10 more shows

There are only ten more shows. This run has felt like it would never end, but there is only one more week after the two shows tomorrow. But two shows tomorrow...it just takes is out of a person.

Stef and I went power shopping on Thursday and Friday afternoon. We did most of our shopping on Thursday and finished on Friday. It feels very good to be done. And because we finished I was able to send almost everything home with Stef.

We have done some other Christmas-y activities. Cris and Jen, Logan and I went out to Zoo Lights at the Zoo on Monday. It was great fun. It was a little cool but there were huge bonfires spread out along the way. Very festive.

I hope that all of you are getting the opportunity to do some festive activites other than shopping.

New Carol Photos

Scrooge with Nephew Fred in Scrooge's Office
Scrooge with Mr. Shelley a Merchant on the streets of London
Scrooge and Marley in Scrooge's Bedroom
The Fezziwig Party (with Christmas Past on the very left)
The Cratchit Family in their home
Scrooge with Christmas Present
Scrooge and Cratchit Family (after Tiny Tim dies)
Scrooge with the Turkey Boy (when all is well again - and in colour)
Finale - when Scrooge shows up at his nephew's Party
The final moment with Scrooge, Boy Scrooge and Young Scrooge

First Christmas Party of the Season

There is a group of us that I like to call the usual suspects. We get together quite often but not all of us - as we all have crazy schedules. We planned with plenty of time in advance to arrange a Christmas Party for the whole gang.
Everybody contributed to the dinner.

Here you see me teaching Tyler how to peel potatoes for scalloped potatoes.

This was what was left of our delicious meal. Asparagus and Carrots, Scalloped Potatoes, Orange glazed ham. Very nice (this picture does not do it justice).
Then we had a Dutch Auction of Christmas Gifts.
Logan received a Ukulele as a "loaner" gift and underscored the whole evening.
Stef and I plotting how to keep the games that we scored (I was unsuccessful)

Now Logan got really crazy as Logando in his version of Ukulele HeroWe had to try out the new board games. Stef got "Things" a very funny game of opinion - here is Jason unable to contain himself as he reads various answers thru tears.

Craig and Jen relaxing as the party starts to wind down (at 11 o'clock)

A good time was had by all!

Twas the nightmare before Christmas....

It may seem like a long time since I have posted, and that is because I have been stuck in my nightmare. Oh well. Things are going better. We opened! That is huge. That means they can't rehearse any more. Which is a huge factor in my mood.

We got an excellent review.

"A dazzling Christmas spectacle" was the headline of our review in the Calgary Herald. "

In the early stages of Scrooge's journey, the Ghost of Christmas past vows to
awaken Scrooge's humanity. The same might be said of A Christmas Carol's
effect on its audience."

or my favorite quote

"Kevin Rothery's Ghost of Christmas Present comes off like a Richard Simmons
who's gotten into the rum and egg nog, but it works."

But things are starting to become routine and that is a good thing in theatre. It is a short window in which we can relax into our jobs.

Ahhh...my Christmas Nightmare

Last Christmas I worked on A Christmas Carol with Theatre Calgary. I really enjoyed myself.

This year, is different. It is the same script, set, costumes. Of 17 actors 14 are the same, of 7 children 2 are the same, the crew is the same. One would think the experience would be somewhat the same. However, three vital positions have changed. That would be the director - the director was the assistant director last year and was meant to present the same show. It is a remount after all (that is recurring theme of this nightmare). The other roles are the stage manager and apprentice stage manager (I am the only returning member of the stage management team). The apprentice is great, we are having a good time together. The Stage Manager is making everything difficult and making everyone angry.

The lines have been drawn, the proscenium arch seems to be the dividing line. Director and Stage Manger vs. Everyone else. We moved to into the theatre on Thursday and I have never had a worse experience than I have had over the past 7 twelve hour days. This show is even worse than a show I did in University where I cried everyday. So far I have only cried twice out loud (and more times that I can count in my head).

But... the original director has returned to help "clean" before we saw an audience yesterday. He took the reigns without hesitation and "fixed" everything back to the way it was last year. Two weeks of wasted rehearsal, 5 twelve hour tech days worth nothing and finally a show I can be proud to be involved it.

Christmas Present: Look Scrooge (he points to the stage management booth), she sits there passing judgement on all of us thinking she knows everything - but she doesn't seem to know what she is doing.

Scrooge: (scowling) At least we know she won't be working here again.

