our awesome room and made it to Victoria in good time. For the first time, we were all being billeted separately, but fortunately all our places turned out to be really nice. Cory headed off to pick up his girlfriend (and my assistant) Emily from the airport while Natalie and I got ready for preview night.

And the next chapter of our journey continues in Victoria...

Edmonton Fringe Struggles

Last year, producing a show at the Edmonton Fringe Festival was challenging. I'm not afraid of a challenge. I know if I work hard, I can make it happen. And I did. This year, on the other hand, has been downright difficult. Attendance for my show is low, some of the lowest I've had on the circuit, and I'm not sure I'm even going to break even in this town. It was probably naive to think that the high I was riding from Toronto and Winnipeg would continue in Edmonton, but I figure I would probably do as well as I did last year, if not better. All this has left me, and many others, feeling pretty Fringed and Confused. I know there may be a few reasons behind this. For instance, although I absolutely love my venue, it is located in the French Quarters, which is approximately a 25 minute walk from the main Fringe grounds. That may not seem like that much (and trust me, it isn't) but when you can choose a show located a few feet from where you are standing and one that involves a bit of walking... Well, I know which one I would choose. Also, though I don't have an official confirmation on this, I've heard that the festival has almost 30 extra shows this year as opposed to the last, which definitely could have an impact. Of course, this is also my second year in a row in town with what could be considered the "same" show. I'm thrilled some folks have decided to see the show twice, but with the number of shows to see, I completely understand if people want to see something new - even though I still consider this a fairly new version of the play. And finally, as much as I hate to admit it, the reviews stars do matter. Though the reviews for Roller Derby Saved My Soul have been amazing, for some reason the stars don't seem to match up. In fact, in some publications, the review is actually worse than the one from last year, even though my show is, arguably better than it was. But reviews are a post for another day.

Now, if you know me, you know that I have still been working my butt off to promote the show. I've been flyering a good 4 hours a day almost every day on roller skates no less, but I've noticed only a slight jump (approximately 10 new people) in ticket sales every time I do. This leads to many a frustrated feeling, including creeping doubts that maybe the show just isn't that good... Not true, I know, but it can be hard not to take it personally.

In the past few days, I've been actively working at changing my mentality about everything and looking for all the things that make me happy to be at the Edmonton International Fringe Festival. So, without further ado, I am grateful for the following:

• My billet's incredible home, which she is letting us housesit until Saturday. I sleep in my own bed, have access to a great vinyl collection and there's a hot tub!
• Skating everywhere I go - for the first time ever I have officially become and outdoor skater. My billet's place is approximately 10 minutes in either direction from both the main Fringe grounds and my venue. It's been a little scary thanks to the shoddy pavement in some areas, but such a thrill to be arriving at the festival on wheels.
• The poutine at Cafe Bicyclette is to DIE for and worth the trip out there alone. I would have posted a picture but I wolfed it down too fast.
• The French media has been incredible supportive of the show in the last few days with interviews for Le Franco and Le Cafe Show (Radio-Canada).
• My incredible Fringe family for their constant love, support and commiseration. Special shout-outs to Christine Lesiak, Jeff Leard and Gemme Wilcox who are also in my venue.

There are still 3 performances of Roller Derby Saved My Soul left. Please help me make them the best ones yet!

Use the Space, Luke

This post contains spoilers for Roller Derby Saved My Soul. Guys. I love my venue at the Edmonton Fringe Festival. Venue 48 - Rutherford School in the French Quarter is a school gymnasium converted into a proper theatre space. I always love performing Roller Derby Saved My Soul in gyms - as I learned last year in the King Edward School - because it adds this extra layer of ambiance to a sports show. Dare I say, it makes it almost site-specific. And I love me some site specific.

So what do you do with a site-specific show? You use the space. I am at floor level and the audience is on risers. This gives me plenty of room to skate around, not only the stage, but around the audience as well. I found a perfect moment in the show to use it.

