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jetsetting (08.02.09) |
august 2nd, 2009
who'd'a thunk it.
almost three years ago today, i was offered a job playing a 17-year-old rapper-turned-meth-addict struggling through recovery. i was terrified to accept the job because it was so far oustide my frame of reference that i figured i couldn't possibly do it justice. it was to be a two-month, BC high school tour.
since that time, i've given nearly 350 performances of CRANKED, in over 150 communities from prince george, BC, to charlottetown, PEI; from new york, NY, to kincaid, SK; from modesto, CA to tampa bay, FL, and in nearly every major city in canada. upwards of 130,000 people have seen it, many of them teenagers.
and in three days, we will board a plane and fly southwest for 16 hours to our next destination: Australia.
we'll be playing at the fairfax studio in melbourne, and then the studio theatre of the sydney opera house.
the crew and i are so thrilled about this development. we've been aware of it for several months now, but with takeoff less than 72 hours away, the reality of it is quickly setting in. we'll be on contract there for nearly three weeks, followed by some time for travel and exploring.
and speaking of the crew: i cannot praise them highly enough. i have had the pleasure of working with some fantastic people on this show, but never before have i been lucky enough to work in so cohesive a unit. jason pouliot (dj inSite), rachael king and i have had a fantastic run of it and i'm eagerly looking forward to working with them one more time.
at the end of this run, i'll have logged the better part of three years on this show, meeting people i never thought i'd meet, performing in venues i never thought i'd get to, and seeing places i never thought i'd see. it will be the end of this particular chapter in my life. i'll be ready to let it go, but i'll be sad to see it end.
thanks, green thumb. it has been a trip. but for now: back to packing!
january 5th, 2009
picture it.
the dead of winter, 2008. winnipeg, manitoba. the pancake house at the mall, just across from the theatre. i know. spooky, right?
evan and i are (sortof) enjoying breakfast in between shows. mostly we're enjoying the feeling of food in our bellies, 'cause we're both just getting over a nasty stomach flu.
i'm on the phone to patrick mcdonald, director of CRANKED and artistic director of green thumb, and he's telling me that the duke theater on 42nd st. has more or less confirmed a run of the show in january, next year.
i say, "so, what you're telling me is, i shouldn't make any plans for next winter."
"yeah, i wouldn't make any plans," he says.
* * * * *
flash forward nearly a year. the dead of winter again, this time in vancouver. i'm looking out my window onto what looks freakishly like winnipeg.
any minute now, the van will arrive and alex will drive me and the new crew to the airport where we'll meet up with patrick and fly to new york. weather permitting, we arrive tonight, load in tomorrow, tech/dress on wednesday, school show on thursday.
and then, on friday night at 7pm, CRANKED will open to the public at an established, real-deal theatre just off broadway. like, a stone's throw from broadway. talk about a dream come true.
the duke on 42nd is part of a complex called the new victory, and it's new york's premier theatre for teen programming. from january 8th to 26th, we'll be doing eight shows a week: four for students and four for the general public. not to mention exploring, seeing other shows, eating well and generally being "a part of it..."
it's a new crew again this year, and the show is in excellent hands. jason pouliot, a certified technician with a penchant for hip hop, has slipped effortlessly into the role of dj InSite (or Insight, depending on how you look at it), and we'll be kept out of trouble by the extremely professional and highly qualified rachael king. thus far, everyone's getting along swimmingly -- there have been meals out and bowling excursions over the holidays -- and it's shaping up to be an exciting tour.
for details on the new york run, visit the green thumb tour page or the new victory's calendar. as for the rest of the tour, i'll bring you more details on that later.
for now, i have plane to catch. wish us luck!
oct 11th, 2008
to read the reviews
click here
history boys
photographs by
david cooper
it must be the big brown eyes.
or maybe the long limbs make me look lankier than the average twenty-seven-year-old.
there seems to be something that convinces directors (and audiences, i hope) that i look significantly younger than i actually am. i'm not complaining. it seems to be getting me work. and work is always good.
whatever the reason, i've been cast as another teenager. this time, instead of a rapper turned meth addict, i'm a not-so-bright rugby player, doing all he can to keep up with his brilliant classmates. i'm playing the role of "rudge", the endearing underdog in alan bennett's acclaimed play, "the history boys". turns out i'm a character actor, which suits me fine: if people continue to trust me with roles that are absolutely nothing like who i am in real life, i'll continue to be challenged as an actor. and challenge is what keeps things interesting.
rudge is one of eight senior-year boys being prepped for their oxbridge entrace examinations. working-class kids from northern england in the mid-eighties, these are not the sort of students who traditionally get into such impressive schools, but having shown more promise than any other class in recent memory, their headmaster believes they have a chance. or they might, with a little bit of grooming. and so, under the tutelage of ageing liberal-arts-loving hector, fact-focussed and stalwart mrs. lintott, and upstart youngster mr. irwin, who believes that it's more important to stand out than to tell the truth, the boys have three months to acquire the skills they'll need to get through the exams.
