Natalie Joy's Musings

I love openings!

2008-06-21T10:26:00.002-04:00

Opening night, that is!

We had 87 people attend the first ever performance of Without a Clue.

It went great. The audience was exactly what we had hoped for: attentive, giggled in the right places, guffawed in more places than we had imagined. We even got spontaneous applause mid-show! (You'll have to come and see it to figure out where that might have happened.)

All in all, through the nervousness and excitement, the cast was very pleased.

The director in me thinks we could have been more grounded in our "franticness" (if that makes any sense). I also felt our pacing was a little off in places. But the "notes" I got from fellow actor friends were generally very positive, which was reassuring.

We have our first of two 11pm performances tonight... keeping my fingers crossed for a large-ish crowd!

I can't sleep

2008-06-09T00:14:00.004-04:00

I've got deadlines zooming through my head. Print deadlines. Rehearsal deadlines. Set deadlines. Costume deadlines. Media deadlines. With all the stress involved in producing my upcoming production, there is one shining light: rehearsals have been going great! We worked through the first half of the show today beat by beat. It was also our first off-book day and it wasn't nearly as painful as it could have been. To be fair, I really don't know my lines as well as I should. I could always use the "I have a baby to take care of!" excuse, but that's lame. I could also use the "I've been so focused on directorial elements that I haven't had the time to learn my lines properly." excuse, but that would be even more lame.

All in all, the show is really shaping up. In my totally biased opinion, it's fast-paced, silly and just good fun. And I think it's a good sign that sometimes we still have to stop rehearsal for giggle fits. That means that we're still tickled by the text itself. If we're still amused by it, hopefully our audiences will be too. I just hope we don't all corpse onstage. There's a particular moment very early on in the show, where all of us keep losing it during rehearsal. It's during a very simple line delivered by Stewart Matthews, but it gets us all every time. I don't want to give it away. Besides, it probably wouldn't be nearly as funny written down like this.

We're 12 days before opening night. There. I've said it.
Scary.

It has begun!

2008-06-08T14:08:00.001-04:00

The first online contest of the Ottawa Fringe has begun ! You could win a gift certificate to Elgin Street Diner. Check it out!

Shopping List for Tomorrow

2008-06-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

- Acrylic paint - red, green, yellow, purple, blue, white
- piece of canvas - 10 feet long by 18 feet wide
- a van to transport said piece of canvas
- 3 rolls of matte black gaff tape
- 5 rolls of hockey tape
- pasta sauce
- fake blood
- frying pan
- drinks cart

... all in a day's work.

An extra bit of news

2008-06-03T11:09:00.006-04:00

I totally forgot to mention that the Ottawa Fringe Opening Night Party is scheduled for Wednesday June 18th, sometime after 7:30pm. There are no shows that night, so it's the perfect opportunity to come to the Courtyard (at the corner of Waller and Daly) and schmooze before performances start. THIS EVENT IS BY INVITATION ONLY.

On another side note, the Enigma Productions site has been updated thanks to my lovely friend Marc Connor. We don't have much there yet, but more will be added in the weeks leading to the festival.

As a bit of a random teaser, here's a small video of us rehearsing a section of the show. I'll leave it totally out of context for you... so you'll have to come see the show to know what's going on!

Basking in the glow...

2008-06-02T22:39:00.003-04:00

... of finally staging my Fringe show!

We had an excellent rehearsal today. All major players were there and we finally finished staging the show, with just 2 and a half weeks to spare before opening! To some people, this would sound crazy, but not to me. We've done incredibly well with the time we've had. It hasn't been easy coordinating 7 people's schedules. Most rehearsals we haven't had all of the actors available. But today we finally finished it. Now all that's left is to polish, learn the lines, make the set, organise the props, contact the media, market the show and hope someone comes to see it.

Ouch.
We'll be fine.
We always are.
The show must go on.
It always does.

I've missed you...it's been too long.

2008-06-02T11:19:00.004-04:00

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is fast approaching and I can't wait. Well, I can wait... I can really use these next three weeks of rehearsal. I've made a promise to myself to start blogging again on a semi-regular basis in the weeks leading up to, and during, the Fringe. I've been converted by the powers of social media, what can I say?

I've got an interesting role in the Fringe this year. Last year I was contracted to take care of program ads, but on top of that I was also 8 months pregnant and billeting four artists. This year is slightly different: I'm now the development (sponsorship) coordinator of the Fringe, I have an awesome 10 month old baby girl, I'm billeting only one artist, but I'm also directing/performing in a show. Let's just say I'm a very busy lady, and loving every minute of it.

I wanted to update all of you artists and potential audience members to some Ottawa Fringe details you might not know about. So here goes:

- OUR MAN BRAD: The Ottawa Fringe now has a community manager who is responsible for all online promotions (blogs, applications, etc.) and who will also be taking care of the entertainment in the tent. So, if you're interested in finding out backstage secrets and behind the scenes news, check out www.ottawafringe.com on a daily basis, as Brad will be blogging often.

- FACEBOOK FUN: All the hip kids now have one of the most exciting applications to ever hit the Internet, period. The Ottawa Fringe Festival application!!! Search for shows by date, venue or genre. Leave comments on specific shows wall. Tell your friends which shows you want to see, and which shows you plan on seeing. Link directly to our online box office. Amazing!

- MORE FACEBOOK FUN: The Ottawa Fringe also has a group page. Don't hesitate to join so you can be updated on all the latest Fringe events.

- TWITTER: The Ottawa Fringe is also now on Twitter. Search for ottawafringe or njoy79 to follow us... and we'll follow you!

- PHOTO REQUEST: Do you have any amazing photos from past Ottawa Fringes? Send some to brad@ottawafringe.com

- TICKETS!!! Advance tickets are now on sale by calling 613-232-6162... and online tickets will be available shortly.

- SEEKING BLOGGERS: If you have a blog and you'd like to be a part of the Ottawa Fringe blogging community, get in touch with brad@ottawafringe.com asap. I hear there may be a wine and cheese in the works too. Bloggers get hungry too!

AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE (aka shameless self promotion):
Come see my show!

WITHOUT A CLUE
Written by Stewart Matthews (from Screwed and Clued)
Directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
Produced by Garkin Productions and Enigma Productions
Starring Ray Besharah, Zachary Council, Jody Haucke, Stewart Matthews, Thea Nikolic, Natalie Joy Quesnel and Michael Showler.

Welcome all to a special dinner party where murder is on the menu. Please hang up your coat, choose your weapon and make yourself at home. From the makers of 52 Pick-up, Zombies and Bookworm comes a whodunit about blackmail, bodies and bureaucracy. A new twist on a classic game.

Friday June 20th - 6:30pm
Saturday June 21st - 11pm
Wednesday June 25th - 7:30pm
Friday June 27th - 11pm
Saturday June 28th - 5pm
Sunday June 29th - 4pm

At Venue 1 - Alumni Auditorium, University of Ottawa

That's all for now. We've got our first rehearsal today with the entire cast... should be exciting or completely chaotic. I'll keep you posted.

You know what time it is...

2007-12-19T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's Show Time!

...oh...and...

Christmas Time!!!

Still struggling to find that perfect gift for the person who has everything? Then look no further! Why don't you treat them to a wonderful evening with Ottawa Little Theatre and the Zucchini Grotto Theatre Company? Their next co-production is sure to warm any cold hearts and souls during this holiday season.

With beautiful musical direction by Wendy Berkelaar, choreography by Maria Mespolet, stage direction by moi and staring the amazing Sean Brennen, Nicole Milne, Sarah Lynn Strange and Shaun Toohey, this is not to be missed. The show is a compilation of classic and modern musical theatre numbers that celebrate all aspects of life.

Life Up On A Wicked Stage
Performed at Ottawa Little Theatre (400 King Edward St.)
December 27th-29th 2007 and January 3rd-5th 2008
8pm
Tickets can be bought at the door or by calling the OLT box office at 613.233.8948

A big surprise

2007-10-09T13:08:00.000-04:00

Capital Critics Circle announces nominees

Awards recognize top English-language theatre in Ottawa

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Tuesday, October 09, 2007

The Capital Critics Circle today announced the nominees for the eighth annual English-language theatre awards for plays presented in Ottawa during the 2006-2007 season.

Best professional production: Third Wall Theatre's Betrayal by Harold Pinter. Great Canadian Theatre Company's A Number by Caryl Churchill. The National Arts Centre English Theatre's Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, translated by Linda Gaboriau. NAC English Theatre's The Wrong Son by Allen Cole.

Best director (professional): Todd Duckworth, She Stoops to Conquer, Third Wall. Peter Hinton, Frida K, NAC English Theatre. John P. Kelley, A Night in November, 7:30 Productions. Natalie Joy Quesnel, Betrayal, Third Wall.

Third Wall Theatre's production of Betrayal is nominated for best professional production; best professional director (Natalie Joy Quesnel); and best professional actor (Alix Sideris, left).

Rod MacIvor, The Ottawa Citizen

Best actor (professional): Pierre Brault for his multiple roles in A Night in November, 7:30 Productions. Allegra Fulton as Frida Kahlo in Frida K, NAC English Theatre. Tom Rooney as T.E. Lawrence in The Oxford Roof Climber's Rebellion, GCTC. Alix Sideris as Emma in Betrayal, Third Wall.

Inquiring minds want to know.

2007-09-02T15:40:00.000-04:00

Because some people asked for it, below is a (very) long account of the labour and delivery of my baby Alexandra-Joy.

FOR ALEXANDRA-JOY... your birth story.

August 8^th 2007 –Your due date, but you didn’t arrive. This wasn’t a big surprise to me or your Daddy, because your Gramma gave birth to both myself and your Tia Caz two weeks late. I was bracing myself for two more weeks of difficulty sleeping and anxiousness over meeting you. I didn’t think that after a textbook perfect pregnancy I would hear your doctor say the words “I’m a bit concerned about her size. I think we need to get you an ultrasound a.s.a.p.” My uterine measurement hadn’t changed in three weeks, which wasn’t abnormal, but the doctor wanted to check. Plus it’s pretty much standard procedure to order an ultrasound once a baby is “late”, just to verify that all is ok. Still, I was a bit worried.

August 9^th 2007 – Your Daddy, godmother Danielle and I went to Monfort Hospital in the early afternoon for your bio-physical profile ultrasound which, much to our relief, you passed with flying colors (8/8). I didn’t realize how stressed out I was about the whole process until I woke up from my late afternoon nap that day. I had slept a solid two hours without even moving to turn over once! It was the best sleep I had had in weeks… maybe even months. That should have been my first sign.

The last note I made in my pregnancy journal that day was the following:

“I’m going to the doctor’s tomorrow to schedule my induction… I just hope I deliver naturally before then.” That should have been my second sign.

At 11:45pm, your Daddy took what was to be the last “belly shot” of me before I was no longer pregnant. It seemed incredibly important to me at the time to have this photo taken. That should have been my third sign.

August 10^th 2007 – Even though I had an incredible nap, I was exhausted by midnight. Your Daddy, completely obsessed with Facebook (and its movie trivia and Scrabble games) was lying next to me in bed playing on his laptop until he finally turned off the light at 12:30am. A few seconds later, he was snoring. A few seconds after that, I had my first contraction.

1:30am – I chose not to wake your Daddy right away because a) I wasn’t 100% sure what I was feeling were contractions and b) all the books say that you should try to rest as much as possible in the beginning stages of labour. So, I tried to sleep between contractions (which were about every 15 minutes apart and more uncomfortable than painful). Since sleep was impossible, I woke your Daddy at 1:30am by gently touching him and saying “Stewart, I’m having contractions.” Contrary to all the sitcoms and stereotypical daddies-to-be, your father simply turned over to face me and said “Ok, I’ll hold your hand”… which he did and promptly fell back asleep. This, much to my surprise, was to be a trend for the rest of the labour.

2:07am – I started timing my contractions by using the battery operated Sudoku machine – it had a timer on the screen and playing it allowed me to be distracted between contractions. The Sudoku machine was eventually replaced by your Daddy’s watch, or the Weather Channel’s clock on channel 21. For the next hour, my contractions were every 8-10 minutes apart and lasted around 45 seconds to a minute.

3:20am – Almost three hours had flown by already and I decided that it was time to call your Gramma and Grandpapa. I figured they would want some advance notice and not have to rush to meet us at the hospital. Your Gramma was surprised at how calm I sounded. Immediately after I made the call, your Daddy ran me a bath. While I soaked in the tub (which was a huge pain reliever, by the way), your Daddy tried to nap on the bathroom floor. That’s when he realised why only drunk or sick people sleep in bathrooms… it’s not very comfortable. So he returned to his computer games and continued to time contractions for me.

4:33am – My contractions were now between 4 and 6 minutes apart, lasting around 1 minute, and had been this way since shortly after making the call to your grandparents. By this point, I could feel a definite wave of pain with a strong peak in the middle. My acting and vocal classes came in handy. I never yelled. I never lost control. I was able to stay focused on managing the pain, relaxing my face and jaw, and breathing through a low moan. “They” (meaning “the books”, “the internet”, “the know-it-alls”, etc.) say that visualization is an excellent tool…That if you visualize your baby moving down with every contraction it makes the work more manageable because you remind yourself of its purpose. Well, I tried that, and all it did was make me feel nauseous at the thought of your melon-sized head fitting through such a tiny space. Needless to say I didn’t try that tactic more than once.

5am(ish) – Gramma and Grandpapa arrived at the house. I was now sitting on the toilet facing the tank which (thanks to advice from mommies Robin Guy, Dalelle Mensour and Jennifer Demers) was an amazingly comfortable position to labour in. I think it’s due mostly to the built-in shelf you can sleep/rest on between waves of nastiness. But my new position of relief was not to last. Your Gramma got what we could only describe as “sympathy pains” and needed to use the toilet to get relief herself. We laughingly exchanged positions off and on for quite a while. During this time, your Grandpapa took a snooze on the couch and your Daddy made himself a full breakfast (which I was very jealous of since all I’d had to eat since the night before was a berry Popsicle that your Daddy brought me while I was in the tub!)

6:08am – In true Natalie fashion, I started weighing the pros and cons of continuing to labour at home versus going to the hospital. I had been in labour for 5 and a half hours by this point and my contractions had been 4-6 minutes apart (lasting a minute) for 2 and a half hours now. The hospital and all the books say that you should leave when your contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting a minute and have been doing so for an hour. I had been in that state for twice that amount of time. So I stopped debating with myself and got ready to go to the hospital.

6:30am – We arrive at Monfort Hospital. I calmly walked up to the “Labour and Delivery” counter on the second floor and said to the nurse “J’aimerais accoucher s’il vous plait” (which translates to “I’d like to deliver my baby now please.” I think the staff is used to first time moms coming into the hospital too early because the nurse didn’t want to transfer me to a birthing room right away and instead chose to send me to an examination room first. I was slightly insulted. I knew I was in full labour. When she examined me I was 3cm dilated and 75% effaced. This was quite disappointing considering I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced two days earlier… not exactly much progress. However, the nurse said that your head was really low and that I would probably progress quickly. I was transferred to a birthing room right away.

6:30am to 9:29am – This chunk of time is a bit of a blur because I was so focused on managing the pain (and accompanying nausea). We met our nurse, Kathleen, an incredibly calm and sweet woman with 20 years of experience. She read my birthing plan (which Gramma gave to the nurses, attached to a huge bar of chocolate for good measure) and started the Jacuzzi tub straight away. I had to remind your Daddy to come sit by me. I think he was so tired he just assumed that I would want to lounge in the tub and relax by myself. Not the case… I needed the support. While I was in the tub, your Daddy read a quiz to me from a Cosmo magazine I had brought, but I could barely focus on what he was saying. I eventually got out of the tub and Kathleen asked if I wanted some pain medication. She gave me a shot of Nubain, a narcotic that I would happily recommend to any labouring woman. It didn’t take away the pain completely, but it definitely took the edge off and allowed me to doze between contractions. Kathleen, being the intuitive nurse she was, converted the lounge chair into a bed for Stewart and your Daddy slept soundly while I was in my narcotic induced haze. You Gramma never let her eyes leave me the entire time. Whether I needed a sip of water or a hand to hold, she was there. Your Grandpapa was almost always in the room with us too, quietly sitting in a corner reading a newspaper or running back to the house to grab my pillow or going to the Tim Hortons (again, I was jealous I couldn’t have a double-double myself!)

9:30am – I was surprised and relieved to see Doctor Luc Clément come through the door to examine me. It’s not uncommon for women to have an unexpected doctor deliver their baby, especially since Dr. Clément had to drive from St.Isidore to see me or could have been on call elsewhere. It was especially relieving since he had just returned from his holidays two days previous. He checked me and found out that I was 4cm dilated and 100% effaced. He broke my water and told me he’d return later on in the day to check up on me. Little did I know that he told Gramma and Grandpapa in the hallway that he didn’t expect me to deliver until much later on in the evening, maybe even overnight.

10:05am – I was given an I.V. in preparation for the epidural.

10:30am – Your Daddy held on to me as the very nice (and handsome) anesthesiologist gave me the epidural. It only hurt for a few seconds when he froze my back. However, I wasn’t immediately comfortable because the epidural didn’t take (as it probably hit a vein) and only froze the left size of my body. The right side was still experiencing full-on contractions… a very odd and off-balancing feeling.

