This year I would like to acknowledge playwright Landford Wilson, who passed away March 24, 2011. His name conjures up special memories as one of his plays was my first foray onto a professional stage.

Pulitzer prize winner “Talley’s Folly” is a deliciously provocative two hander (2 person play) set in 1944 introducing Sally Talley, and Matt Friedman. Matt in pursuance of Sally tries to find ways to get to know her. They both have deep serious secrets and are cautious when it comes to opening up and trusting each other.

My original copy of Talley's Folly I studied..

I was fortunate to be cast and spent a summer at the Victoria Playhouse, in Prince Edward Island, Canada doing repertory theatre. The Victoria Playhouse was, and still is, situated idyllically by the ocean in a tiny community. I was surrounded by inspirational nature and a lot of positive support for my first major professional role.

As Talley’s Folly took place at a gazebo by the river, the set was embellished with trees, branches, and bushes that I had to make my way through for my entrance. Every time the stage was re-dressed there seemed more and more trees for me to clamber through, expounding my first line, “MATT!!!” I think the stage hands were having fun challenging me each time. It helped my performance!

The dialogue was witty, deep, and intelligent, and had a rhythm that was pure pleasure to play with. It is a hopeful love story that strips the protective shells of Sally and Matt, in order to find their truthful depths.

Me as Sally Talley, my first professional role!

Matt: “This guy told me we were eggs. … He said people are eggs. Said we had to be careful not to bang up against each other too hard. Crack our shells, never be any use again. Said we were eggs. Individuals. We had to keep separate, private. He was very protective of his shell. He said nobody ever knows what the other guy is thinking. We all got about ten tracks going at once, nobody ever knows what’s going down any given track at any given moment. So we never can really communicate. As I’m talking to you on track number three, over on track five I might be thinking about …. Oh any number of things. And when I think you’re listening to me, what are you really thinking??”

Sally: “And you think he’s right or you think he’s wrong?”

Looking back, I realize that I must have understood only certain elements by instinct as I was so young playing a thirty something. I would love to play Sally Talley again. (albeit.. an older one!)

Thank you, Landford Wilson, for this play, and many others you wrote. I dedicate this year’s World Theatre Day to you. R.I.P. Mr. Wilson….

Read more on Landford Wilson: The New York Times

Read the World Theatre Day Message

Read the Canadian Theatre Day Message

Happy World Theatre Day

Another fun moment this summer was seeing “Kooza” by the Cirque de Soleil. Having met clown, Ron Campbell on twitter, and then offline in L.A. last year, I was excited to see him performing live in the big tent in Vancouver.

Cirque de Soleil's big tent

If any of you have seen Cirque de Soleil, you understand that you need to buckle up and get ready for a big ride, and Kooza didn’t let us down!

Excited to see Kooza!

As we entered the space, I spotted Ron as the King of Clowns interacting with the audience along with his sidekicks. I especially enjoyed the threesome as they were very bouffon like and audience members were treated to some “special” attention. Their presence came and went throughout the show, giving physical performers time to change their costumes and prepare for the next spectacle, or to just give us a break to breathe again.

Yes…we spent a lot of time holding our breaths as the physical performers took their lives into their hands with height, spinning cages, wobbly chairs, and thin wires. The whole show was a smorgasbord of pliable bodies folding in unexpected shapes, hoola-hooping beyond imagination, leaping, flipping, climbing, balancing, stacking, dancing, cycling, and impressing us the audience who, by contrast, were frozen immobile in our seats.

All acts were supported sensitively by beautiful live music made up of two voluptuous voices, and an orchestra of talented musicians.

Afterward, we were fortunate to go behind the scenes, meet a few of the performers, view some of the specially constructed equipment (done by the performers), and hear some stories. (thank you Ron!)

Behind the scenes at Kooza

Cirque de Soleil has managed to harness an incredible amount of talent from the performers and creators, to all the behind the scene professionals (riggers, stage designers, costumers, lighting designers) into a spectacular ensemble that takes you on a journey of fantasy and awe.

A true entertainment escape! Have you ever experienced it?

Stay tuned for a few more summer vignettes….

(oh.. and here is a Cirque video, by Chris Wheeler, we happened to pop into that night!)

Bien sur, most events are en Francais, but art is an international language, and these events can be enjoyed by all.

In fact, on opening night, this past Saturday a gang of …well, not exactly humans, was present and spiced things up while people enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and their pre-show socializing.

Yes… Madame Rouge (me) & her Bouffons came out to play with audience members, and with some of the other performers of the evening. (This gang loves “enhancing” special events…)

As well as creating unexpected havoc (in the funnest way possible), les bouffons held space for circus performers, Benoit Ranger and Catherine Joly of “Les Transporteurs de Reves” as they displayed an amazing routine of strength and beauty. (Us Bouffons decided they were our esteemed cousins)

Les Transporteur de REVES

Izafuhh & Gagon "circus act"

Later that evening the main show contrasted our wild opening with the classy ‘Le Trio Boris’ featuring lyrics of  Boris Vian, & Jacques Prévert.