"the history boys" is a brilliant script. the winner of the 2006 tony award for best play, it keeps audiences on their toes, alternating as it does between a relentless barrage of literary and historical references, and an incisive examination of humanity and the intricacies of loyalty. the characters are as clearly defined as their relationships are complex. it is not an easy script; there are moments of confusion and ambiguity, and it gives no easy answers, but it manages to remain engaging and accessible through levity, humour and moments of, as hector puts it, "sheer calculated silliness."
* * * * *
the history boys
the arts club theatre
click here to read reviews
now until nov. 1st
monday-saturday evenings, 8pm
except 7:30 tuesdays
wednesday and saturday matinees, 2pm
granville island stage
1585 Johnston Street
(map)
click here for tickets
box office: 604.687.1644
june 24th, 2008
i haven't rapped to anyone about anything in nearly a month.
this is a thrilling truth for me, simply because after a five-month tour of just about anything, it's nice to get a break. the 2008 CRANKED tour finished up very well, our shows on the eastern side of this (incredibly huge) country being just as successful as those out west. (apart from police disapproval in fredericton -- ask me about it; it's a good story.) we put on nearly 100 performances in about 20 cities from comox, BC to charlettown, PEI. not nearly as many shows or cities as the 06/07 tour, but we did cover roughly 15,000 km round trip, though we didn't drive the whole way back. click here to see what that looks like.
i want to acknowledge once more the talent, creativity and perseverance of the crew i toured with. had it not been for evan bee (impromptu sound man and dj bee side) and natalie macgregor (mama-to-be and stage manager extraordinaire), the show would not have made it off the ground, let alone out of vancouver. congratulations, guys. we made it!
* * * * *
~~~magnetic west?~~~
the tour was over as of june 1st, which brings me to the main reason for this entry. we got home just in time for the 6th annual magnetic north theatre festival, held this year in vancouver. once again, i had the privilege of seeing some of the best theatre that's being produced across canada. from the locally recognized to the internationally acclaimed, companies from coast to coast converged on vancouver to display work that addressed topics from genocide to rebirth, from metaphysical comedy to cultural identity. i wanted to mention two pieces in particular: the two shows that moved me and challenged me the most.
first, from toronto, was volcano theatre's "goodness". this is a sparse but riveting show about a man's struggle with history. after his marriage fails, he vists poland in an attempt to make sense of the slaughter of nine members of his not-so-distant ancestry -- an atrocity that he suddenly feels has shaped his life. instead, he meets a reclusive old woman 
and becomes embroiled in the story of the atrocity that more or less ruined hers. it's a powerful and complex piece that not only examines the causes and effects of genocide, as well as the accountability we all share in such situations, but also questions the way we look at and retell history. can we tell stories that are not our own? can we do it accurately, without being clouded by our own experience? and even if we can't, mustn't we try to do it anyway? incisive and challenging material combined with minimalist staging, captivating choral singing and stunning performances made "goodness" an unmissable show.
second, vancouver's own "where the blood mixes", co-produced by the playhouse theatre company and the savage society, takes a different approach in addressing the ramifications of history, and the way we deal with it. a rich balance of poetry, gritty banter, heartfelt storytelling and dark comedy, kevin loring's script centres on four middle-aged first nations people in a community in the interior of BC, each of whom has spent a lifetime struggling with the legacy of shame and self-destruction instilled by years in a residential school. the plot is deceptively simple: floyd is a middle-aged man who spends most of his time fishing, gambling, or drinking at the local bar. his daughter, christine, was taken from him at a young age after her mother died, and floyd was deemed unfit to raise a child alone. twenty years later, christine has returned with questions that floyd may not be prepared to answer. as i said, the plot is simple; the show's depth lies in the complexity of the characters and in the understated but devastating effects of the tangled, barbed portion of history that they all -- and that, as canadians, we all -- share.
although each performance was handled masterfully, one in particular left me speechless. as the stalwart but ever generous "june", actor/storyteller margo kane had me in tears with (almost literally) every word she spoke. and ben cardinal was captivating as "mooch", a man whose amicable and charming neediness belies a profoundly damaged sense of self. it was a privilege to see this show, and to be allowed into this story -- a story that is not my own, but that i am nonetheless compelled to hear.