11:30am – The anesthesiologist returned again, removed the epidural and inserted another one. Even though my right side was finally numb (and much more numb than my left side now) I was relieved that I could still move my legs and feet. Some women are completely immobilised almost from the chest down, but I didn’t feel that way. It was just right enough for me to be able to sleep for a while.

11:40am – Kathleen checked me and discovered that I was already at 7cm. I think that’s when she called our doctor to let him know that it wouldn’t be too long before I was fully dilated.

11:55am – I was given Oxytocin, a hormone that helps labour to progress. This is pretty much standard procedure for women who get the epidural. For some women, an epidural stalls their labour. We were to find out soon that this was not the case for me.

12:50pm – Kathleen checked me and found out that I was fully dilated. Luckily, I had the epidural so I wasn’t in a ton of pain waiting for my doctor to make the 45 minute drive from St.Isidore. It was still quite odd to feel like I had a five pin bowling ball ready to push out of my backside though.

1:30pm – Our doctor returned, checked me briefly and left to get changed out of his street clothes and into scrubs.

1:45pm – While the doctor was out of the room, Kathleen asked me to start pushing. Even though I wasn’t totally numb from the epidural I still couldn’t feel any contractions, much less how well (or where!) I was pushing. Dr. Clément returned to the room, took one look down below and said “whoa” and, all of a sudden, started moving a lot less casually. I’m told your head was already crowning. Kathleen held my left leg. Your Daddy held my right. Grandpapa was near the head of the bed and Gramma sat on a chair at the foot so she could have a clear view of the action. I kept being assured that I was pushing correctly, but I could barely feel a thing except like my head was going to explode from holding my breath and forcing so much. Once I had started pushing Kathleen took the epidural off which gave me a weird pins and needles feeling in my legs. Your Daddy at one point was rubbing my leg between contractions, telling me how well I was doing and how proud he was of me. I asked him nicely to stop doing that because of how odd it felt with the pins and needles. Sure enough, your Daddy’s short attention span took over and he rubbed my leg again after the next contraction. True to form, I punched him (lovingly, but hard) in the stomach. Everyone laughed and he didn’t rub my leg again after that. A few minutes later I realised that I nearing the end and I couldn’t believe how calm I had been the entire time. A woman across the hall who was labouring naturally had yelled constantly and I was proud of myself for not losing total control (though I don’t fault her at all for going the natural route). Before one of the last pushes, I still had my wits about me, and said “I haven’t had the chance to say this yet, so I’d better get it in while I still can.” I looked at your Daddy and yelled “YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!” We all had a good laugh.

2:02pm – You were born and immediately put onto my chest. I looked at you with confusion and elation… and I finally cried. I can’t say that it was love at first sight (you were all gooey after all!) Your Daddy couldn’t stop staring at you. Your Gramma was in tears and hugged the nurse at the first chance she got. Grandpapa just simply seemed amazed. We weren’t sure originally if he was going to be in the room with us, but I think both he and I were glad he was there to watch you come into this world. When the doctor gave you a thorough check-up, he held you up and guessed that you weighed 7lbs. Sure enough, you came in at 7lbs 0.6oz. This was only 4 oz. larger than the estimate we got from the ultrasound the day before… not exactly a tiny baby! Before Dr. Clément left, I jokingly apologised to him for missing my 10am appointment that morning. He smiled and said I’d be charged for it and would be getting the cancellation invoice in the mail.

After 2:02pm – Everything was a blur again. I fed you for the first time, which didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped but at least you got some nourishment. I filled out some forms. Dalelle and Pier came to visit you in the delivery room. I was moved to a post-partum room. Your godparents Danielle and Craig came to meet you. I fed you some more. I slept. I ate. Your Daddy changed your all diapers.

At 8:15pm I tried to feed you, but you wouldn’t latch on. The nurse expressed some of my milk and fed it to you via medical syringe only to find that your stomach was full of mucus (which is quite common for newborns) and you spat everything up. In the middle of the night, you were wheezing and crying. Your Daddy slept so soundly he didn’t hear you. A nurse came in before I could get out of bed. When I told her you were full of mucus earlier, she took you away for a check-up before I could even wipe the sleep out of my eyes. I panicked. I had never seen this nurse before. I didn’t see if she had an I.D. badge. And the way she spoke to me before taking you away made me feel like she was chastising me for not taking good enough care of you. I quickly woke up your Daddy who, the minute he saw you were gone, left to find out where you were. Sure enough, you were in the nursery, completely safe in the arms of a nurse giving you saline solution to loosen up the mucus in your sinuses. She brought you back within 10 minutes and reminded me to cuddle with you as often as I (or you!) wanted because skin-to-skin contact is good for your development. It turned out she was a very kind nurse, but my doziness in the middle of the night clouded my perception. Once she left and you were quiet in your bassinet, your Daddy and I cuddled on the couch in our room and I cried like I had never cried before. I cried because I was worried about you. I cried because I was scared about the future. But most of all, I cried because I knew I had fallen in love with you.

No daughter of mine is going to fail any test!

2007-08-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not posting for so long, but it's been a rough month. Stewart was seriously sick with a mystery illness that still remains a mystery to this day. Though, thankfully, he's not feeling so horrible on a daily basis recently. I've been exhausted and stressed out trying to properly take care of a sicky husband and keep myself in proper mental and physical shape to birth a baby.

I'm 40 weeks pregnant, plus 1 day. That means, technically, the baby's full term and could pop out at any second. (Wouldn't it be nice if it were as easy as it sounds?) I had an ultrasound today to measure her bio-physical profile... a routine test for babies at this stage... to make sure all her vitals and the environment she's floating in are all happy and healthy. She passed the test with flying colors and her estimated weight is 6lbs 11oz. I've still got a doctor's appointment tomorrow to review the results and probably schedule and induction for next week, though I hope I'll naturally start labour before then.

On another note, the Fringe show I directed (The Churchill Protocol) has been getting consistently great reviews across the country and will be at the Edmonton Fringe next week. Spread the word!!!

No rest for the wicked pregnant

2007-07-10T10:21:00.000-04:00

If I thought the time during the Ottawa Fringe was a blur, the time elapsed since then has been on complete fast forward. Our Fringe house guests left within four days of the festival ending, making the house feel quite empty. They were all absolutely lovely to have around and I miss them loads. It really made me miss the idea of touring as well. While, for some, their biggest preoccupation is making sure their posters get printed on time, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to feed three people on one salary, driving to numerous DRs appointments (more on that in a second) and finding the energy to clean the house and prep for the start of my new 20-year-long (most probably renewable) contract.

My amazing friends Danielle and Craig hosted our BBQ baby shower, which was fantastic. The food, the people, the presents... it was a good day. The day after the shower, Stewart wasn't feeling well, complaining of dizziness and spontaneous falling down. He wasn't blacking out or anything like that, but it still seemed odd to us. He went to a walk-in clinic on the Monday and the DR said he thought he had a virus. Luckily, he had the following three days off, most of which we spent at my parents. They wanted to treat us because of our 1st/2nd year anniversary (celebrating the city hall wedding... the 2nd/2nd year anniversary is in September, celebrating the major ceremony at Academic Hall). So, for our anniversary, Stewart went golfing with my Dad and I got a pedicure... romantic huh? He played one of the best games he'd ever played and still fell down a couple of times! But by Thursday afternoon, he was feeling worse. And with our family doctor totally booked, I took him to the ER. NINE hours later, I brought him home... unsure of what's wrong. At 2pm the following day, he went back to the hospital for a CT scan. Two hours later, I brought him home... still no clue. At 8am the following day, he went back to the hospital to see a neurologist. One hour later, I brought him home...with no news other than the fact that he's on the rush list for an MRI. The wait time is usually 3 months... he should get his within a month's time. Needless to say I've been pretty worried, though Stewart doesn't seem to be. One good thing to come out of all of this: Stewart and I have rehearsed the drive to Monfort so much I could probably drive myself there while in labour! but I won't.

The Churchill Protocol has received a couple of good reviews in Toronto so far, but with our opening night being so late in the festival, momentum hasn't built yet and the show hasn't been getting the audiences it deserves. So if you're in Toronto, or know someone who is, go see the show!!!

With Stewart still being sick and moping about the house, I was determined to still be productive. I'm happy to have all of this time off before the baby gets here, but I still have a million tiny details that I want to finish while I still have the time. One not-so-tiny detail was filling out the forms for the "Centralized Waiting List for Licensed Child Care Services". People had warned me about this from the moment I got pregnant. If you think you might required child care, you're best to submit this form the moment you get pregnant (some do it before!) because the wait time to get a spot in Ottawa is at least 1 year! Plus, there are so many options to consider:
- Francophone, Anglophone or Bilingual
- Home day care or in a day care centre
- Full-time care, part-time care or flexible care
- Choosing a place in your ward, or in the ward where you work, or in a ward near where you would commute to go to work
- Some places are subsidized... some aren't
- Some places will accept children starting at 6 months of age, 12 months, 18 months, 2.5 years, 4 years, etc.
And that's not even looking at the individual day care's philosophies, facilities, mandates, menus, activities, child to caregiver ratio... and the list goes on. I'm supposed to make all of these decisions for my child and she's not even born yet! I can't even figure out what to make myself for dinner... and that's on a good day. Oh, and when you fill the form, you have to put each facility in order of preference, but how do you do that? By closest location, by language? "This place offers vegan meal choices, let's put them at the top of our list!" Anyway, I finally emailed the completed forms out yesterday, just over one month before this child is due to arrive and just over seven months later than I had planned. Let's hope I'm more on-the-ball with the rest of the major decisions involving my child.

BEST OF VENUE!!!

2007-06-24T00:15:00.000-04:00

The Churchill Protocol won Best of Venue for Studio Leonard-Beaulne... so now you have TWO last chances to catch the show before it leaves on its 6 city tour.

Don't miss it!

Sunday June 24th - 6:30pm AND 9:30pm

What I've done the past two days...

2007-06-18T16:14:00.000-04:00

- Acquired an unexpected new billet from the UK, via the US.
- Greeted an expected billet from Vancouver, via Montreal.
- Watched a woman use her breasts in a way that didn't seem to make men comfortable.
- Got hugely entertained by an Asian homosexual and his piano partner.
- Spend two hours in a single venue going on two lovely journeys.
- Fell in love again with a clown.
- Went to bed way too late.
- Ate way too little.
- Spent time with my amazing parents.
- Finished my last theatre gig before my parental contract.
... and now, presently, I am at the computer on the main floor waking up from a 2 hour nap while clown-billet, UK-billet and Vancouver-billet are doing yoga and Tai chi in the living room.

Life is good.

This just in...

2007-06-16T10:13:00.000-04:00

"A Citizen reporter, hot on the trail of a scoop, travels to Churchill for a clandestine meeting with the mysterious Col. Ronson. That's the set-up for the Churchill Protocol, a loopy, entertaining and sometimes biting satire on Canada's military and our national squeamishness about warfare."

"Smartly directed by Natalie-Joy Quesnel, it plays cat and mouse with the audience."

Catherine Lawson - The Ottawa Citizen

Check it out here!

YAY for today!!!

2007-06-15T09:32:00.001-04:00

I'm extremely proud and excited to announce that for the first time, The Churchill Protocol will be presented in front of an audience... tonight! Our tech last night was a little rock-and-roll and a little oh-that-was-easy, but at the end of the day I was completely filled with Fringe excitement. So much in fact, that I forgot to eat dinner and, instead ate 6 endive and goat cheese appetizers at the Fringe Courtyard in 10 seconds and then promptly decided that it was bedtime... at 10pm!

I used to have to pace myself when it came to beer tickets...
now I have to pace myself to simply make it to the bar.
Oh, a sign of times to come.

Heck, who am I kidding? Those times are here.

Check out the website and come see the show!!!

Personal Pity Party

2007-06-04T20:47:00.001-04:00

I feel fat.

The middle of my back really hurts when I stand for too long or when I sit for too long. (Too long = approx. 20 minutes)

I can't turn over in bed without groaning in pain... and some days I also do that when I simply walk.

I waddle, no matter how hard I try not to.

I often feel breathless... and half that time, I'm sitting down.

I bump into things constantly and no longer have any depth perception. (Watch out for me on the roads people!)

My love of lists has turned into an anxiety-filled obsession.

I can't carry anything heavier than my purse without full body aches.

I feel like I'm literally falling apart at the seams.

It takes me twice or sometimes three times as long to accomplish anything.

I greatly anticipate the arrival of this child and yet hate her just a little bit when she gets a limb caught in my ribs.

I'm grateful for the healthy steady weight gain, but hate stuffing myself into trousers.

I adore my husband for being so incredibly supportive and for giving me consistent compliments... but why the hell can't he put away the laptop when I ask him the first time?

I want to carry on with my busy lifestyle, but my naptime interferes too much.

I wake up at least 8 times through the night... once to stumble to the bathroom, twice to order my husband to move over, and the other five times to enjoy the variety of sleeping positions available to me. (On my left side, in the fetal position, with joint and pelvic pain OR on my right side, in the fetal position, with joint and pelvic pain... decisions decisions.)

I can't wait to be a mom and yet feel a tiny bit of regret at the thought of losing alone and couple time.

I fully embrace all of the mixed emotions I'm having and, at the same time, feel incredibly guilty about them!

And all of this with at least 65 days left to go... and then I might get to experience postpartum depression. yay.

The countdown is on!

2007-05-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of being one of the emcees for the Ottawa Fringe Festival's media launch today. As usual the presence of performers outweighed the media presence, but the Fringe staff came up with a creative venue and presentation to launch their festival so I think the impact was felt. The new website is totally hot, with plenty of new features like promotional videos, online ticket sales and online reviews...so you should definitely check it out.

Today was also a special day as it was our official "off-book day" for The Churchill Protocol. Much to my surprise, both stellar gentlemen actors were, I would say, around 80 to 90% off-book. I probably shouldn't be revealing this director's secret, as I may be kicked out of the club, but here goes anyway. I usually set an off-book date that is, depending on the total rehearsal time frame, about one week before I actually expect line-memorization-perfection. That way, I don't get disappointed, the actors have time to feel the pressure, but not get overwhelmed...Then everyone wins in the end! So you can imagine how surprised I was to do a line-run with Pat and Kris today and have them be so confident about their lines.... I was a very happy lady.

Well, my happiness turned to mini-defiance this evening when I read my actor-conspirators recent blog postings. I essentially found out that they both agreed to ignore my off-book date request... they even shook on it... probably after having learned my director's secret from someone I've directed before. I guess the fear that my pregnancy hormones would lead to homicide if they didn't do as they were told made them learn the lines despite their "deal".

Oooh.... if they thought I was hormonal before, they have no idea. (insert maniacal cackle here.)

IT'S ALIVE!!! um, I mean, LIVE!

2007-05-20T13:35:00.001-04:00

Check out the new and improved website for Gruppo Rubato's cross-Canada Fringe Tour of
The Churchill Protocol.

It's snazzy!

What's Right For Me

2007-04-30T16:04:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I blogged last. It's incredible how busy you get when you don't have any huge work commitments. Since coming back from Toronto I've seen Scorched, La La La Human Steps, performed a mock-burlesque dance, babysat Charlotte, worked on an exciting script, went to the Doctor (all's normal), went to the Dentist (all's normal), avoided exercising, stained some shelves and brackets, put together some Ikea furniture, scared myself silly over registration forms, sold a load of program ads for a fantastic festival, tidied up my office, networked two computers, washed my car, had dinner with some friends and watched way too much Babylon 5.

I've also started reading this great book called "The Birth That's Right For You". With the labour and delivery being potentially only 100 days away, I'm starting to think about preparing myself for it. Stewart and I aren't keen on the idea of prenatal classes... brings up images of cheesy-grinned couples wearing white sitting cross-legged in a circle and sharing their feelings about birth while intermittently making "hee hee ho ho" sounds... not really our idea of a good, or productive, time. This book I'm reading is right up my alley. Co-written by a doctor and a doula it strives to present moms-to-be and their spouses/partners with the options and not the solutions. It reminds you that birth is a natural experience and that, as a human being who has already dealt with pain/stress/anxiety before, you are already equipped with the coping mechanisms necessary to deal with childbirth. Childbirth "preparation" classes are only helpful if the coping tools you're learning are already linked to your natural defenses. For example, if you had (or still have) fears of drowning, then a water birth may not be right for you... even if your sister's water birth experience was the most nirvana-like experience of her life. Or, if you normally like to lock yourself in a dark quiet room and lie still in bed when you're in pain or anxious, then chances are you won't be the type to find relief bouncing on a birth ball or walking the halls of the hospital. I know, these all sound like "well, d'uh!" ideas to me too, but they make good sense to a woman struggling to find sense in this upcoming huge life-changing event. So many women have unrealistic expectations of what they want the birth to be and how they'll best cope with it... this book is prepping me to be aware of who I am and what I desire without being trapped by unrealistic expectations or even being limited by changes in the "plan".

I've been reading this book like I would a textbook... I may have graduated but you can't take the academics out of the girl. Every time I hit a section that requires more thought, that requires me to truly put my fears and ideas into question, I write the page number in my baby book. So far I haven't even gone back to those sections to give them the necessary thought, but I'm already feeling better about the whole thing. I don't yet know what birth is right for me, but I do know that it can't be any worse than dislocating my knees... right?... and I've done that a ton of times so I can deal with this... right? Positive reinforcement, anyone?

