The Seagull

Hey Abyss,

This week we start seeding work on Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, which my class will be performing in the new year as one of our three studio performances. Our version is being directed by Tanja Jacobs and I am really pumped to meet and work with her for the next little bit. We are working with her for the next two weeks and then will be moving onto work with Yael Farber and Strindberg's Miss Julie. Leaving only one week after that before Christmas Break happens.

Things are moving so fast, its nuts.

During this time we have to be working on our Solo Show which will be presented in March of the new year (our second studio show). This is more or less a "moon project" it is always orbiting whatever we presently have going on. I am still trying to find things to write about for this project, but as time goes on I feel that something will inspire me and I will go like a locomotive. The essence of the project is we have full creative liberty over what we want to present, but we have to write and perform alone onstage for 15 minutes. Kind of scary, but also exciting.


To touch on the last two weeks, after Maiko and Antoine, we worked with Nina Lee Aquino and David Yee on a new play he is writing for my class. We basically workshopped for the rest of the week and now have a full text and were asked to continue exploring that until we receive a revised draft closer to December 14th, which is when we are doing a staged reading of it. I really like the play and hope that we will be able to bring it into full production in our third year.

Nina and David are great.

And last week we had the most amazing Shakespeare Voice class with none other than Andrew Wade, who has worked with the likes of Judy Dench and Gwyneth Paltrow. He was so great, I learned so much from him in 6 days and kind of wish that we had him more often. Definitely a memorable moment from NTS.


Not much else has been happening of late, I am getting over a cold brought on by the inconsistent weather changes here in Montreal. So thats nice.

Blackbird is still making its rounds, which warms my heart.

It did well in Warsaw, and is playing in Rome these next few days. It will make its theatrical release in Paris during the month of February. A North American release has not been decided yet.

My break from reading the two versions of The Seagull, has been used to write this entry so I am going to go back to reading.

Thanks to all the readers who continue to read my ramblings, it means a lot.

Night Abyss

Here are some neat links:

Yael: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/edinburgh-festival-reviews/9480925/Edinburgh-Festival-2012-Mies-Julie-The-smash-hit-of-the-Fringe.html

Nina: http://kapisanancentre.com/2011/07/20/reasons-why-you-should-know-who-nina-lee-aquino-is/

Andrew: http://www.actorsworkout.org/2009/11/andrew-wade/

Sunny Days are for Sitting in Bed

Hey Abyss,

It's Wednesday and I am thinking that this may be a good day to get into the habit of writing on. At least for the rest of the summer, which is going by so quickly!

Not much has changed since my last post, I am still doing the readings for Mr. D which has been awesome. Hanging out with the cast and just being treated so equally has been really encouraging.

Not that I have been rejected my whole life, just its nice to feel like part of the team.  There is really no way I can make what I said sound less pathetic so lets just leave it as that...It has been a really wonderful experience.

I went into see my agents yesterday and I potentially have a feature film audition coming up, it just depends whether I can get into audition before I leave for Guysborugh, which is where I am teaching next week. So, that is good news, It would be a day player spot, which is perfect because I am not in the position to have anymore than a few days on set. I say this only because after my frugal two months of living off my girlfriend I will finally have a surplus of money from teaching for the last half of the summer, so I don't want to have to bail on the kids.

I am really looking forward to teaching again this year, I feel after being away at school and just coming into my own a little but more I have a clearer image of how I want to teach and what things to start instilling in the talented rascals that give me company every year for four weeks. Kids really teach me so much about my own craft, they are so true to their emotions and provide such a blunt and unfazed view of reality. They tell you straight up if you are bad or good, or funny or stupid and its with this honesty that you learn as an adult to stop being in your head so much and just let life move through you.

Teaching them truly is a continual inspiration.

Yesterday we received out tentative itinerary for the upcoming school year and I am beyond excited to work with the people we are which includes: Nina Lee Aquino, David Yee, Adam Lazarus, Jodi Essery, Wenyi Mengesha, Maiko Bae Yamamoto, Antoine Bedard AKA Montag, AndrewWade, Jill Kiely and Many others.

I feel so blessed to be attending a school that gives me such opportunity to explore so many facets of this profession.

Last week I went to see a show called She Has A Name, and I was rather disappointed with it. I paid 27 dollars for the show which had an amazing premise so I felt I was going to be blown away. The opposite happened and I was continually distracted by the moving fabric of the set pieces, instead of the text. The show is currently touring Canada and the company is based out of Red Deer. The piece is about sex trafficking in Bangkok, but never really delves into the sheer madness of what occurs there. They raise awareness with the piece but does not leave me with nightmares about what the poor boys and girls go through everyday. And in my opinion, if you are going to do something controversial I expect to see controversy. But perhaps that is just me. The text was written by Andrew Kooman and was produced by Burnt Thicket Theatre.

Then I went to see Shakepeare by the Sea here in Halifax and I was blown away. Perhaps it was due to the disappointment of the last show, or perhaps the cast was just phenomenal. I think it was bit of both.


Thats it for now,

Night Abyss.