Can You Keep A Secret?

Apparently, some people think a girl with a blog and an unhealthy addiction to her iPhone social media programs is the best person to entrust with the most TOP SECRET news in Ottawa Theatredom. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, somewhere among the hanging out on movies sets (with Cuba Gooding Jr!), working at the Great Canadian Theatre Company (season launch on Monday!), learning to rap Shakespeare, making women feel beautiful, discovering hidden abilities to translate small documents from English to French, watching some "bloody" good theatre (check out a solid production of Blood Relations at the University of Ottawa before it closes this weekend, as well as the musical Blood Brothers at The Gladstone), working on my own theatre company's project, performing improv with some lovely ladies, and training for a 5K race; somewhere among all that, I became the new anglophone publicist for the upcoming Les Prix Rideau Awards.

(Of course, all of this must have happened after I discovered that necklace from Harry Potter that allows Hermione to attend to classes at the same time, because there is nothing short of wizardry to explain how I manage to do all this stuff...)

After learning that Über Publicist, Crystal Parsons would be leaving the wonderful world of theatre promotion for the civil service, I was approached by the awards committee to see if I could fill her sexy shoes.

My first answer, of course, was no. Re: see above schedule & need for a clone/develop magical powers.

However, after much discussion, I eventually said yes for the following reasons:

• The workload isn't as excessive as I first anticipated.  There is no need for me to translate documents for these bilingual awards, since there already is a francophone publicist, and I'd be doing a lot of stuff from a social media perspective that I'm doing already.
• This could all wait until I was done my stand-in gig.
• Being able to say that I'm the publicist for Ottawa's professional theatre awards is a pretty big deal and adds another notch of legitimacy to my marketing belt.
• With the GCTC holding a whopping 16 nominations, I can make a lot of what I'll be doing relevant to the day job.
• I think the awards are important and I want to support them in some way.  This is more than just a big party where people dress up to watch somebody get an award.  By recognizing the contribution of theatre professionals in the community, we are raising awareness of our work and acknowledging that there is a a place what we do here in town.  My dream? That one day, when I tell someone I am a professional actor, they will not ask me when I will be moving to Montreal or Toronto because it will simply be common knowledge that such a scene exists here as well.

All that to say that I will now be only one of three people to know the award winner's identities before they are revealed on April 18th because I need to have the press release handy for media as soon as the ceremony is over.  (Note to self: find dress that coordinates well with handcuffs and a briefcase *insert your own joke here*)  And this confidentiality agreement I signed says that no amount of bribing can make me reveal the secrets before then.

But have no fear!  You too may know the results as soon as they become available.  Tickets are on sale now!  Details below (this also reminds me that I will be performing in my first public Sanitas Playback Theatre show that night as well... where the heck is my clone?):

The 3rd Annual Les Prix Rideau Awards celebration is taking place at De La Salle High School (501 Old St Patrick Road, Ottawa) on Sunday, April 18, 2010.  The first-ever fully bilingual awards ceremony will be cohosted by CBC Ottawa’s Alan Neal and not-from-CBC-Ottawa's Annie Lefebvre, with theatrical reflections by Sanitas Playback Theatre and music by DJ AL Connors.

Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased through the Nouvelle Scène box office:

• online at nouvellescene.com
• by telephone at 613-241-2727 ext 1
• in person at 333 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa

Les Prix Rideau Awards III -- Sunday, April 18, 2010 De La Salle High School, 501 Old St Patrick Road, Ottawa Doors open at 6:30 PM; presentation begins at 7:30 PM - Tickets: $25

The 9 to 5 Shift

I am now a week and a half into my new job at the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Now, this is a pretty sweet gig as Joe-jobs go. First of all, it combines my love of theatre with my love of social media into a geektacular sandwich that these days tastes like the best cupcakes ever made. It offers some great flexibility for when acting projects come up and I get to define a lot of what my role within the company is. There are some great people to work with and some sweet benefits like an Eco Pass, free coffee (well, technically free), and leftover food from opening nights. (Side Note: Ahem. I'm a simple person. I will work for food, drinks and transportation. Please don't tell the union!) All in all, I like my job.

That said, even after being here this long, my body has not gotten used to this 9 to 5 lifestyle. It involves a lot of sitting and this little thing called "waking up in the morning." Also, I still haven't found the best way to balance the job with everything else I'm doing in my life. Currently, I'm incredibly exhausted and could probably use a couple days off to decompress, but instead I'm going to be spending my weekend doing a workshop, watching shows and writing grant applications (in addition to regular housework that needs to be done, some focus on my Mary Kay business, going over lines with my scene partner for another workshop I'm involved with, and any other thing that inevitably always come up).

