This Is A Remount

I've often caught myself musing from time to time about a show I may have done in the past and how different it would be if I got the chance to do it again at this point in time.  Theatre and acting are such fluid art forms.  A performance you see today will be different from the one you see tomorrow or next week or six months from now. For the first time I get to remount a show and I am incredibly excited about it.  Though the original production of Daniel MacIvor's This Is A Play took place only five months ago, a lot has happened to me since then.  Some pretty life-changing stuff, actually.

I was amazed at how easy it was to get back into the character.  It was like slipping into some old fuzzy slippers and wondering why you ever took them off in the first place because they feel so damn comfortable.  I always figured that when I finished a show, the lines just disappeared from my brain, like a hardrive being erased, to make room for more stuff.  Colour me surprised when I realized at our first rehearsal how much everything came back so incredibly quickly.  On top of that, we got to rework a few moments that just didn't click right the first time around.

We had a great, well-received show for the Ottawa Fringe Festival (as evidenced by our sold-out houses night after night), but I honestly think it's even better this time around.

If you got a chance to see the show at the Fringe, please come and see it again (along with 3 other great plays - 2 of which I may also be involved with).  I would be curious to hear after the performance what changed for you.

Meta Schmeta: Cautionary Tales for the Self-Obsessed - An Evening of One-Act Plays at the Arts Court Theatre from Nov. 26 to 29 (ONE WEEK ONLY) at 8pm with a 4pm Pay-What-You-Can Matinee.  Tickets are 20$/15$ Students & Seniors.  Box Office: 613-564-7240

So You Want To Tour The Fringe Circuit

Since 2002 (and not 2001 like I had originally argued with someone) I have been an active participant in the Ottawa Fringe Festival.  Every year, for almost two weeks, I would get to meet and hang out with incredible people from around the world who were trekking from one city to another performing works of truly amazing art.  Then, at the end of those two weeks, I'd wave goodbye to them and some of my local friends as they'd pack up their bags and move on to the next city for their next big adventure. Every year, I would wish I was going too. But there was always an excuse: I can't leave because I have a job/a degree to finish/responsibilities x, y, and z.

That was then.  This is now.  For once in my life, I don't have any excuses to fall back on.  So instead of falling back, I've decided to move forward and do something I've always wanted to do:

Sleep on a stranger's couch in Saskatoon...

Oh and travel cross-country, living a bohemian lifestyle, and not only tour a show, but tour a show that I created myself.  Yeah, I'd like to do that too.

I've got a great show concept that I have been working on and the incredible support of people who have been there before.  I'm not naive (there's a difference between optimism and naivete).  I know that this is not necessarily an easy venture that I am undertaking.  In fact, I've already come up against my first kink in the road.  All these Fringe Festivals require their registration fees up-front.  As an underemployed artist I don't exactly have a few thousand dollars kicking around beneath my mattress.  But this is something I know I have to do and so I know I will find a way.  The universe and I always do.

(That said, if any generous souls who believe in me happen to be willing to loan me a few thousand dollars until next summer, please do not hesitate to msg me directly!)

I'm a little scared because this project seems so big right now, but I see the reward at the end of the road and boy, is it ever sweet.  Stay tuned!

I'm Collecting Underpants

To everyone who's been asking what I will be doing for money, please take a look at my current business plan: Phase 1 - Collect Underpants

Phase 2 - ...

Phase 3 - Profit!

Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to do it (ref. Phase 2), but I know that I will manage (ref. Phase 3) because I'm going to do the work that I know needs to be done (ref. Phase 1).  So please, stop asking me what/how I will do it.  It only makes me angry and you don't like me when I'm angry because I keep it all bottled up and become very unpleasant to everyone until I explode in a church hall with a chainsaw and/or a semi-automatic.

Now give me your underpants and nobody gets hurt.

The Joys of Being a Working Actor

Patron: Excuse me, but aren't you an actress? Me: Why yes I am!

Patron: Oh you were in the last show we saw here!  You were very good!  Honey, she was in the play we saw here last time.

Patron's Husband: Wow, you were very good!  That was a good show! 

Me: Thank you!   (insert awkward pause here)   May I show you to your seat?

Patron's Husband:  Yes, please.  Tell me, how do you learn ALL those lines?

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Patron 2: Excuse me, but how do I know you?

Me: Um, I think we auditioned together not too long ago.

Patron 2: Oh right!  That's where I saw you.  Mom, she auditioned too!  You were great!

Me: Oh thanks!  (insert awkward pause here)    May I check your coat?

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Patron 3:  Heeeeeeeeey!  Weren't you in that show I saw here last time?