So, shall we run a pool? How many hours into labour will Natalie demand medication?

One of the reasons why Toronto is a beautiful place to visit.

2007-04-16T12:21:00.000-04:00

Popped?

2007-04-11T23:07:00.000-04:00

Many people at rehearsal tonight were telling me that I had popped. They saw me just yesterday, but for some reason they were convinced that I had drastically changed in one day. I couldn't see any difference. Well, when Stewart joined in the group asserting this "blossoming", I had to believe it. But I had to take a photo to confirm the rumour...

I can't believe other people noticed it before I did... I've got a belly!

Does my ass look fat in these pants? ;-)

Finally some time off and what do I get?

2007-04-04T13:33:00.000-04:00

Multiple rainy days in a row and massive headaches!!!!

Brilliant.

Cloud 9 is officially over and done with. My only commitment at Algonquin for the rest of the semester is doing a bit of monologue coaching, which should end next week. I've finally embarked on my four month semi-break before motherhood kicks in. The only paid work I've got is stage managing for the Magnetic North Director's Masterclass, directing The Churchill Protocol for a cross-Canada Fringe tour, performing every once and a while for Eddie May and selling program ads for the Ottawa Fringe. So other than having a three week span in June that'll be a little nuts, I've got next to nothing on the agenda which leaves me plenty of time to worry about my financial situation, freak out about the incomplete nursery and panic about parenthood. Oh, and maybe I'll have time to read a book or two as well!

The nursery is actually taking shape quite nicely. Stewart and I bought a crib and a chest of drawers (thanks to Mum and Dad Matthews) and we finally took the time to register for baby stuff. (At Toys R Us and Sears, if any of you are curious to see cute baby things... and some odd things too.) Yesterday, Stewart and I tried to shop at the Home Depot for nursery related things, and all we came back with was a hungry tummy and 50$ worth of pine boards and brackets that Stewart still needs to cut, sand, stain and install. Makes me kinda wish we would have just bought the 80$ shelving unit at Ikea instead.

We're planning on seeing quite a few shows in the next couple of months (in part, thanks to Mom and Dad Quesnel for their gift of some awesome NAC flex passes), but now that I'll be taking a bit of a break from working the theatre scene, I feel even more hesitant to post any of my opinions or criticism. So I'll probably just do more yakking about my growing belly, swelling ankles and delivery concerns.

I'm really sorry if I'm boring some of you with all this baby talk... sometimes I annoy myself with it!

Why I won't have time to blog for the next little while (Part Deux)

2007-03-18T17:44:00.000-04:00

Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill
Presented by the Algonquin College Theatre Program
Directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
Set Design by Art Penson
Lighting Design by David Magladry

4 NIGHTS ONLY!!!
March 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st 2007, 7:30pm
Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Ave.
N Building Room N112

Tickets are $10 (adults) and $8 (students and seniors)
Algonquin College Box Office: (613) 727-4723 ext. 5784
Monday – Friday, 9-5

Why I won't have time to blog for the next little while

2007-02-27T19:35:00.000-05:00

Featuring: Chuck Herriott, Margo MacDonald, Teri Rata Loretto and Stewart Matthews

Stage managed by yours truly.

Steven Berkoff’s Greek is a modern adaptation of the Oedipus tale by Sophocles: a young man is fated to kill his father and sleep with his mother. Berkoff not only sets the story in post-punk Britain, but also changes the focus of the tale to speculate on the numerous restrictions on love in a modern day society, as well as the seriousness of patricide. Berkoff employs a unique form of poetic vulgarity in his scripting, a language that is both offensive and beautiful.

Where: Natalie Stern Studio Theatre, Ottawa School of Speech & Drama
294 Picton Ave, Westboro, Ottawa

When: March 7-17th, 2007.
Performances are at 8pm (no performances Monday and Tuesday)
with one matinee performance on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 at 2pm

Tickets: Tickets are $20 and are available at the door or by reservation at 1 888 931 2644.

Info: For more information, call 1 888 931 2644 or visit www.repercussiontheatre.com

Warning - VERY mature content and coarse language

Oscars Schmoscars!

2007-02-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

Is it weird of me to not give a flying leap about the overly-glitzy, way-too-long, not-that-entertaining awards show? I mean, sure, I watched 10 minutes of it to help put me to sleep at 11:30... and also out of curiosity to see if Ryan Gosling won for best actor... but not because I saw the movie and admired his performance... but simply out of semi-hometown pride, wondering if someone I'd once met when I was 10 years old won an Oscar and would mention good-old-Cornwall in his speech... yeah right!

Instead I went to Walmart with my hubby, made macaroni and cheese for dinner and watched 6 episodes of Angel on DVD while using acrylic paint and ribbons to decorate foam core boards for our baby's room. I had a major hormonal moment when Stewart wouldn't jump to his feet and make me a grilled cheese sandwich when I asked him. I spontaneously started sobbing in front of the toaster oven five minutes later. He had to, calmly, put me back on the couch with my glass of water and cheesy toast in hand and I, with blood sugar levels returning to normal, finally relaxed again a few minutes later. He didn't get angry with me once, good boy. I believe I even mentionned something ridiculous to the effect of "Well if mommy doesn't eat there won't be a baby will there?" amount the chaos.

I haven't been feeling well at all these past few days. I missed out on seeing two shows that I was looking forward to. Instead, I've been spending all my time doing small chores around the house and then recuperating from the huge loss of energy that occurs after doing said chores. I kinda feel like I'm getting a cold, but the symptoms never come.... so all I'm left with is a constant urge to lie in bed and avoid doing yoga.

Speaking of which, I should probably use my current energy boost to do some of that exercise stuff now. I'm exercising more now that I'm pregnant than when I wasn't. I guess it's supposed to help me deal with the body changes and with the delivery. The problem is I'm just as lazy now that I'm pregnant than when I wasn't!

Has it already been 15 days?

2007-02-20T09:22:00.000-05:00

In just over two weeks, I:
- finished tech week and attended three performances of Betrayal (and resisted to give note two out of the three times! and answered questions for U of O Theatre students once)
- had many rehearsals and meeting for Cloud 9
- did prenatal yoga twice, cleaned the house once, shovelled the driveway (and hurt my back) once and performed and Eddie May show once for a total of 5 exercise activities
- spent many hours feeling guilty for not exercising more
- took some time to make plans with a few friends
- went to see A Number at the GCTC
- got my car fixed
- felt sick/tired and had naps
- felt less pregnant than when I wasn't pregnant
- felt down about not feeling pregnant that I bought a pair of maternity pants at Old Navy
- finished watching season 7 of Buffy and started re-watching season 1 of Angel
- waited at the Ottawa General outpatient clinic to have blood taken
- rescheduled my doctor's appointment to accommodate my doctor's vacation... lucky bastard!
- looked at Facebook for 5 to 10 minutes each day and thought to myself "wow, I haven't updated my blog in a while".

So there it is.
And in the next two weeks I have more rehearsals for Cloud 9 and Greek too look forward to, brunch and/or lunch with some great friends, design meetings, Eddie May shows, hockey games and seeing some theatre. I guess I haven't written anything because life is good right now. I don't think to write when life isn't all a shambles! I'm happy and content... is that so weird?

Is it the hormones?

2007-02-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

I've been very annoyed with myself over the past two months. Partially it's because I just haven't felt like myself. Now, clearly, I am going through some physical and emotional changes that are bound to affect me... but I wasn't really aware of how much they were affecting me until quite recently.

For example, my obsession with punctuality was gone completely out of the window since I got pregnant. The morning sickness and overall fatigue make it very difficult for me to get-up-and-go, at any time of the day! This has resulted in me arriving just in time, or late, for some of my Algonquin classes and Betrayal rehearsals. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not usually like this. And the worst part is, I'm aware of it and I still can't seem to do anything about it. I am fortunate though. The majority of people I'm working with are understanding of this and just chalk it up to the hormones and to the fact that I've booked myself anywhere between 40 and 70 hours of work a week in what is considered the most energy draining time of pregnancy. But my head-strong organisational side of me won't accept that as an excuse... therefore I'm annoyed with myself.

Another example, I was in the grocery store yesterday to pick up a few items. This would have normally taken me 30 minutes. I was in the damn store for an hour and a half!!!! First of all, the cart I was using was crap. I was so tired I just didn't have the energy to push the defective heavy metal thing around quickly enough. Secondly, I was having trouble finding specific items that I wanted for a special dinner I was planning on cooking. (This was to be the first "sit at the table" dinner I cooked for Stewart in over two months.) I was so distraught that I all but ignored and felt rude to Micheal Mancini when I ran into him in the canned goods aisle. He, as usual, was all smiles and loveliness. (I hope I didn't come across like too much of a bitch.) Thirdly, this extra time it was taking me at the grocery store pushed me over the hunger/thirst edge and with only a bottle of water in my purse (the granola bar I sadly ate earlier), I was almost crying on the phone to Stewart trying to explain to him that I couldn't find the damn fondue oil and wouldn't be able to cook him dinner ever again.

So you see... very annoyed... with myself.
So is it the hormones?

What a lame excuse huh?

BETRAYAL

2007-02-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

It's that time again... for shameless self-promotion!!! The above photo has nothing to do with the show, except to showcase that I had to direct a drama with a bunch of clowns! What was I thinking?

Betrayal opens next Thursday and I'm really proud of the work we've done. I've got an amazing production team and three actors that just won't quit : Richard Gelinas, Stewart Matthews and Alix Sideris.

Here are the details:
Showdates - Feb 8th to the 17th, 8pm with Saturday matinées at 4pm
Tickets are 24$ for adults and 18$ for students/seniors
Performed at Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Avenue
Call (613) 236-1425 for ticket reservation.

So Stewart can be productive after all!

2007-01-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

Wanna see a show this week?

2007-01-15T23:01:00.000-05:00

I've tried many times to upload the darn poster for the show, but I'm having technological difficulties. So unfortunately, you'll all have to deal with my shameless self-promotion in simple word format.... and in french.

JOHN de Wajdi Mouawad
Mise en scène par Natalie Joy Quesnel, Anne-Marie Riel et Anne-Marie White
Laboratoire de mise en scène - Production du Théâtre du Trillium
Du 17 au 20 janvier 2007, 20h
La Nouvelle Scène, 333 King Edward
Billets - 16.50$

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Trillium's directing labs, here's info. The Trillium normally takes one text (or many different segments of a same text) and allows three different directors with three different casts to take a crack at them. In this case, all three directors are working with the entire short one-act John, which centers around the suicide of a 16 year old and his older sister's way of coping with the tragedy. It's not exactly a light, happy evening, but it should be an interesting one. I don't have a clear idea of how the other two directors are approaching the text, but based on their set, I'm quite curious.

After each show, there's a discussion between the audience, the actors and the directors. The shows could (and are meant to) evolve from night. It's quite a neat project to be involved with. I'm the youngest director of the bunch, so I'm feeling a bit of pressure, but I'm sure all will go swimmingly on Wednesday.

Hope to see you there!

10 down, 17 more to go!

2007-01-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

I was doing so well!

My body must have heard my cries. I got less nauseous. I got more energy. My appetite increased. Suddenly waking up early for a 10 hour work day wasn't even an issue. My creativity was sparked. I felt like I was juggling four different shows not just like a pro, but like an expert. And then, I had a slower day... only 6 hours of meetings and rehearsal. By the time I got home last night I felt like a truck had run me over, multiple times. My back seized up, my nausea came back and I was in bed earlier than most of my friends' small children.

I faced facts. I had today's AM rehearsal for Cloud 9 cancelled. I hated to do it, but my body was also threatening me with a cold and I didn't want to succumb.

So now I've still got 17 days of this craziness to go... with a morning off here, a free afternoon there, but they're few and far between. It's such an exciting time for me. I'm working on four amazing productions with such amazingly talented people... that's what's getting me through. It might sound selfish, but this has nothing to do with the new arrival. No thoughts of "I'm bringing home the bacon for my baby" right now. No. What's getting me through this right now is that I'm doing what I love to do, what I'm good at, and what people seem to appreciate me for. And I know that once I'm a Mom, my duties are going to change. I'm not saying that I'll never do theatre again... far from it. I'm not saying that I'm not going to love motherhood, be good at it and feel appreciated. But it's nice, for now, to remind myself that I'm doing something just for me... and as tired as I am, it still feels good.

The nausea STILL remains, however...

2007-01-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here's a breakdown of the next 3 weeks:

Tuesday the 2nd - 2 meetings
Wednesday the 3rd - 2 meetings
Thursday the 4th - rehearse 6 hours
Friday the 5th - rehearse 7 hours
Saturday the 6th - rehearse 9 hours
Sunday the 7th - rehearse 3 hours (oooh... almost sounds like a day off doesn't it?)

Monday the 8th - rehearse 9 hours (for three different shows!!!)
Tuesday the 9th - rehearse 10 hours
Wednesday the 10th - rehearse 6 hours
Thursday the 11th - rehearse 10 hours
Friday the 12th - rehearse 6 hours
Saturday the 13th - rehearse 9 hours
Sunday the 14th - rehearse 10 hours (oh, no almost-day-off this time!)

Monday the 15th - rehearse 9 hours
Tuesday the 16th - rehearse 9 hours
Wednesday the 17th - rehearse 2 hours, 1 meeting, 1 opening night performance
Thursday the 18th - rehearse 3 hours, 1 afternoon reading, 1 evening performance
Friday the 19th - 1 evening performance (maybe I can sleep in that day!)
Saturday the 20th - rehearse 6 hours, 1 evening performance
Sunday the 21st - rehearse 6 hours

... and it goes on like that for yet another week before I finally get my first day off in 26 days on Sunday January 28th. Now, normally, I live for the adrenaline rush of doing multiple projects. But, at this time in my life, I live for my afternoon naps and for days when the nausea can be controlled with small amounts of food and total lack of movement. These next few weeks could be both hellish and glorious.

I hope my husband spontaneously starts to enjoy doing the laundry and the dishes.

The nausea still remain, however...

2006-12-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

...here's a breakdown of the past two days:

MONDAY
10:30am - coffee with the fantabulous Peter Ryan
Noon - meeting at Algonquin to discuss end of semester marks
1pm - first lighting design meeting at Algonquin with David Magladry
4pm - fist prenatal appointment (all's normal, so far!)
7pm - dinner with my parents and brother-in-law

TUESDAY
10am - technical requirements meeting with Trillium for John
2pm - second set design meeting for Betrayal with Darryl Bennett
6pm - first read-through for John with the lovely Matt Miwa and Stefanie Kym-Tougas

I'm sick as a dog, but I'm living the dream and still loving it.

And the whining begins

2006-12-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

It's cold season and I'm well versed in the all-winter-long cold. After quite a few winters in a few with very few days of relief, my doctor told me that I should take allergy medication during this lovely season. I was probably allergic to mold, dust, or something else that seeps through the heating system, but I preferred to say I was allergic to winter.

Well, now that I 'm pregnant, all the fun drugs I used to take are off-limits. I've had to perform shows with a cold before, but it was through constant use of nasal sprays, medicated throat drops and Buckley's. Now, I have to satisfy myself with saline spray (which just makes your sinuses wet, not de-congested), hard candies (which just makes my throat wet, not sans-phlegm) and water/juice.

So, needless to say I'm a little worried about my four show week this week. Performing in conditions where the audience is (relatively) quiet and attentive is one thing. Performing in conditions where there's Christmas music blasting, 120 people are seated in a room that would more comfortably fit 90, and I have to talk over the music or over the loud (sometimes drunken) people is another.

Did I mention I'm nauseous all the time too?

These are fun times.

Tis the season for making!

2006-12-05T13:37:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted... let's just say I've had a lot on my mind.

Firstly, the house warming party was a complete success. We had three waves of people, from around 1pm to 1am. My Martha Stewart-esque behaviour was noted and the only food I had left was any of the pre-packaged stuff. Everything I made myself was devoured. Stewart and I barely ate anything ourselves. It was a great day. Thanks so much to all of you who came. And to all of you who didn't come or who I forgot to invite because I'm an idiot, feel free to give us a call or email anytime and come for a visit.

Secondly, I taught my last class of the semester at Algonquin yesterday. Next week is the student's final presentation, which is an opportunity for them to present their work in front of an audience that's probably not as critical as me! It's been great seeing the students' progression from one week to the next. It has renewed my faith in my ability to teach. I'm not saying I'm making Tony winners here, but I can see a difference in each and every student. I'm really proud of them.

Thirdly, December is my relatively calm month before the January/March storm! Some of my projects I was open about, but some weren't really public knowledge until recently. I have the pleasure of being the director on four different projects in the span of three months. I'll be working on Wajdi Mouawad's John for the Théâtre du Trillium directing lab. I'm helping Théâtre la Catapulte with a reading of a new play for Contact Ontarois. I'll be directing Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine with a group of lovely Algonquin College students. And, perhaps the scariest of all, I'll be directing Pinter's Betrayal for Third Wall Theatre Co. (James Richardson was originally going to direct it but now has other interests within the project... it's a long story that I'm sure he'll share with you if you ask nicely.) So, wacky times for me. But exciting times.

And the trees are up in my house now... the bigger one is 7.5 feet tall. Needless to say I used a step ladder for most of the process. The smaller one is a tree that I inherited from my Grandfather. It's a little sad looking, but nothing an Ikea candle and hanging light nearby can't fix.

