Sober Mary

Oh right, I have a blog don't I? I can't believe I've already been in Ottawa for two whole weeks. Rehearsals have been INTENSE. You guys, one person shows are hard! You'd think I already knew this, but nope; Mary Magdalene and Adventures in Sobriety has pushed me further in two weeks than Roller Derby Saved My Soul did in all the months of work I ever did on it. And that's as it should be. Every new project should challenge you in new and exciting ways.

So here I am, after some well-needed Easter rest, ready to head back to work. Zombie Jesus may not have risen again this weekend, but Mary Magdalene sure is good to go.

Initial press is very good. Some nice things were said about me in the Ottawa Citizen and on The Visitorium blog (and be sure to check out Kevin, The Visitor's interview with the [boxhead] gang as well!)

I'm going to try and blog a bit more as we go into tech week, but you can probably find out more if you follow me on Twitter, along with the Hashtag #soberMary.

See you at the show, yes?

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DOUBLE BILL: Mary Magdalene and Adventures in Sobriety and [boxhead] 

Arts Court Theatre  2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa, ON 

April 18th to 28th, 2012 – 7:30 p.m.  Pay What You Can Matinee: Sunday April 22nd – 2 p.m.  (no show on Monday)  Tickets $25, $20 for Students/Seniors  Available by phone by calling Arts Court at 613-564-7240 

BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!

BASH'd Reviews

Okay, just so everyone doesn't think it's all doom and gloom. BASH'd! A Gay Rap Opera has been receiving incredibly positive reviews across the board and so I thought I'd give you a sampling of them here.

Oh and if you'd like to meet the guys from BASH'd, Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow will be at The Lookout Bar in Ottawa tonight. Tomorrow's show (affectionately dubbed BASH'd Bash) is also a fundraiser for a variety of local groups in town, including Toto Too Theatre. The guys will be participating in a post-show talkback and there will be a reception following the performance and chat at the GCTC. Click on the links for ticket information.

What the critics are saying:

"…BASH’d is simply that good." - Denis Armstrong, Ottawa Sun

"...a performance that, on Thursday night, left the audience practically humming with energy." Patrick Langston, Ottawa Citizen

"The rapping… is very clever and easy to follow." - Katie Marsh, Apartment 613

"BASH'd: a gay rap opera for everyone." - Wayne Current, The Wellington Oracle

"I defy anyone to keep their foot from tapping or head from bobbing…" - Connie Meng, North Country Public Radio

"Don't fear the rapper" - Andrew Snowdon, Ottawa Tonite

What the audience is saying:

“Amazing show. You Rock.”

“It was brilliant on every level!”

“That was friggin awesome!”

Remember, those are their Viewpoints, come on down and let us know yours! BASH’d! A Gay Rap Opera continues until January 31.

Shining City Promo/Reviews

More links will be added as they come in. Did you miss the interview I did with Richard Gélinas on CHUO 89.1? Well you are in luck. Here it is in full with host Mitchell Caplan on Click Here. It even includes a segment from the show. Check it out here! (It may take a while to get the link and you may have to sift through some ads, but it was the best I could do in finding a free server host for the very large file. If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears!)

If you'd prefer to see our faces, then go visit our friends at Ottawa Tonite (a great new resource on local arts and entertainment!) and check out the rehearsal footage video created by Cheryl Gain, which also includes an interview with director John P Kelly.

(Cult)ure Magazine and the EMC News also have some great preview articles. (Apparently the print version of the EMC runs for a page and a half, has three photos and is on the cover - if anyone could get me a print copy, that's be grand!)

As if that wasn't enough, (Cult)ure Magazine also has a lovely review of the piece, which you can find here.

I also highly recommend you check out the glowing review the show got from Patrick Langston and the Ottawa Citizen. You may do so here.

Evolution Theatre's Arabian Night

The reviews have been pouring in for Evolution Theatre's Arabian Night. See what everyone is saying and then call Cube Gallery to reserve your tickets - 613-728-1750 The show runs from Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm and half the tickets for Friday and Saturday night's performances are already gone.

If you want to stop on top of what Evolution Theatre is doing, be sure to join our facebook group!

See you at the Theatre!