Me: Yes, I was.

Patron 3: That was great!  Just great!

Me: Thank you!

Patron 3:  I'll have two coffees and a glass of wine, please.

Random Sugar Crash Ramblings

I have a headache.  I think my body is wondering why we're not eating a crème caramel, 2 pieces of chocolate cake (with quite a few stabs at some additional icing), a piece of torte, a lemon square, and some chocolate syrup tonight (twice on Saturdays!)  Or maybe it's because I'm not drinking 3 coffees per day anymore... I haven't suffered the dreadful post-show crash that usually afflicts us actors when a run is over, though since I have so many things on the go, I think I just haven't let it hit me yet.  When I finally realize that I can safely go into the bathroom without a fart machine going off, I think I may break down in tears.

It's weird.  I've always said that there were so many things that I wanted to be doing with my time that I couldn't because I had a full-time job.  However, now that I actually have that time, I haven't gotten around to much of it.  True, it's only been two days since the end of the show, and it's not like I've done absolutely nothing productive.  For instance, I learned that Hot Fuzz is a wickedly awesome movie and I think I have a crush on Simon Pegg.  Damn, good writing is sexy! (I will forgive him for Run, Fatboy, Run though.  He probably has a mortgage to pay too and it's simply easier to blame David Schwimmer instead)

There's so much theatre going on in town now that I'm not even sure where to turn my head.  I'm seeing up to 7 shows over the next two weeks.  First up, Toto Too's Evening of One-Acts, followed by Catalpa at The Gladstone.  Then there's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the NAC (which looks unbelievable!) and Look Back in Anger by Third Wall.  That's just for this week.  Next week I'm checking out Fires in the Mirror by NORT and Zadie's Shoes at the GCTC.  If I have time (which is looking doubtful, though who knows) I may also check out a show at the Canadian War Museum entitled ...and stocking for the ladies.

Seriously, people who think our city isn't vibrant with culture probably haven't checked out the current Ottawa theatre scene.

Is it sad that I really want a cookie right now?

Live from Ottawa, It's Opening Night!

I walk up a red carpet to get to work.  How wicked is that? Last night, my first (of many) forays into the world of professional acting began with the opening of David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole at The Gladstone.  I am incredibly proud of this show.  We have a solid cast, an amazing director, an incredible set, and a Pulitzer Prize winning script.

Unfortunately, it's a drama and that seems to scare people away.

You see, the show is about a couple moving on with their lives after the death of their four year old son.  This is a far cry from the farce which launched the season at The Gladstone, but I'm here to tell you that it's not all death and depression.  There some incredible moments of humour (brought on mostly by yours truly) throughout that play that really lightens the mood and grounds everything even more so into reality.  Because life can be silly at times.

It is my fondest wish that everyone reading this note will take the time to check out the play.  This show will shake something inside of you and, trust me, you will come out a better person for it.

The Gladstone is currently offering a long-weekend special on admission.  All seats are $25 taxes included (as opposed to the usual $33.50 and $26.80 plus tax) for the shows taking place this Friday (tonight) and Saturday (both the matinee and evening performances).

Shows start at 8:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday, with matinees at 2:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (no show on Thanksgiving Sunday) until October 25th.

To reserve your spot, please call the box office at 613-233-4523.

I look forward to seeing you there!

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Rabbit Hole – David Lindsay-Abaire

A Gladstone Production

Directed by Janet Irwin

October 9 – October 25, 2008

Featuring (alphabetically)

Brie Barker

Michele Fansett

Jesse Griffiths

Nancy Kenny

Maureen Smith

Toxic Shock

My initial elation at working on my first professional theatre production (Rabbit Hole at The Gladstone Theatre - get your tickets now!) has slowly given way to something else entirely. I don't think I realized how much of an adjustment leaving work would be.  My body is scared and it thinks the best way to protect me is by shutting everything down so that I stay safe at home in bed.  I've been getting sick.  I wake up in the morning with a lump in my throat.  I feel stuffed up and have trouble eating.  My stomach is constantly rumbling with problems of a bathroom nature; the details of which, I am sure, most of you would prefer if they were kept to myself.  I get anxiety attacks and at times it feels like a twenty pound weight is crushing my ribcage.  My mind wanders.  I forget what I was doing the day, the hour, the minute before.  Last night, I showed up at the theatre not only carrying two very different shoes (one was a high-heeled pump, the other a ballet flat), but they were for the same foot.

My mind and body are rebelling against this new lifestyle change.

I am going into shock.

