He Can Be Taught!

Hey Abyss,

I am currently looking over all the posts that I have written this summer and am surprised at how quickly it has all gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was leaving for Ottawa and now here I am leaving for Montreal in 8 days!

The older I get the quicker time passes.

As I am reading and recalling these last 4 months I am really proud of what conclusions I have come too, and the goals I have set for myself going into my 3rd and FINAL year at the National Theatre School of Canada. No longer will I be able to say, that's where I am going, or that I have one more year left.

Now, life as a "Big Actor" begins.

Everything we do this year is in preparation for us moving into the real world, away from our protective walls where we always have opportunities and roles to play with. Where people are constantly supporting us regardless of our behaviour and flaws. Where we have the freedom to fail and retry until we understand and make progress. It all comes down to these last few months, we will never have these beautiful and gracious times again.

Things change and become necessity rather than compliance. Discipline has to start coming from within, not from watching everyone else. The abilities that we have perfected (or neglected) become our meal ticket. Huge studio spaces now transform into small bachelor apartments, and collaborators go back to their community instead of coming to ours.

This all might sound depressing and morbid, but for me it is a realization and a motivator to take advantage of every opportunity I have left this year. To learn as much as I can from every person who walks through those doors, to be open to change and possibility. To expand the way I think and work. To hold that certificate in May and know that I did everything I possibly could to get the education I deserved. Now, I know that this school is not the end all and be all. I know that I will continue to learn from every team and person I work with until the day I die.

But I have goals, as usual.

To summarize: Upon completion I want to have a strong idea of what I am capable of and where I still have room to grow, I want to listen and hear everything. I want to stay positive, even in the desperate times. I want to encourage and promote my classmates instead of bringing them down. I want to create strong and compelling work with every role I get, not just the ones I like. I want to make good impression and stay connected with the people who inspire me. I want to continue working on my self discipline and making sure I will always take care of myself in Mind, Body and Soul.

I know for those of you reading this you are like, "Wow, this kid is really setting himself up for disappointment...that's a lot of goals to fulfil in 8 months..."

I am aware. I like having a check list to work from. I have had so many great (and no so great) experiences this summer that I feel like I have, deeply, changed for the better. I have come to some huge realizations about myself and cannot wait to put them into action in a setting that I have known for two years. This is my time to prove that I am more than capable of this career and I that I will fight to keep it.

BOOM!

Also, great news All the Wrong Reason's will be making its world premiere at TIFF this year! If you are in the area check me out as the Laughing Clerk. And, this weekend I was able to see a rough cut of BONE DEEP (the short film I was in towards the start of the summer) and I am really impressed with how it turned out and cannot wait for it to premiere here in Halifax at the Atlantic Film Festival! 

That's all for tonight; I'm on a Digimon kick. Thanks Netflix.

Night Abyss.

Jet Setting.

Hey Abyss,

Just got back from the auditions for Aladdin Jr. being put on through Stabback Music Studio; the company I am working for over the next three weeks. It was great to be in the room with a slew of new kids and the different energies they bring. I have been feeling quite exhausted and lethargic over the last few days because of all the travelling I have been doing. I flew from Halifax to Montreal yesterday and had to race to my apartment and switch bags before catching the bus to Ottawa. I didn't get in until 11:30pm, which doesn't seem late but since I have been commuting for the last fews days it has started to take its toll on me physically.

Despite me complaining about my sore butt, I am stoked for the next few weeks. I have two of them to direct a full musical production, which is a challenge I have gladly accepted. The last time I directed this particular show was at Truro Junior High School and we had about 4 months... Needless to say, this will be exponentially different. It is a great team of people though so I have no doubts we can pull it off and make sure the kids get the most out their time with us.

These next two months are going to be extremely busy for me, but with all the downtime I have accumulated since May I figure it will be a good balance for my last summer. It is so much healthier for me to be constantly doing things. The most exciting part about this summer is that I am spending a lot of time in places that I have either never been or haven't been in a while, and I am all about new experiences. After I finish up here in Ottawa I am spending sometime in Toronto getting to know the city and hanging out with new and old friends. Then before I return home to Nova Scotia I am seeing Beyoncé live in concert on the Mrs. Carter World Tour in Montreal.