* * * * *
~~~amnesiac love~~~
meanwhile, at playwrights' theatre centre, the 2008 new play festival was taking place. for the third year in a row, my friend heidi taylor brought me on board for one of the readings. this time, it was a musical called "tragic animal stories, vol. I: drive-by cowguy". it's the story of two goldfish in love. goldie is your typical goldfish: warm-hearted, content, and completely devoid of short-term memory.
fishman is more highly evolved: he's educated and restless, and he's falling in love with the wandering cowguy who's been hanging around the pet store parking lot. written by erin macklem, it's a hilarious tragedy decorated with delightful music by avery brown. it was a joy to work on, and precisely what i needed after five months of playing a drug addict, followed by a week of heavy theatre. thanks to erin, avery and heidi for having me on board.
all in all, it's been a rich time for me since getting back to vancouver. CRANKED is a rewarding but draining piece of work, and my batteries are low. i feel lucky to have had so much great theatre around to help recharge them.
march 15th, 2008
today is hump day. even though it's saturday, not wednesday.
see, wednesday marks the middle of a week. today marks the middle of the 2008 tour of green thumb theatre's CRANKED. click here for more info on the show.
we've had a great run again this year, performing for audiences in vancouver; tampa bay, FL; the interior of BC; banff, AB; saskatoon and moose jaw, SK; winnipeg, MB; and most recently, montreal, QC. it's a new crew this year, with natalie macgregor stage managing and evan bee (dj bee-side) on the decks. we've had excellent feedback and, for the most part, great weather all across this huge country. and i always knew it was huge, but it's not until you drive across it that you get a sense of how massive it really is.
of course, the tour's only half over. and we're on our way to towns where there are people i know who might be interested in coming to see it. so here's the rundown.
* * * * *
toronto, ON
lorraine kimsa theatre for young people
four public shows:
friday, april 25th, 7pm
sunday, april 27th, 2pm
sunday, april 27th, 4pm
saturday, may 3rd, 2pm
165 front street east (map)
tickets $20, $15 for kids
box office: 416.862.2222
friday night's show will be my 200th performance of CRANKED. so i hope you'll come out and share that with me.
* * * * *
riverview, NB
riverview arts centre
thursday may 15th, 7pm
400 whitepine road (map)
tickets $14.50, $6.50 for students
box office: 506.852.7189
now, i don't actually know anyone in riverview, but it's the closest we'll get to halifax, so i'm hoping a few people might be willing to make the trip.
* * * * *
once we're finished with the east coast, we're heading back to the west to play a few more shows before shutting things down on june 1st. stan will be a very tired and cranky 17-year-old by then, and will be in need of a rest. but if you're interested in finding a show to come see before then, click here for a full tour listing.
huge thank yous to the banff centre, persephone theatre in saskatoon, manitoba theatre for young people and youtheatre in montreal for putting us up, and putting up with us.
november 3rd, 2007
it seems i haven't updated this page in nearly a year. which, ultimately, is because i haven't done much theatre lately. but that's about to change.
come january 2008, i'm heading out with CRANKED for a five-month, cross-canada tour. we'll stop in banff, saskatoon, winnipeg, toronto, montreal, fredericton and more. i'm really looking forward to getting back into the mind of my favourite bratty 17-year-old and sharing his story with more people.
in the meantime, a couple highlights from 2007.
~~~june in the capital~~~
i had the pleasure of performing CRANKED as part of the magnetic north theatre festival
in ottawa, on the stage of the great canadian theatre company. it was an honour to be at the gctc where i saw so many great plays growing up, and a thrill to be part of such a fantastic lineup of theatre at canada's premiere national english-language theatre festival. the show was well received by critics and audiences alike, and it was interesting to perform this show for several rooms full of adults. i won't call it a relief, but it was definitely a change.
as you may know, ottawa is my hometown. many of my family and friends are still there, which meant i was able to perform for all sorts of people from my youth. my parents, family friends, my entire extended family, old coworkers, even old high school teachers and classmates i haven't seen in 10 years showed up. thank you all for coming out, it was a pleasure and a priviledge to perform for you.
there is some brilliant theatre being made in this country, folks, and some of the finest was showcased at this festival. from theatre replacement's "sexual practices of the japanese" to the electric company and the only animal's "the one that got away" to the old trouts' "famous puppet death scenes", people are finding new and fascinating ways to tell stories through theatre.
many, many thanks everyone at magnetic north for putting on a fantastic festival, and to mary vingoe, former artistic director, for inviting us to be a part of it.
