Category: Theatre

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Opening night survived

We survived opening night and it seemed to go over very well. Some people found that it wasn’t what they had expected, although I do try to explain that the earthquake is the backdrop to the play and not the play itself. Yes, it has funny moments. Yes, the scene we present does end with a bit of a surprise. I like surprises.

However, there was a bit of playwright abuse at the end. Clara explained something to Heather and me that my grandson, Ryan, had commented upon.

Ryan: I think Heather has a crush on Poppy.

Clara: Why?

Ryan: She laughs at all of his jokes and they’re not that funny.

I got a bit of a giggle out of that until Heather responded, “It’s the only way I could get cast.”

Fortunately, it was the only abuse I got last night. I can live with that…

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Opening night

Well, it all seems to have come down to this. At 8:15, the play gets to see the light of day, so to speak. Actually, an audience gets to see part of the play.

After all this time, I would assume that I would be well inured to all of this getting ready, rehearsing, etc. Nope. I’m a wreck. I didn’t sleep well last night, running through dialogue. Then, when I finally got to sleep a little bit, we got a phone call and had to take a friend to the hospital. This was my morning. I was going to pace myself a wee bit and work up to this evening. Oh, well.

I have a few things to pack up and a bit of hockey to watch. Then I’ll grab a shower and go and pick up Heather and head off to the theatre. Am I ready for this? I guess we’ll know in a few hours…

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Dress rehearsal day

Dress rehearsal day seemed to be a bit more hectic than most. It started first with heading down to CBC for an interview. Two of us, Amanda MacDonald and I, were interviewed about our plays in the Homegrown Theatre Festival. The interview can be found here.

We had tech and dress on the same evening. This was slightly dampened by Heather being sick as a dog (it was dress rehearsal… someone had to be sick). She suffered through it though and I have to give her the “Tougher than a Boiled Owl” award for outstanding performance while nauseous.

Photo from dress rehearsal

Image from dress rehearsal Dress went well, but fortunately, not too well. After all, a good dress rehearsal seems to result in a not so stunning opening night…

 

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Repairs continue

Well, no rehearsal this week so I go back to being a plumber. Or an RV tech. Or, at least trying to approximate one or the other.

I borrowed a good basin wrench and found a file. So, other than a bit of memorisation over the weekend, I get the opportunity to run the new water lines and hopefully, deal with that little leak problem. Of course, this will take place after the game is over…

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First rehearsal down

I always enjoy the first read through of a play. I’ll discount the fact that I kind of know the contents. However, when you get to see an actor’s interpretation of the dialogue, it is always neat. A script is really nothing more than words on a page and how it gets presented is always a congruence of the vision of the director, the actors and the designers.

There’s a great quote, although I can’t remember who said it or exactly how it goes. Basically, you pour your heart and soul into writing a play, and then, hand it to a directors, actors and designers who ruin it. Since I’m the director and the designer and half the actors, and since Heather is doing a stunning job in the other half, I don’t think we’ll ruin it…

There are a few things left to get on this weekend. I’m going to need a large coffee urn, although I do have a backup plan if I don’t get it. I need to draft the press release for the play. I need to line up someone to videotape the play during tech week. I also have to do a bit of design work yet, too. I don’t know what days the play will run or the times it will run. I find that out next week. At the same time, I find out which of the two rooms we go in, and I’ll need that to finalize quite a few things.

I also want to fit in some work on the motorhome. After all, camping season is coming right after the festival and I need to be ready. With the winter we’ve had, the lakes should be open early and the sooner fishing comes, the better…

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Time to concentrate on the play

As the Nakai Theatre Homegrown Festival rapidly approaches, it is time to concentrate on getting the play on its feet and in front of an audience. The script for the excerpt that we’re doing is finalized, I’ve written all the director’s notes I can think of and next week, it’s time for the first rehearsal.

To date, much of the production work has been dealt with. I’m still waiting back on my requests to the technical director, although our requirements are pretty minimal. I’ve found rehearsal space, all of my props but one (I still working on this), actor and light board operator found, etc. The set design is more or less done. There is some more work to be done on the marketing plan, although this is also dependent on seeing the performance schedule. This is due in the next two weeks.