Oh, and last but not least, here's double proof of the other "thing" that I made recently. But none of us will get to see the finished product for nine months or so. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong.

I'm not sure what's happening to me!

2006-11-23T10:24:00.000-05:00

In the past week, my favorite and most frequented websites have been:

www.kraftfoods.com

www.allrecipes.com

and... this is the scary one....

WWW.MARTHASTEWART.COM

I'm scared people! I'm not sure what's happening to me. One moment I'm moving into a house and the next I'm training for housewife-of-the-year! The most fun I've had recently was spent by myself in a kitchen, topped only by the time spent at the dinner table with my happily full guests and my husband glowing with pride at my new culinary feats.

You see, I've never considered myself to be a "good cook" but I've always loved cooking. When I was a kid, I would raid Mom's pantry and mix together anything I could find and bake it, hoping it would taste good. (The cookies with the sickeningly sweet almond extract that formed 90% of the batter comes to mind.) When I was in high school, I did particularly well in the sciences... I think it pleased the side of my brain that enjoyed following a recipe, mixing things together and seeing how it came out. But I don't have that outlet anymore because somehow along the way I decided that theatre was more my thing. (What a waste of that A+ science and math concentration I got in high school, huh?) My job is intensely creative, but not always as methodical and concrete as following a recipe and getting your hands dirty in cake batter.

Anyway, all of this to say that now in my new home, the fridge is always full and my husband NEVER cooks for me anymore... I'm probably going to end up gaining 20 pounds for all the extra tasting I'm doing... and I'm probably going to give myself a stress attack because now I've just told you all of this before I host my first big party... great.

Well, at least I can take consolation in the fact that most of my guest are going to be theatre people... they can act like they enjoy my cooking and I won't be the wiser.

Why I love being a bilingual artist in Ottawa.

2006-11-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

Journée Internationale des Bénévoles

International Volunteer Day

The new house - A photo teaser

2006-11-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

Our first tree climber! Ray-Ray on moving day.

My cat Puddin, trying to get accustomed to the upstairs.... she's still terrified of any noise the house makes.

If there were any doubts that we bought the right sized chair, Stewart dispelled them on the first morning in the new place.

My Daddy in front of the fireplace, and the hockey game.

The living room, on the first day of the move, still looks pretty darn appealing don't ya think? It's amazing what a couple of candles can do.

A strange feeling

2006-11-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

I want to cry...

Alone, in my new house.

With the fireplace burning.

With the fancy curtains up.

With my Mother's decorating touches all around.

With my Father's handiwork standing strong.

I want to cry...

Alone, my parents just out the door.

With my husband away at work.

With so many piles of unfinished business.

With my hunger and my fatigue.

With my possibilities.

I want to cry.
But I won't.
I'll take a bath instead.

I have a masters... and theatre still makes me feel stupid sometimes.

2006-10-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

Thursday was a busy day of theatre for me. I saw One Yellow Rabbit’s Dream Machine at 12:30 with a bunch of high school and college students. In the evening, I saw the opening night performance of Third Wall’s Dr. Faustus.

I always feel a little odd expressing my opinions about theatre on my blog. I have a feeling a lot more people read this little journal than I would normally expect. Every once and a while a comment from someone I haven’t spoken to in a while will be left, or I’ll meet someone on the street and find out they’ve been avid readers. I greatly respect and admire most of the people who read this and would never want to accidentally hurt or insult anyone. I guess that’s why some of us bloggers have felt the need to make that clear before someone reads our latest post.

Anywho… Dream Machine.
I didn’t get it.
Ok, yes, this might sound weird coming from a woman who recently directed a Tristan Tzara play… but I just didn’t get it.
I don’t mind plays that aren’t linear. Let’s face it, non-linear is the new linear. I accept and enjoy that, but this play was so non-linear that it didn’t make much sense to me at all.
And I agree that plays don’t have to “make sense” to be good plays, but then I at least have to be fully captivated by something in the performance to compensate for the lack of continuity/plot/logic. The performers in this play were great, no doubt. So were the musicians. But they didn’t grab me like I had hoped. I found the women more captivating than the men, but it still wasn’t enough to keep my full interest for an hour and a half. I was trying to explain to someone what bothered me about the performance, but didn’t do a good job without gesticulating like crazy… but I’ll still try to explain it here in writing.

The staging of a play can also be called a “physical score” (a term I was taught by a professor and friend of mine). Like a musical score, written down on a page, a physical score can be repeated exactly, broken down, rhythmically adjusted and examined. Simply put, an example of a physical score can be “person walks from point A to point B, taking four steps starting with the right foot.” What makes a physical score performed by one person different from another person’s is the “underscore”. (Or “subtext” if you want to get all Stanislavskian.) So the underscore for one person could be “it’s as if I’m stepping towards the man of my dreams” and for another person it could be “it’s as if I am a robot testing out my new legs.”… different underscore, same score. The problem I had with Dream Machine was, though the physical score was beautiful to watch, I didn’t always get the feeling that the underscore was clear for each performer. Not that, as a spectator, I’m supposed to be able to read the underscore. However, if the underscore is clear to each performer and they perform it with belief and sincerity, they create a certain presence for themselves on stage that makes it difficult for an audience member to not be captivated by it.

And now, on to Doctor Faustus.
I’m biased. Stewart is in the production and, as usual, he’s great fun to watch.
Did I like the show? Yes.
Do I think it’s a great show? Not quite yet.
Do I think it has the potential to be a great show? Definitely.
The set, costumes and lighting are fantastic. The directorial concept is a very interesting one and does succeed in making a classic text more accessible to today’s audience. However, I wish it had gone further in that vein and therefore I found it a little inconsistent with its choices. I enjoyed the updating so much that I wanted more of it. The audience is allowed to laugh, but I felt we were not quite given the “permission” to do so until a little late in the play. (I don’t want to give too much away, so you’ll have to see the show and form your own opinion!)
I also sometimes felt that the actors weren’t always 100% sure of what they were saying, so therefore it made it difficult for the audience to fully understand… but I think that’s something that might be ironed out with future performances.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening and definitely recommendable.

Oh, and to answer recent comments on my last post… no I will not be doing my PHD… even though Bamfaphd does have a nice ring to it! The MFA is a terminal degree, (sounds serious doesn’t it?) and therefore I can’t go directly to the doctorate level unless I get equivalent M.A. courses. I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon… if ever! I’m too tired to go back to school.

You may now call me "Master".

2006-10-24T18:47:00.000-04:00

It's official. I can now say that I am:

Natalie Joy Quesnel B.A. M.F.A.

"... and Bamfa was her name-o!"

Sorry... being silly.

Anyway, convocation was as long and boring as I remembered it. The only highlight was Todd Duckworth blowing a kiss to the audience when he got his diploma and me shushing my husband and mother when they yelled their guts out when my name was called. Otherwise, the whole event was blah. The theatre department had a little reception afterwards and my parents organised a little party for me after that... both were lovely. I'm a very lucky girl to have such good friends and family.

Do I feel any different now that I officially have my masters? Not really. Though I definitely have more confidence in myself as a person in general.

Someone asked me recently what I was planning on doing with this degree... I honestly said that I didn't know. Well, that's not quite right. I don't know exactly because I plan on doing it all. Acting, directing, teaching, producing, mothering, wifing (ok... so that's not really a word), dramaturging (also not really a word), administering, etc. My problem is that I don't know where to start. I love too many things and I know that I can't spread myself too thin anymore.... my migraine head just can't take it.

I'm looking forward to November and December. I'm moving into a new place. Prepping to direct two shows. Doing my standard dinner theatre thing. Making Christmas soaps (don't question or judge, please!) Spending time to re-evaluate what I want to do after that. The one thing I remember from the grad ceremony was how much the vice-rector stressed that it's normal for university grads to not know what to do after graduation... and it's because there is usually a multitude of possibilities in front of us. It's all very exciting and scary and fun.

On another note, I'm going to see One Yellow Rabbit's Dream Machine on Thursday with my Algonquin students. I'm looking forward to sitting in a theatre again. It's one of my favorite places to be. I'm also going to see Third Wall's Faustus opening on Thursday. Hey, maybe if I sleep with one of the actors I could get a comp?!

So is this my quarter-life crisis?

2006-10-15T02:08:00.000-04:00

Well happy birthday to me! I turned 27 years old on October the 14th. I hadn't planned on celebrating the "event". Heck, I even scheduled myself to work. But, as it turns out, I couldn't help myself and still ended up calling a few friends out for a drink. This quiet drink plan turned into dancing with cougars at the Velvet Room, but I digress.

It was only a few weeks ago that I heard the term "quarter-life crisis" for the first time. This was also followed by someone telling me "and what you're feeling is completely normal." Uh-huh.

Anywho, according to Wikipedia (who doesn't love the internet!), "The quarter-life crisis is a term, coined in 2001 by Abby Wilner and Alexandra Robbins, authors of Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in Your Twenties, and is applied to the period of life immediately following the major changes of adolescence, usually ranging from the ages of 21 - 29. The term is named by analogy with mid-life crisis."

Some of you, who could be in the same boat as me, might be interested in the following:

"Characteristics of this crisis are:

* feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at his/her academic/intellectual level
* frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or carreer
* confusion of identity
* insecurity regarding the near future
* insecurity regarding present accomplishments
* re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
* disappointment with one's job
* nostalgia for university or college life
* tendency to hold stronger opinions
* boredom with social interactions
* financially-rooted stress
* loneliness
* desire to have children
* utter lack of goals and constant whining"

Um, aren't these characteristics of adult life in general?
These are starting to sound like horoscope predictions... just vague enough and just precise enough to fit the bill for everyone!
And sure these look great on paper (or screen!) but what the hell am I supposed to do about them?

I do have a strong desire to have children soon...
And I am seemingly more and more pigheaded and opinionated...
And I do have certain frustrations with my career...
But, wait, I definetely do not have an utter lack of goals...
Oh, but I have been constantly whining.

Whatever!
I've been a whinger all my life... why should I expect that to change now?

And what am I complaining about... Stewart's going to turn 30 on October 30th. He's probably going to do enough complaining for the two of us.

Things I know.

2006-10-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

- Getting a migraine while driving home on the highway, at night, on a holiday Monday, with a steady line of headlights coming towards you, SUCKS.

- Free internet while (temporarily) staying at your parents' place - GREAT.

- Dial-up internet - SUCKS.

- Directing a show - GREAT.

- Not having time to write blogs about said show - SUCKS.

- Writing a pathetically-short blog while fighting a migraine... well, you know.

(Sad excuse for a post, I know. They'll get better again soon... I promise.)

Evaluation

2006-09-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

Among my fellow overworked and fed-up bloggers, I'm kinda on the fence. I feel like I'm enjoying my work, but it's all too much drama for me. (No pun intended.) I'm a creature that loves stability, so how the hell did I fall in love with a career that fluctuates so much. I'm really dependent on my dinner-theatre job for income right now, but I get rehearsal (and even show dates!) confirmed to me so last minute that it throws my whole schedule off balance. Is this normal? Possibly. Am I getting used to it yet? Definetely not.

At the moment, I have the pleasure of working on three seperate contracts, all of which have substantial pressure attached to them. Whether it's dealing with scheduling issues, or trying to impress a theatre community that has forgotten me, or moulding fresh talent into skilled employable actors. All of the stress seems to be affecting me in ways I don't at all appreciate. After going a whole summer with only mini-headaches, I've been dealing with a major migraine for five days. And when I have a migraine, I don't perform well, in every sense of the term.

But what boggles my mind about all of this is I'm generally happy. I do love the work I am doing. I'm enjoying living with my parents at the moment. I have a fantastic husband that I love very much. I'm looking forward to moving into a lovely house soon. I'm shopping at IKEA. I'm watching Iron Chef and Restaurant Makeover on the Food network. I'm getting eight hours sleep a night... heck I'm even sleeping in at least once a week.

A good friend of mine told me that I needed to slow down. Not necessarily by cutting out some of my work load, but by taking time to enjoy the little things. She said that I spend so much time planning tomorrow that I don't see today go by. That may be true, but at the same time, I am who I am. If I lost my agenda, I'd lose my mind.

So what's a girl to do? Splurge and get a massage once a month? Say no to some of these last minute commitments that keep presenting themselves even though I need the money? Book time off to go to the movies? Call my friend more often? Stop over-analysing and whingeing?

Hmmmm... I should probably start listening to my own advice.

My first home

2006-09-22T13:18:00.000-04:00

I'm still paying rent, but it's money I don't mind spending.

Stewart and I finally found a fantastically gorgeous three bedroom house! Look for news about a party sometime after November 1st.

YAY!

House Huntin'

2006-09-20T08:50:00.000-04:00

For the first time in over six years, I have no home in Ottawa. And it's a very odd feeling. At the moment, Stewart and I are living with my parents in lovely St.Isidore Ontario. It's a cute little town and my parents are great, so it's not a bad thing to be out of the city. However, I've only been back a couple of weeks and I'm already hating the 45 minute drive into and out of Ottawa.

So Stewart and I started house hunting yesterday. As a married couple, here's what we're dealing with:

-- We want to own a home, but who is going to give us two "actors" a mortgage right now.
-- We don't want to live in a highrise apartment. I've always hated living up high, with my silly fears of earthquakes and fires and being trapped in stairwells with no escape.
-- Stewart and I want to have kids soon. We also want to be able to finally have some friends over to "our place"... therefore we need something bigger than the two bedroom apartment we had before.
-- Based on our budget, we can't afford much but we've discovered that if we're willing to be away from downtown, we can afford pretty much anything... including an actual house.
-- And, the finally conclusion I've come to is... I was getting a damn good deal paying 850$ for a two bedroom apartment downtown and nothing under 1000$ is really worth anything these days.

So. We looked at four places yesterday:
- bottom floor of a duplex downtown... fairly run-down... $1100 + heat and hydro... wouldn't need a buspass, but I'd be walking my ass off.
- bottom floor of a duplex in Sandy Hill... really cute... well decorated... but rooms broken up in an odd way... the second bedroom is more like a room than a bedroom... $1185 + hydro
- semi-detatched on Kilborn St... not exactly near transitway but not far either... a good size with a good size yard... but we didn't fall in love with it... 1300$ + all utilities.
- a house near Bank and Walkley... five minute walk from transitway and from grocery store and from everything else... a great sized three bedroom with unfinished but really clean basement... washer/dryer, A/C, dishwasher, fireplace, large backyard with trees, fenced in, gorgeous...$1200 + all utilities.

We completely fell in love with the last place. So we think we're going to apply for it. However, the yucky thing is that we were hoping to find a place with at least a finished basement, so we could move in with someone. But we haven't found anything suitable yet. Sigh.

I'll let you know how it pans out.

And now, for some photos... without captions because I can't be bothered.

2006-09-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

Back to reality

2006-09-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

I've finally returned to Ottawa! Well, the tiny town of St. Isidore actually... but I've been to Ottawa once since I got back!

I've had more migraines since I've returned than I had my whole time on tour. Not that life is that stressful for me right now, but it's always a shock to return to the everyday normalcies after spending two months in vacation/performance/tourism bliss... plus I'm jetlagged as hell. Who knew that three hours could screw someone up so much?

I'll be posting a whole new slew of Edmonton/Rockies photos soon... I'm just too lazy to attempt it on my parent's slow dial-up connection. I just haven't had the time to do it anyway. Since I got back on Saturday night, I've:

- looked at my budget to discover that we made a good chunk of change this summer;

- made my budget for the next four months and discovered that 100% of that chunk of change will be gone by January if both Stewart and I don't get "good" jobs;

- prepped my first classical acting class;

- discovered that I don't feel like I know much about classical acting (Got any fun sonnet excercises Kris?);

- attempted to unpack my bag into the small office/guest bedroom where I'll be staying for the next who-knows-how-long;

- taught my first classical acting class and was told by a student that he didn't realise until then that Shakespeare could be fun;

- had shakes and cakes with Dave Dawson;

- did internet searches for apartments and houses;

- wrote 50 emails;

- replied to 100 emails;

- had three baths;

- played with Babs and Kenny, the cats;

- missed Vancouver and wished that I was still on tour and not back to reality.

I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea that I'm doing what I love, but might not be able to live the lifestyle I want to live because of it. And I'm not talking the high-life here, but with the amount of work Stewart and I have this fall (which is fairly substantial) we still might only be able to afford a small two bedroom apartment instead of the small house we were hoping to look into renting. That's unless we get a roommate, which is already a good possibility. However, we were also hoping to finally get a place of our own, maybe think about starting a family.

Decisions... decisions...

Long time no blog

2006-08-25T18:48:00.000-04:00

Wow... where did the time go? I thought I had blogged recently, but it's been over a week. I apologize to all of the three people who try to read my blog on a regular basis.

The reason I haven't written is that there's not much new to report. Pretty standard (and a lovely standard it is) on the fringe circuit. 52 Pick-up is getting great reviews and selling out each night, sometimes an hour in advance. Zombies is also doing well. Some of the critics don't get it... and give it stupid star ratings. Some of the audience doesn't get it and walks out in the middle of the show, banging the door loudly as they exit. Luckily, most people who stick through it really enjoy it. We've had consistent houses, though not sell-outs. What do you expect with a drama?