* * * * *
~~~september on the beach~~~
(photography by nicole dextras)
local theatre company, the only animal, is beginning work on a brand new show. it's another of their epic site-specific pieces, addressing themes of impermanence and transience, and incorporating chekhov texts and set pieces made of sand. two directors, four designers, five performers (myself included) and two musicians converged on locarno beach for a week in early september for an exploratory workshop. 
the object was to begin sketching and buliding, trying to answer some important questions such as "what can we make out of sand?" "how might theatre work in so diffuse a space?" "can chekhov text be effective in this setting?"
it was a perfect week weather-wise, perhaps the most uninterrupted sun we had all summer, and we managed to make some great strides. working within very specific parameters, teams of artists created short scenes and pieces that addressed the themes and challenges presented by the material and the space. all sorts of things were built out of sand: a boat, a dining table, deep trenches, even a miniature city. we confused and intrigued the locals with our antics, running around in the sand wearing red, declaiming strange texts as the sun set behind us.
on saturday afternoon, before an audience of 50 or so -- some invited friends and some interested passers-by -- the pieces were strung together into a showing. not a finished "show" by any means, but a collection of work that was received 
with delight. congratulations to the only animal on a very successful week.
the fully realized "Theatre of Sand" piece will be performed on locarno beach in september, 2009.
december 5th, 2006
it's been too long since my last update, so it's time for a story.
it's spring. late may, i think. i have a general audition at the green thumb theatre office. i give a solid monologue, leave them with what i think is a good impression, and then make a royal idiot of myself on the way out the door. (that's a good story, too, but it's better told in person.) i head up to the waiting room and start tying my shoes. i'm laughing, but i'm thinking, man -- i just blew a perfectly good audition. my heart is pounding and my face is bright red when natalie ackers, company manager, comes upstairs.
"kyle," she says to me. "can you rap?"
this, i was not expecting.
"uh... yeah," i reply. "i guess so." then, it occurs to me: i pulled off bollywood dancing. why not rap? "yes," i say. "sure i can."
three callbacks later, i'm offered the part of 'stan', a 17-year-old freestyle rapper and recovering addict, in a show called "CRANKED". written by michael p. northey, it's a one-man hip-hop musical that will tour to high schools around BC, teaching kids about crystal meth addiction.
* * * * *
fast forward almost four months, and here i am. sitting in a room at the beautiful mile zero motel in midway, bc. never heard of it? how about sparwood? or tumbler ridge?
photograph by
david cooper
these are just a few of the many towns we -- elizabeth steele, stage manager; joel etkin, DJ/sound; and i -- have visited in the last 9 weeks. we've performed in auditoriums, theatres, cafeterias (cafetoriums, actually), multi-purpose rooms, a church or two, and gymnasiums of all shapes and sizes. we've done the show for audiences ranging in size from eight people (four middle aged women and four 10-year-old boys in clinton) to 900 people (the biggest high school in east vancouver).
photograph by
david cooper
the show uses hip hop and spoken word to tell the story of stan's decline. he starts out an up-and-coming freestyle rap star and deteriorates into, in his own words, a freakin' zombie. on one hand, it's funny, it's high-energy, and it looks like a rock show. it's definitely not the lecture that most kids expect when they hear there's "another meth presentation" coming to their school. at that same time, it's not an easy show to watch. it's a dark, sometimes disturbing portrait of what happens to people who get heavily into meth.
the response has been stellar. on green thumb's "CRANKED" page, you can read reviews posted by students, staff and community members who have come to see the show. i'm pretty proud of it. it hasn't been an easy thing to do six to ten times a week for two months, but it's an extremely rewarding challenge and i'm thrilled to be a part of it. the tour itself ends dec. 13th, and then we play in and around vancouver until mid-february. if you're interested in coming to a school show, send me an email.
meth is a huge problem in bc, and it's growing. it is a devastating drug; it's uncontrollably addictive, and it's spreading like a cancer all over north america. check out crystalmethbc.ca or staycrystalclear.com for more information.
may 1st, 2006
so i have a gig. a staged reading gig that came out of nowhere.
