From Cradle to Stage 2011 - Closing Night

Tonight is Closing Night for From Cradle to Stage 2011. I have truly enjoyed the From Cradle to Stage experience over the last two years of my tenure as Artistic Director. I have been involved in the festival in some capacity over the last 6 seasons, and to me it has a special place in my heart. I think because I am also a Playwright in addition to acting and directing (and coming soon, set designing) that I love this show so much. There are certainly places where you can, as a new playwright, get your work onstage, but many of them involve self-producing (Fringe, Indie theatre) or special age considerations (NextFest or high school festivals or other emerging artist opportunities) or a certain level of experience (Professional theatres). For the playwright who starts out late (as I did) or who lacks the resources to self-produce this is wonderful opportunity. We have amped it up as well, by incorporating in Dramaturgy (with Brian Dooley and Tracy Carroll these past two seasons) to develop the work and assist our playwrights in really seeing where they could take their work. It also provides opportunities for directors and actors who get to be the first to explore and produce the stories onstage. How many chances do you get where you get to be the first?

I hope that you make it out tonight to see the shows if you haven't already. I will be there. Maybe I will see you there?

Celebrating New Works and Wonderful Talent!

I had the pleasure of watching the final tech rehearsal for From Cradle to Stage yesterday afternoon. Up to this point I had only seen bits and pieces of the shows so this was the first time I got to see them all in their entirety. I don't like watching shows too early in rehearsal because I don't think it is fair to those that are rehearsing. They want feedback but you can't really give appropriate feedback because the show isn't done and it might look that way (you don't want to crush them with a negative comment) or it really isn't your place to say anything (because they have a director who is doing that and you might contradict them). In any case, I watched yesterday and I must say I am very pleased with the evening of plays we will be premiering this week. All the t's were crossed and the i's were dotted.

The three plays offer up a real variety of themes and styles. The first, a reading of Poetry Unbound by Robert Zimmer, is a clever piece about poetry and art and inspiration. It is funny and intelligent and the cast brings a wonderful attack to it. At centre is the lovely Gabby Bernard who we first saw on Walterdale's stage as Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing. She is joined by several other strong actors both new and returning to Walterdale's stage. John Trehart is a newcomer who brings a smartness and sliminess to his character of Theory that is very fun to watch. Heather Patton, previously seen in Jimmy Dean last season, is sharp and authoritative as Academia. Robert MacDougall, who first appeared at Walterdale in Best Little Whorehouse and then later in Much Ado About Nothing, brings his delightfully over the top style to Pedanticus.

The second piece you'll be seeing is Even the Walls Have Eyes by Sherryl Melnyk. Anchored by Melanie Kerr, this is a monologue about confrontation and forgiveness. Melanie has a lovely naturalistic style that is compelling to watch. She is supported by Mady Faye and Steve Rempel who play a variety of figures from her past. Director Sarah Jackson added the echoing characters along with a haunting sound scape and moody lighting to create an uncomfortable intimacy that supports the piece beautifully.

Finally we will serve up Hope is Dead by Mike Czuba. Alex Fortier and Bob Klakowich populate this lonely world as two very different people who find connection on busy Bridge in the middle of the night. These two share the stage in a balanced way that makes you believe in their new found friendship.

I really enjoyed seeing all three plays. I am looking forward to Opening Night on Wednesday, May 18th so I can see how they grow and see how they are changed by the presence of a full house of people. That is the magic of theatre - every audience becomes part of the performance! I hope to see you there!

* Photo by Douglas Stewart - pictured are Alex Fortier and Bob Klakowich from Hope is Dead.

A Manicure is Wasted on Me...

This week I spent 2 days in the theatre painting the set pieces for From Cradle to Stage. There isn't actually much to do because the shows this year are very minimalist in their requirements. Although it wasn't much work, it was good practice for the next show for me at Walterdale. I am Set Designer and Master Painter for Village of Idiots and I will have quite a bit more to do on that set.

For right now, my nails are in rough shape and there are still bits of grey and black paint that I haven't quite managed to get off. I am looking forward to seeing the pieces under stage lighting on Monday night so I can see if I have anything else to do to make them look right.

From Cradle to Stage opens Wednesday, May 18th and features work from 3 Alberta playwrights: Robert Zimmer, Sherryl Melnyk and Mike Czuba. It is a great opportunity to be in the first audiences to experience these works. Check it out!

Village of Idiots - The Village is Populated!

A few weeks ago auditions were held for our final show of the season, Village of Idiots. I must apologize for not getting the cast list up on here sooner, but my commitment in The Threepenny Opera along with other things had interfered with the normal happenings of this Blog. In any case, I have the cast list to share with you now! It features many wonderful actors, both new and familiar to Walterdale audiences. The sense of fun shown at auditions will no doubt seep into this production with this cast!

