BENT: We’ve just gone beyond the halfway mark of the play’s run.  There are 5 shows left. I am ecstatic at the houses we’ve been having…even more so with the positive critiques we’ve been getting from the media.  Commentaries are positive from the Gazette, the various student magazines and online zines.  VIPs from the theatre world came out to see the play, people from the US came out and few published playwrights even approached me with their work immediately after the play!  But the icing on the cake is the emails I’ve received from individuals who said that the play gave them courage to come out of the closet and accept themselves for who they are.  I am so touched by their courage.

The cast and crew are efficient with the behind the scene work.  Even more important and what warms my heart is how they get along so well, the joking, the laughter and the camaraderie that has developed between them. To witness them interact as a family helping each other, talking about their days, sharing stories are images that have been burned in my mind.

Although we have 5 more shows in run.  All I can say is that I’ve been blessed with a cast and crew who really got what I’ve been trying to forge in the company, grateful that the audiences have appreciated our offerings and satisfied that I can let go of this production knowing that I can do better.

Winter and Spring will prove to be very busy seasons.  Right after BENT, I jump into memorizing lines for a P4W by Julia Ainsworth (produced by Zeitgeist Theatre Collective) as well, plan for my next show – a children’s show at the Centaur Theatre and plan the 2 directorship projects that I have accepted.  Stay tuned it’s going to be a fun ride!

See you at BENT, we got a few more shows so don’t miss it! It runs until November 15. Come see what the audience and critics are talking about.

It is 5 days from opening night of BENT.  Today is the last day of rehearsal in the studio.  We load into the theatre on Monday to prepare for tech week, opening night is November 5. For this play, I took out old “one upon a time” skills that I thought I wouldn’t use again.  I sewed banners & costumes, and made & painted props.  It’s been fun!  As we prepare to move into the theatre, I am slowly taking off my Director’s hat and putting on my techie cap.  It isn’t so difficult for me to let go as the Director.  The actors and crew have been very supportive.  They’ve helped make my job effortless and uncomplicated. 

Let me tell you a bit about the actors; a great bunch of guys!  I am blessed to work with 6 - yes, count them six, wonderful actors – all men (a challenging combo of experienced and not-so-experienced actors). I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of mixing up the talent levels; it’s another point in Altera Vitae’s mandate where we offer people whose careers are not necessarily aimed at professional theatre the chance to be onstage. Their life experiences make it real. It would be easy for me to use a roster of trained and experienced actors…and why not?  They are trained professionals after all. But there are certain life experiences that people have that make it so interesting for me to take someone who is not trained.  Working with an actor is an intimate exercise and one eventually gets to know their inner workings.  There are habits formed when working with the same actor.  They are formed from both sides to and from the director and the actor, some good…some bad, but habits are always formed.  I am not saying that it’s a bad thing but personally, I like the challenge of the new and unexpected.  I like to find what makes a person tick and then finally get the message, the vision and the delivery of the lines that I want out of him or her. But don’t get me wrong, I do like working with talents in a roster but mixing it up with other talents is even better.

Here are the wonderful actors that I’ve been spoiled with: Christopher Moore, Vance De Waele, Adam LeBlanc, Serge Turcotte, Mark Waters and Yves Jacquier.  They will deliver you BENT from the bottom of their hearts.

The amazing crew I have consists of Anne-Marie (Stage Manager), Scott (TD and Light Design), Dan (Sound Design), Janis (Media Relations), Oliver (Fight Choreographer) and Litratista our photographer and poster designer who also helped build the props and the set.  These are the folks who can almost read my mind and finish my sentences.  As a Director, they have been my security blanket.

For BENT, I am proud to have found GRIS-Montreal to honor with this production.  This year marks their 15 year servicing the community.  They demystify homosexuality to the youth by going out into the various schools and educating the students in a non-lecturing environment.

As the cast and crew moves from the production process into performance, I find myself humming the song “Heroes” by David Bowie.  Come see the show and…

“We can be Heroes, just for one day"

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!  I just received some exciting news! "Mocha Cream Pie" hits the West Coast airwaves! Check out the various stations below for play time!

