I can't sleep

I've got deadlines zooming through my head. Print deadlines. Rehearsal deadlines. Set deadlines. Costume deadlines. Media deadlines. With all the stress involved in producing my upcoming production, there is one shining light: rehearsals have been going great! We worked through the first half of the show today beat by beat. It was also our first off-book day and it wasn't nearly as painful as it could have been. To be fair, I really don't know my lines as well as I should. I could always use the "I have a baby to take care of!" excuse, but that's lame. I could also use the "I've been so focused on directorial elements that I haven't had the time to learn my lines properly." excuse, but that would be even more lame.

All in all, the show is really shaping up. In my totally biased opinion, it's fast-paced, silly and just good fun. And I think it's a good sign that sometimes we still have to stop rehearsal for giggle fits. That means that we're still tickled by the text itself. If we're still amused by it, hopefully our audiences will be too. I just hope we don't all corpse onstage. There's a particular moment very early on in the show, where all of us keep losing it during rehearsal. It's during a very simple line delivered by Stewart Matthews, but it gets us all every time. I don't want to give it away. Besides, it probably wouldn't be nearly as funny written down like this.

We're 12 days before opening night. There. I've said it.
Scary.

I've missed you...it's been too long.

The Ottawa Fringe Festival is fast approaching and I can't wait. Well, I can wait... I can really use these next three weeks of rehearsal. I've made a promise to myself to start blogging again on a semi-regular basis in the weeks leading up to, and during, the Fringe. I've been converted by the powers of social media, what can I say?


I've got an interesting role in the Fringe this year. Last year I was contracted to take care of program ads, but on top of that I was also 8 months pregnant and billeting four artists. This year is slightly different: I'm now the development (sponsorship) coordinator of the Fringe, I have an awesome 10 month old baby girl, I'm billeting only one artist, but I'm also directing/performing in a show. Let's just say I'm a very busy lady, and loving every minute of it.


I wanted to update all of you artists and potential audience members to some Ottawa Fringe details you might not know about. So here goes:

- OUR MAN BRAD: The Ottawa Fringe now has a community manager who is responsible for all online promotions (blogs, applications, etc.) and who will also be taking care of the entertainment in the tent. So, if you're interested in finding out backstage secrets and behind the scenes news, check out www.ottawafringe.com on a daily basis, as Brad will be blogging often.


- FACEBOOK FUN: All the hip kids now have one of the most exciting applications to ever hit the Internet, period. The Ottawa Fringe Festival application!!! Search for shows by date, venue or genre. Leave comments on specific shows wall. Tell your friends which shows you want to see, and which shows you plan on seeing. Link directly to our online box office. Amazing!


- MORE FACEBOOK FUN: The Ottawa Fringe also has a group page. Don't hesitate to join so you can be updated on all the latest Fringe events.


- TWITTER: The Ottawa Fringe is also now on Twitter. Search for ottawafringe or njoy79 to follow us... and we'll follow you!


- PHOTO REQUEST: Do you have any amazing photos from past Ottawa Fringes? Send some to brad@ottawafringe.com


- TICKETS!!! Advance tickets are now on sale by calling 613-232-6162... and online tickets will be available shortly.


- SEEKING BLOGGERS: If you have a blog and you'd like to be a part of the Ottawa Fringe blogging community, get in touch with brad@ottawafringe.com asap. I hear there may be a wine and cheese in the works too. Bloggers get hungry too!


AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE (aka shameless self promotion):
Come see my show!

WITHOUT A CLUE
Written by Stewart Matthews (from Screwed and Clued)
Directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
Produced by Garkin Productions and Enigma Productions
Starring Ray Besharah, Zachary Council, Jody Haucke, Stewart Matthews, Thea Nikolic, Natalie Joy Quesnel and Michael Showler.

Welcome all to a special dinner party where murder is on the menu. Please hang up your coat, choose your weapon and make yourself at home. From the makers of 52 Pick-up, Zombies and Bookworm comes a whodunit about blackmail, bodies and bureaucracy. A new twist on a classic game.

Friday June 20th - 6:30pm
Saturday June 21st - 11pm
Wednesday June 25th - 7:30pm
Friday June 27th - 11pm
Saturday June 28th - 5pm
Sunday June 29th - 4pm

At Venue 1 - Alumni Auditorium, University of Ottawa

That's all for now. We've got our first rehearsal today with the entire cast... should be exciting or completely chaotic. I'll keep you posted.

No daughter of mine is going to fail any test!