The Cast of Village of Idiots:

Zalman - Max Lebeuf
Zlateh - Tamara Raynor-Cote
Mesholem - Dallas Holmes
Yosef - Matt Randolph
Schmendrick - Eric Smith
Zisyah - Daniel Grimsen
Rabbi - Jason Stewart
Rebbetsin - Catherine Wenschlag
Miriam - Gabby Bernard
Feyvel - Joel Lefevre
Feigela - Elan Bertles
Ugly Male Chelmnik - Nick Eaton
Pretty Female Chelmnik - Lauren Kneteman
Gittel - Morgan Melnyk
Russian Officer - Erik deLange
Private Brodsky - Kougar Rossetti
Russian Soldier - Austin Long
Russian Soldier - Michael Strean
Chelmnik - Claire Meeker
Chelmnik - Jo Myung-Hi Cha
Chelmnik - Daniel Weinfeld

Congratulations to all! And thank you to everyone who auditioned. We had a great couple of evenings of auditions and enjoyed everything that you brought to the theatre. It was hard to choose from such fabulous folk!

If you want to be involved in Village, please contact me at adwalterdale2009@yahoo.ca and I will get you in touch with the Production Team! It's going to be a fun show!

Under Construction...

I had a brief meeting today at the theatre with Architect David Murray who had asked me to come in to select the tiles for the new main floor bathrooms. Happily we were in agreement as to the best choices. I love it when that happens! The demolition commenced today and although we will have a slight inconvenience through our next show, we will have new, wheelchair accessible ones for the final show of this season! This is very exciting and will help to make our building a little more comfortable for those who require the accommodations. A number of Board Members, past and present, have worked hard to bring about this renovation and I know I am certainly pleased to see it all come together. Thanks to John Henoch, Eric Rice, Tim Marriott and Richard Hatfield for all their work on the project. I am sure there are others, so if I didn't mention you I am sorry. I am, however, so happy to see this happen!

The Next Adventure at Walterdale

Well, The Threepenny Opera closed on Saturday night. The last 2 nights were SOLD OUT houses and the final night was bittersweet for those of us int he show. Many of us felt teary-eyed as we sang our Happy Endings song into bows. Never fear, we will remain in touch. That is one of the things that you get from Walterdale beyond the show - a sense of community and family with those you work with.

Now the theatre is on it's next adventure. This week, the City High School One Act Festival is in the building from Tuesday through Thursday. Then on Friday, the bathroom renovations begin and the From Cradle to Stage shows move into the building officially. They had their walk-through on Sunday afternoon and all is running according to plan! It's a chance for us to show Edmonton 3 new works from up and coming Albertan Playwrights, Robert Zimmer, Sheryl Melnyk and Mike Czuba.

Spotlight on John Evans - Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera

What is your role in this production? I did some set painting and some props wrangling (armourer) but my main role in this production is as an actor playing MacHeath (Mack the Knife). Mack is the leader of a gang of ne'er do well pick pockets and murderers. He was in the Army previous to his life of crime and when he returned home there wasn't much for him but to steal and kill to survive. The army had taught him to be remorseless so it was an easy conversion for him. He does seek out the ladies, as well, primarily for carnal pleasures, and occasionally for affection, or business connections. There is a seed of humanity in him, but it is difficult to find and most likely not worth the voyage to find it.

What drew you to this show? The chance to be directed by Curtis Knecht, as I was interested to see what his style would be. As well, I had heard about a few of the people auditioning and I was interested in possibly working with them. The music is dark and the show is demanding and I was looking forward to the challenge of a show that has, in the past, not necessarily been appreciated by the critics. I was curious about what we could do that others hadn't. Also, it is always a pleasure working with Sally Hunt as Music Director. I was looking forward to coming home to a theatre family I had been away from for awhile and at the same time getting to know some of the new blood moving up in the theatre community.

What is your background in theatre? I am a Graduate of the Theatre Studies program offered by RDC as well I have performed in about 40 shows both in community and professional theatre. I own a Production Company (The October People) with my wife Kat. We specialize in special effects/gore, as well as costume and prop rental. I have done some ASM work as well and a little directing.

What has been most challenging about this project for you? Crawling into the skin of a sociopathic killer. It's like pulling on a wet t-shirt: it's cold and uncomfortable and difficult to get on at first but once you acclimatize to it, it's quite refreshing. It's out of my comfort zone but sometimes it's nice to try and push past those road blocks and see what you can do. The abusive behaviour to the ladies would truly be the hardest obstacle to overcome but we have built a comfort level with each other and we everything in a very safe manner.

What has been the best thing about this experience? The lovely, lovely people I have gotten to work with. Everyone has given 110% to this show in so many capacities and it has been a thrill to watch these somewhat shy and reserved people turn into London's worst and most depraved. It has been a fascinating thing to watch. The costumers, designers, actors, technicians, painters and builders etc... have all worked so tirelessly on this project so it has come to life in an incredible way. Having all the components come together like this is an amazing gift to get.