Showing posts with label jonathan torrens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jonathan torrens. Show all posts

Sunday, June 23, 2013

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.


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Empty Pockets, Full Heart.

Hey Abyss,

I have been super lazy on the entries of late.

First off the important business.

Auditions to date: 2

Jobs Obtained from Audtions: 0

I am currently working as a reader on the set of Mr. D, which airs on CBC (I'll post more info on the show in a link below). A reader is either someone who reads the opposite character of the sides in an audition or, in my case, is asked to come in and read the day-player parts of the script in aid of the actors and writers to get a feel for how the episode will run.

Kind of like workshopping a theatre script.

I am having a blast doing that and get to hang out with all the main cast, which is awesome. And the money is great, which is really wonderful at this point considering I am still paying for THREE apartments. But that's a long story.

I have been going to as much theatre as I can afford and have seen a wide variety of it. The standout so far is a show called Science Inaction written by Griffin McInnis who is the playwright in house at 2b Theatre Company. The show was really really great in all respects. I love walking away from a show that excites me about my own career, that I say, "I want to do that kind of theatre". It made my week.

So thank you Griffin and Wits End Theatre.

I have basically stopped looking for a Joe Job considering that I start teaching in two weeks, but money is tight. It has been a real struggle this year for money, but I have finally come to terms with the fact that  I am going to continue to have money problems my entire under-waged actor life. Luckily I have a girlfriend who allows me to mooch off of her like a leech, I don't know how long that will last...

Coming up: I am currently involved with a public reading of Michael Healey's controversial play Proud, and that will be going up on the 7th of July, which is Saturday! I am stoked for that and am really hoping for a good turn out. I am playing Jake.

With all my spare time I have been trying to get on top of the things in my life that need some attention, such as getting my passport and acquiring my dual citizenship. As well as getting healthy again and trying to dress better.

It is funny, the less you have the more you experiment and make things work. I really only have enough money for food and the gym, so that is all I do. This is ultimately not a bad thing, I feel really great both inside and out and am not spending all my money on things I don't need. It really is sometimes better to downsize because then you see what you really need and use.

Life lessons.

What a trip.

I am going to post some links to the aforementioned things and hope that you check them out and enjoy them as much as I did.

Science Inaction --> http://www.witsendtheatre.ca/science-inaction.php

Proud --> http://torontoist.com/2012/03/first-outing-for-prouds-prime-minister/

Mr D. --> http://www.cbc.ca/revenuegroup/mr-d.html

Follow me on Twitter @wayne_burns and check out my IMDB.

Night Abyss