Nancy

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Patrick Langston - Ottawa Citizen "Emily Pearlman('s) physical expressiveness always delights" "Richard Gélinas... does his best work in these disconnected roles" "Evolution Theatre to its credit continues to take risks with its play selection."

Read the full review here.

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Alvina Rupretch - CBC Radio "A VERY (capital letters hers, not mine) interesting play. Good ensemble work. And it’s sure that no other company in Ottawa is doing what Evolution dares to do. So do take a chance and go see it. It's very good."

Listen to the full review here, after the Drowsy Chaperone review

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Wayne Current - (Cult)ure Magazine "One of the strongest casts assembled this year."

Read the full review here.

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Lesley Buxton - The Wellington Oracle "The acting is first rate." "This is an important production..."

Read the full review here.

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Erika Morey - Apt613 "Most noteworthy, however, was Kate Smith’s riveting performance..." "...take advantage of the opportunity to see high-calibre experimental theatre right here in the city..."

Read the full review here.

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Nadine Tornhill - Local Blogger "Emily Pearlman and ... Kate Smith are some of this city’s strongest performers." "Evolution Theatre is never boring."

Read the full review here.

No Exit Upstage Reviews

Well, after three solid performances, the reviews for No Exit Upstage have started pouring in and I'm thrilled to say they are all very positive! First up we have Patrick Langston from the Ottawa Citizen who calls it a "funny show" and "we find ourselves drawn to these two characters". You can read the whole review here.

Wayne Current at (Cult)ure magazine says it's a "solid script with many funny moments, has "compelling actors," and "Ken Godmere’s direction is also solid, especially his effective use of the stage. One scene in particular – where both characters are speaking in a simultaneous monologue – is quite powerful. It’s a beautiful piece of poetry inserted into the performance, and the play is worth seeing for that moment alone." You can read his entire review (which I am gleeful to note includes a link to my blog!) here.

There's also a charming review topically done through a split personality interview between Brian Carroll and himself on the Ottawa Fringe Festival website which includes this gem: "So why don’t more directors cast Nancy?" - His review can be seen here.

Finally, some Adorkable Thespian left a comment saying "It’s weird. It’s funny. It’s worth seeing." Thank you, whomever you are! You can read his (or her) comments here.

Only three more shows are left for No Exit Upstage! Our next performance is Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m.

******************************* I've been cleaning my apartment all day since my billets, the comedy group Uncalled For from Montreal, arrive tomorrow. Unfortunately I will not be around to great them since I will be in Toronto for an audition.

Can I just say how much I love my life right now?

Funny How That Works

I seem to have a lot of trouble writing from home. I find there are just too many distractions. Have you ever seen the movie Hamlet 2? There's this one bit where he just sits at his computer forever, can't seem to get anything done and then just yells at the cat. That's exactly what it's like which is why I usually find myself at coffee houses (or the office), preferably Bridgehead's since they have free internet access. That said, today there was some sort of protest going on today which detoured buses and prevented me from going to my usual spot. So, instead I met up with a friend who was also stranded and went for a little bus adventure. Once he got off at his stop, I just stayed on. Somehow this change of scenery totally freed up my writer's block and I was able to scribble away a second draft of my Fringe Festival script.

Funny how that works.

Hamlet 2 is not a very good movie, but as an artist there are so many "LOL OMG - yes that's exactly what it's like moments" that I couldn't help but be amused. For those of you who haven't seen it, watch the trailer below. Almost all the best moments are in it... well, the ones that aren't crude anyway. Somehow they weren't able to add Steve Coogan walking away from his computer bare ass or his reaction after reading a bad review of his latest high school play (a two hander version of Erin Brockovich) in the high school newspaper and yells, 'I feel like I'm being raped... in the face!' Seriously, that never got old! And because I feel like it, I few more clips from the movie. My gift to you:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iR_DRcBbI]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiWRzpil4s&feature=related]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3s0knCCtA]

There's Nothing Going On

I am so incredibly pleased that the Ottawa Citizen took the innitiative to include an article today about the BC Scene, which is happening in April of 2009, because there is nothing else going on in the Ottawa Arts Community at the moment that is worth mentioning (and I only linked Theatre, there's plenty of visual arts, music and dance going on too).