God Bless Theatre Parties

Oh, the memories!! Two wicked parties during Desire Under the Elms. Happy Birthday Liette!! Thank you for hosting the "Trailor Trash" theme party, it was INSANE! How did we fit that many people into your itsy-bitsy apartment? There are some questions that are best left unanswered ...

Thanks Amanda for the Opening Night extravaganza. The champaign didn't sit so well and working at the stuffy Y pool wasn't so great the next morning, but it was worth it!! Woot!

The votes are in

The votes are in and we are now lead by a Torrie government ... hm... Well, at least it's a minority government, and the NDP have gained some ground. But, no matter what the result was, Liberal or Conservative, it would still not adequately reflect Canadians. We need to get rid of this "first past the post" system that is totally ancient, and evolve to representation by population. The Greens should have at least one seat in parliment. I know that in this riding alone 2000 people voted Green. It annoys me that as an active citizen, taking the time and responcibility to do my research on all of the parties, my views are not being represented.

Overall, it wasn't as bad as what I thought. I must confess that as the Liberal campaign was going down hill fast, and the possibility of Harper winning became probable, I never began to panick. It wasn't until that scary word "majority" started being tossed around that I began to think SHIT! I hate the whole "strategic voting" thing - where you vote to keep someone OUT of power, and not to support who you WANT to support - but I began to toss around the imminent possibility that I might have to vote for the Liberals (I know, the HORROR! It would have been like supporting those ridiculous adds and their fear-based campaign. I don't know if I could ever have done it ...) But, thankfully, I went with my gut and can still sleep at night.

I'm still worried about having a Conservative as the voice of Canada and the Canadian people. The Conservative agenda didn't mention ANYTHING about supporting the arts, and living downtown in the "hood" and working with under-priviledged kids, who are already falling through the cracks, I worry that we might completely lose them with a Conservative government that seems to be "fend for yourself". That's fine for me and other educated and priviledged people, who were given opportunities early in their lives and have chosen the right path in life. Unfortunately in the race of life, there are young people and adults out there with their legs tied. The race isn't fair, and our government needs to see that and support programs (like the United Way!) who don't just give people a hand out, but a hand up. That's my Canada. Now, to get away from politics .... The final run of Desire Under the Elms starts again tonight! Yay! I was really missing it. We got a bad review in the Free Press from Prokosh, but it was mostly a criticism of the play and our choice to present it as realism and not Greek Tragedy. But then he said that modern audiences couldn't relate to the play (and I'm assuming our performance of it); wouldn't they relate less to a huge greek-style performance of it? Whatever, all of his reviews have been nasty, so I actually feel lucky, and he seems to hate Eugene O'Neill (and so did all of the production companies doing his plays, so at least we're in agreement there!)And aparenlty lots of people have left with teary eyes, so I think that, even though it is a melodrama set in the late 1800's, audiences are still touched by the tragedy. HAHA!

Whatever the reviewers say, I've loved doing this play. It's been great to play a character totally unlike what I've done before. Now I feel like I can do anything! Come check it out Thurs-Sat. @ 7:30, Sunday @ 2:00!

Opening weekend

Opening weekend of Desire is officially over - and it RULED! Solid shows and good size houses (except for Saturday - what the fuck?!?) But hopefully that wonderful friend to all struggling artists and businesses, word of mouth, will spread the word like wildfire and we'll pack 'em in next week.

Going out to see A touch of the Poet tonight, directed by Midsummer's assistant director, Manish. Hopefully it'll be interesting, as I'm a bit tired from a long week of stressing out like an idiot over a show that I knew was going to be great b/c of all of the awesome people involved so why was I so DAMN NERVOUS!?!?! Ugh, anxiety is a nasty bitch, really doesn't help my insomnia either. I'm a dork. So, yeah, I'm kind of in crash mode, but need to get back on the horse for a retardedly busy week next week, and a wicked theme cast party hosted by Liette. You rule man! Come out and see the show next Thursday - Sunday, and reserve your tickets now! AND don't forget to VOTE!!