i mentioned in my last update that i've joined CORE -- a group of 20 or so people who meet twice a week to do physical theatre training. it's been awhile since i've had the opportunity to sweat so hard, and i'm loving it. plus i've met some very cool theatre folks, including one heidi taylor, who works for playwrights' theatre centre. so one day last week, out of the blue, i get a message from heidi. she's directing a show for their upcoming new play festival, and she wants me to be in it.
it's a pretty specific part, she says in her message, and i'd love to chat with you about it.
so, i call her up and ask, what's so "specific". well, the show is a staged reading of a new play called "aisha and ben" by anita majumdar, an up-and-coming playwright from toronto. "aisha" is a famous (fictional) bollywood movie star who finds herself starring in a new film being shot in canada where she was born. ms. majumdar, a classically trained indian dancer, is flying in to play the role herself. it's a relatively short show, and it's a staged reading, so it'll be pretty low-tech.
but the part will require some dancing. yes, me. dancing.
bollywood dancing.
amazing.
now: let the record show that the last time i danced in a show was around age 16 when someone had the brilliant idea of making me a dance captain in a production of the musical "chess". which was pretty ambitious on their part, i must say. anyway. i've grown up a lot since then, and i'm slightly less gangly now. so the show should be fun. if you're in vancouver, come check it out.
"Aisha and Ben" by Anita Majumdar
Wednesday May 10th
8pm, admission by donation
Playwrights Theatre Centre Studio
Festival House (3rd Floor)
1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver
apart from this, i've been getting out and seeing as much theatre as i can. there's some good stuff going on in this city. i'm excited to make a space for myself in it.
march 24th, 2006
things are starting to pick up here in sunny vancouver. well, sometimes it's sunny. today there was a hailstorm. but now it's sunny again. how are things picking up? well.
first of all, i was talking to my friend kris about the fact that i need to meet people and make friends in theatre here in town. then we were talking about how workshops are a great way to learn, practice *and* make connections all at once. then i told him how my secret hope is to find a mask workshop i could sign up for. i was introduced to mask work as a teenager, and i immediately loved the way it challenges the body. you have no face left; you can't usually talk. the only thing you have left to express yourself with is your body. fascinating work. anyway, the next day, i got an email from the equity mailing list saying, "the leaky heaven circus will be running a mask workshop next weekend. and it's cheap." boom. ask and you shall receive, apparently. so i signed up. it starts tomorrow. i'm thrilled.
i'm also thrilled because i saw a most beautiful show last weekend, written and performed by members of the very company that's offering the workshop. called "the bloody cleanup", it told the story of marie antoinette, and it was a breath of fresh air, let me tell you. so slow, so patient. not plodding; it just took its time. beautifully, simply performed; accompanied by live music and singing; narrated in part by marie antoinette's unbelievably captivating disembodied head. clever staging, powerful lighting. gorgeous. and it was at the cultch (the vancouver east cultural society) which is thus far my favourite venue in town. man, good theatre is so refreshing.
second of all, i've signed up for something called CORE. CORE is a group of actors and performers who get together twice weekly throughout the year to do physical and vocal training, most of which is based on the work of jerzy grotowski and tadashi suzuki. stranger theatre does a lot of training based on grotowski's work, so i'm familiar with that and looking forward to getting back into it. suzuki i don't really know anything about, but i've heard good things, and i'm excited to find out more. at any rate, it will be amazing to be training again. and two mornings a week! what a treat. whether or not it leads to any work on shows remains to be seen, and in fact it's beside the point. i'm looking forward to new faces, new exercises and new challenges.
january 27th, 2005
happy new year... here i am in vancouver. i haven't started performing yet, but i've been checking out the PuSh international performing arts festival. it's an excellent festival that's been running here for some seven years or so. theatre, dance and music performances by artists and companies local, national, and international, are being performed in various venues around the city. it's a great way to check out some of the theatre that's going on here in town. my favourite shows thus far have been "tempting providence" by theatre newfoundland labrador, and "absence and presence" by a british man called andrew dawson.
tempting providence is an absolutely stellar show that i was lucky enough to see four years ago at the on the waterfront festival in halifax. four very skilled performers tell the amazing true story of myra bennett, a british nurse who was stationed on the western coast of newfoundland shortly after the first world war. she was the only nurse on the entire coast, more than 200 miles long, and along which there was no road. beautifully written, wonderfully directed, and peformed with perfect pace on an ever-changing set made up of a table, four chairs and a tableloth, which take turns playing doors, beds, a boat, a stable, even a newborn baby. it's still touring. go see it.