Pretty Solid.

The Ottawa Fringe is this week and I am going to try my best to see as many things as possible. There is a lot of compelling work in the line up and I haven't been to a Fringe Festival in a while, so where better to start then where I am located! My friend, who is ironically from Ottawa, is currently in Calgary performing in the show Girls, Girls, Girls! with Major Matt Mason Collective (despite all the flooding) and when she returns we have plans to put together a double bill of our Solo Shows here. I am looking forward to performing it again for a completely different community.

The more I can do it the better.

On that note: most of my class, this summer, have also performed their Solo Show more than once. It is such a great feeling to have a piece of theatre that you can just whip out and is only 15 minutes long. Truly a wonderful project, and my class put together some amazing work.

I had coffee with Jonathan Torrens on Friday morning and he had some really great advice for me as a performer from the Maritimes. He is a stand up guy and I am grateful he could take the time to hang out with me for a bit. I love being able to talk to other artists and hear their stories and successes, it makes my dreams obtainable.

As time goes on I find myself continually coming to conclusions about myself and my goals as a developing artist and I feel blessed to be surrounded by people who continue to guide me in the right direction. As many struggles and hardships I run into, there is always a lesson to be learned. I am really excited about my third and final year and what lies in store for myself and my classmates. It's been quite the journey so far.

Night Abyss.

The Show Must Go On.

Hey Abyss,

Since my last post I went to see The Great Gatsby. I thought Carey Mulligan blew it out of the park. And, well, Leo is just Leo. I also forgot how much I like Tobey MacGuire. It was an extremely solid cast and the visuals were, well, very Baz Luhrmann. All in all I enjoyed it.

I haven't had any auditions since the short film a few weeks ago, but that is perfectly fine considering I haven't had that much downtime with SOLO-icious hanging in the balance. For those of you who may not know what I am talking about, SOLO-icious is a solo festival that took place in Halifax last year and has expanded and come back this year. I have the absolute pleasure of being part of both years. This year, on Sunday May 26 @8pm to be exact, I will be performing my piece LIONESS which I wrote and star in. It is about a Lower Manhattan Latina single mom that goes in for a parent teacher interview regarding her 8 year old son.

I also wear a leopard print jumpsuit.

If you have been following my posts you will know that I performed this piece at The National Theatre School earlier this year as part of an assignment. Now that I am performing it outside of the school I am extremely nervous, but I think it will be a learning experience. A fresh audience is something that is so educational especially in these early stages of development for solo work. I know I am completely supported and every artist scheduled for the evening is in the same boat as me, so we just have to go and knock it out of the park. I have my tech time today and then I am supporting the first half of the performers tonight!

After my performance on Sunday I am taking a break and just chilling out for three weeks before I head to Ottawa/Toronto for a month. I am looking forward to just relaxing and taking time to read and sit outside. I am a proactive person when it comes to projects and finding things to do, but after talking to a fellow artist yesterday I realized that I have a tendency to become lazy with my technique. In other words, I am not keeping up with the training over the summer. I tend to let it fall to the waste-side, which is not good. I really have to get into the habit of being diligent in my work in and outside of school, I find myself becoming so distracted with making projects or connecting with people over a project that I am not ready for when the project is actually here!

Everything is a process and I am still pushing my way through to find what truly benefits me and how I can keep practicing self discipline. I don't think these struggles ever stop, but I do want to get into a routine with them, because the worst thing would be to become so apathetic that it all just falls away from me. And as I have said numerous times before, I need to start getting better at the things I am not so good at.

I have met some awesome people over the last few weeks and they had some wonderful insights for me.  I feel so blessed to have knowledgeable and kind people in my life who are willing to share their struggles in attempts to make me better. It is so selfless and I am entirely grateful. I find honesty and reality to be the most important things when talking to people about their careers, no one wants to be lead down a road of lies. Tell me upfront. If you can't handle the truth then you aren't ready for the life, that's my opinion.