But doing a show in an old building isn't all tricks and turns. There is, unfortunately, no air conditioning so the venue gets pretty warm. I was dripping buckets by the time I was done today. So, I had an idea, a way to use the venue to connect with my audience some more. Tomorrow, before my next show, I will be buying a case of water and passing it around for Roxanne so anyone who wants to can both play along and cool down. I'm excited to try something new.

Why don't you come play with me?

Are You Ready For This? No, Not Really.

Holy shit. It's mid-August already? After the sheer busy-ness that was the Winnipeg Fringe, Calgary was a much welcome breather. Calgary was probably my smallest festival on the circuit; only 27 shows and nothing starting before 5pm on weekdays. The staff/volunteers are amazing, I met some incredible roller derby peeps and I even had a great opportunity to perform a one-night only in Cochrane. I also got my weakest reviews for the show from the mainstream print media and the rest of my houses were definitely on the smaller side of what I was used to. That said, I did sell out one performance in a 116 seat venue, got a lovely 5 star review from a local blogger, and met up with some local producers who might want to bring in the show next year. So, all in all, the experience was a positive one.

Plus, I got to spend a day in Banff where apparently my ass has never looked better in shorts.

But the adventure continues and after a 3 hour drive, we find ourselves in Edmonton, days before the biggest festival on the circuit. And I... don't feel ready one bit. I feel like I've missed important deadlines, I've got no media coverage whatsoever and my posters and flyers aren't ready yet.

I'm incredibly grateful for my beautiful billet's home, which is offering me an oasis in what I'm building up to be a giant storm. I need to remember to breathe, to stay healthy, and to have fun. I think that last one is the most important one for me right now. This thing I'm doing? These people I'm seeing? This is fun.

If you see me around this week, just remind me of that once in a while, ok?

Ready... Set... Fringe!

What Is Success?

The other night, while flyering, I ran into a couple who told me their friend saw my show, loved it and had already come up with her roller derby name - Green Widow. I thought it was a pretty cool name, making the mental association that it was some kind of Black Widow reference. They said they were pretty sure she was going to try out for roller derby now and thanked me profusely for helping her out. I told them they were being too kind, but the woman kept going, saying that it was really nice to see their friend getting interested in doing stuff again... As she got chocked up telling me this, I finally clued in: Green Widow - as in "new" widow. Not knowing what else to do, I gave the woman a hug, told them I looked forward to seeing them at the show and walked away in a daze. Small houses? Bad reviews? Fuck them all.

The knowledge that something I created had the power to do that? Priceless.

When it gets rough, and it always gets rough, these are the things I need to remember.

Nancy's Must-See List at the 2014 Calgary Fringe Festival

I never got around to doing a Must-See list for the Winnipeg Fringe because, with over 160 shows, there were just too many that I wanted to see for me to write about. I honestly couldn't narrow the list down. Now in Calgary, with 27 shows in the festival, that list is much more manageable. We're now half-way through the festival so I have seen most of these by now and can pretty much guarantee you a good time at the theatre. So without further ado, you should see:

Roller Derby Saved My Soul

Duh.

Promise and Promiscuity: a new musical by Jane Austen and Penny Ashton

Probably one of my favorite shows from the Winnipeg Fringe this summer. You don't have to be a Jane Austen fan to love this one.

Mr. & Mrs. Alexander: Sideshows and Psychics

Just saw this one a few nights ago and it was not what I expected. Come for the magic, but stay for the wicked cool story.

Kitt & Jane: an interactive survival guide to the near post-apocalyptic future

Consistently on my list of shows to see regardless of the festival you find yourself at.

The Dark Fantastic

Probably my favorite of all Martin Dockery's solo shows. This is the one that made me realize he is not only a great story-teller but an incredible artist as well.

Paleoncology

One of my favorite shows from the Montreal Fringe. Simply gorgeous. Watch out for the dust in your eyes. *sniffle*

Who Killed Gertrude Crump?

Little know fact, I was a huge Agatha Christie fan growing up. And then there were none remains one of my favorite books. So a show based on her stories, along with the divine Tara Travis AND puppets? No brainer. Also NO SPOILERS!

