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NEWS
After three years of intense focus on therapy and personal growth, I'm finally hitting the keys again and will be jumping into NaNoWriMo on November 1st, 2016. Stay tuned for updates!

Wednesday 30 January 2013

AUDITION INSIGHT - Empty Boxes

Eek!  Sorry for this week’s post being late.  It has been quite the busy week here at Art Thief Headquarters.  We have been holding auditions for Homestead Theatre Project’s upcoming production of my show Empty Boxes.  And I have been chained to my computer, pounding out the first draft of My Mother’s Daughters; which had its first reading this past Saturday.

On the upside, Empty Boxes has its callbacks confirmed with some wonderful options for each role and My Mother’s Daughters is in the mail for the SummerWorks submissions, so I can focus a little more on this blog.

Now, plunder for this week... well, this has actually been the hardest week for me to come up with something because my thoughts have been so focused elsewhere.  In fact, as I sit here, I still have not titled this entry because I haven’t decided what it is about yet.   All I know is that by the time Monday rolled around, I was exhausted!

Anyhoo, this might be a short entry, but I think my plunder for this week is something I am stealing from the people who auditioned for us on the weekend.  One of the auditionees talked about another audition he did for a collective he was a part of; they were required to bring in an object for their audition and present a story that they created based on that object.  His was a mason jar.  As soon as he began talking about it, my mind started running overtime with various stories, ideas and things flashing through my head.  I loved it.

This is what I’m stealing this week.  I think I’m going to start using this idea as a writing exercise to keep those old creative juices flowing.  Step One: Pick a random object.  Step Two:  Write a story about that object.  Simple.

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Memory of Lefkada

The wind now blows
where a voice once lived
the grass now grows
where feet once roamed

The rocks and sand and water flow
where arms once held
a heart now beats
where once was still

OEDIPUS REX - Αρτivities Company / Volos Regional Municipal Theatre at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

This week I have actually been putting pen to paper and getting the first draft of My Mother’s Daughters down.  Well, actually, it’s more like marker to scrap paper and then fingers to keyboard, but you get the picture.  My greatest struggle was how to present all the sides of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in an effective way.  Much of what I had written previously didn’t lend itself to traditional reality play format.  This is when I decided to steal!

What did I steal?  Well, thank you for asking!  I stole the Greek Chorus.  If you had asked me this time last year if I would ever incorporate a chorus into anything other than a musical, I likely would have said: not in this lifetime – but we all grow and learn.  I thought that because I had not seen a chorus used effectively before, nor did I truly understand the purpose of the chorus.  Both are things that would change after touring three shows to Greece in July 2012. 

While on this trip, I was lucky enough to see a production of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus from the Αρτivities Company / Volos Regional Municipal Theatre.  It was the most effective and beautiful use of a chorus that I have ever seen.  On top of the magic of sitting in a nearly 2000 year old amphitheatre with seating for 14,000, the show was simplistic (with 2 panels used as doors to the palace, a trunk of costumes, a wheelchair and a giant rug as the only “set”) yet it was incredibly well performed and captivating.  Also, did I mention, it was performed in Greek.  Since I don’t speak Greek, I found it even more amazing to be able to clearly follow the story without the ability to understand the words.  A tremendous feat achieved by the entire company.  This may also be the reason I was able to pay such close attention to the chorus and their performance.

Me at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus before the show

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Little Logan and the Snowflake Waltz


SKY PILOT - Eric Burdon & The Animals

Wow!  Where did Monday go?!  I really wanted to have this post done by this morning.   *Sigh* One of these weeks...

Anyhoo, here we go!

This week, my theft is more direct.  Previously, I think they have been all inspirational, but this week, I’m stealing: straight out.

I was driving home from St. Catharines on Sunday evening with Q107 cranked in the car and a song I haven’t heard in quite a while came on the radio.  I listened and was overjoyed because it fit perfectly into the show that is currently ruminating in my mind called Eve of Destruction.  The song: Sky Pilot by Eric Burdon & The Animals.

