theatre

Theatre

I’m involved (head over heels, cloud nine, love sick, all of it) with theatre for four reasons.

Transformation

The first is that theatre transforms everyone.  It transforms the writer, the director, the cast, the crew, and the audience.  That’s why we go.  Because we’re all aching to be transformed.

Live and In Your Face

Second, theatre is great stories  happening within spitting distance of your face, your mind, and your heart if you’ve picked the right seats.  Lots of it is imperfect (no eight takes, no editing), all of it is thrilling.  It’s a tightrope walk every night.  And every night you’re seeing something that didn’t happen last night and won’t happen tomorrow night.  I’m ecstatic just thinking about it.

Life Lessons

The third reason is that I’ve learned more about how to live my life from theatre than from anywhere else. Some examples?

  1. Commit to the words coming out of your mouth, or no one will hear you.
  2. Thank the people who support you (organize your props, your costumes, your lights, your cues, etc.) or you’ll be a lousy one-woman show for the rest of your life.
  3. Respect your audience.  They’re smart, curious, and eager to be transformed (see reason #1)
  4. You are only effective as an actor to the degree that you are completely present in this moment.
  5. I can only play a human being that I can understand.  So I’d better be able to identify with all human beings.

Women

I want to be a part of putting more women on stage. I want our voices, our stories, our intelligence to be seen and heard, you know, because we’re here.

What I’ve done in theatre

  • I’ve been acting for twenty years.
  • At some point I started writing.   In 2007 I won the Canadian Samuel French Playwright’s contest for a play called $38,000 For a Friendly Face.  Check it out. It has been produced both professionally and in community theatres in Canada, the US, and New Zealand.
  • My second play, Hope Op, has been produced in Ontario and with Homecoming Players in Ithaca, NY.
  • My third play, Curved, was written with the much appreciated assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. It has been produced in Canada and in Ithaca, NY with Homecoming Players.
  • Solastalgia has been produced by Sonderlust– outside around a fire at night in Guelph, live over Zoom at the the tail end of COVID, and with RCA Theatre in St. John’s.

And what about you, you ask?

Well, go to the theatre.  Recommend drama classes to your kids.  Tell them that they can still play when they grow up.  Better still, show them. Take an improv class.  Volunteer at your local theatre.  Be transformed.