Ahh...Dry Weather / Dry Skin

I have eczema. Yet another great trait I picked up from my dad (along with bad eyes, and bad teeth). Every winter my skin gets red and itchy on my upper arms, upper leg and cheeks when it gets really bad. When I was young I went to the dermatologist to solve the problem. He/she (I can't remember) told me about

Buff Puff SinglesThey seemed to do the trick through most of high school. It wasn't until Gr. 12 when they stopped selling it in Canada that things started to get worse.

Now every winter I look forward to an itch that can only be satisfied but rolling around on the carpet - much like Baloo the bear from Jungle Book on a tree.
I saw an ad on TV not to long ago for Spectro Eczema relief. So I bought it today. We shall see how it goes.

Rehearsal, zits and bad eyes

Rehearsal keeps ticking on.

Clearly I am a little stressed as I have started breaking out. I am 25. Shouldn't you stop getting zits when you aren't a teenager any more. I have heard no.

Oh, and I think my eyes have changed again. I realize that I got my glasses a whole year ago Sept 13 . But again - 25 years old. My eyes should stop changing every year.

Just when I thought I was a grown up.

Halloween Pictures

Jason Haughey bought a new camera. Now that he has this expensive camera it is out with us all the time and he documents the crap out of everything we do. As such, I don't take a camera any more so I now steal pictures off of other peoples facebook. This explains the delay in the post.

Here I am, a Stepford Wife

Raveigh and Stef both went as Tom Cruise from Risky Business
Tyler as Spiderman, and Logan as an...off duty cop?

Feels like...forever

Sarah got married June 23rd. It is October 30th. And I am still working on her wedding video. Keeping in mind that I was still working on Lindsay and Dan's video until not long before Thanksgiving. But it feels like I have been working on it forever. I would write up a longer blog but I have been on the computer all night and am bored.

End of the run

Yesterday was the closing performance of my lunchbox show. It was a good time. Once we were into a show state I worked three hours a day. Roll in at 10:40, set up the show, sit around and talk for a bit, do a 40 minute show, clean up, type a report, walk home. It was a good deal. The money was good for the work I was doing, which means that the actual pay cheque is small.

I have four days off now. Start Christmas Carol on Thursday. Christmas begins Nov 1st. Break out the trees and lights.

Name and Logo

I have been playing more seriously with the idea of my own little videography company. I guess I have decided on the name Glass Imagery from a post of long ago . This is my first mock up of a potential logo.

What do you think? This is just my art. I will talk to some other "creative" folks to get some opinions. And Logan has a few good ideas we will try. Let me know what you actually think.

Catch up

On the weekend we went out to Canmore again.
Stef hasn't been yet so we thought that was as good a reason as any.
Hung out, walked about, made some dinner, did some drinking.
On Sunday we went to Banff and walked about the streets (which are still being ripped up and repaired). We did a little shopping and then hit the hot springs. It was great fun.

The show is running along now tickittyboo. The playwright came to see the show today. Norm Foster. You may know him from such plays as: Sinners , The Melville Boys, My Darling Judith, The Affections of May , The Motor Trade , Wrong for Each Other , and Office Hours. They are all shows that are readily done. The Melville Boys is actually being done at the Globe in Regina this season. It was pretty neat to meet another Canadian theatre "superstar". I know I am throwing that term around a little loosely - but he is quite famous for what he does.

The show is open. And we have received glowing reviews from both The Calgary Herald and the FastForward. They were both very generous and it has helped our audiences numbers.

"Ever wondered what it would be like to suddenly find yourself summoned before
the Angel of Death for the completion of documents necessary for your new
post-mortem life? Possibly not nearly as amusing as Canadian playwright Norm
Foster pictures it in his latest play, The Death of Me"

times gets funny enough to almost become the death of all of us."

Calgary Herald

FastForward/

House hunting

Logan and I are in a place in our lives when the idea of owning a home is really appealing. We are locked into a lease at the moment - but I am always watching. Just checking out the listing pages. My biggest problem is that we have a HUGE decision to make:

Downtown or Not Downtown

If we stay downtown I can walk to work and avoid astronomical parking fees, or hour long transit rides. We are close to everything and can walk to a bar and meet up with everyone. Downtown living is certainly a way of life.

If we move out of downtown we would head to Country Hill or Harvest Hill which is the area by Logan's district office. He could walk to work, I could take the train and save on gas. We would have a home. Our own space, with grass and space and no one above and below and beside us.