My parents were in Edmonton for five days to visit and it was great. Two of those days we had off, so we went to the West Edmonton Mall to go to the waterpark, eat lotsa food, shop and go ten-pin bowling... which I had to do with two hand because I'm a weak baby. Two of those nights we spent in my parents' hotel room eating pizza, drinking scotch and watching the television... it was heaven.

Very soon you won't be getting any blog postings from me for a long while. Starting on Monday I'm going camping in the Rockies for a week and a half before we go the Vancouver Fringe. I'm not sure how much I'm going to like "roughing it" but I've bought plenty of organic free-trade coffee and antibacterial wet-ones to keep me feeling like a city-girl.

Gotta go. Stewart and I have to babysit a one-year old for a friend of ours while she sees a show. I call it practice. Stewart calls it trying to keep a baby from crying for an hour.

Impish??? Is that a good thing?

2006-08-18T16:51:00.001-04:00

I don't have time to drag my laptop down to the Fringe area to update my website, so a blogpost at an internet cafe will have to do for now.

52 Pick-up was mentionned in three of the four major print medias in Edmonton so far...

Vue Weekly said:
IF YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO SEE ONE PLAY ...
Zombies (Screwed and Clued)52 Pick-up (Enigma)Stage 11
All Stewart Matthews and Natalie Joy Quesnel, generally better known as Screwed and Clued, seem to do is get rave reviews. Zombies has already picked up an Outstanding Original Work award at the Ottawa Fringe and five star reviews in Winnipeg, and 52 Pick-up, which features 52 scenes about a relationship selected at random from a scattering of the cards, promises to be one of the most wildly creative works at this year’s Fringe. Do yourself a favour and see both.

See Magazine quoted us in an article... "Siren song. Your fringe show will get you laid if..."
"...Dallas met her husband on the Fringe and her daughter was conceived at the Winnipeg Fringe. She also notes there are quite a few other "war brides," British performers who came to Canada for the Fringe, fell in love and stayed.
Stewart Matthews is one such. A member of Screwed and Clued since their first tour in 1998, he was determined in 2003 to "...have flings in every city." Enter Natalie Joy Quesnel, with whom he performs 52 Pick Up this year. They met at an improv show in Ottawa
"He yelled ‘Wankers!’ really loudly," says Quesnel, "I thought nothing of it other than ‘He sounds English; he must be from the Screwed and Clued group that’s always here and is so popular and all the girls love them.’"
In the heightened world of Fringe, things progressed extremely rapidly, says Quesnel. "Our first kiss I pulled away and asked him, because I had nothing to lose, ‘How many kids do you want?’ He said three. I went ‘great’ and we carried on kissing."
Matthews chimes in. "Two hours later we finally got out of the elevator. Yeah, our first kiss lasted two hours in an elevator." Three months later they were engaged.
STICK TO THE F WORD
For Matthews and Quesnel, it was a case of love at first sight and a bone deep knowledge they’d met the right person. However, says Matthews, the reality is a bit different for most Fringe artists. "The Fringe is a place for ummm... heightened relationships. Because you know people for a short amount of time, relationships move a lot faster because of that. To get something lasting from it is very unusual, it’s usually very quick, very short affairs... yes that’s the Fringe, a whole bunch of horny actors having torrid affairs!"..."

AND

"Picks from other parts
Greetings my ducklings. After a two week absence, yours truly is back at the Underwood, devotedly scouting out all the news that’s fit to print. A week in Saskatoon, mining their Fringe, was an interesting sociological exercise. Onwards and upwards!
Fringe Roundup
The Fringe is supposed to be all about risk and adventure, but I know many of you readers out there want a bit of certainty when it comes to your Fringe dollar. Therefore I comb the newspapers of other Fringe cities to find out the frontrunners–the shows dubbed "Pick of the Fringe" by my out of town colleagues. Of the ten picks in Saskatoon, seven are coming on to Edmonton. They are: Letters in Wartime, Canterbury Tales, 52 Pick Up, Teaching Shakespeare 3, My Morocco, The Excursionists, and Train Your Man. Advance tickets are available at the Fringe Box Office or by calling 409-1910."

And finally, Colin MacLean was quite kind to us, giving the show at FOUR STAR review before we've even opened.
"52 Pick-Up is a returning Fringe favourite. It was created a few years back by Uber Fringe God T.J. Dawe, along with Rita Bozi.
The premise is simple. Two actors throw a deck of cards in the air. Each card signifies a single scene. They pick up the cards in random order and read off the title – the ace of hearts signifies “first meeting,’’ the two of diamonds, “sex,’’ the queen of hearts, “there are so many things I love about him,’’ the five of clubs, “first impressions’’ – and so on.
They then perform a scene based on the title. Slowly, the pieces come together and the story of a romance begins to form. In other words, each performance is different and the audience has to work to form the pieces into a coherent whole.
In other iterations of the show, I found it mildly interesting – an actor’s exercise to which we were invited.
Not so this time around. First the acting is superior. Stewart Matthews is a member of Screwed and Clued, the English troupe that has brought us Trench, Fitch and Cabbage and EN-GER-LAND.
Natalie Joy Quesnel has had considerable stage training and experience. What makes it work so well is that both performers have the ability to take just a few words, a mini-monologue, a snatch of dialogue or a small scene and make it work emotionally and dramatically satisfying, even if its context has yet to emerge. He’s a solid actor; she has an appealing impish quality.
So, mixed up though the scenes are, you still experience the thrill of first meeting, their developing love and the later problems that face any relationship.
These attractive young people are married and it is quite evident they are completely at home with each other on stage. The two have loads of charm, chemistry and connection.
Will they end up with each other or will they be pulled apart by fate and mutual differences? You have to see each production to find out but Matthews and Quesnel make the trip involving and worthwhile.
– Based on performance at the Saskatoon Fringe"

So far so good. Zombies hasn't been reviewed yet but still opened at noon today with around 55 bums in seats. 52 Pick-up has its first show tonight at 6:45pm... keeping my fingers crossed.

YAY!!! Another photo post!

2006-08-16T17:54:00.000-04:00

Colin and me singing the Dirty Dancing classic "Had the time of my life." (He didn't tell me he didn't know the words... or the melody.)

One of my new favorite pictures, Courtney in the middle of punching Jonah.

Stewart, Courtney and Chris in a pub... having some fun.

Stewart and I finally succumbed to the trend... but gosh they are comfy!

A beautiful Saskatoon moon.

And, finally, a plethora of shots from the annual Saskatoon ENGLAND VS. THE WORLD soccer game.

Another day, another city.

2006-08-14T13:11:00.000-04:00

Today we say goodbye to Saskatoon and hello to Edmonton. It's past the mid-way mark of tour and I can feel the energy drooping down. I'm tired, I'm starting to hate theatre and I want to go home... though I have no apartment to myself when I get back. Sigh.

We open on Friday in Edmonton, so that gives us plenty of time to do our techs, poster like mad, hopefully do my lesson plans for next semester's acting class at Algonquin, and maybe have some time to relax. Someone asked me the other day if touring two shows is a good idea. Stewart replied with a resounding "YES!" and said he'd even consider touring three. My jaw dropped. Of course he would say that. He's not the one doing the admin for two companies, media for three companies, arranging biletting, arranging transportation, making sure the costumes (and our regular clothes) are clean, doing phone interviews, writing and re-writing press releasese, sharing kind words when a critical review comes out... oh, and directing and redirecting, organising the tech, stage managing, dramaturging (is that a word?) and, if I still have energy, PERFORMING in the freaking show I'm doing all this organising for!

Three shows next year? I don't fucking think so. Unless I'm the one who can wake up (late!), get ready for the show, do the show, then chill out afterwards! (The worst part of all of this is, I'm the one who allows this to happen in the first place!)

On another note, I was going to do a photo post today, but we're leaving in an hour and I don't have the time to upload the new ones. I will try to update the blog with them soon. In two weeks, I'll be on my honeymoon and, hopefully, no where near anywhere that will allow me to use the internet, so I'll try to update as much as possible before then.

Just when I was going to curse Saskatoon's name again...

2006-08-05T22:31:00.000-04:00

... Stewart and I have dinner at a restaurant only to find out that our drinks have already been paid for by complete stangers.

The show that I felt so ill while performing has now meritted us:
- a four star review
- compliments from four seperate patrons that stopped me on the street AND
- a free chai latte for me and juice for Stewart.

How weird (and lovely) is that?

FINALLY!!!

2006-08-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Because inquiring minds want to know, here’s a detailed summary of what was surely one of the most (if not THE most) cool event to happen on the Fringe circuit this year… Doctor Caligari's Cabaret of Love or The Love-Match of the Audible Tongue Burden of the 52 Flamenco-Jesus Excursionists, the 21 Scratch Power-Chicks, and the 12 Lost Zombie-Shakespeares.

July 26th 2006 – 10pm
Most of the performers arrived, waiting for Alex Dallas’ show to finish upstairs at the King’s Head so we could head up and get ready. None of us were in costume. None of us were in makeup. None of us knew the line-up. None of us had met as a complete group since the week before. Jem Rolls saw that I was nervous and told me to calm down… I didn’t even realise that I was nervous until he mentioned it. I guess, after three years, he can read me pretty well.

10:15pm
We all went upstairs to get ready… white and black macabre makeup being passed around and put on in front of a mirrored beer advertisement… people mumbling lines to themselves… performers frantically ripping packages of batteries and flashlights and forming a surprisingly efficient assembly line.

10:30pm
The tickets went on sale… to an already large line-up waiting outside the King’s Head patio. Jem said that the tickets sold-out within 15 minutes last year… no such luck this year, but we did end up with a full house. They were clapping and cheering before we even stepped on the stage. At five minutes to curtain, Chris Gibbs brought us all together to go over the line-up and lighting changes (much of the show was lit by flashlight… if audience members brought a flashlight, they were given a dollar off the price of admission.) The energy was quite electric in the room.

SHOWTIME
I’ll try not to go into too much detail, because I could go on forever, but here’s what happened at the Cabaret:

Jonah (The Excursionists… aka. My fringe boyfriend) brought back his character from last year’s show Gloomology… and turned him into Cupid’s replacement. Cupid, sadly, had an accident and died, so his macabre character found two innocent audience members, shot arrows at them, made them kiss and then sent them on their way with a cheesy motel advertisement from the yellow pages in their pocket. He then shot arrows at two other people, a man and a woman sitting at the corner of the bar.

Terry and Caymen (Audible), lit by flashlights did a mega-faced-paced bit of dialogue from last year’s show Articulate… the scene sums up the whole courtship of a couple in just three minutes. The audience was already warmed up with Jonah, but the Saucy Fops had the audience roaring, turning their three-minute bit into five minutes, easily… and just as they are about to do their final kiss, they yell “flashlight”!

Change of focus to the stage, with Monster Theatre using masks on their hands to create two adorable fish puppets, swimming in the sea. They are clearly in love, but are afraid to tell each other how they feel. Just as one of them gets the guts to admit his love, the lady fish sees a shiny object that catches her eye and draws her to if… just as quickly, she is yanked out of the water by the lure and the other fish is left bubbling and crying in the water… but the story is to be continued….

John Huston appears standing on a chair near the bar, telling an early 20th century story only the way John can… a story of love, infidelity and trust. Madeleine keeps having affairs, but her husband still keeps holding on. She goes from man to man to man, but her husband still keeps wondering what they have that he doesn’t have…. John goes to give us the conclusion, but then complains that Chris didn’t give him enough time in this freaking cabaret, so the audience will just have to go unsatisfied.

Back to the stage, with Monster Theatre and the ladyfish now stuck in a tank… but lo and behold, her companion also bit the lure in an attempt to save her and now joins her in the tank. They confess their love for each other and have mad, bubbly fish sex together.

Jem Rolls appears to the left, at the top of the stairs and proceeds to perform one of his most loved poems “We broke up because the sex was too good”… wandering around the audience and finishing at the stairwell, just in time for…

Ricardo (Flamenco con fusion), on the stage, showed off his mad flamenco guitar skills, easily making every lady in the house melt in their seats. As loud as the audience had been for the duration of the show, not a noise could be heard when he played… completely mesmerizing.

The first impromptu bug of the night happened just before Chris (The Excursionists) went to perform some slight-of-hand magic. The CD player wouldn’t work so Jonah, acting as our MC in case such a thing happened, asked Ricardo if he would play some more. This resulting in some lovely collaboration between Chris and Ricardo… totally quirky and charming. A perfect end to the first act.

The second act started almost thirty minutes later with the audience clapping and slapping the tables, urging us to carry on… they clearly wanted more.

Chris Gibbs appeared on stage dressed in a gigantic heart (which he made out of cardboard and a red sheet just minutes before the show) and did three cartwheels on stage. The audience went nuts. He performed with a perfect American accent, explaining that he was there to encourage and teach the process of love. His bit ended with him trying to get the audience to sing “All you need is love”… but he kept yelling abusively to one side of the audience that clearly wasn’t getting it right. It was hilarious. He was a completely insane motivational speaker and the audience loved it.

Alex Dallas then appeared in the audience, lit by her own flashlight, and introduced Jem Rolls and his lyrical orgasm. He again appeared at the top of the stairwell and, breathless by the end, strung words together so fast the audience’s minds were racing.

Surprise, surprise, John Huston appeared on the other side of the room to deliver the conclusion to his dark love story. Madeleine only cheated on her husband once more, but this time, with a murdered. Jean, the husband, was left with no other choice… but to kill her. While John was delivering his final lines, Stewart and I made our way to the stage.

Once John was done, the lights came up on stage for us. Though Stewart and I wrote our bit two days before the show, and memorized it the day of the performance, we had no real idea how we would perform it. What came out was this vampy, campy, cabaret-esque couple who loved to hate (and lust after) each other. The title was “The Game of Love”… I went on to explain to rules of the game… writing them down like this won’t do the scene justice, but you’ll get the idea. Rule number one: The Game is always being played, it’s all about strategy and the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Rule number two: The cleverest man is always the one who ends up with the most pie. (Trivial pursuit reference) Rule number three: It’s loud, it’s chaotic and you have to have very quick hands or else the wrong person ends up with your balls in their mouth. (Clearly, the only rule the man made up in this game… a reference to Hungry Hungry Hippos). We went on to illustrate plays of the game. Some of them included: Battleship as a illusion to masturbation… Yatzee as an orgasmic cry…Guess Who as the moment a woman finds out her man is cheating on her with multiple women… and, the final scene, from Clue, when a man find his wife in the Study with Colonel Mustard (a cameo by John Huston)… and a candle stick! It was all very sexy and silly and incredibly fun.

The boys from Scratch did a scene in the dark, using microphones… I don’t remember much about it sadly… I was too busy calming myself down after my scene… I could finally relax.

Keir Cutler appeared in the stairwell, light by flashlight, and performed a scene from his show Teaching As You Like It… about a high school teacher who falls in love with a student but tries to justify their relationship as being pure and innocent. Funny, sad and pathetic, all at the same time.

Next up were Alex Dallas, Chris Caswell (2112) and Courtney Cunningham (Pouffy du Vey) appearing on stage, in full dirty clown mode, to sing a song for the audience. I don’t really remember much about it, the audience was too busy laughing over the lyrics for me to understand, but it was brash, dirty and kinda endearing… weird that.

Then we all came up on stage and sang “All You Need Is Love”… very very badly. But by this point, it was past 1am, the audience was drunk with either drink or laughter, and we were all giddy with our accomplishments. The show came across like a rehearsed piece of theatre. Not at all like the thrown together mess it actually was. We made over 1000$ which went to the volunteers pancake breakfast… a very good cause.

If you’re a performer in Winnipeg at next year’s Fringe, I strongly suggest you find out who is organizing the cabaret and get yourself involved. Or organize it yourself! Or just make sure you get a ticket to watch it. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

In the meantime...

2006-08-05T13:52:00.000-04:00

I was going to write a long post about the Winnipeg Cabaret at the King's Head, but it's quite long already and I haven't finished it yet. So, in the meantime, here are some more point form details and photos of my goings-on.

- We did our first performances in Saskatoon yesterday. Zombies had a house of about 20 people for a 10pm show, 52 Pick-up had about 40 people for a 6pm show... not too shabby. I did something yesterday that I have never done before... performed while feeling extremely ill! I don't know where it came from, but out of the blue yesterday I was dizzy and nauseous and crampy and generally feeling horrible. I was almost sick right before the show and almost left the stage at numerous times. Somehow, I got through it (though my character has never moved less, been more unconfortable in her skin or harsher towards her mate)... the StarPhoenix gave the show FOUR STARS and highly recommended it. Needless to say, I was relieved. Now I'm hoping that I'll feel better for today's performance... it's not looking good so far though. Oh well.

- We draw company names for the Spoof Night this evening. For those of you who don't know, Spoof Night in Saskatoon gives the chance for companies to see each other's shows and create a short spoof of the show itself, of the performers or all of the above. It's performed at the Broadway Theatre at midnight, mid-way through the Fringe. Since Stewart and I are entering both 52 Pick-up and Zombies into the mix, we're going to have to spoof two shows. Why are we giving ourselves more work? There are 30 companies who entered the spoof night thingy, so this year it'll be held over the course of two nights. More details to follow.

- The annual football (soccer!) game is this Tuesday at 11am... team selection at 10:30. Those who are interested should come to the Fringe office bright and early. I plan on sipping a frappachino and reading a book under a tree while I watch everyone else exhaust and dirty themselves... should be fun.