I'm sure some people are thinking (because a little part of me thinks it too) well, why not give in?  Just get sick and stay in bed for a few days until you get better.  Unfortunately, I can't do that.  I can't just take the easy way out anymore and go hide under the covers like a gopher who's afraid because his shadow is so big.  I can't rest on my laurels.  I can't live on a plateau when I know the view is even better if I just keep climbing a little higher.

(How many more mixed metaphors can I squeeze in here?  Let's see...)

I've learned from past experience that the stronger my physical, visceral resistance to something is, the greater and sweeter the reward I receive when I finally manage to overcome it.

My soul knows that I am creating the right path for myself.  Evey time I show up to rehearsal and begin to say my first few lines, suddenly, I don't feel so sick anymore.  Now if my mind and body could please catch up...

The Band-Aid Slowly Comes Off

I had a brilliant day yesterday. I got up at around 8 a.m. (which for me is sleeping in) and went for a run.  The weather was just gorgeous!  Once I was back home, I settled down in front of my computer with my perfect cup of coffee (the day's special was cappuccino) and started working on a variety of Playing Bare things like media reminders and program revisions.  Then I hopped in the shower before heading downtown.  There I met with a lovely lady who carries Iron Sticks (though not this day) just to bounce off some ideas and get a feel for story structure when writing a one-person show.  I followed that up with some shoe shopping with a friend for a fancy-schmancy gala I'm suppose to attend in two weeks and then more Evolution/Playing Bare stuff.  I ended my evening by reading through the script for my upcoming professional theatre debut and catching up on some TV shows I have sorely missed in the past few months.

Bliss, right?

My point for yammering on about all this:  Today I'm back at work and I can feel a distinct shift in my mood from the previous day.  I've gotten a lot done, but my thoughts keeps wandering to other, more important (in my mind anyway) things.

8 days and counting

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Ed. Note - Since I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life, it felt appropriate that I have a new blog to go with it. I am a professional actor

Towards the end of my shoot on a wonderful little horror movie, the director forbid me from denying that fact. Mostly because he was sick of me haranguing him for saying he was not a professional director. Don't you hate it when your good advice gets thrown back in your face?

Well, he was right.

I've had a crazy month of August. The first two weeks were taken up by said horror movie and I audited a very inspirational acting course.

The movie reminded me how much fun acting was, how much I loved being on set, and how great it is to be part of a team working passionately towards something that's bigger than yourself. Even the incredibly early morning wake-up calls (did you know there's a 4:30 in the morning now?) only reminded me that I was getting up to go do something I absolutely adore doing (and if that happened to include cutting people in half with a chain saw or sending someone off a cliff, who was I to argue?).

The course made me realize that I was being a lazy actor. If I'm honest with myself, I know that I expected lots of great parts with very little effort or preparation. I'd go into an audition and just expect talent to carry me through. I would complain about how hard I was working to get things done, but I was really wasn't working at all.

So, for an upcoming audition, I prepared like mad. I wasn't going to let old habits stand in the way of what I wanted. I was going to get this part. I read the script a few times and immediately picked a scene that struck a cord with me. I brushed off my monologue and put it on its feet. And then I did something that I never allowed myself to do in the past. I got help. Thanks to two really great friends, I got to play with both scene and monologue. They helped me discover things about the characters and make good choices. They were lifesavers.

I arrived at the audition feeling rather grounded. I was feeling happy just to be there. Adequate preparation had already taken away about 50% of my nerves to the point that when I realized there were five extra people in the room than what I had envisioned, I didn't freak out. I was actually glad for the opportunity to play in front of more people. And play I did. I didn't take my self too seriously and had fun. Yes, Nancy, acting is fun!

And then I got a callback.

Wow!

Then I took a page out of my amazing friend's handbook. I went to my resume and added the credit to the list. I was letting the universe know that I believed it could happen.

Guess what? I got the part.

I laughed uncontrollably for about two minutes when I received the news.

Nancy Kenny will be appearing in Rabbit Hole this October at the new Gladstone Theatre (Get your tickets now!)

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On Monday morning, I went and took the crazy to a whole other level. I walked into work and I gave them my notice. After about four years of floundering about in full-time jobs, I realized that if I wanted to truly be a professional actor, I had to either shit or get off the pot. Well, gosh darnit, it's time to shit!

To tell you the truth, no decision has ever felt so right before.  It was time.

I'll be at my current job until September 12, and then rehearsals start for Rabbit Hole. My contract is for six weeks until October 25th.

After that point, who knows, but I believe (and it's about damn time I did) that I can be an actor and still manage to take care of myself.

Besides, if ever I'm royally fucked, I'll just move in to my film director's basement and take his DVD collection hostage. Because I am a professional actor and he created a monster.