This upcoming week I (not Madame Rouge) will be enjoying more of L’ÉTHÉÂTRE with a performance by ‘Le Duo Alcaz’ on Wednesday evening (July 14) at 8pm. I hope many will come and support this great new festival by Vision Ouest Productions!

(and who knows when those crazy bouffons will re-appear.. muhahaha)

Madame Rouge mocks cellphone use!

A similar opportunity presents itself with Art By Actors, an exhibition/auction at The Stanley Theatre by the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance for World Theatre Day.

Read the rest of my article at the World Theatre Day Blog…..

In the meantime, I would like to wish you all a very Happy World Theatre Day.  I wish this day had the same buzz as the Olympics, but, unfortunately we live in a world where sport accomplishments seem to rise to the top, long before artistic ones. I guess it’s a number game.

However, I didn’t show up to my blog today to rant. I came here to celebrate theatre, and honour the spectacle, the liveness, the unexpected, the truth, the mistakes, the improvisation, the courage of the story, of the actors, and of the support behind the scenes.

Theatre has been in my life since I was 17 when I first got involved with costumes at the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island. I eventually became a dresser and the joke was always that “one of the performers had fallen” and “Trilby had to go on”. In my imagination, I would burst out of my dowdy pinafore and conveniently have a sequined outfit underneath. I was READY!

That scenario didn’t happen, but I did end up taking the place of one of the clowns in the children’s clown show where I was also doing the lights and audio. And, I loved it. The performing seed was planted.

My journey was seriously launched at Le Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique, in Quebec City, where I studied acting, en Francais, for three years.

Outside le théâtre du Conservatoire

Since graduation (many moons ago), I have played with lots of actors, told lots of stories in both languages, had funny things happen (remember your mustache drifting off your face, Dan?), had scary moments (oh..it’s awful to have a blank on opening night!), and had a lot of fun.

Earlier this year I was fortunate to have directed “The Memory of Water” by Shelagh Stephenson and I truly enjoyed the creative adventure. This evening, appropriately, the cast and crew are celebrating our journey together.

Cast & Crew of "The Memory of Water"

So, today, I dedicate World Theatre Day to them, our experience, and to all those who continue to dare to write plays, mount plays, act in plays, tour with plays, renovate old theatres, and to the audiences who continue to appreciate witnessing live theatre.

Merci, et, célébrons… keep celebrating theatre! Vive Le Théâtre!

When you arrive at the Playhouse, you have no idea what awaits. You walk into a magical cave, a funky old building with doors hiding performance spaces, a European flavoured courtyard, and a vibe of valued history.

Part of the courtyard

Evelyn Rudie, and Chris DeCarlo are wonderful people who have been running the Playhouse since 1973. The Playhouse, itself, has been producing, non-stop for 49 years and is headed to its 50^th, if all goes well. Since Evelyn and Chris have been co-artistic directing, the Playhouse has been honoured with over 250 awards and commendations, and has presented 500 classic, contemporary, and original productions!

Evelyn Rudie and me

Things are somewhat challenging for them at the moment (who isn’t having problems in the arts?), and they have started a “Save The Playhouse” campaign to get them to the end of this year.

After, seeing this intimate treasure with its maze of lovely spaces, and a main stage drenched in theatrical vibes of a historical nature, I promised I would see if I could get a bit more of the world to know about them. And with that exposure, maybe some help would come through.

Entrance to the Main Stage

I could be criticized for not writing about something that is more local, but these days, my world feels quite global, and a theatre in need is a THEATRE in need. And, besides, I just like these guys, a lot, and it’s my blog!

And this isn’t just any theatre.

Co-Artistic Director, Chris DeCarlo, a Viet Nam veteran, said that his experiences convinced him that his mandate was to put the human back in humanity. “All of us at the Playhouse want to make a dramatic difference in our world.”

I hope they continue, because as I strolled on the boards of their “Main Stage”, I dared to speak a few words of my one-woman show I’m developing, and it felt good!

If you would like to investigate further, please see their website, and if you feel moved to contribute to their continued success, don’t hesitate (there’s a “donate” button on their site). They are super, and the kids who study there think so too!

(By the way, Evelyn Rudie was the youngest actress to ever receive a Hollywood Star on the Walk of Fame….wow! )

Save the Playhouse!

I can’t remember the story now, but I do remember suddenly noticing one of my friends completely interrupt me to talk about something. I was incensed. I stopped talking. Eventually, all of my friends noticed my silence. The girl who had interrupted told me to continue.