I hate to say it, but I need to start cutting back. Forty hours a week are now missing from my regularly scheduled programming which means it's time to change the channel. (What? That doesn't even make sense. Man, I really do need rest.) I need to start prioritizing, work towards those goals and take out anything that isn't relevant.

This pretty much means that I *gasp* can't go out as much anymore.

So You Need To Pay Your Bills

The bank wouldn't accept my mortgage payments in the form of artistic integrity. I tried, but they just kind of looked at me funny; this "What is artistic integrity?" kind of look before realizing it wasn't money and then having security guards beat me with clubs for having a bohemian on their premises. I may have made some of that up.

Being a full-time actor often feels virtually impossible. Gigs are few and far between and, let's be honest, you don't become an actor for the money (though you always keep faith that the money will one day be there). So you typically need a job to pay your bills and will still offer you the flexibility you need JUST IN CASE an audition pops up.

Back in October, I knew things were getting tough financially and so I started figuring out what I could do. I have a strong background in Marketing, Special Events, and Promotions, but I didn't feel like I had enough clout or contacts to try and push myself out there for contract work. I had applied for jobs through a temp agency because I still wanted the flexibility to do my performance work, but it wasn't enough. That's when I stumbled across the Metcalf Foundation.

I won't go into everything they do, but basically, the Foundation "will support the creation of internship opportunities for administrators, choreographers, composers, conductors, designers, directors, playwrights, and production staff. In this program, the Foundation is particularly interested in assisting individuals who have completed formal training and are in the early stages of their careers."

A quick bit of research and a few emails later and I found myself at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa with a proposal. They applied on my behalf and by December we knew that they had received the funding from the Foundation. And so you're looking at (or more accurately now reading about) the new Marketing Associate for the GCTC.

My contract runs until June (which leaves me the rest of the summer for Fringe or Summer Stock Theatre) and I almost cried when I read my Letter or Agreement:

The Employer recognizes that the Intern is a working theatre professional, and that the Intern may negotiate time off to undertake select independant projects that contribute to the Intern's professional development.

This is exactly what I wanted! A day job that understands my artistic aspirations and actively encourages them. They do exist!

So what will I be doing at the GCTC? First up, I will be undertaking the instigation of a social media marketing plan for the company. In fact, I just finished setting up our Twitter account this morning. Please follow us @GCTCLive. This is a really great opportunity because I will gain credibility and experience as a social media strategist, which will allow me to help my own theatre company and follow up on my goal to teach this new wave to the general public (for crying out loud this guy charges over $1000 for his weekend workshop so why couldn't I?)

I'll also be doing some work in Outreach and Development, sectors I'm less familiar with, and will be learning a great deal about traditional marketing methods. (Won't it be nice to attend a media call where the media actually shows up?)

I was scared to come back to an office environment, but this place is just great. Stick around this blog if you'd like to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes of a major Canadian theatre company... that is if I haven't already set up a blog for them on their own site by then.

******************************************************* Sidebar (or an absolutely shameless plug):

Ok, so an internship isn't exactly the most lucrative of endeavors. In addition to my work for the GCTC, I've also picked up a bit of a part-time job. I am also a brand-spanking new Mary Kay rep. Yup, I sell makeup and skin care products now.

It makes sense. As an actor, my face is one of my biggest assets and so I need to take good care of it. Mary Kay offers quality products and the cost is similar to anything you'd find in a major department store. Plus, I just really like makeup and this is a job I can do whenever I am available.

So, dear readers, wouldn't you like to have a little spa pampering session for you and your friends? Or maybe you'd like to treat yourself to a little makeover? Just contact me (nancykenny.mk (at) gmail.com) and we can book a party at your place or mine. As the host, you also get lots of free stuff and there is absolutely no pressure to buy. Besides, this is great practice for me.

Or maybe you're just looking for a new lipstick? Or a gift for someone special? Check out my website and order online. If you spend over $50, you'll get a wonderful free gift from me. And if you live in Ottawa, I will personally deliver your purchase to your home or workplace.

Oh and gentlemen, skin care isn't just for the ladies, you know.

In the future, I'll probably be posting my reviews of certain products, but if you have any questions at the moment, please feel free to ask.

And if you're looking for some sort of home business for yourself, why not think about becoming a rep? I could help you with that too.

Besides, don't you want to see me in a pink Cadillac?