Ok, and now for some photos.
My favorite meal in Winnipeg... ice cream and mini-donuts from two seperate vendors, put into one bowl... delicious!

Phil (from Fill the Void) and his trusty video camera, waiting to capture moments of the Jenny's, the Winnipeg Fringe silly awards. Sadly, he missed capturing footage of Stewart making out with Chris from The Excursionists.... I was onstage for the entire thing, with my camera in hand, but I was too shocked to take a photo myself!

Now in Saskatoon, on the rooftop patio at the Yard and Flagon, Colin tries to intimidate Stewart.

The Cabaret description will arriving shortly...

I'm back!!! with another photo post!

2006-08-02T13:03:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I've been away for so long. I tried to keep up with my CBC blog but the best I could do was update it every second day... and with tiny posts at best. For those of you who have done the Winnipeg Fringe, you know why I didn't have time to post... it's just too damn fun! Plus, Stewart's diverticulitis was severely acting up so I had to take care of my baby. Anywho, here's a few photos from the end of Toronto and the whole of Winnipeg. We're in Saskatoon now, so we'll probably be extremely bored and taking lots of pictures.
Stewart and I near the Factory Theatre in Toronto, wearing the diving helmets from The Excursionists. Needless to say we got lots of attention. Stewart and Chris (The Excursionists)... it was his birthday, on the Monday before the Winnipeg Fringe, so Stewart shaved especially for him... they kinda look like brothers.

My view from the "booth" at the Winipeg MTC Backstage at the Mainstage

My sound board at the MTC (aka I'm bored watching Zombies for the 50th freaking time!)

More to come...

YAY! Winnipeg!!!

2006-07-18T23:52:00.000-04:00

I just tried to post something, but blogger said "NO! Get off this internet cafe computer you silly girl and go home!" and then it delete everything I wrote. So, Reader's Digest version:

- I'm in Winnipeg. The drive was long. I slept a lot and listened to a BBC radio adaptation of Lord of the Rings.
- Tomorrow I have to poster, photocopy, do two tech rehearsals and one performance of Zombies... I'm going to die of exhaustion.
- Being in Winnipeg feels like summer camp... seeing all of my friends from two years ago is nice.
- Both of our shows already have advance sales... woot!
- Our billet is great... and a good chef too!
- I won't be updating this blog much over the next few days, so check out my cbc blog for Natalie updates.

Missing y'all back home!

Toronto Photos 2 (or lotsa Stewart)

2006-07-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

During one of the ten hours of driving we did to get to Ottawa and back.Natalia and Stewart watching television.

Dave and Jonah looking at their reviews in Eye.Stewart and Chris, um, dancing at the Fringe club.

Small town girl in the big city (or should I say cities)

2006-07-12T15:45:00.000-04:00

I've had a wacky past two days. I was fortunate enough to get a voice over gig through a company that, according to one of their employees, "makes the internet". Well, I believe it, based on the amount of people at computers creating fantastic looking graphics, advertisements and games in their warehouse office. Anywho, I thought it would be silly of me to turn this gig down... the gig itself was for Reach toothbrushes, who are making an internet game for marketing purposes. All pretty cool. Well, Stewart and I (with Stewart at the wheel the whole time) left Toronto at 7:30am on Monday, arrived at 12:30pm, recorded until 2:30pm and then drove back to Toronto to arrive downtown at 7:30pm in enough time to get ice cream and see a show at 8:45pm. Crazy times... but, not so crazy compared to some of the escapades other friends of mine have done for theatre work.

So today, I got up at 8:30 to go downtown with my sister for a hair appointment. First I must preface this part by saying that I do love having my hair cut and have a tendency to go to the stylist compulsively. However, I'd been pretty good this year, not getting many cuts or colors, so I saved up my money for a pre-tour cut. Well, I got so fed up with my hair a month before tour that I got it cut short earlier than expected. Then, I went back the week before leaving for tour and got a trim and highlights. However, once I was on tour, I realised that my hair was already getting bulky. This surely would like horrible by the end of the summer, since I couldn't get a cut before getting back home. So...

I decided to go to my sister's stylist. She'd done my hair before, so I wasn't worried. Carolyn and I were running a bit late, so she dropped me off on a street corner and said roughly "I'm going to park the car. The entrance is just around this building." I'd been to the salon before, so I knew where I was going. I went around the building, entered the Eaton centre and went to the salon. When I told them I had an appointment with Maria, for me and my sister, they brought me to the back to have my hair washed... but it wasn't Maria that came to see me. It was some man named Sergei, or Sergio, or something. I thought he was the manager, just being polite, but next thing I know my hair is washed and he's got the scissors in them. Now, I'm just too damn polite to be really assertive in this kind of situation. However, I did say many times, "I have an appointment with Maria, is she late?" and "Was I not in your appointment book?" I kept looking around the corner to see if my sister would show up, but she never did. Alarm bells were ringing. The cut was looking good enough, so I wasn't upset, but I still didn't feel right. Sure enough, the receptionist comes to see me and says "Your sister is on the phone". It turns out Maria hasn't been in that salon for SIX YEARS... and this isn't the first time that they've bluffed their way through getting some of her clients to stay at their salon. I was near the end of the cut, so I put on a smile, told the stylist that my sister was having problems with the car and the baby and that I had to go. I paid my 58$, sadly, left no tip and got out of there as fast as I could. I felt so violated... some strange man lied to me just to get my freaking 58$ for a haircut. Luckily, I found Maria's new place (turns out my sister said "the entrance is around the other side of THIS building" and she even fixed my cut and charged me next to nothing... and my sister picked up the tab.... such sweeties. We went back to the other salon to complain... it turns out they do have another stylist named Maria, but it was clear that Sergei or Sergio or whatever his name is was trying to cover his tracks for having lied right to my face.

I am clearly too trusting for my own good. I should have just listened to my gut feeling, but I didn't. Luckily, the worse thing that happened to me was a bad haircut.

The moral of this story: Don't fuck with a Toronto hairstylist... they can be viciously competitive... and don't ever get your hair cut at Nino D'arena at the Eaton Centre.

My Tour So Far... in pictures

2006-07-09T12:39:00.000-04:00

Stewart, on the Arts Court stage in Ottawa, with his murse on his head.

Two of the sexist men at the Ottawa Fringe, Kris Joseph and Ryan Paulson.

Ryan Paulson, on a corner of Elgin Street, recreating a scene from Zombies.

Me and Stewart in Dave Dawson's van (ED) on our way to Toronto for the Fringe.
What Stewart and I wake up to every morning in Toronto... Natalia.
Stewart, at the 360 restaurant on top of the CN tower, having lunch for our first-one year anniversary. (First meaning we will celebrate again on September 24th... any excuse for a party!)Deserts at the restaurant... look, Mom, wedding cakes!

That's it, for now... only a few moments left before the World Cup Final. I don't care who wins. If it's not England, it doesn't count!

A Sigh of Relief

2006-07-07T15:20:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posting, but moving out of my apartment and going to the Toronto Fringe has kept me busy... but, happily, Stewart and I can breathe a teenie, tiny sigh of relief.

"Actor and playwright Matthews engages the audience in a philosophical journey that's often depressing but, in the end, tremendously inspirational. Zombies is dark, funny, entertaining and very, very smart. *****" Eye Magazine

FIVE FREAKIN' STARS!!! I don't think Screwed and Clued has ever achieved that in Toronto. Needless to say, Stewart and I are a little giddy.

Oh, Kris, Stewart wanted me to say thanks... your inspirational email did him a world of good. We kicked zombie-ass, just like you said.

Woot!

BEST OF VENUE!!!

2006-06-25T10:04:00.000-04:00

After another sold-out Bear show AND our first sold-out Zombies show, I was greeted at the beer tent with many congratulations from strangers. Zombies won Best of Venue for Arts Court Theatre! We thought for sure we'd be beat by the Chinese Clown Cabaret. I haven't hid during the entire fringe that they were out nemesis. I didn't even have a chance to see their show, but everyone I talked to loved it, and they were both so darn nice and cute... so I had to hate them! ;-) Irregardless, we found out that we won fair and square which is fantastic for us. Though, it's also sad, because we had planned on seeing the Chinese Clown show when they won best of venue. D'oh.

Another great show that won Best of Venue, and whose final show is not at the same time as the others, is Black Sheep Theatre's Can't Get Started. It's playing at the Mercury Lounge at 8pm tonight. That gives you plenty of time to run back to the main Fringe area to watch the other Best of Venue shows that start at 9:30pm.

On another unrelated note, England plays Ecuador today in the World Cup... Stewart is incredibly sad because he's going to miss much of the second half, because we have a show at 1pm. So, be nice to him if you see him today... he probably will be cranky. Unless England wins, then he won't care.

Migrainy Fridays

2006-06-24T10:08:00.000-04:00

After a fun afternoon shopping, a great Bear show, an entertaining Bard show and a social night at the fringe courtyard, I had to cut my plans short. Another stupid migraine took over my plans. It's my own darn fault. I really didn't eat much... and haven't been sleeping much... so I was kinda asking for it.

I did finally see a show! Two, in fact. G-Men Defectives was great fun. Domville and Besharah have some great comedic timing together. The concept needs a bit of work, their energy onstage is so much fun to watch. I was going to see So Close To My Skin last night, but I was reminded that the show is going to Toronto as well, so I'll wait until then. I'm looking forward to it though... Pierre Simpson is dreamy. Um, as an actor I mean.

I also saw the Brown Bag Bards. The shows, venue and performances were great. This is a company to keep your eye on. The shows were good last night, but I have a feeling that a whole summer of performances will really get this troupe kicking some bard butt.

Today, I plan to see Pentacostal Wisconsin.
I doubt I'll have time for anything else today, what with a Zombies show and Bear show.
Hopefully I won't be a migrainy-cranky-pants either.

Lazy Wednesdays

2006-06-22T10:11:00.000-04:00

After our low-energy but still fun performance of Bear, I went to the courtyard with an old friend of mine. I had planned on seeing shows, but one wrap and a beer later, I reconsidered. I mean, I'm going on tour on July 2nd and I'll be gone for over two months... isn't more important to spend time with those you love than to see theatre? Maybe, as an artist, my priorities are out of wack. But I will reiterate what I have already said in a past post, the time spent in the couryard, over a beverage, chatting with friends and other artists is incredibly relaxing and rewarding. Sure, I'm sad that I haven't seen any shows yet... but I have made a load of news friends and reinforced loads of current friendships. Life is good.

But I will see shows today... I have to! Only four more days left of the festival.

I will see shows today!!! There, I said it again.

I will see shows today!... right after I come back from the wave pool with my friend and her two kids. Mmmm.... waves.... kids....relaxing...eating... napping....

Oh, um, yes.... and I WILL see shows today.

More blogging?

2006-06-21T15:45:00.000-04:00

I just got news from CBC Manitoba that I've been accepted as a blogger for their 2006 Winnipeg Fringe site! Not only is it fantastic free publicity for the many many many shows I'm working on, but I also get to share my views on the other shows I'll get the chance to see. Yay!

Who does this festival think it is? The Winnipeg Fringe?

2006-06-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

Ok. So. What the hell? Yesterday, there were people singing at the courtyard. AND dancing. And some were singing at the same time as they were dancing. And drinking. And chatting. And enjoying themselves. My favorite Fringe producer sang Copacabana. My favorite tall cuddly man sang Shake Rattle and Roll. It was all kinda surreal. The Ottawa Fringe has come a long way... and it's good.

I'm kinda excited too because I'm finally planning on seeing shows during the next few days. I'm not going to say which, because I can't promise that I'm going to see all the shows that I feel I should see. My apartment is still a disaster area, what with trying to move out before tour. Also, doing two shows a day yourself can put a kink in scheduling plans. Oh well, such is fringe life.... and it's good.

Good Fringe Times

2006-06-19T00:16:00.000-04:00

One of the best parts about Fringing is having conversations at the beer tent with fellow artists. Sometimes the chats have nothing to do about theatre, are completely silly and banal. But sometimes, they are incredily interesting and motivating. I am so relaxed right now because I don't have my MFA to stress me out and I can actually take the time to sit down, have a drink and simply talk to someone. It's lovely.

Also if you're at the beer tent, you can win prizes. I had already won a 20$ gift certificate to the Elgin Street Diner earlier in the day because I knew Kevin Waghorn's code word. Stewart decided to buy raffle tickets and won himself (and therefore myself!) a 50$ gift certificate for the Fish Market.

Looks like we'll be able to eat for the next two days!

Another odd event happened today. While Stewart and I were walking towards the beer tent, I suddenly decided to turn around. Sure enough, our old Fringe friend Jem Rolls was right behind us. Somehow, I just sensed he was there... weird. He's such a fantastic poet and his show is almost totally new material. Not to be missed.

Rubato's show went well today... we had a good house who enjoyed every pun with a sufficently hearty groan. Kinda rewarding actually. Only 15 more to go. Um... I'm also not particularly good with math.

I haven't seen any shows yet... I haven't had the time. I'm starting to wonder if I will have the time to see anything in Ottawa. With two shows, prepping for tour and moving out of my apartment, life is a little hectic. Luckily, I'm happy.

Opening Night

2006-06-17T15:01:00.000-04:00

Wow... I was on cloud nine yesterday. The Man Who Went to Work One Day And Got Eaten by a Bear had 40 people in attendance... and they laughed! A LOT!

Zombies opened to the largest crowd Arts Court Theatre had seen that day, with 66 bums in seats. Happily, we discovered that the show is a lot funnier than we thought. We were working on the show as if it was a drama, letting the comedy happen naturally. But the laughs were actually quite frequent, much to our surprise. Stewart was a bit nervous though, when he discovered that Kevin Prokosh from the Winnipeg Free Press was in attendance, ready to review his show on opening night of all nights... almost a month before Zombies rolls into Winnipeg for the Fringe. He seems to do this frequently with Screwed and Clued. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have the press ready to give you a nod early on in any festival. But the first public presentation of a show isn't always the best indication of what the show will turn out to be. Luckily, Stewart's first one-man show was a success. I was terribly proud of him. He had energy, grace, precision, great timing and sincerity. Then again, I am a bit biased.

Best quote from an audience member thus far:
"It's a metaphor! I get it!"
- Ryan Anderson

It's FRINGE TIME!!!

2006-06-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

And the media are already talking about it. Check out articles in...

The Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Sun
The Xpress

Let's just hope they keep it up and Ottawa audiences actually show up!

It's That Time Again!

2006-06-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

Taking my cue from one of my favorite people in the world... here's some shameless self-promotion. The Ottawa Fringe starts this week and I'm lucky enough to be involved in two shows. For information about my brief return to the stage, check out The Man Who Went To Work One Day And Got Eaten By A Bear.

I'm also directing (again!), which really is just an extension of telling my husband what to do. Stewart has written a really great one-man show called Zombies and I'm very proud of the work he's done on it so far. We still have tonnes of rehearsal this week and our first show is this Friday... only four days away!

Not my usual Tuesday

2006-06-06T17:07:00.000-04:00

My mother and father often go to different charity events and, at the last one they attended, mom won quite the prize at a silent auction. Her prize was for lunch for two with MP Guy Lauzon at the Parliamentary Dining Room in the center block. (Ok, so he's a Conservative... and not even from my riding, but still he's quite a nice man.) Anywho, when Mr. Lauzon heard who won the auction (two community theatre stars he's seen perform many times, their MFA graduate daughter and her husband, the new Canadian) he suggested that he take all four of us to lunch. The Parliamentary Dining room is incredibly posh. We didn't see any huge political celebrities, but we were introduced to the leader of the opposition in the elevator on the way to lunch.

After lunch, Mr. Lauzon took us on a quick behind-the-scenes tour our the house. Well, not the house exactly, but the corridors outside the house and the room behind the seats where the majority government sits. Stockwell Day was sitting on a couch, fumbling with his Blackberry, presumably playing solitaire. Then we went up the stairs (the ones that go up to the Prime Minister's office, the ones that the media follows as he arrives for and leaves Question Period) and made our way through security (a second time!) to then take our seats (front row baby!) for Question Period. It was really not as boring as I expected it to be. I was kinda fascinated by the whole thing. The best part was the statements made at the beginning of Question Period, before the actual questions start. It sounded more like tourism advertisements and plugs for potential Hockeyville winners than politics. Then the questions actually came about... without any clear answers given. There were questions about the budget, Toronto's terrorism raid and the media, the military, the environment, MP's spending habits... all of which sounded like: "My party is bigger than your party!" and "My party can clap louder than your party!" I couldn't believe how childish the whole thing was. I thought the MPs actually took this process seriously. And, well, they do... as a circus freak-show.

Afterwards, we ended up running into Pierre Lemieux, the MP for my parent's riding as well as some other gentleman who we first saw sitting in the Speaker's seat (but who wasn't the official Speaker or any of the Deputy Speakers that I know of)... and we found out he was born on the same street my parents live on and his mother still lives a block away too. Weird.

All in all, it was a pretty neat experience. Heck, anything is better than going to school right now. I'm just as busy, working on four shows in some way, shape or form than I was doing my MFA... but somehow I'm sleeping better at night. And laughing more. Life is good.

Not my usual Monday

2006-05-23T09:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday is a day that I won't soon forget.... I learned how to play History of the World and...