I suppose my next step is working on my lines and blocking. Given that the portion of the play we’re doing is only about 20 minutes, this is going to be a relatively easy job. Finding time for this, everything else, and, incidentally, working in the daytime is another question entirely…

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Time (or tempus fidgets)

With two projects on the go, I have rediscovered how much I like having spare time. Getting ready for St. Patrick’s, not having played a lot in the last 6 months and finalizing the play script for the Homegrown Festival have kept me hopping. In my defense, the script changes are to the part I’m doing and the changes to Heather’s part only involve the adding of a single word so there won’t be huge differences between the script I gave her and the final one.

Don’t forget to add that to work, finalizing the focus of a new column in What’s Up Yukon and looking after a wounded wife, who fortunately doesn’t need that much looking after, with the additional factor that I may need more minor surgery to think of on top of this.

Someone asked me why I don’t do any contract work anymore. I’m reminded at how much more I’d rather have the time than the money.

So, I am remembering how much I like having some spare time. That being said, I’ll probably do a better job of rediscovering it when I actually have some…

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I’ve been busy

Needless to say, I’ve been a bit remiss on blog posting for the last little while. I’ll concede that I’ve been a bit busy working on a few projects and have also been laid low with a cold for a bit. Therefore, I should try to explain what I’ve been doing in lieu of posting.

The Nakai Theatre Homegrown Festival is coming up in early May and I have entered the play into it. It’s a festival for introducing local work and is a great venue for introducing new works or works in progress. I’m entering the play, although we’re only doing one scene from it. This will introduce two of the three characters and provide a bit of background to the material. I’m playing one of the two characters, as well as directing and producing. Yes, this has kept me a bit busy.  I’ve also been doing a bit of rewriting since we don’t start rehearsing until next month. Here, by the way, is the latest draft of the poster for the play.

Play poster

The other thing taking some time is another type of rehearsal. I’m playing for St. Patrick’s Day at Bailey’s Pub in Porter Creek, March 17th. It’s been a while since I sat down and played the equivalent of four sets of tunes as I really haven’t been playing that much since surgery so I’ve been working on that as well.

On top of that, I’m going to be writing a new column for What’s Up Yukon. It’s a look at computer security for the non-technical. I’m trying to provide some basic steps people can do to prevent problems. It’s sort of an electronic self-defence course. The first article came out yesterday. We’re still working on the full focus of the column and trying to come up with a snazzy title. More to come on that, I guess.

Throw in work and life in general… and in particular… I haven’t been posting that much in the last little while. I will try to be more dedicated. I promise…

 

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Second reading of the play

Yesterday, I had a group of people come in and read through my play again. It makes it considerably easier to get an idea of where it is at when you actually hear it, rather than fill in the voices in your head.

I had a great group and had great feedback. I do realize that there is much more to do, particularly in terms of character relationship development. However, it does seem to be on the right track and it’s on to editing again. David Skelton, Artistic Director at Nakai Theatre, brought up a good point to me a while ago: from original writing to first production is normally a three-year process. I started this one a little over a year ago…

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The Playwriting Competition Cabaret!

I’ve been a little remiss posting in the last week but I’ve been rather busy. Last night was the cabaret for the Nakai Theatre 24 Hour Playwriting Competition, where you present a short excerpt from your submission from the competition. I think 17 people entered the competition and most presented part of their work.

It is amazing the level of what is presently in theatrical progress at the moment. There are quite a few projects that I’m looking forward to see, some probably as soon as May 8th-13th with the Homegrown Festival coming up. I’m workshopping part of my play at the festival, so keep your calendars open.

After the presentation came the naming of the winners. Anthony Trombetta won the category for best new play, with his project Undying, a stoner Zombie romance. The winner of best in the play previously in progress, the Next Time Around Competition, was me!

Thanks to Heather Grant for reading the second part in my play, with no time for rehearsal. It did come off well anyway.

A friend asked when she could see an excerpt. Here’s the part we read last night. It comes from the second scene in the first act. It takes place in a mess tent in a refugee camp, five days after a major earthquake happens on the west coast. The standard warnings that it is a draft and is protected by copyright.

Fracture Zone
© Douglas Rutherford, 2011.

[Hugh starts writing in his notebook. Enter Salome, upstage right.].

SALOME

Hi. Is there coffee?

HUGH

[yawns] Oh, excuse me. Yes. There is coffee but it’s pretty old, though.

SALOME

[pours a coffee and comes to sit next to  Hugh]  I see you in here all the time. I come here often.

HUGH

I do, too. Since I don’t sleep much, I spend a lot of time here. It’s quiet. Easier to think.