Sorry for not posting for so long, but it's been a rough month. Stewart was seriously sick with a mystery illness that still remains a mystery to this day. Though, thankfully, he's not feeling so horrible on a daily basis recently. I've been exhausted and stressed out trying to properly take care of a sicky husband and keep myself in proper mental and physical shape to birth a baby.

I'm 40 weeks pregnant, plus 1 day. That means, technically, the baby's full term and could pop out at any second. (Wouldn't it be nice if it were as easy as it sounds?) I had an ultrasound today to measure her bio-physical profile... a routine test for babies at this stage... to make sure all her vitals and the environment she's floating in are all happy and healthy. She passed the test with flying colors and her estimated weight is 6lbs 11oz. I've still got a doctor's appointment tomorrow to review the results and probably schedule and induction for next week, though I hope I'll naturally start labour before then.

On another note, the Fringe show I directed (The Churchill Protocol) has been getting consistently great reviews across the country and will be at the Edmonton Fringe next week. Spread the word!!!

No rest for the wicked pregnant

If I thought the time during the Ottawa Fringe was a blur, the time elapsed since then has been on complete fast forward. Our Fringe house guests left within four days of the festival ending, making the house feel quite empty. They were all absolutely lovely to have around and I miss them loads. It really made me miss the idea of touring as well. While, for some, their biggest preoccupation is making sure their posters get printed on time, I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to feed three people on one salary, driving to numerous DRs appointments (more on that in a second) and finding the energy to clean the house and prep for the start of my new 20-year-long (most probably renewable) contract.

My amazing friends Danielle and Craig hosted our BBQ baby shower, which was fantastic. The food, the people, the presents... it was a good day. The day after the shower, Stewart wasn't feeling well, complaining of dizziness and spontaneous falling down. He wasn't blacking out or anything like that, but it still seemed odd to us. He went to a walk-in clinic on the Monday and the DR said he thought he had a virus. Luckily, he had the following three days off, most of which we spent at my parents. They wanted to treat us because of our 1st/2nd year anniversary (celebrating the city hall wedding... the 2nd/2nd year anniversary is in September, celebrating the major ceremony at Academic Hall). So, for our anniversary, Stewart went golfing with my Dad and I got a pedicure... romantic huh? He played one of the best games he'd ever played and still fell down a couple of times! But by Thursday afternoon, he was feeling worse. And with our family doctor totally booked, I took him to the ER. NINE hours later, I brought him home... unsure of what's wrong. At 2pm the following day, he went back to the hospital for a CT scan. Two hours later, I brought him home... still no clue. At 8am the following day, he went back to the hospital to see a neurologist. One hour later, I brought him home...with no news other than the fact that he's on the rush list for an MRI. The wait time is usually 3 months... he should get his within a month's time. Needless to say I've been pretty worried, though Stewart doesn't seem to be. One good thing to come out of all of this: Stewart and I have rehearsed the drive to Monfort so much I could probably drive myself there while in labour! but I won't.

The Churchill Protocol has received a couple of good reviews in Toronto so far, but with our opening night being so late in the festival, momentum hasn't built yet and the show hasn't been getting the audiences it deserves. So if you're in Toronto, or know someone who is, go see the show!!!

With Stewart still being sick and moping about the house, I was determined to still be productive. I'm happy to have all of this time off before the baby gets here, but I still have a million tiny details that I want to finish while I still have the time. One not-so-tiny detail was filling out the forms for the "Centralized Waiting List for Licensed Child Care Services". People had warned me about this from the moment I got pregnant. If you think you might required child care, you're best to submit this form the moment you get pregnant (some do it before!) because the wait time to get a spot in Ottawa is at least 1 year! Plus, there are so many options to consider:
- Francophone, Anglophone or Bilingual
- Home day care or in a day care centre
- Full-time care, part-time care or flexible care
- Choosing a place in your ward, or in the ward where you work, or in a ward near where you would commute to go to work
- Some places are subsidized... some aren't
- Some places will accept children starting at 6 months of age, 12 months, 18 months, 2.5 years, 4 years, etc.
And that's not even looking at the individual day care's philosophies, facilities, mandates, menus, activities, child to caregiver ratio... and the list goes on. I'm supposed to make all of these decisions for my child and she's not even born yet! I can't even figure out what to make myself for dinner... and that's on a good day. Oh, and when you fill the form, you have to put each facility in order of preference, but how do you do that? By closest location, by language? "This place offers vegan meal choices, let's put them at the top of our list!" Anyway, I finally emailed the completed forms out yesterday, just over one month before this child is due to arrive and just over seven months later than I had planned. Let's hope I'm more on-the-ball with the rest of the major decisions involving my child.