I refused. I dug in my heels and point blankly refused. “You weren’t listening, so I’m not going to tell you the rest.” And, I didn’t.

When I was even younger and hanging out with adults a fair bit (I was an only child) I used to ponder the magic of these big people. As I watched and listened to them, I marveled at how they could talk and listen at the same time, since their voices were often all going at once.  As a kid, I concluded that you gained an extra sense when you became an adult enabling you to listen and speak simultaneously.

Nope!

Listening. Hearing. Empathizing. Sympathizing. Understanding. Relating. Connecting.

In recent rehearsals for a play, our director would remind us to listen, really truly listen to the others. This advice was always valuable as it pushed a sort of “refresh” button. Anticipating the delivery of your lines and your fellow actors’ lines kills the life in a scene.

In performance, you must hear, and speak the text as if for the first time. If you trust your listening skills, the interpretation will then reveal fresh nuances . The result is a greatly satisfying experience for both the audience and the actor.

In real life, ineffective listening shows up chronically.

Wandering eyes, vacant looks, the chest rising with a breath that is ready to interrupt with their own thoughts that are quickly formulating in their head, or a polite nod, are all clear indicators of an unsuccessful listener. And, they never ask questions. (The good ones do the opposite!)

In business, truly listening to a potential client, and being curious about their needs will most likely be more effective than constantly “pitching” them. I know most of us get annoyed at those badly scripted phone calls from large companies trying to sell us something.

The other day I had one of those calls. At breakneck speed, a guy assumed he had what I wanted and pitched me over and over, using statements like “I want you to..” “You need this..” “I will sign you up today…”. He most certainly was not listening to me as an individual with unique needs.

I stopped him and suggested, gently, that his company should change their tactics to ask what the potential customer would actually like before they assumed they knew best! Their business would most likely improve!

Today, we communicate frequently via the social media (Facebook, twitter, etc..)  where some “interesting” listening is occurring. Some people seem to think that constantly giving people information is a “social” action.

In my mind, being social usually entails listening, conversing, and possibly mutually creating deeper value. The  successful internet socialites shine and are a great example.

What do you think?

What is your best or worst listening experience, and your best or worst “being listened to” experience? I challenge you to observe those around you, and yourself as the art of listening unfolds. I will join you in this venture… honest!

Let me know how it goes.

(Oh, and by the way… one of the most important listening skills to develop is listening to yourself, your instincts, your ideas, your dreams, your loves, your questions, and your ponderings.)

And, for your listening pleasure…..

I’ve been mini-blogging with twitter but have neglected my homey blog and I’ve missed this place!!

Today: a wee note about the show.

First of all, I can’t think of a more beautiful place to be driving daily, hanging out and rehearsing – Deep Cove, British Columbia. Across the street, there is the best coffee place with the most amazing café made donuts by “Honey’s” (“sinful”- a fellow actor deliciously described them-especially the chocolate dipped ones).

Down the hilly street is the cozy cove with all the gentle kayaks, & canoes drifting around. On this main street, quietly tucked in, is also the Deep Cove Cultural Centre that houses an intimate 130-seat theatre and its active gallery.

Deep Cove

This is where we will be opening our show this Thursday, September 10, 2009. Just two days away!

Now with a few weeks of rehearsal under my belt, I can see even more how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to jump on board with renowned director, Neil Freeman, a super fun cast of 23 to play two small parts (but significant …of course, ), and do some bouffon coaching.

Cast members embrace the bouffon process!

The process has been sheer pleasure. (isn’t that what it should be? …or do we always have to suffer for our art?…that’s another blog post!)

We have been led beautifully with tight schedules that didn’t waste anyone’s time, and we were given liberty to play, to invent, to imagine all sorts of unexpected twists, turns, dances, faces, gestures, thoughts, songs and grow together as a wacky brief Shakespearean company.

Our version of “As You Like It” is set in modern times, with a few extra twists, but stays true to the “first folio” text. Shakespeare gives us great clues to how our text should be played out, and when we get out of our 21^st century language habits, the text can carry all of us along nicely.

A peek from a back stage perspective

Love, the most classic, timeless subject ever is the main flavour of “As You Like It”.  The varied forms of love and the unexpected twists make this play high-spirited, & mischievous.

The set is beautifully clean with gorgeous lighting and the best looking tree ever (that’s all I’m saying!) and modern dress allows our costumer to pull from all sorts of colourful sources.

For me, I am looking forward to playing two very different characters (complete opposites!), and being part of the biggest (and coolest) team I have ever been with, and supporting our lead players who will be upholding the main energy.

We were warned that during rehearsals we were going to laugh a lot. We did but now our big wish is that YOU will too!

Come and have some frolicking fun with us from September 10 thru September 26, Wednesdays-Saturday evenings at 8pm in Deep Cove. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.