If you are in Halifax this weekend check out SOLO-icious!

Here is an interview with Sebastien Heins the Artistic Director of the Festival: http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1131080-solo-showcase-rolls-out-tapestry

I have to get ready for my tech time, thanks for listening.

Night Abyss.

Snap Back to Reality.

Hey Abyss,

Many discoveries were made last week. I think the one that had the most impact on me was being put on the spot for not knowing my lines. That seems like a basic thing, an actor knowing their lines, but for some reason I have always struggled with memorizing text. Not a good quality to have in an actor, but it is not the worst thing. I can honestly tell you I have never gone on stage not knowing my lines, I have always managed to get everything down before we open, it just seems to takes me a lot longer than everyone else. Being at NTS has certainly enabled me to get better at locking the words in my brain by offering me a bounty full of approaches to do just that. 

I felt I had been doing well with my text for Midsummer Nights Dream and therefore over the last week, in anticipation for the weekend (which I will get into in a moment) did not do what is necessary for myself for the last part of my text. And, as it should, it came back to bite me. 

A few weeks ago I was offered a lead part in a short film that was being shot in Halifax, by a well known Actor/Director, named Jeremy Webb. His company’s previous film Wake garnered some notable attention in the festival circuit and was being back by CBC, not a bad combo. When the role was offered to me I clarified that the only way I could fly home and do it was to get the permission from my superiors at the school. So, I proceeded that Monday to acquire all the approval I needed, which was graciously given and I agreed to do the short that weekend. The plan was to fly home Thursday night and fly back Monday morning. So I would only miss two days of classes. 

Everything seemed to flow perfectly until Thursday came and I kept flubbing through my lines in the final part of the play. And it was at this time when I was put on the spot, by my director. I had been working extremely hard on my text, but due to the excitement of the weekend I failed to give it the added time I know it needed. This ultimately disappointed him, and made me feel like a complete schmuck, especially considering his generosity. He was harsh and to the point, and it was that snap back to reality that made me realize the lesson; Which was to focus on one thing at a time, and give it 150% of my energy. This problem is something that has been an issue for a while with myself. And I think it took this situation to finally let it sink in. 

Do your best with what you have right now. Then when that is over, focus on the next thing. This is my mantra for the next while until I can calm down and just enjoy what is in front of me rather than worrying about what is coming next. It is difficult, but this is what I want for a career more than anything else, and so I have to let it flow. 

The stress from not knowing my lines and disappointing my director, lead to me heading to the airport 12 hours earlier than my flight was scheduled to leave and left me stranded there for 4 hours until a friend of mine came and picked me up. Again, if I had just read the itinerary of the flight and chilled, instead of thinking how I may have been blacklisted from the class, that would not have happened and I would have been 60 dollars richer. Once, I finally got back to Halifax, everything became clearer and I spent every bit of downtime I had on set memorizing those lines for Monday. I came back yesterday, having done what should have been done and it feels good to be free of that pressure. 

Filming over the weekend was great and reminded me of how much I love film as a medium. The team was wonderful and there was such an artistry behind the whole thing, which made me feel proud to be part of it. The atmosphere on set, even though we were rushed for time, was positive and happy. There was a specific moment I recall on the second day where I was talking to Jessica Marsh over lunch and the crew and other cast members were all playing music and singing together, and it was this moment that encapsulated the whole shoot for me. A bunch of talented people coming together to make art. It was beautiful. And I am extremely grateful to have been part of such a piece. 

The film is called Bone Deep, and if you hit the link you can read more about it. 

We are into tech week right now for MSND, and so I have some things that need to get done tonight before I hit the hay. 

Night Abyss

BOOM.

Hey Abyss,

This week has zoomed by, the work with Joe has been wonderful, and considerably less stressful than I anticipated. He is such a generous man and is very text driven in his direction, which is providing a very organic space for us to work in. And by that I mean that he is allowing us to free form choices and blocking to some extent, as long as the focus is on truthfully speaking.