Let's compare:

Downtown:
Mission area (the area we are in right now)
$375,000
2 Bedroom + Den
2 Bathrooms
1116 square feet
Heated underground parking
Gas fireplace, slate/carpet/cork flooring

20 min walk to work for Stacey

19 km – about 24 mins drive for Logan

$0 is parking/transit

Close to everything

Not Downtown:

Country Hills (the area of the District 7 Police Office)

$370,000

3 Bedroom + 1 Downstairs bedroom

1.5 Bathrooms

1250 square feet + 600 downstairs

Double Rear parking pad

Backyard, Office, Laundry room, Storage, a house

17.4 km – bus ride for Stacey

10 min walk for Logan

I go back and forth everyday. I don't know how we are going to make this decision. Go thing we don't know how much a bank would give us for a mortgage. For now, they are hypothetical questions.

Opening "Night"

Today was the opening performance of my show. And it went really well! It was sold out (it is a small theatre so the sell out was 182 people). But they loved it. And that is all you need to feel good about the show you are working on.
After we had a little bit of chocolate cake in the green room and enjoyed our time together.
I like the energy of opening. All the stress of tech and notes sessions drifts away into nervous energy. I love it.

Thanksgiving

This weekend was a long weekend. A holiday. A time for families to be together and share a meal and a prayer of thanksgiving. My family did just that - I however work in theatre. A workplace populated by heathens and those who don't care about family dinners, Sunday brunch after church or any religious holiday. That being said, I worked this weekend.

It was tech weekend - which means long hours and frustration. But after a Saturday and Sunday of hell, Monday brought hope in the form of an audience. 72 smiling, responsive, living people filling the red chairs that have been staring in silence for the past 8 runs of the show. But the hope was crushed by a 4 hour rehearsal following the show.

On my way home I called Logan to ask if they were on their way home from the football game and how many people he was bringing. (I knew that it would be Logan, Rory and I. Rory came to town for the football game and would be staying with us. Nicole was also in town for the weekend with my prof. Bill. They were planning to go home after the game - so they were a big question mark for supper before my rehearsal began.) Logan reported to me that we would be hosting thanksgiving dinner for 7. Rory, Bill, Nicole, Cris, Jen, Logan and I. It went really well. Nicole had most of the work done when I got home from rehearsal. Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, garlic toast and raw veggies for dipping. She had even picked up a pumpkin pie, which I served along side my own apple pie.

For a person that thought they weren't going to have a big meal with people I love - I was wrong.

Haughey's House Warming Party

On the weekend the Haughey boys had a house warming party. As a house warming gift Logan and I gave them a Texas Mickie of Crown Royal.











We all had a good time. Drank a lot. I am not going to tell you how I know this, but some people were "able to get off with a warning" for blood alcohol level - while some of us failed.

Logan and I stayed the night - so we didn't need to drive. Stef was nice enough to offer up her bed.

Good party. Can't wait for Halloween.

I heard some great news!

I got news today

one of my best friends of all time

got engaged to her long time boyfriend

and the friend that I went to England with.

Congratulations Kendra and Aaron!

(photo from Mel Little's wedding in June 2000)

1st Day of Rehearsal

Today was my first day of rehearsal as Stage Manager for Lunchbox. I felt a little nervous to start. I always do. New pressure, new people, new expectations and days of feeling things out to see who works this way and who works that way and how I fit in. After you figure it out you are half way thru the process and then it is over. Oh well.

It went well, and the first day is over. Now on to paper work, emails and phone calls.

My new lap top

I received my new lap top from Dell. I ordered it for work. If I can take a computer with me into rehearsals that aren't in a conventional place, such as the last show (in the basement of a community center) or this one (in the "theatre" space of the basement of a church). I can take my computer in and save myself a couple extra hours of work every night.

This lap top is one of the new ones you have all seen commercials about - you can choose its colour. I chose espresso. It is great. I love that it has a full size keyboard and a full number pad too. If I am doing paperwork on this thing I need to be able to type.

In other news: Stef and I chopped up another bag of apples tonight. We got another 2 freezer bags full of chopped, cored and skinned apples and 5- 1 litre jars of apples sauce, 3 apples with cinnamon and 2 apples and strawberry. Should be yummy.

Headshots

I received the disc containing the two photos that I chose for my Headshots. One of these will be put in the program and displayed in the lobby of each show I work on. I haven't decided which one to use, or if I switch between them. Theatre Calgary tends to hold onto your headshot and just hold onto it and reuse it for each show.

Which should I use for Theatre Calgary and which should I use for my current show at Lunchbox Theatre?