Rue Sainte-Famille

Across from my apartment-hotel.  Drove in today.  Managed to get lost coming in to Montreal.  This happens every time I’m entering, leaving or passing through this city.  Dozens of times.  Was I an evil city planner in a past life?

Victoria went very well.  We have a cast for “Inside” and now it just has to approved by the university’s theatre department.  I will begin re-writes this week, adjusting depending on who is playing whom.  Today I meet with the first year students at National Theatre School to help talk with them about their solo pieces.  That’s pretty much all the class work I have to do.  The rest is writing.

David Outside

Got through auditions today.  Saw many great people, too bad we couldn’t use more of them.  Also got outside.  Beeeeeyouteefull.  Dinner with Fran Gebhard and Joan M.  Good sushi.  Very tired.  Will sleep.  Back to Toronto tomorrow.

Auditions

Who spends a beautiful day in Victoria, sunny and double digits, in a dark room?  David Ferry and I do.  We saw 90 students today for the roles in “Inside” at UVic on the set of George Walker’s “Problem Child”.  Considering that both David and I were up since 5am (that’s 2am Victoria time) we remained in good spirits.  Tomorrow are callbacks for thirty students and then we decide on the eleven roles.  Had an excellent design meeting with Allan Stitchbury who has some excellent ideas for the show.  It will be presented late next winter, lots of lead time is a good thing.

“Communion” goes well in Toronto, the reviews are in and they are good.  Always a relief for the theatre in terms of audience.  Happy about that.

Much Thanks

The tradition of card-giving was well observed last night at the opening.  Before the show had a talkback session with the lovely and loyal Tarragon patrons.  The show went very well and was enthusiastically received.   I’m happy to have it opened.   Now the actors are working for the audience and not for me.  This is good.   Tomorrow Victoria.

The Final Preview

Tonight was our last preview.  We open tomorrow.  We’re ready.  The women are great and I’m eager to let them run with the play without feeling my constant eye.  Everything changes after tomorrow.  Opinions begin. Some will be shared publicly, some will be whispered, egos will be inflated and deflated, but in the end all there is is the play, the production, and we can only hope that perhaps someone will have a chance to hear something familiar, or something new,  something hidden or dreamed of, something that might make a difference.   Now, a sandwhich.

Who’s The Doctor? by Rob

Our wonderful costume designer Shawn Kerwin and I on the set.  I’ve known Shawn since the 80’s when we worked together on Martin Kinch’s production of “The Glass Menagerie” at Theatre Calgary.   Another good preview last night, every day another step forward.   Iris insisted I don’t go to the preview today.  She says it’s time I go from “micro to macro” and I need some distance.  Makes sense.   Although I was on the phone with Caroline at 8:30 this morning giving notes.  Ah well such is the life.

Rehearsing Act 1

I often refer to each scene as an act, I’ll say Act 1 instead of Scene 1 or Act 2 instead of Scene 2. Perhaps this has to do with the major situational changes betwen each.  Good preview last night.  The actors are beginning to own the show.  There is something vulnverable about this show that makes me feel exposed.  I feel that with an audience.

As opening looms my next projects rise.  On Friday I fly to Victoria to meet actors for casting for “Inside” the play I’ve been working on at National Theatre School.  David Ferry approached me about directing the play and University of Victoria next year.  I’ll be out there working on it with him.  Then I will direct the play at NTS later in the year.  After Victoria I’m off to Montreal to do a week as writer-in-residence at NTS, I’ll be working on “Inside” and doing some work with the students.  When I return I start working with Brooks on “This Is What Happens Next”.   But for now, let’s open this one.

Cylla At Work

Press day.  Cylla came in for stills today.  Also had a film crew from Bravo and a long round-table interview with James Bradshaw from the Globe and Mail for Athena, Caroline, Sarah and me.  Caroline had a story with Richard O. in The Star today, Athena had a story in Now and I had an interview in Eye.  Kirk, our publicist, is a powerhouse!

Tonight is our third preview.   The learning curve is steep.   The actors learn that yes in fact the show is “surprisingly funny” and I focus on pace, pace, pace.  I’d like to cut two minutes before opening.  I’ve asked the actors try to take more time off it than that, just as an experiment to see how fast we can go while still listening and responding organically.  Of course at this point I begin to lose all perspective.  I listen to the audience like a nervous lover, watch the actors like a suspicious father and ignore my ego as if I were evolved.

Notes; Caroline, Sarah and Athena, by Rob

An intense week of tech and a dress rehearsal tonight.  About 40 people.  They seemed engaged and the actors were fantastic.  We’ve now got a week of previews and the goal is to really fill the room with the play.  Everyone is on a good path.  There’s a bit of magic in it all.  Two women talk, then two women talk, then two women talk.  Sounds so simple but with these women, these actresses, there is so much going on.  That’s  the magic.  Tomorrow a day off.  Sort of.

A First Version of the Pre-set

Deep into tech for “Communion”.  Everything kind of falls away when we move into the space.  It’s bigger, colder, blacker, emptier.  That will change as we move our energies slowly in to the room.  Verne our Sound Designer found a different piece of music than I had been planning.  It adds much to the tone.  Q2Q today and work with tech tomorrow and Friday.  Getting there, getting there.