We finished "staging" the whole play on Friday and started to re-run through it on Saturday with a more fine toothed comb, which is great. Right now the challenge for me is getting off book and having the text truly live in me so that I can use it to my full advantage. It is such a blessing to have 5 weeks for a production, this is a luxury.

Today, along with doing my laundry and cleaning my insanely messy apartment I am learning lines for 4 different things: Midsummer Night's Dream, my Nova Scotia Talent Trust submission and two auditions in Halifax. So, needless to say I have a heavy day for memory. I am excited to be submitting for things in Halifax though, it is making me anxious to get back and be there in person. I miss it. I am hoping for a lucrative summer this year, as I usually am, and just hope that I can get some great work in.

Last summer, was really difficult but paid off in the end with the people I met and projects I was able to work on. And so I hope that similar opportunities arise this year.

Last night I celebrated my birthday with some of the cast and crew of Midsummer's and I had a blast. We went Laser Tagging and it was the most intense 20 minutes of my life. I ended up coming in last place out of 27 people.

It was the little Rambo children that kept killing me.

I really had fun though, and will most likely be going back before the year is out. So great. Then we went out to dinner to this place called Restaurant Hachoir which was very fancy and the food was amazing. I totally splurged and got a drink, appetizer, main course and dessert. But hey, it was my birthday!

What amazed me the most was the generosity of a few of the people at my table who paid for my entire bill, which was completely unnecessary, and extremely expensive. I was totally humbled. It is moments like those that make me believe in people and how generosity is something that is so rare and it truly is something special. I am so blessed and feel extremely grateful to have people in my life with this quality.

Well, I am off to do what I mentioned above and hope that If you are in town for May 1, 2 and 3rd that you will drop by The National Theatre School to see our rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream!\

Also, if you haven't already heard; Blackbird is being theatrically released on May 10th across canada in select theatres! Here is the trailer:

Blackbird Theatrical Trailer

Night, Abyss.

Open.

Hey Abyss,


Solo Show happened, and it was beautiful.

It was everything I anticipated and more.

I will reiterate the talent that I am surrounded by in my class. All eleven of us are so completely different, it's wonderful. I feel honoured to be part of such a diverse class that has so many things to offer. And really neat to see that we will all be pursuing something completely individual after we graduate next year.

Where has the time gone?

The performance was phenomenal, I don't think I have ever been so nervous.

It was surreal.

I performed on Saturday to a 110 person audience, who beautifully accepted Lioness in all its glory. The opportunity to play with the audience was something that I missed deeply. There is talks of me potentially remounting the piece in Halifax this summer, but that is still undecided. I really don't want that one performance to be the end, as wonderful as it was.

The wave of energy that accosted me when I walked out was something I have never experienced before and was truly remarkable, and once I figured out how to deal with the enormous amount of energy I was home. It brought me back to all the reasons of why I love what I do and what has made me pursue this. That feeling of making people laugh, and transporting them to my world, so we can play together. Simply unforgettable. It also reminded me that is doesn't have to only be my own work that these qualities happen in. This feeling should flow through all my work, I should be affecting people that much in every performance I do, regardless of who wrote the script!

My new goal is: I want to be as open and as brave as I can be in every role. To me, right now, this is the only way to have the audience trust me enough to convince them to follow me down the rabbit hole.

Thank you Adam and Jodi, you are amazing.

We have started rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream and I am playing Theseus. Joe Ziegler is directing us and he is simply awesome. His energy and enthusiasm for the text is infectious and I am stoked to get on my feet with him. I am doing my best to crossover all the work that has been percolating in me from the start of the year into this project, as there is no time like the present.

(More to come on this over the next little bit...)

I read this quote today and I think it is perfect in reminding me how to make compelling work:

"The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake."

I as an actor want to challenge peoples ideas and make them think about what they are seeing, and the only way I can do that is to work hard and give myself over to the art and where it wants to take me.

There is no room for insecurity, only vulnerability.

I am inspired by so many things lately, I feel both focused and pulled open. I want to be in this state for as long as I can. Anything is possible here.

Night Abyss.