For privacy's sake, I won't mention this person's name.... but I'm sure all five of you who read this blog will know who I'm talking about. While walking to the Elgin Street Diner at lunch yesterday, hand in hand with my hottie of a husband, I saw someone that I wasn't prepared to see. Someone who, I thought, was either no longer living in this city or was dead. And believe me, if you knew who I was talking about, both of these options are realistic. But there I was, with Stewart, at the top of the stairs to go down to Confederation Park, when I laid eyes on said person for the first time in almost three years. I noticed that they obviously saw me but were going to avoid me and, in a split second, I made the decision to say hello anyway. Well, my actual words were "Holy Shit! Hi!" This person was definitely not dead, one could even say that they looked healthier than the last time I saw them. But the clothes were the same, the scruffiness was the same, the slouch was the same, the desire to disappear was the same. I blathered on like an idiot for a minute or two, trying desperately to regain the contact that I had lost... not the same contact, but at least make a connection. They were just as surprised as I was, but definitely not as happy. They finally, extended a hand to say hello to Stewart, though until that very moment they didn't lay eyes on him at all... could barely lay eyes on me for that matter. The brief encounter ended with me (again, sounding like an idiot) saying "Well, we live at the same place, we have the same number, give us a call."... and also ended all hope that they actually would call.

I have the best husband in the world. A man who, two minutes after this surprise meeting while I was already talking about something else, said "You're shaken up, it's normal, it's ok. Don't worry. Go ahead and talk about it if you need to. You'll probably need to for the whole day. I love you."

If this person and I hadn't lost contact, if this person hadn't decided that they needed to completely disappear from my life to heal, this meeting wouldn't have been so momentous. Because I don't need distance for healing. I actually need the opposite. But I gave said person the distance they wanted because, well, part me still loved them at the time and wanted to best for them. But somehow, deep inside, I hoped a positive connection would be made again... so I could totally heal. I doubt that will happen and I know that now. Stewart's said that what just happened was closure, and I'm inclined to believe it's the best I'll get.

At least Stewart and I looked totally hot that day. (I can be such a bitch.)

Migrainy on Mother's Day

2006-05-14T09:54:00.000-04:00

It usually happens like this. Once I get a tiny bit of time off, my body rebels and I either get a cold or a major migraine. Neither one makes me particularly happy.

The plus side to the illness is that I do have more time off! Which means my participation in The Real Thing is finally done. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot doing this show. But five consecutive 10 hour days in the theatre doing essentially nothing can really bore a girl. Now I can move on to writing my practicum report, studying for my final and getting ready for the Fringe. Oh, and move out of my apartment. And fill out all of the change of address forms. And call to cancel all the utilities. And cook and clean and run my husband's life. And pack. And look for work for next year. And cry about the Senators being out of the playoffs. And maybe eat something. And, if I have time, sleep. After all, rest helps to heal what ails you.

On the last stretch!

2006-05-01T08:21:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you how good it felt to hand in my seminar essay and know that I only have a practicum report and final exam to write. Don't get me wrong, both of those tasks (especially the exam) will involve quite a lot of work... but it means I'm almost done school!!!

So, I promised reviews for the three shows I saw in Toronto. For the sake of political correctness, I'll be pretty vague. (I know, it's not like me to be politically correct with regards to my opinions about theatre... so if you want the full story, call me and we'll go out for coffee.)

American Buffalo - Soulpepper Theatre - Fantastically detailled (i.e. cluttered) set; solid acting; reminded me of a Coen brothers movie.

L'Avare - Théâtre Français de Toronto - Incredibly two-tiered (and raked) set; beautiful costumes mixing eras; the actors were great but I often had trouble hearing what they were saying (Rhythm/articulation issues? I was sitting in the back row? They were playing Molière for the comedy instead of letting the words do their job?-- not sure)

Lord of the Rings - Mirvish Production - I was fortunate enough to be sitting 14 rows back from the stage, slightly left of centre. It was a fantastic seat for, what I must admit is, a fantastic show. I knew going in that it would be impossible for them to really cram all of the info from the three books into one 3.5 hour show, but I thought they did a pretty decent job with the cuts. The lines themselves are not quite polished yet, which in my opinion makes some of the best canadian actors on that stage look silly. Neverthelesss, the millions of dollars they spent on the project was well spent. The effects are spectacular, but luckily they are also theatrical as well. it's not all about the technology. My one major gripe is that they use these long poles to create heigh and break-up the space, but they use various different types of poles in every second scene. By the time the King was crowned, I was about ready to shove a pole somewhere rude. A little repetitious. Otherwise, I left the show with a smile on my face and having not seem the time go by.

Well now that I have continued my procrastination to this point, I should get off the computer and exercise a bit. Sitting in a rehearsal hall for five hours a day is doing nothing for my hips.

Standard Natalie

2006-04-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

This happened in April 2002 and it's happening again now. I'm two papers and one exam away from completing my degree and I'm back to my procrastinating ways.

But it's so easy. I'm in Toronto, now temporarily staying at my friend Tyler's place, catching up, chatting and watching movies. I'd rather chill out in front of his freaking huge TV (thanks to a beau-ti-ful contract with Disney Cruises) instead of reading the third book I've cracked open on Barba's actor training. I'd rather walk on the sunny side of King St. and window shop at the Eaton centre instead of formulating intelligent thoughts. Plus, I've got three shows lined up that I've got tickets for: L'Avare, American Buffalo and (again, thanks to my diminutive friend) Lord of the Rings. I'll probably end up posting some sort of reviews for all three, in another effort to procrastinate from my freaking homework!!!

I'm a pathetic academic.

Toronto - week 2

2006-04-15T08:49:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately, but I'm so bloody tired every night when I get home. Traveling for two hours and sitting for five hours will do that to a person. I was less tired when I got home from a day of class and an evening of rehearsals for my own play. Plus, when I get to my sister's place, I try to spend some time with them, spend some time with the baby and spend some time on my homework. Not much of the homework is getting done, let me tell you.

So, again, because I'm still in rehearsals for The Real Thing, I don't want to make too many comments about the show itself... if they were positive, I'd be ruining surprises for you and if they were negative, I'd be very unprofessional. I will say that a lot has changed in two weeks/27 hours of rehearsal. We did our first stumble-through yesterday and many of the actors are mostly offbook already. I got to spend some time with the director the other day and we are on the same wavelength, for the most part. What's killing me is sitting in the same place, day after day, taking notes and staying quiet. I haven't been put to work on anything really. I did a bit of research at the beginning, but until we start doing run-throughs where my notes might count, it looks like I'm in observer mode for a while.

So, here are some other random thoughts from Toronto:
- This business really is all about who you know. I can't tell you how often someone has told an anecdote about a fellow actor/director/playwright and, while everyone else is laughing hysterically, I've smiled and nodded.

- I decided to get more exercise since I gained weight during my last show and I now walk from King St. subway station to the theatre. All in all, I'm on the subway about 25 minutes and I walk for 20... not a bad journey. Except it has decided to rain in Toronto... a lot. Plus, instead of getting off the subway at Broadview and taking the streetcar straight to the theatre (which is what I was doing before), the subway goes to Bloor/Yonge. Then I have to get off and taken the sourthbound train. But that's not the annoying part. Most subways are underground, right? But during this trek, the train goes over a bridge, not a covered one either, what feels like thousands of feet above ground. I hate heights and, sure enough, the train decided to stop on this bridge the other day... it creaked and groaned sounding like it was trying to move... it jolted forward for a split second then braked again... until, what seemed like 10 minutes later (though it was probably only 1) it smoothly coasted ahead. My heart raced more while on the subway than while walking that day.

- Megan (or "Meegs" as I like to call her... ok, not really) and I have found a flavor of gum we don't like.

- I've discovered that, even though I've already done this show twice before, there are still lines I don't understand.

- Marc - Stewart owes you a shiny quarter.

- I'm still completely in love with Natalia. Last night, the smile she gave me was so large I cried.

Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing Baby

2006-04-08T10:08:00.001-04:00

"Mouchoirs" is finally done and my evaluation was mostly positive... which was a relief. I was extremely happy with the show, but getting comments from professors with very different viewpoints is always intimidating. I got everything from "I fell in love with the actors." to "I don't think you've matured as a director yet, as your ecriture scenique wasn't cohesive enough." All in all, I can't complain... directing that show was a fantastic experience that I won't soon forget.

Now I'm in Toronto, working 6 days a week, 5 hours a day, watching rehearsals for the Soulpepper/NAC co-pro of The Real Thing. Since it's still early in the process, I won't say much about the show itself. However, I will say that I am still every day surprised at how different professional theatre can be from student or community productions.... and I don't mean that always in the positive sense. For example, the stage management is incredible. They're organised, the props and set are always ready at a moment's notice and they're super nice people too. On the flip side, we can only rehearse five hours a day (instead of the usual 8) because of actor job constraints. That's not the issue. What I do find odd is that we waste anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes a day due to chitty-chatting, arriving late, getting coffee, sharing anecdotes, etc. This boggles my mind.... that's a lot of time to lose when you don't have a lot in the first place.

Oh well, it's all made ok when Megan Follows touches my arm and asks me if she can have one of my chewing gums. Of course, I say yes and then think "Anne of Green Gables just touched me." We're gum buddies. Then I laugh at myself for being so silly.

I have a great job.

Well...

2006-03-30T08:49:00.000-05:00

I've got the post-mortem for my show today. The comments about the show have been incredible so far, so I'm curious to see how "constructive" the response is going to be. Best case scenario - the panel ask me a question I have to really think about before answering. Worse case scenario - all the panel says is "It was charming... I loved it".

I leave for Toronto on Sunday to be the Assistant Director for a Soulpepper/NAC co-pro of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing. The whole process is quite exciting, however, since I'll be gone for over three weeks, I need to make sure I bring everything I need to finish my MFA. This includes:

- my laptop, keyboard, mouse and possibly the wristpads to save me from further carpal tunnel hell.
- my readings, notes and four research books for my seminar paper.
- the show script, my post-mortem notes and my personal notes so I can write my post-production paper.
- four books that are on my compulsory list that I haven't read yet, but the notes from all the books I have read, so I can study for my final exam.

Oh, and I have to write a practicum paper as well... based on my observations of the The Real Thing.

I don't know if I'm going to have any room for clothes in my bag!

You're probably wondering why I list off all of these silly things for you all to read. Well, on one hand, it might give people who are considering pursuing graduate studies and idea of how freakin' hard and exhausting it is. And on the other hand, I like to bitch.

And to end this post... more shameless promotion!!!
There are only three shows left of Mouchoir de nuages.
To encourage (or possibly detract) you from seeing the show, here are some rehearsal photos.

A few photos from opening night of Mouchoir de nuages

2006-03-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

Opening Night!!! And they didn't hate it!

2006-03-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

In fact, an audience of over 30 people laughed consistently thoughout the whole performance. And I was soooo happy!

Plus, we got an excellent review in "La Revue de Gatineau"... here it is:

L’Espace René-Provost a ouvert toutes battantes ses portes ce soir pour la première d’une série de huit représentations de Mouchoir de nuages de Tristan Tzara, œuvre extirpée des années d’or du dadaïsme, grand frère du surréalisme et de l’absurde, que la finissante du nouveau programme des arts de la scène de l’Université d’Ottawa Natalie Joy Quesnel exploite et injecte d’une forte dose de «n’importe quoïsme».

N’oubliez pas vos lentilles et enfermez votre bon sens à la maison, car cette pièce n’a ni queue ni tête. Neuf femmes, dont deux ou trois sont des hommes (on vient si abasourdi par les permutations qu’on ne doute pas que certaines se transforment en coup de vent) et des sursauts du destin dressent une histoire d’amour peu ordinaire. Les comédiennes ne possèdent aucune étiquette, elles dansent, s’égosillent, végètent, se déguisent le temps d’un instant avant de servir de support aux trois personnages principaux qui forment un triangle amoureux des plus bizarres.

Impossible d’être succin avec une absurdité de la sorte, qui n’est en fait qu’une succession de nord et de sud, de noir et de blanc, qui vise à nous faire courir simultanément après le lièvre et la tortue. Une chance que l’adaptation de Natalie Joy Quesnel est autant tirée par les cheveux que les limbes de Tzara parce que les rires ne viendraient couvrir le ridicule qui se vautre dans les gestes de ces jolies demoiselles aux costumes légers et à la grisaille pesante.

Le texte n’est point mauvais, loin de là! Or, il est tellement décousu, on saute tellement de coqs et d’ânes que l’on est essoufflés. La jeune metteure en scène a même pris le soin d’en rajouter pour injurier nos cellules décontenancées. Une bonne décision que d’avoir pris ce taureau par les cornes afin de le rendre maboul…

Tristan Tzara cherchait sûrement une manière de communiquer sa vision sarcastique de l’amour et de la société avec ce pelletage de nuages. Natalie Joy Quesnel, la main sur le front et la tête dodelinant, a plutôt essayé de comprendre ce qui se tramait dans ce cerveau complètement gaga du dada. À l’aide d’accessoires et d’effets visuels et sonores simples, elle a réussi à projeter les images que ce texte prétendait faire naître. On ne sait pas si la scène du voyage en mer, celle en train ou encore celle du voile du souvenir arrivent parfaitement à ricaner des travers de l’humain, mais une chose est indubitable : on prend notre pied et c’est l’essentiel.

Natalie Joy Quesnel ne s’est pas attaqué à l’œuvre du siècle, mais elle aura certes joué d’une corde sensible du théâtre disparu. Ses interprètes Chantal Allard, Ashlee Beatie, Mélanie Bourgon, Mélissa Côté, Tatiana Duneuskaya, Lauren Hart, Véronique Ménard, Samantha Mouchet et Louise-Andrée Nadeau sont adorables dans leurs délires passagers et se fondent bien dans ces environnements soyeux et joyeux, qui donnent la plupart du temps le goût de se frapper la tête sur les murs.

Mais ça, c’est le lot du spectateur qui, en grand absurde qu’il est, tente de décortiquer l’intangible… alors que la vraie magie se retrouve dans les couleurs et les visages brouillés de folie de ces petites chipies!

"Expect the worst and you'll never be surprised."

2006-03-21T10:05:00.000-05:00

That's usually my motto. It protects me... keeps me in my comfort zone... and gives me power over the unknown.

Well, for some reason, I forgot my motto this week. Maybe it's due to overconfidence. I don't know.

I started sending out feelers ... emails to theatre companies I've worked for in the past... theatre companies that gave me work without hesitation before I had even finished my undergrad.

"How do you get work in this business?... all you have to do is ask!" That's another one of my mottos... it's the one I must have been going by this week when I should have been thinking of the previously mentioned one.

It turns out, both of the companies that I pretty much "expected" to get work from don't have anything for me next year.

Huh?

But I can do anything... direct, act, dance, sing, manage, type, translate, teach...

(dejected) huh.

This isn't the end of the world. There are many other options and other opportunities. In fact, I've already received two calls from a company I've never worked with before... and it's looking promising. I can apply for grants. I can audition. I can create my own work with the little money I have. I can work retail. I can, and will, do anything really. I guess I'm just a little disappointed in myself for being so damn overconfident. Nothing is for sure in this world, especially in this business. And I knew that... I just forgot for a second. Here I was assuming that, when I got back from tour, I'd have at least four contracts lined up... which wouldn't be enough to truly live well, but I wouldn't be panicking. Now, I've got two "maybe" contracts in the works and nothing else.

Um.
Do you want fries with that?
I'm so glad that I pursued higher education.

On second thought...

2006-03-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

Yes, we were one week before opening, but that actor was just as tired, nervous and frustrated as I was... and still did the right thing, came to rehearsal and apologized for even bringing up the matter of his friend's visit.

Yes, the city of Gatineau has a assured us that there is a broom closet in the building... but I have a budget for this show... why don't I just buy a brand new mop!?

Yes, the sweet sound of silence from turning off the heat can be obtained. The city eventually told us where the controls were... right next to the door of studio's entrance! Now all I have to do is figure out how to mask the timer's ticking sound.

Yes, I'm stressed out... but I'm still getting emails from cast members thanking me for the work we're doing.

Yes, I still have perma-migraine... but my doctor told me during my yearly physical that I'm in perfect health. He gave me a few highly addictive happy pills to take my headaches away. And on another plus note, there does come a point when you're totally exhausted that your body does allow you to fall into deep sleep. Thank goodness I'm not directing this show in my sleep anymore. I'm doing enough of that when I'm awake.

One two days left until opening!

Stressed?

2006-03-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

Maybe I'm just overreacting?

It should be okay for me to grant an actor's request to miss rehearsal so he can hang out with a friend he hasn't seen in a while... but we're one week before opening!!!

It should be normal for me to want to mop the floor before the actor's walk on it with their bare feet... but we're working in a space that's not the university's and we don't have access to the broom closet!!!

It should be in my right to want to turn off the AC/Heat during the show, so as to cut some of the noise during performance... but the building belongs to the city of Gatineau and they might not give us the right to have the keys to the fan controls!!!

It should be human of me to work a long day, be very tired at the end of it and easily float off to dreamland for eight blissful hours... but my body hates me and I'm stuck directing this freaking show in my dreams which results in me waking up every thirty minutes shaking, sweaty and thirsty. By the time I actually fall into a peaceful sleep, I only reap the rewards for three hours!!!