Tuesday 8 January 2013

MY SISTERS - Carol & Stina

This past week has left me up to my ears in books, Post-Its and piles of research notes.  Though it only dawned on me last night that my weekly post was due today, I was not concerned: I have spent the entire week delving deep into the world of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and its effect on those surrounding the sufferer and have been more than inspired (and made numerous plunders).  In fact, most of the week I had every intention of writing this post on Understanding the Borderline Mother by Christine Ann Lawson, but as I went to sleep last night, I came to the realization that wasn’t what is really driving me.  That’s not where my greatest theft has come from.

This week’s plunder is my sisters.  Well, my sisters from my mother (there are others, but that is a long story...).  
My Beautiful Sisters - Stina & Carol

AUDITION NOTICE - Empty Boxes (Homestead Theatre Project)

The Homestead Theatre Project will be holding auditions for their upcoming production of Empty Boxes, a new play by AJ Laflamme.

Audition Dates:     Wednesday, January 23, 2013 – 7-10pm
                             Sunday, January 27, 2013 – 12-5pm

Please submit resume and headshot to Cory Doran at homesteadtheatreproject@gmail.com.  Please include your preferred audition date in your submission.

Deadline to Submit: Friday, January 18, 2013 – 5pm

Those selected for an audition should prepare 1 contemporary monologue and be prepared to read from the script.  Callbacks will be held on Sunday, February 3, 2013.  This is a non-Equity, profit-sharing contract.

Empty Boxes will be performed at the Red Sandcastle Theatre May 30, 2013 – June 9, 2013.

Wednesday 2 January 2013

RANTS & RAMBLES: Les Miserables (The Movie)

For those who may not know, Les Miserables is my favourite musical of all time!  I have been looking forward to the release of this movie since it was announced and did a happy dance for at least 10 minutes when I read the synopsis of the project.  This being my first published “Rants & Rambles” (yes, I have more partially written, but not completed), I thought it appropriate that it should be on the film version of Les Miserables which opened on Christmas Day 2012 (what more could a girl ask for on Christmas?!).

Being a purest of the show and extreme fan, my excitement for the epic film version was tempered by my fear of it being put through the Hollywood washing machine and cleaned of all meaning and significance.  Despite this, I knew that there must be some tweaks and touches to adapt the show to the new format.  As a writer, I am pretty reasonable when it comes to making changes to the story so it is clearer to the audience, so I was prepared to accept some minor alterations for the benefit of storytelling, but that is it.  With that, here we go...

THERE ARE LIKELY A LOT OF SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE STORY

THE LIBRARY - Northern District Branch (TPL)

This week’s plunder is one that is very close to my heart.  This week I’m stealing from the Toronto Public Library.  Well, not actually, but you know what I mean...

After much thought (and many hours sitting at my usual desk in the Northern District Branch), I came to realize that much of my inspiration has come from the library.  As a child, the Grantham Library branch in St. Catharines was my second home.  As I grew, I spent less and less time in the library and more time out with friends, writing in fancy coffee shops or buying the books I wanted to read instead of borrowing.  I forgot about the secret treasures that the library held.

After reading Kleon’s book (yes, it always comes back to this book), I was reminded that the library is a wonderful place to work, find inspiration or watch the world go by.  As a writer, I am required to do a lot of research for the projects I work on and now that I have been taking my writing more seriously, my knowledge requirements have grown exponentially.  For every  one thing I write, I find I need to read 15 or more books.  There is no way I could afford to continue to buy all the books I needed.  Here is where the library offers an abundance of resources.  For my project, My Mother’s Daughters, I have been required to do a lot of research into Borderline Personality Disorder and have found all the resources I could hope for through the Toronto Public Library (and had them shipped to my local branch for pick-up).  I know you must be thinking: Yes, the library is a great place to find books... no newsflash there... thanks!  But this is not where the true magic of the library lies...