Passion > Work

Hey Abyss,

Last time I posted it was raining and coincidentally it is also raining now, providing for the perfect opportunity to write and be studious. I am going to proceed down this road now.

Yesterday morning I travelled to the set of All The Wrong Reasons, starring Cory Monteith AKA Finn Hudson from Glee,  Kevin Zegers from Gossip Girl and Air Bud and a lot of other talented people. My scene (one HUGE line) was with Cory. I was stoked to meet him and one: confirm we was actually as tall as people have said, and two: See if he was a genuine as people had said.

Well the people were right on both counts.

The set was had an awesome feel to it, everything was really chill and the cast and crew were in really great moods despise the fact that they had been doing 7 days of night shoots that took them into the wee hours of the morning. This project was the directors first feature film and she was so pumped to see her bring child coming to life. Awesomely enough the director is from New Brunswick, so kudos to fellow Maritimer Gia Milani!

While preparing for the scene Cory and I got to talking about where I go to school, the National Theatre School of Canada, and he said that he had wanted to go there when he was my age and also mentioned that his mentor graduated from there. Throughout the shoot we continued to talk and Cory ended up offering me a drive back home.

On the drive home we talked about the projection of his career and how he was envious of the fact that I am getting to study where I am, as well as his life before and after Glee and how he wants to get back to the thing he loves which is making quality films (something I have huge respect for and share in the dream of). He told me about his life in Vancouver and offered me his email to keep him updated on my life and if I ever move to Vancouver to let him know.

He told me that the reason he wanted to drive me home was because he saw something in me and wanted to talk about what I had in store for myself. I felt so honoured to ride home in a car with someone who has reached the pinnacle of fame and still longs to make quality art and, of course, has rubbed shoulders with the big guys at the Oscars.

He is truly a humble and grateful person and it inspired me to make sure to always have my morals no matter where life chooses to take me.

The movie is scheduled to come to Canadian Theatres next year and will then be making a TV debut.

Here are some notable links about the movie and those involved:

http://www.shoreroadpictures.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=104
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/glees-cory-monteith-kevin-zegers-355804

Night Abyss

A little less conversation.

Hey Abyss,

The last few weeks have been a combination of really busy and really slow. I am currently still looking for a job due to my dwindling bank account and have found myself employed at multiple establishments with no guarantee for work, which is quite helpful at this stage.

Currently I am an actor, a pirate who can do children's parties, a knife salesman, a camp councillor and I am waiting to hear back from a garbage collector job. I am really holding out for the last one because it is promising continuous work and a reliable paycheque. With possession of this job I will swiftly change my name to Wayne 'Garbage Man Extrodinaire' Burns, as recommended by my ever supportive mother.

I had a job interview for Apple on Saturday and it was such a great experience, they really create an environment that you would be crazy not to want to work in. The operative word there being crazy. Everyone is just so happy and loves life and the products. All part of their marketing scheme, which of course has made them over 50 billion dollars worth of sales. As the rep said, "That is 6,000 dollars per square foot of the earth...", thats a lot of monies.

Here is hoping that I can find something to make me money, other than having to resort to selling myself and changing my name to Wayne 'Stripper Extrodinaire"Burns. Of course Channing Tatum did it and now there is movie being made about it.... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1915581/

So with all of my free time I have been spending most of it with my Sugar Mama girlfriend who has basically allowed me to leech off of her for the last month in promise of me hitting her back with the funds when I become employed. What a great girl.

There has been no auditions for anything...which is rather depressing. It doesn't look like this summer is gonna be as lucrative as the last one, unfortunately. I have been involved in two shows though since my return and they went really well. The first was SOLOICIOUS which was spearheaded by Sebastein Hiens and was performed at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax (http://www.facebook.com/Soloicious). It was a festival of sorts where about 8 performers all did solo work that spanned many mediums. It was a sold out evening and will hopefully make a comeback next year. I was so impressed with the talent involved in the project.

Next show was something called a evening of short plays, which is exactly how is sounds. This was put on by Once Upon a Theatre Collective in the same place (Bus Stop Theatre: http://twitter.com/#!/onceupontheatre). It was an awesome experience as well. We had about 12 hours to direct and perform a piece, a challenge but well worth it.