One day when we were kids hanging out in the back shed lighting matches for fun (no we didn’t burn the place down), my little girlfriend told me that she couldn’t wait to get married and have kids. Wow. I thought she was nuts. I felt no rush nor desire for the same. None.

Now, gazillions of years later I know what my childhood instincts were telling me. There was going to be a lot less play in the grown up world and a lot more problems to solve. I just knew.

The other day on my walk, I watched an impish mix of  adults and kids playing soccer with abandon. It made me grin and I knew that nothing else could be on their minds. Too busy playing, they were in the elusive “now” where all the great contemporary gurus are telling us to be. (have you read Eckart Tolle’s book “The Power of Now”?) The soccer game was a perfect example.

Silly us adults frolicking for fun.. imagine!

Theatre, stage work offers this opportunity for me and I believe my journey to this world was an honest trek from childhood. I needed to keep playing. It felt like air, a serious necessity. Being a character on a stage, in a situation, with a live audience, if you are sincere with your work, will keep you divinely present.

When we get to witness, as an audience, a truly connected, compelling, and riveting performance in theatre we are privy to the players in the now. There is clarity and presence. And a strange truth.

To get to some of these great moments, I believe play is of the utmost importance. En Francais acting is called “l’art de jeu” – the art of playing. If we allow our grown up tightness to breathe and expand, we have an opportunity to experience extraordinary unexpected times.

We need to have the chance to discover and explore. I guess that is why I turned to Le Bouffon as a tool to get us all to our playful selves, and discover some gems in our work.

Bouffons in their element! Adults gone.

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child” Pablo Picasso

This idea of play translates beyond the theatre, musical and artistic world.

Who isn’t more productive when we have permission to laugh, or play in our working environment? A boss who reprimands employees who dare to enjoy themselves at work risks stymieing the worker and ironically losing productivity.

When I worked as a costumer in the film industry, I had a favourite designer who had a great sense of humour. We developed a wacky reputation as laughter frequently burst out of “that crazy wardrobe truck”! That laughter got us through the immense work and long grueling hours much more easily.

How is play in your grown up life? What do you do to nurture yourself in your working world? I’m curious. Do you have a situation to share where play proved to be the answer?

Despite my strong will to play, I still write to myself as much as to you, when I say that play is imperative. My bouffon students have heard me say, “I wish I could take my workshop!” as I watch them play wholeheartedly, forgetting about their adult masks, and discovering the sacred pleasure of the now. Their results? A freedom of expression that leads them to more.

I dare to wish that for everyone.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw

Two things happened: one, it reminded me of how twitter can be such a valuable tool if used correctly (don’t worry… this is not a post about twitter, despite the fact I probably could ramble on for a length…), and secondly, the dialogue gave some valuable story advice.

Especially as I dive further into writing a piece for me to perform.

Last night’s discussion touched on emotion and its usefulness when creating effective scenes that will reach an audience. It reminded us to review the people for whom we’re writing, and in the possible ways they could see themselves in the story.

I was reminded of the importance of empathy, and to feel what someone is feeling, to place myself in their shoes. This is an almost impossible feat to do entirely – but one worth exploring if you are going to deliver something with substance…don’t you think?

And, speaking of feet, I wear a plastic support on my right foot as I have drop foot. The “AFO”(ankle-foot-orthoses) goes under my foot and reaches up my calf in an ugly way becoming my best friend so I can’t trip. (I draw on the plastic in the summer so it at least looks funky).

It looks like I’m digressing but it’s related, I promise.

In a rare moment, I met a man my age, the other day, who was also sporting an AFO. It was an instant empathetic moment. We understood so much without even saying anything. We knew in a flash some of the pain, discomfort, and challenges the other one had.

Empathy.

That was a direct one on one moment.

What about mass empathetic moments as a result from a play or a movie?

In our art, or even just our every day life, isn’t it better to work hard at trying to understand a person, a group, a movement, a tragedy, a joy, in order to reproduce a story, a character, a plight, a reason…

Of course it’s impossible to truly understand, & completely empathize, as we are such individuals with such a variety of experiences. But I think that empathy serves well as a guide to a deeper place of truth whether it is for performance, or just relating to a stranger or a close friend.

“I know how you feel.”

As we write, or give life to characters already written, as the twitter conversation implied, we must put our own tears where we want the audience to feel tears, we must feel our own joy in order to pass on the same emotion, and be in our own excitement in order to take others there.

What is my point of this blog post? I guess it is my attempt to remind others as I was gratefully reminded last night that to give “good art” empathizing with your audience is a good stage from which to dive.

I’d like to thank @JBMovies (John’s site) & @vivspace (Vivienne’s blog) for allowing me to watch your valuable twitter conversation unfold.

Enjoy some good musical art from my favourite album on human nature. “One Giant Leap“

Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary’s meaning of empathy:

The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.