SALOME

There’s so much despair and so much destruction outside. Here, there’s none of that. We’re surrounded by so much pain but it doesn’t seem to make it in here when you’re alone. It’s like being on the only solid ground surrounded by a raging ocean.

[pause] You’re always writing.

HUGH

Yes. I want to keep a record of… what happened.

SALOME

I wouldn’t worry. Someone official will do it. That way, the record will be, you know, official. That way, it will make everyone who has to look good.

HUGH

I’m hoping mine is more technical than political.

SALOME

My name is Salome.

HUGH

Hugh, Hugh Ferguson.

SALOME

Small talk. I don’t think anyone here has made much of that since it happened. I miss that sort of thing.

HUGH

Me, too. Of course, it’s not like anyone’s going to ask, “What brings you here?” Salome… a bit biblical?

SALOME

In my family, you wouldn’t expect anything else. It means “peace” in Hebrew. My father was Ezekiel, mother, Ruth, sister Leah… although Jezebel would probably be a bit more appropriate for her as it turned out. My dad was a Baptist minister and a name that wasn’t in the Bible wasn’t fit for a God-fearing child.

HUGH

You seem to have gotten over it.

SALOME

[looks at Hugh] What?

HUGH

[flustered] I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything. It’s just that you don’t seem to be the “fire and brimstone” fundamentalist type.

SALOME

[laughs] I’m not, really, am I? And, that’s a bit of a disadvantage in my line of work.

HUGH

Oh, what do you do?

SALOME

I’m a Baptist minister. Actually, my parishioners would probably prefer a bit more of the “fire and brimstone” fundamentalist type. I’m not much with the brimstone, but I’ve probably got the “fire” part down more than they’d prefer. [smiles] Let me guess. You’re not religious?

HUGH

[emphatically] No. [less emphasis] Ph.D. Earth Sciences, Memorial University.  Somehow, it doesn’t lend too well to the religious paradigm. [pause] I haven’t understood why people put so much faith in religions since I was 10 years old.

SALOME

Actually, you just answered your own question there.

HUGH

What?

SALOME

“Faith” is why people put faith in religion. [Hugh starts backing into his chair. Salome laughs] Don’t worry. I’ll try not to convert you. But, I’ll have to ask you not to explain things rationally in return.

HUGH

[a little less on edge] Agreed.

SALOME

Earth Sciences? Geology, right?

HUGH

Yes.

SALOME

Do you know anything about earthquakes?

HUGH

That’s what I do. I work for the government as a seismologist.

SALOME

I wouldn’t say that out loud to many people here. People are confused and upset over what happened. A government geologist would be a great target if you need to let off some steam.

HUGH

[pensively] I’d never thought of that…

SALOME

Well, we’re the only ones here.

HUGH

It’s 3 AM. I’m not surprised.

SALOME

Don’t let the clock fool you. I think I’d worry about anyone who could keep normal hours after the quake. [pause] Hugh, how bad do you think it was?

HUGH

For sure? I don’t know, but I could make some guesses. The shaking lasted pretty long… maybe two or so minutes. I’m not sure. It’s not like I was timing it when my truck was bouncing along the road and rolling in the ditch. [Salome smiles] It was probably a big one and pretty shallow.

SALOME

[Salome looks at him quizzically] What does that mean?

HUGH

It means even more damage. I guess most of Vancouver and Victoria are gone, and all the coastal or low-lying areas were hit with a tsunami pretty hard… judging by the damage I was able to see. If the entire plate front let go, and I think it did, it’s probably the same in Washington State and Oregon too.

SALOME

So much damage. So much loss….

HUGH

I tried to get downtown a bit, see how bad it was, but couldn’t. It was impossible to move through what was left. I didn’t get too far west but there really didn’t seem anything intact to see. The army picked me up and brought me here. I didn’t see any survivors.

SALOME

How many are dead, do you think?

HUGH

I don’t know. One, two million? More? The tsunami probably did damage across the Pacific, too.

How many people lived in Vancouver, but there’s only, what, 200 survivors in this camp?

SALOME

Victoria, too?

HUGH

Look at it this way… Esquimalt navy base was the closest base to here, but you’ll notice that the army is here running this camp. My guess is there’s nothing left of Esquimalt.

SALOME

It’s the will of… sorry, there goes our agreement.

HUGH

I guess that’s only fair. I was being rational.