Maybe that's why I've had a perma-migraine for three days.

Damn, if I didn't care about the show this much, I wouldn't be writing this blog post. Why does doing what we love hurt us so much?

And for those of you who keep asking "Where is this place?"

2006-03-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

A MAP!!!
L'Espace René-Provost is located at 39 Leduc street, corner of Wright. There is parking on the street and a public indoor lot on Leduc Street, closer to Promenade du Portage.

You'll see it here first... the poster!

2006-03-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

What I have been doing for the past two weeks:

2006-03-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

- Changing dirty diapers.
- Helping Stewart sew a piece of material 6metres wide X 13 metres long.
- Creating funny walks in a pair of high heels.
- Cleaning out my kitchen cupboards.
- Not falling asleep until 2 or 3 am.
- Still waking up around 7 or 8 am.
- Comparing The Trial to Prague.
- Deciding whether the man should wear his tutu under his chest or near his knees.
- Reading Andorra, The Old Poet, The Pillowman.
- Creating sexy sirens.
- Avoiding going to the post office to pick up a parcel.
- Coming up with cue words like "pamplemousse".
- Avoiding giving too much phallic importance to a post.
- Feeling like I'm going insane.
- Feeling like I'm doing the right thing.
- Feeling like I don't know what's right anymore.

2 weeks, 1 day until opening night... can you tell?

Here's the shameless self-promotion again:

Mouchoir de nuages by Tristan Tzara
March 21st to the 25th March 28th to April 1st
8pm
l'Espace René-Provost
39 rue Leduc, Gatineau (secteur Hull)
tickets are 15$, 10$ for students and seniors.

I have a few comps, so don't hesitate to ask for one if you need it. I do hope you all can make it, not because "You Have to see my show!" but because I could really use outside opinions of audience members. Academic opinion has its own importance, but a fresh pair of eyes without any expectations is also incredibly important to me.

Here's a map of the venue location, in case you don't know where it is. It's about a 35 minute walk from downtown, most of the STO busses get you in that area and it's around 10$ to cab it there.

Life is good

2006-02-23T09:13:00.000-05:00

Meet Natalia Carolina Rodriguez-Graham... my niece. I went to visit her for the first time when she was just five days old and I was completely overjoyed at having her around. She even made me forget, though just for a day, that I had twenty hours of rehearsal, three articles, four books and multiple meetings to come home to. Now I've only got two days of work to accomplish before I visit her again for almost four days of ignoring-back-home-bliss... and I can't wait. She's so cool.

Does anyone else hear that ticking?

I do...............................NOT!

2006-02-17T13:15:00.000-05:00

Thank God this isn't the marriage contract I signed.

Off the radar

2006-02-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long, but I've been so extremely concentrated on the first section of my thesis that I've barely thought about anything else, or done anything else. I've been a hermit... Stuck at home, with the dishes piling up, ordering delivery, getting eyestrain and multiple migraines. But it's done... my first section of my thesis is complete... all 55 pages of it!!! It's the biggest paper I've ever written and, sadly, it probably won't be the last. But I must admit as hard as it's been to get this darn thing written, this work has been helpful for my show. I'm in rehearsals three to four times a week right now and all this research has proven useful. In my introduction, I say:
"Tzara and other Dadaists would have surely mocked me for trying to document the illogical, spontaneous and intentionally ephemeral. For the sake of academia, this process is a necessary one and I feel confident the information provided is concise, complete and creative. For the sake of performance and art, this is only a necessary process because I feel confident that I can now forget about most of it and focus on the play, the cast and the discoveries from moment to moment."

Stewart, after seeing a rehearsal, said something to the effect of "This is either going to be the biggest pile of artistic-wank ever, or it'll be great."

I'm on the fence. Though the grass is greener on the great side, I'm thinking I might wallow in wank for a while. It's kinda fun.

Did I just say that?

Just for you Nancy...

2006-02-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Juicy gossip -- It's not particularly juicy gossip, but I find it kinda fun and interesting. Enigma didn't get into the Winnipeg Fringe (again!), but with one email sent and one solid reference, we got hooked with an amazing studio theatre BYOV!!! Compare that with where we were supposed to do a BYOV last year, and I think did way better this year!

Married-life info -- STEWART OFFICIALLY HAS HIS VISA!!! He went to London today and picked up his passport which is now filled with fun government paperwork. All he has left to do is fly to Canada, meet with an immigration officer for a short interview and fill in more paperwork to get his permanent resident card issued to him, and he's home free!!!

Stuff you don't eat -- Well, this isn't really stuff you shouldn't eat... in fact, I recommend eating it. I had Greek on Wheels the other day. It was totally yummy, I was starving and I ate it WAY too fast. Without going into detail, I will say that this is not something I recommend to anyone. Eat your greek slowly. (Did I just say that?)

For those of you who are curious (and bored)

2006-02-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

This is the stuff I've been working on lately for my "Theatre at the crossroads of narrative" seminar. We're analysing film right now and these are some of my rough notes... enjoy! (But you probably won't!)

SERGEI EISENSTEIN – FILM FORM

Eisenstein’s definitions:

Montage:
- Is NOT an idea composed of successive shots stuck together but an idea that derives from the collision between two shots that are independent of one another (the dramatic principle).
- A montage is composed of shots or montage cells (a molecule).
- What characterises the cell and the montage is collision, conflict between two neighbouring fragments. This collision of two factors is what gives rise to an idea.
- The gradual succession continues in a process of comparing each new image wit
h its common designation and unleashes a process that in terms of its form, is identical to a process of logical deduction.

…In a temporal sense:
- Each sequential element is arrayed, not next to the one it follows, but on top of it. The idea (sensation) of movement arises in the process of superimposing on the retained impression of the object’s first position the object’s newly visible second position. The incongruity in contour between the first picture that has been imprinted on the mind and the subsequently perceived second picture – the conflict between the two – gives birth to the sensation of movement, the idea that movement has taken place. The degree of incongruity determines the intensity of impression, determines the tension that, in combination with what follows, will become the real element of authentic rhythm.

…In a spatial sense:
- The dynamic effect of a picture consists of`
o Linear element
o Anecdotal element (logical position of foot, leads to a corresponding position for the body)
o Elements between linear and anecdotal (Italian futurism – man with 6 legs)
o Ideographic element (anatomical spatial disproportion)
o Colour element

Conflict within an abstract idea:
- is formulated in the dialectic of the title
- is formed spatially in the conflict within the shot
- explodes with the growing intensity of the conflict montage between shots.

Conflict within a shot: Potential montage that, in its growing intensity, breaks through its four-sided cage and pushes its conflict out into montage impulses between the montage fragments.

Forms of conflict:
o Of graphic directions (lines)
o Of shot levels (between one another)
o Of volumes
o Of masses (of volumes filled with varying intensities of light)
o Of spaces
o Ones that are waiting only for a single intensifying impulses to break up into antagonistic pairs of fragments
o Between matter and shot (by spatial distortion)
o Between an object and its spatial nature (by optical distortion)
o Between an event and its temporal nature (by slowing down or speeding up)
o Between the acoustic and the optical in sound cinema
o Between the frame of the shot and the object

(The position of the cinema represents the materialisation of the conflict between the organising logic of the director and the inert logic of the phenomenon in collision, producing the dialectic of the camera angle.)

- Two basic tendencies in contemporary cinema:
o The dying method of spatial organisation of the phenomenon in front of the lens;
o ‘Capturing’ with the camera, using it to organise. Cutting out a fragment of reality by means of the lens.

Dynamics:

The projection of the dialectical system of objects into the brain, into abstract creation, into thought, produces dialectical modes of thought, dialectical materialism – Philosophy. Similarly, the projection of the same system of objects -in concrete creation -in form- produces art. The basis of this philosophy is the dynamic conception of objects: being as a constant evolution from the interaction between two contradictory opposites.
- The logic of organic form versus the logic of rational form produces in collision the dialectic of the art form. The interaction between the two produces and determines the dynamic.
- The spatial form of this dynamic is the expression of the phases in its tension – rhythm. This human expression is a conflict between conditioned and unconditioned reflex.

Film syntax:

1. Each moving piece of montage in its own right…. No yet composition.
2. Artificially produced representations of movement
a. Logical (woman with pince-nez)
b. Alogical (marble lion leaps)
3. The case of emotional combinations not merely of the visible elements of the pieces but principally of the chains of psychological association. Associational montage, as a means of sharpening (heightening) a situation emotionally.
4. The emancipation of closed action from its conditioning by time and space. (The differentiation in montage pieces is determined by the fact that each piece has in itself no reality at all. But each piece is itself in a position to evoke a certain association. The accumulation of associations then achieves the same effect as that provoked in the audience by purely psychological means by a theatrical play that is unfolding in reality.)

What I was reading while procrastinating:

2006-01-24T17:09:00.000-05:00

Steve - Don't Eat it!

So it's been only three days...

2006-01-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

... and I've discovered how pathetically dependent I am on my husband.

Now, as a general rule, I'm a pretty independent woman. But for some reason, now that I'm happily married, my emotions are all over the place when he's not around. It's not that I can't take care of myself. It's not that I can't get any enjoyment out of anything. It's just that I seem to fall into this mini-depression when he leaves for a long period of time... and it really annoys me.

Maybe I'm being too hard on myself? Considering we were denied a visa the last time we applied. Considering we've been waiting almost three years for this. Considering I'm not naturally a patient person and now I have to wait to get final confirmation of what is one of the biggest steps Stewart and I have ever taken in our lives. Maybe it's normal for me to be on edge?

I'm breaking out, I'm watching "From Justin to Kelly" on MuchMusic to procrastinate from work, I'm contemplating eating a whole box of cookies. How pathetic am I?

The journey back to England

2006-01-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

To all of our friends... we wish to share some good news with you.

Stewart is going to return to England a bit earlier than expected, because he has a 60 day deadline to present himself at the Canada High Commission with his passport so he can be issued his Permanent Residence Visa!!! Wooot! He'll be out of the country for at least three weeks while it's being processed, but it's looking like it's a go... he'll be a permanent resident of Canada by the end of February!

Sigh - Sob - Relief.

Well, not total relief. Until he steps off that plane with the visa in hand, I'll still be slightly holding my breath. Expect the worst and you'll never be surprised.

I'll let y'all know when he leaves, and when he's returning.... I'm guessing a little welcome home party might be in order.

It's that time of year again!

2006-01-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

I'm looking for at least 12 male or female actors for my final MFA thesis production of
MOUCHOIR DE NUAGES
by Tristan Tzara

The show will primarily be performed in French, but I'm exploring the possibility of working with bilingual actors, whether their native language is French or not, and possibly having a portion of the show performed in English. Unfortunately, it's not a paying gig, but it is a cool opportunity to be one of the first to reopen l'ESPACE RENÉ-PROVOST in Gatineau for a 10 SHOW RUN. (For some odd reason, Todd's only getting three shows in Academic Hall... weird.)

Here's the info:
Show dates - March 20th to April 1st (Sunday/Mondays dark)
Rehearsals - late January to March 19th
Auditions - January 12th to the 14th

I'm auditionning people in groups of 2 or 4, but some people are already looking for a partner so it's best to go to the secretariat (2nd floor - 135 Séraphin-Marion) and sign-up that way.

Please feel free to pass on this information to anyone who might be interested. Email me if you have any questions njquesnel@rogers.com

The Back to Work Blahs

2006-01-05T09:32:00.000-05:00

This post is long long overdue. Like some of my friends, I too have been reading about Kris' adventures and have felt bad for not updating my end of the cyber-diary. Not that I really have much to report. My holiday went fairly smoothly... had the standard time with the parents, my sister and bro-in-law, grandmother, uncles and cousins. We laughed, we ate, we drank... the usual. It was nice, but I wish I could have had more actual downtime. I probably only had 5 days off in total. Oh well, no time to dwell on that now. The final semester of my MFA is upon me!

I had my first class of my last seminar course yesterday... Theatre at the Crossroads of Narratives with Professor Yana Meerzon. Now I've enjoyed most of my classes through this degree, but there have only been a few that have stood out as being extremely intellectually (or physically) challenging... and I'm sure this will be one of them. Here's a few reasons why I know this:

The course pack of readings cost me 110$ at EnviroCopy and is an inch and a half thick.
Our light reading for the semester is Kafka's The Trial.
I can't pronounce the names of most of the authors in my readings.
For part of our evaluation, we have to keep a glossary of terms... to help us understand the concepts we'll be learning.

But who cares! I like a challenge. I like a challenge so much I've opted to write a blog about the challenge instead of diving head first into the 200 pages of novel and 50 pages of articles!

You can take the girl out of procrastination but you can't take procrastination out of the girl.

I know that doesn't make any sense. Maybe I'll go make something to eat for another hour or so and make sense afterwards.

Oooh... A Baby Story is on TLC!

(A little side note of excitement... I just signed my contract to be the Assistant Director for the NAC/Soulpepper co-production of The Real Thing, rehearsing in April and performing in May/June... it's for the "practicum" of my degree, but I'll still pretty excited.)

Time for an update

2005-12-18T08:55:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in almost two weeks... that's just wrong! The sad thing is, I really don't have much to report. I've been too busy correcting exams, writing essays, doing little bits of part-time work that take up more than part-time hours and drinking.

I love the holiday season, but it does have it's downsides. It really makes you want to get your work done as fast as possible so you can be on vacation, eat lotsa food and sleep-in late. It's also got the huge downside of making you severely depressed when you realize that you took on too much (again!) and that you'll be lucky if you get to spend Christmas day without reading or writing about some Dadaist theory.

This mini-depression was brought on by the fact that I accepted to do a bit of computer work for a friend of mine. I was told it would take about 6 hours... now I'm on hour 22 of data entry. It's not my friend's fault at all... it was pretty much impossible to know how long it was going to take. It just sucks that I was going to use this week to catch up on all my work so I could actually take a full week off during the holidays. The last "vacation" (meaning time where I didn't actually do any work at all for more than two consecutive days) was over three years ago. Oh well... such is life. At least I'm getting paid for it... and getting super strong fingers!

Though my Carpal Tunnel is acting up.
Winge Whine Bitch Winge Whine.

Ok I feel better now.
Back to fun with Excel file!

A bit of news...

2005-12-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

Immigration has accepted me as a sponsor! Stewart's application has now been forwarded to the London office for processing which we're hoping won't take more than 2 to 3 months. Half the battle has been won... Woot!

ME time Vs. WORK time

2005-12-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

The daily life of a graduate student is an odd one, at least in my experience. The time you spend on yourself and your private life blends totally seamlessly into your work life. It's not like undergrad life where you have 20 hours of class per week, a set amount of readings, deadlines throughout the whole semester, a part-time job AND a social life... all things that each have their own time and place. Being a graduate student is very odd to me because I feel like no matter how "hard" I work during the span of a day, I never feel like I've accomplished anything.

Take yesterday for example:

- woke up at 8:30am - ate breakfast while checking and responding to my emails
- 9am - got dressed, finalized grocery list and left the house
- 9:30am - met up with a professor I T.A. for, picked-up the mid-terms
- 9:50am - came home, took the 75!!! mid-terms out of my backpacks and went grocery shopping
- 11am - came back home, unpacked groceries, had a bite to eat and a coffee, did 1 hour of exam correcting
- 12noon - my husband came home from work for his lunch break... so I made him and myself lunch because that's the wifely thing to do (and I enjoy it... most of the time.)
- 1 to 5pm - four more hours of correcting...well, it's more like three... I'm sure there was at least an hour in there of answering phone calls and peeing (I drink a lot more when I'm at home!) Oh, and I also had to deal with technical glitches with Stewart's "new" computer... since I'm the computer tech in this house (though I do have great support from my friend Marc.)
- 5pm - Anticipating my husband's return home, I started making dinner. He didn't arrive until 5:30pm so dinner didn't end until 6:30pm. I juggled the cooking and correcting a few more exams in the process.
- 6:30pm - back to correcting... another two hours of it in fact! More peeing too.
- 8:30pm - turned on the television for the first time all day (except for that time I checked the temperature on the weather channel) and listened to the TV while cutting up loads and loads of vegetables for a little dinner gathering I'm having tomorrow... it tooks me almost two hours. In the meantime, I got call from my husband asking me to run a bath for him when he gets home. Now, I know he's been on his feet for 12 hours, but isn't this starting to get a little ridiculous!? I also had the time to rearrange the living room/dinning room area... thinking it would give us more room to entertain.
- 10:30pm - Stewart came home and helped me put back all the furniture the way it originally was.... I was never particularly good with spatial awareness. He got into the bath that I ran previously while I did the dishes.
- 11pm - He got out of the bath and asked me if he should drain the water or not... I realised I haven't had a shower so I hop in for 5 minutes.
- By 11:30pm, I'm lying in bed in my flannel PJs, exhausted but feeling like I had done nothing all day.

Today is pretty much going to be the same day... except substitute "correction" for "collaborators paper writing".

I think what's so difficult about it is that there is no delimitation between ME and WORK. I work from home. I have no immediate deadlines. I have next to no classes to attend. I have no one breathing down my neck. It's all up to me and doing things in my own time... but by April 2006, I should have made damn sure that I read all 25 books on my compulsory reading list and mounted three productions and wrote three major papers and many minor papers and tried to learn something in the process.

Where does the ME time come in you ask? Well, I took a bath last night didn't I?