That has been the extent of my perfuming in the last little bit, other than a reading of Michael Healey's play Proud which was rejected by Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. And a play by Mark Ravenhill called Shopping and Fucking, which was interesting to say the least.

That is all there is right now, but I will keep you as updated as possible and will tell you what interesting things I find in the garbage while picking up all the things you throw on the ground.

Check me out on twitter @wayne_burns, and my IMDB and check out the interview and review of SOLOICIOUS below.

Night Abyss

Reviews: http://www.twisitheatreblog.com/archives/1229
                http://www.twisitheatreblog.com/archives/1188
                http://www.twisitheatreblog.com/archives/date/2012/05/page/2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ravenhill

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/michael-healey-and-his-play-proud/article534494/

Back in the Groove

Hey,

Alright so it has been almost a week since I have been home, to be exact 5 days. Most of those days, or rather, all of those days have been spent catching up with my friends and girlfriend who has the patience of Job to deal with me and my radical behaviour.

So now that "vacation" is over it is time to start getting back on the streets and selling myself.

Wow, didn't think that through.

I am in progress of updating all my resume's and photos to bring into my agency tomorrow in attempts to garner at least as much work as last summer. Hopefully more.

I am flat broke this time around and will probably have to cave to working at a gas station or McDonalds, both of which I think would be quite interesting to work at. But enough about my potential unemployment and more about the opportunities that are coming about!

I have probably already mentioned my involvement in a festival created my one of my fellow NTS'rs, Sebastien Heins, who graduated earlier this month. He and I as well as 4 other performers are showing our talents in a two hour evening on the 27th at 8pm at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax. I am stoked for this show because it will be the first time I have performed my Vocal Masque outside of school and I also get to meet a lot of cool people, which is always a bonus.

After this I, potentially, have a gig on June 4th, which is an evening of short plays and I have been tentatively cast in this as well! So some good coverage coming up, but no monies.

So here is hoping that I can get some film work ASAP. For my cats sake.

Also, my girlfriend and I went to see "Fishing' by Jeremy Webb and Stacy Smith. It was awesome if you have the chance to see it, do it.

Just a short one tonight, but I will keep you posted. Check out my twitter and IMDB!

Night Abyss.

http://www.thebusstoptheatre.org/calendar.html

http://www.offtheleash.ca/fishing/

Tub Dreaming - A Return

Hey Abyss,

Look, I know its been a while buddy but I have concluded that there is really no point in my writing about my progress in school. It would get repetitive and boring, and on a side note the training at NTS is one that cannot described. So I come to you with news of my return.

I am going to be making weekly entry's now that, one, I have time due to the ending of school for the summer, and, two, I am heading back to Halifax for job hunting! So lets dive in:

Today is my 4th day in my empty apartment. The only things to keep me busy are my cats, a computer with limited internet connection and a newly polished off 4kg container of peanut butter. Sounds like a ballin' time eh? I have been sleeping in my bathtub because my bed has been moved to my new apartment, that is about a half hour away, and I have slowly been packing my ONE bag with the essentials that I think I am going to need for 4 months.

This past week has been an eventful one full of much drama and learning. I will start off with my Monday of last week which started with me falling down Mount Royal and having my hand crushed and splitting my pinkie open. After a trip to the emergency room, with help from a man I had just met that night, I was back in my apartment with a stitched hand and a now lost iPod. Needless to say, I have learned to not drink 6 litres of Heineken and go rock climbing after a Canadian Solider, the guy who helped me, has told me not to.

My hand was pretty swollen earlier this week and so I could do nothing for myself, and I mean nothing.

Picture personal things, yeah those I couldn't do either.

So I needed a lot of help and was surprised by the amount of people who called and offered to help my in any way they could. Except with the personal things.

On Wednesday two of my friends helped me move all my furniture over to one of the three apartments I am currently paying for.

A quote : "You always know who your friends are when you see who shows up after you ask for help moving." Jesse LaVercombe.