Opening Night!

Tomorrow we open!!! I'm so excited and freaked out all at the same time. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I want it to be GREAT!!! Everyone's put so much work into this crazy show, and it looks awesome. My fellow cast members are brilliant, Kristy's design is striking, Larry's lighting is amazing, Liette and Abby did a great job on props and costumes, and of course, Matt's direction is the crutch holding it all together! So, COME OUT AND SEE IT!! The show opens tomorrow, January 19th. It runs Thursday - Sunday for two weeks (8 shows!). The Thurs-Sat. shows are @ 7:30, and the Sunday shows are matinees @ 2. Check out the O'NeillFest link for more info on all of the shows!

Debate #2 & a Play!

Hm ... I've been thinking of what I want to say about the latest round of debates. Rehashing what was stated, the challenges made, accusations on the table, and all of the proposed platforms ... and I still don't know who I'd hate to see more as the next Prime Minister. Paul "it wasn't me" Martin or Stephen "I'm not Bush - really" Harper. I just don't know, and it frustrates me that inevitably it will be one of them on the front page of every paper on January 24th as the leader chosen by "the people" of Canada. All that sustains me is the fact that there are good people out there in every riding fighting the good fight, and those are the people we need to support by going out on January 23rd and voting. And this is NOT a 2 horse race! There's the NDP who need enough votes to hold the balance of power, the Greens who are fighting to get a million voters willing to put the environment first (and maybe one day they'll be invited to the debates as well) and many independents and small parties in every riding. Do your research and find the party closest to your values. If none exists, go and spoil your ballot - at least you've exercised your democratic right, and you've shown your frustration.

On a lighter (and hotter!) note ... my next show is opening next week on the 19th! Yay! I am in the UWTSA's production of Desire Under the Elms, which is part of O'NeillFest. Click the link under Sites to Surf for more info. Go to the university of Winnipeg Theatre Students' Association for information on how to reserve tickets. Try to see as many shows in the festival as you can, as they're put on by small companies that work hard to find the funding to put their shows on the stage!

I'm very excited to be doing this show. It's extremely raw and very challenging, as the character is outside of what I'm usually type-cast as. It's exciting - and scary - to have such a huge challenge. We're into the final stretch of rehearsals where the finish-line is in sight. We just need to get there by the time the curtain goes up on Thursday night!

Cars vs. SUVs

As you can probably guess by my blog, I'm an environmentally conscious person. Needless to say, the rising amount of SUVs on the road makes me grit my teeth. Yes they're handy, but are they necessary? It is always argued that a car just can't compare. For example, my parents have a Jimmy which they use to transport equipment they need for their store and my dad's business from the city back to their place out in Bruxelles. Yeah, I probably couldn't take the 3 hot water tanks that my dad needs out with me when I visit with my Sunfire. I get this. I know.

However, most people who own an SUV use it mostly for recreation; as their way of getting from A to B. Think about how much extra fuel immisions are being used in these cases. Also, quite frankly, people driving SUVs are not regular car-poolers. The other big argument used for those driving SUVs is that they're safer than cars. "If an SUV and a car collide on the highway, I want to be in the SUV." How North American. Of couse bigger is better!! But is it? A US study recently reported "'Children riding in SUVs were no safer in crashes than those riding in passenger cars," says Dr. Dennis Durbin, a pediatric emergency physician who took part in the study, published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics." You can find the article at cbc.ca (the link is under Sites to Surf), or at the following address: ">http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2006/01/03/suv-safety060103.html So, in conclusion, let's all do our part to curb SUVs on the roads! We're in a crucial stage in regards to energy resources. Canada needs to go on a luxury diet, and SUVs are one of the high-fat foods. Yes they're nice, they taste good, you feel better about yourself when you're eating them. But this luxury is causing fuel immisions in our environment to grow and grow. Take them out of your diet and your wasteline will thank you - and so will the environment!