The Sama Kutra

Met these clowns on Manitoulin Island. Any show directed by Mike Kennard is tops in my books.

Smartarse

Rob Gee is one of my favorite people on the Fringe. His show Fruitcake consistently sells out on tour. Looking forward to checking out his other work.

A Mind Full of Dopamine

Heard amazing things about this one in Ottawa and Rory Ledbetter is one of the best people you can meet on the circuit. Add to it that I have a personal connection to the source material which makes this show tops on my list.

Chase & Stacey's Joyride

Chase Padgett is that genius behind 6 Guitars & Nashville Hurricane. Stacey Hallal is the sassy improviser who toured last year with Ruby Rocket. Together they are a dynamite team who are sure to make you smile.

The Balding

All the way from Montreal, you will cringe-laugh through this show in the best way possible.

Oh and one little bonus: on Thursday I head out to Cochrane, just outside Calgary, to perform a one-night only presentation of Roller Derby Saved My Soul at an event called Fringe on the Ranche. This double-bill includes my show as well as Me and My Monkey. I will be seeing that show there that night, but you can also catch it at the Calgary Fringe for a few more days.

If you have any favorites, be sure to let me know what to see in the comment section below!

Night and Day - Thank you, Winnipeg!

My first experience at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival in 2009 was... not great. I did learn a whole bunch from it, but it took me much longer than a year to come back. In fact, after that particular Fringe experience, though I left things on a positive note, I was burnt and stopped writing for well over a year. It wasn't until late 2010 when I picked up what would eventually become Roller Derby Saved My Soul. So it was with some trepidation that I found myself back in Winnipeg. Yes, RDSMS had been doing very well all over the place, but once bitten, twice shy. Though I had gotten a great 4 star review from CBC Manitoba upon my arrival (they had reviewed the show in Toronto), the 3.5 stars from the Winnipeg Free Press (they reviewed the show in Montreal) did not inspire confidence. And so, I hit the ground running or flyering as the case may be. Actually, the interesting thing about going through my old blog posts in Winnipeg meant that I came across this one that includes some valuable tips about flyering a line-up. Tips that I realize I still use today.

My first show? Sold out in minutes.

I was shocked. 1:45 p.m. on a Friday? Really?

Still. I kept flyering. Connecting. Letting people know, one on one, about my show.

And then, about midway through the week, I found out that I had won "Patron's Pick" for my venue, which meant I would get an extra performance on the last day of the festival. I celebrated with more flyering. In fact, I was still flyering well into the last weekend of the Fringe, when other performers had long since stopped and told me there was no need to do so since my run was "selling out".

The thing is, unless I know for a fact that all my tickets are sold out, I will not stop. And since most festivals keep a certain percentage of tickets available at the door and my advance tickets were never sold out, I saw no reason to stop. Obsessive? Yes. But deep down, I was still that girl from 5 years ago...

Looking back on it all now, I am grateful for both of my experiences. Not that I wish a similar experience on anyone, but I don't think I would appreciate my success in Winnipeg as much if I hadn't bombed so hard the first time around.

So thank you, Winnipeg Fringe. Let's do this again sometime.

Experiencing Technical Difficulties with Mump and Smoot

Back when the thought about doing a documentary about Fringe Festivals was just in the conception phase (those were the days!), a number of folks told me one thing: You have to interview Mump and Smoot.

Mump and Smoot is (are?) a Canadian clown duo who got their start in the very early days of Fringe. In fact, they performed at many inaugural Fringes like Toronto, Saskatoon and Orlando. The team and I were incredibly excited to meet with them and, as luck would have it, the Gods of Timing would be in our favour as both John Turner & Mike Kennard would be together, at what was once known as the "clown farm" on Manitoulin Island, in the brief window we had between the Toronto and Winnipeg Fringes.

We left Toronto on the Saturday afternoon following my last performance and drove well into the night, arriving at our Cabin in the Woods™ well after midnight. Considering not getting murdered by evil spirits or escaped convicts a victory, we woke up to a beautiful sight before us.