absence and presence is a challenging and moving piece created and performed by andrew dawson. it incorporates mime, video footage, storytelling, puppetry, and music. there's very little concrete narrative, but it explores and recounts the relationship between mister dawson and his late father, who died in 1985, and whose body lay undiscovered for 10 days. it sounds heavy, but somehow it wasn't. it is a slow moving piece, but absolutely justified in taking its time. moving and life-affirming. it's also touring.
i was also able to see "the perfectionist" by boca del lupo and "studies in motion" by the electric company theatre, two firmly established independent companies here in vancouver. i regret to say that i preferred the out of town work, but both of these shows were well done, and well performed. these companies are definitely grappling with challenging ideas for new theatre. they each author and create their own work, and both draw on traditions of physical theatre to very interesting effect. "studies in motion" is a veritable symphony of technical effects, telling the story of edweard muybridge, the first man to use high speed photography to document the intricacies of animal locomotion. "the perfectionist" is a physical theatre piece using original and found text, live music, human shadow puppetry and, beautifully, the interaction between actor and projected animation. it uses these varied techniques to explore themes of contemporary life and perfectionism. very insteresting work indeed.
the push festival runs for one more week or so. if you're in vancouver, go check it out.
november 7th, 2005
before taking off to boston, i spent a weekend with stranger theatre in pittsburgh, where we performed our ever-well-received "the counterfeit marquise" at the 7th annual black sheep puppet festival. the festival was great, and we had a fantastic time. many, many thanks to everyone at the black sheep and the brew house, especially tom, lindsay and our dear friend mike, for their unbelievable generosity and hospitality.
we met several puppeteers and artists from around the american northeast, and among them was a group called drama of works from NYC. their show, "warhol", was named best original performance at the world festival of puppet art in prague, 2005. it featured an exquisite puppet version of the title character, animated by three puppeteers at once, as well as lots of ingenious found-object puppetry. hilarious, beautiful and sad, "warhol" definitely stole the show.
and if you're ever in pittsburgh, check out the brew house. it's an old brewery that's been converted into an artist-run co-op, filled with studios, living spaces, a theatre and a gallery. it's an amazing endeavour, run by some pretty interesting folks. trust me, it'll blow you away.
september 23rd, 2005
stranger theatre's "the counterfeit marquise" tour was a great success. from black box theatres to living rooms to huge halls to cozy cafes, the little marqise and her entourage were adored by all sorts. puppet folks, strangers off the street, even neighbourhood kids. thanks so much to everyone who put us up, fed us, put on and publicized our gigs, and welcomed us into their towns. it was a pleasure.
as for "hardon house" -- what a disgusting and wonderful mess it was. turns out i look more like joan crawford in drag than any of you might have imagined. too much fun. from intimate houses to sold out crowds, we got the buzz going in halifax and were awarded "fringe hit" again this year. congrats, angels and heroes. what a way to open the season.
and now, after a brief stop in ottawa to visit my parents, i'll be heading back to toronto to re-rehearse the counterfeit marquise. this time, we'll have a new narrator, and we're headed to the black sheep puppet festival, taking place at the brew house in pittsburgh, PA. we'll be performing alongside such companies as drama of works (NYC), the coalition of humans invested in the future (philly) and blue rose moon theatre comapny (philly). takes place in october, with performances on the 21st and 22nd.
july 23rd, 2005
leaving next week to go on tour with stranger theatre's "the counterfeit marquise". a charming tale based on a 17th century french story by charles perrault about a boy who grows up to be the most beautiful girl in paris. told using actors, elaborate hand puppets, and intricate shadow puppets. suitable for all ages.
columbus OH, madlab theatre- july 29th, 7.30 and 9pm
- richmond VA, the flying brick
- august 3rd/4th
- philadelphia PA, the rotunda
- august 5th and 6th, 8pm
www.puppetuprising.org - montpellier VT, the black sheep
- august 9th, 12.30 and 7.30pm
- montreal QC
- "catcall" @ main hall
august 11th, 9pm - "in the pocket" @ le pocket palace
august 12th, 8pm.
after that, i'll be heading back to halifax to work with angels and heroes theatre "hardon house", the follow up to 2003's highly succesful, massively silly "pussy on a shingle". where the latter was based on tennessee williams' "cat on a hot tin roof", the new production will be based on shaw's "heartbreak house", and promises to be much smarter and maybe even sillier than "pussy".
to be performed at the atlantic fringe festival, sept 1-11th, showtimes and venue tba.