I was happy to get that all done in less then two hours, but had forgotten that now I had nothing in my apartment which has made for, as mentioned earlier, a grand 'ol time.

Let's just say I think that my cats and I know each other really well now.

My hand has slowly been healing and if you follow my Twitter or Facebook you can see the damage as of yesterday. It reminds me of Frankenstein.

Always an attractive feature to have when appealing to women.

I am leaving for home on wednesday night of this week coming and am stoked to see my family again, although my dear mother laughed at me when I called her and told her what happened on the mountain. It will be nice to have a home cooked meal, or at least a free trip to MacDonalds. I am excited to see all my friends and catch up with people who I have missed for the 8 months I have been here. And most importantly getting some more acting work!

I am praying, for my student loan sake, that this summer will be lucrative and I can make some money and get a decent amount of coverage again. I feel so out of the loop with my city and I am anxious to get back and start annoying people with my public appearances.

I don't want to prattle on for too long but hopefully this has answered the question as to why I have not been writing. And if you have any other questions for me put them in the comment box below.

Also Check out my IMDB, Twitter and Facebook.

Peace Abyss.

It's Christmas Time in the City

In Montreal, that is!


SO, so, so. It has been over 5 months since my last post.

This is awful considering my constant babble about how "I'll keep the posts coming!"

As if I am the mailman.

These last few months have been a whirlwind. I have literally had little to no time by myself, it has been me and 10 of my fellow actors duking it out for 12 hours a day 6 days a week. The school was not exacgerrating when they stated that "They tear you apart emotionally and physically, then build you back up".

I have never cried so much in my life. And for those who don't know me, I don't cry. To counter this rather depressing statement I would like to follow with saying that I have also never laughed as hard as I have at this school. I am throughly enjoying my time and they are working me to the bone.

For the first couple months I thought I had made the wrong choice about coming because my body just wasn't able to take the physical demands, I would come home at night bleeding and bruised. Feeling as though I was training for World War 3. Then over time my bruises faded and my bleeding orifices calloused and I came back stronger and more determine to prove my worth.

This school is wonderful in making you feel inadequate as an artist, in attempts of getting you to a moulding point where they can show you the potential you have to morph into. Its beautiful. It may seems as though everyone is out to get you at some points but really they are just trying to find your strength. I feel so honoured to be training under these talented individuals.

On that note, the people who have trained us this term have been phenomenal. The amount of well known artists that come through our school is just amazing. Again, opportunity of a life time. I had the pleasure of meeting Sandra Oh this term as well and she gifted me with some wonderful advice and helped me to pull up my boot straps and give it my all. The thing about this school is that everyone who has passed through knows that it is so supportive about fostering young artists, so they are so grateful, and thus in return making you feel so special to be walking the same halls as they once did. Its inspirational and dream like to know all the people who have sweated and cried and bleed in this place and have gone on to do great things for theatre and film in Canada.

I have not been able to auction for anything as of late due to my hectic schedule and lack of knowledge of the Montreal film scene, so no audition updates..

Yesterday I found out that Shakespeare by the Sea is holding auditions for their summer contracts and I was thinking about auditioning. I really haven't learned too much about Shakespeare yet and am unsure if I would be able to out together two well done monologues by the time the deadline is due. I am still debating this because I really want to book as much film and TV work as I can this summer when I go back to Nova Scotia. Apparently it is going to be a lucrative summer....

What do you think?

Recently I won the Theatre Nova Scotia Award for an excellence in Theatre in Nova Scotia. I was thrilled and completely unaware that I had been nominated. Unfortunately I was unable to be there to accept the award so my parents had to go and accept it for me. I just felt so honoured by the gesture and award that I wish I could have been there to express my gratitude. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust is a wonderful organization and if you are an artist in need of money don't hesitate to look them up!

I leave montreal for a Christmas break tomorrow and I am pumped to finally just be back to my town. I have a lot of catching up to do and am looking forward to every minute.

For my faithful fans, thank you for your support.

Night Abyss,

http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/43196-talent-trust-honours-young-nova-scotians

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4517763/