Airdrie/Cochrane, AB – The Range (CFIT 106.1 FM/95.3 FM) – Wed 2000 & Sun 1800 (Mountain)
Cold Lake, AB – 95.3 K-Rock (CKXK 95.3 FM) – Sun 1200 (Mountain)
Grande Prairie, AB – Free-FM (CFRI 104.7 FM) – Sun 1900 (Mountain)
Olds, AB – Rock 104 (CKJX 104.5 FM) – Sun 2205 (Mountain)
Chetwynd, BC – Peace FM (CHET 94.5 FM) – Sat 1805 (Mountain Standard)
Dawson Creek, BC – Peace FM (CHAD 104.1 FM) – Sat 1805 (Mountain Standard)
Courtenay, BC – Jet-FM (CFCP 98.9 FM) – Sun 1700 (Pacific)
Kamloops, BC – 98.3 CIFM (CIFM 98.3 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Barriere, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-5 105.9 FM – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Cache Creek/Ashcroft, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-6 93.1 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Chase, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-8 93.1 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Clearwater, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-2 92.7 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Clinton, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-4 92.7 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Merritt, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-3 103.9 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Pritchard, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-7 93.1 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Sun Peaks, BC – CIFM Network (CIFM-FM-9 90.1 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Pemberton, BC – Spud Valley Radio (CFPV 98.9 FM) – Sun 1800 (Pacific)
Port Hardy, BC – The Port AM 1420 (CIFN 1420 AM) – Sun 1700 (Pacific)
Salt Spring Island – CFSI (107.9 FM) – Sat 1800 (Pacific)
Tofino, BC – 90.1 The Bear (CHMZ 90.1 FM) – Sun 1800 (Pacific)
Ucluelet, BC – The Edge (CIMM 99.5 FM) – Sun 1800 (Pacific)
Williams Lake, BC – The Rush (CFFM 97.5 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
100 Mile House, BC – The Rush (CFFM-3 99.7 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Quesnel, BC –The Rush (CFFM-2 94.9 FM) – Sun 1900 (Pacific)
Fredericton, NB – Rock ‘n’ Blues 95.7 The Wolf (CKTP 95.7 FM) – Sun 1800 (Atlantic)
Yellowknife, NT; 33 add. NWT markets – CKLB (101.9 FM) – Thu 2100 & Sat 1900 (Mountain)
Whitehorse, YK; 24 add. YK, NWT, BC markets – CHON (98.1; 90.5; 98.7 FM) – Sun 1700 (Pacific)

CD is available online at: CD Baby

It took awhile for me to come down from an absolute high because of the gig at Le Petit Campus...and what a high it was!! It was a packed house, it was a total surprise that so many people would come out to see a brand new band.  The house capacity was 300 but there were 200 that showed...and really, really showed their appreciation.  Check out the videos and pictures. Just as I thought that I could settle into theatre mode, I get a message that my songs are being played in Vancouver radio stations!  I will try to find out which songs.

So now, I will try to move back into the somewhat quiet and deep thought headspace that is theatre.  Altera Vitae’s production of BENT by Martin Sherman is now in the works. Rehearsals, scheduling, publicity, costumes, props, sets, we’re getting ready for the opening on November 5.  It seems so far away but time just melts like ice on heat.

Are you familiar with Bent?  Here is the Wikipedia link.  Take a look…it’s a good story. It’s also fitting that with this production, we will be presenting GRIS. GRIS’ mandate is to help teens accept themselves and “come out of the closet” in a safe and supportive environment, it’s a good match for our production of BENT.

I am blessed to work with 6 - yes, count them six, wonderful actors – all men (a challenging combo of experienced and not-so-experienced actors). I must admit that I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of working with new talents.  It would be easy for me to fall into a rut and use a “roster”.  Working with an actor is an intimate exercise and one eventually gets to know the actor’s inner workings.  There are habits formed when working with the same actor.  They are formed from both sides: the director and the actor, some good…some bad, but always.  I am not saying that it’s a bad thing but personally, I like the challenge of the new and unexpected.  I like to find what makes an actor tick and finally get the message and the vision I want out of him or her. But don’t get me wrong, I do like working with the talents in a roster but mixing it up with other talents is even better.

There’s also a brand new crew member!  This time around, I have Anne-Marie Pierre as my Stage Manager. I’ve wanted to work with her since the inception of Altera Vitae but our schedules never met. Now that our schedules finally worked out, I feel safe and secure. Anne-Marie is an amazing woman who can run the show with the maturity and diplomacy required to communicate efficiently and effectively.  She’s even way ahead of me in my planning and organizing.  She takes action on details that need to be – before I can even think of them that in itself, is worth a lot because it alleviates any stress or worries from details that I may not have foreseen.

A change of venue is also on the menu. This time around we will be using “Espace 4001”.  It’s a smaller capacity venue compared to Mainline Theatre (75 seats vs. 130 seats) but what I like about Espace 4001 is that the theatre is on the main floor.  No stairs to negotiate for our elder audiences, thus easier access & it’s a closer walk to a metro station.  We’ve done our last three shows at Mainline Theatre’s and somehow, I know I’ll be missing the ambiance.  It’s kind of like leaving home for the first time. I was getting comfortable at Mainline but there is a lack of venues in Montreal and theatre spaces are booked way in advance.

We are currently updating Altera Vitae’s website and soon the actors’ headshots and bios will be online along with more details on the play.  Oh! Here’s another new detail…you can now purchase your tickets online! Speaking of which, EARLY BIRD TICKETS are now on sale ~~

Tickets purchased BEFORE September 25, 2009: 17$ regular/students/seniors
Tickets purchased AFTER September 25, 2009: 20$ regular, 18$ students/seniors

If you have a group of 10 people or more, then tickets prices drop to 15$/person but that cannot be purchased online.  You’ll have to contact Altera Vitae.

Stay tuned!