BEST OF VENUE!!!

The Churchill Protocol won Best of Venue for Studio Leonard-Beaulne... so now you have TWO last chances to catch the show before it leaves on its 6 city tour.

Don't miss it!

Sunday June 24th - 6:30pm AND 9:30pm

What I've done the past two days...

- Acquired an unexpected new billet from the UK, via the US.
- Greeted an expected billet from Vancouver, via Montreal.
- Watched a woman use her breasts in a way that didn't seem to make men comfortable.
- Got hugely entertained by an Asian homosexual and his piano partner.
- Spend two hours in a single venue going on two lovely journeys.
- Fell in love again with a clown.
- Went to bed way too late.
- Ate way too little.
- Spent time with my amazing parents.
- Finished my last theatre gig before my parental contract.
... and now, presently, I am at the computer on the main floor waking up from a 2 hour nap while clown-billet, UK-billet and Vancouver-billet are doing yoga and Tai chi in the living room.

Life is good.

This just in...

"A Citizen reporter, hot on the trail of a scoop, travels to Churchill for a clandestine meeting with the mysterious Col. Ronson. That's the set-up for the Churchill Protocol, a loopy, entertaining and sometimes biting satire on Canada's military and our national squeamishness about warfare."

"Smartly directed by Natalie-Joy Quesnel, it plays cat and mouse with the audience."

Catherine Lawson - The Ottawa Citizen

Check it out here!

YAY for today!!!

I'm extremely proud and excited to announce that for the first time, The Churchill Protocol will be presented in front of an audience... tonight! Our tech last night was a little rock-and-roll and a little oh-that-was-easy, but at the end of the day I was completely filled with Fringe excitement. So much in fact, that I forgot to eat dinner and, instead ate 6 endive and goat cheese appetizers at the Fringe Courtyard in 10 seconds and then promptly decided that it was bedtime... at 10pm!

I used to have to pace myself when it came to beer tickets...
now I have to pace myself to simply make it to the bar.
Oh, a sign of times to come.

Heck, who am I kidding? Those times are here.

Check out the website and come see the show!!!

The countdown is on!

I had the pleasure of being one of the emcees for the Ottawa Fringe Festival's media launch today. As usual the presence of performers outweighed the media presence, but the Fringe staff came up with a creative venue and presentation to launch their festival so I think the impact was felt. The new website is totally hot, with plenty of new features like promotional videos, online ticket sales and online reviews...so you should definitely check it out.

Today was also a special day as it was our official "off-book day" for The Churchill Protocol. Much to my surprise, both stellar gentlemen actors were, I would say, around 80 to 90% off-book. I probably shouldn't be revealing this director's secret, as I may be kicked out of the club, but here goes anyway. I usually set an off-book date that is, depending on the total rehearsal time frame, about one week before I actually expect line-memorization-perfection. That way, I don't get disappointed, the actors have time to feel the pressure, but not get overwhelmed...Then everyone wins in the end! So you can imagine how surprised I was to do a line-run with Pat and Kris today and have them be so confident about their lines.... I was a very happy lady.

Well, my happiness turned to mini-defiance this evening when I read my actor-conspirators recent blog postings. I essentially found out that they both agreed to ignore my off-book date request... they even shook on it... probably after having learned my director's secret from someone I've directed before. I guess the fear that my pregnancy hormones would lead to homicide if they didn't do as they were told made them learn the lines despite their "deal".

Oooh.... if they thought I was hormonal before, they have no idea. (insert maniacal cackle here.)

IT'S ALIVE!!! um, I mean, LIVE!

Check out the new and improved website for Gruppo Rubato's cross-Canada Fringe Tour of
The Churchill Protocol.

It's snazzy!

Finally some time off and what do I get?

Multiple rainy days in a row and massive headaches!!!!

Brilliant.

Cloud 9 is officially over and done with. My only commitment at Algonquin for the rest of the semester is doing a bit of monologue coaching, which should end next week. I've finally embarked on my four month semi-break before motherhood kicks in. The only paid work I've got is stage managing for the Magnetic North Director's Masterclass, directing The Churchill Protocol for a cross-Canada Fringe tour, performing every once and a while for Eddie May and selling program ads for the Ottawa Fringe. So other than having a three week span in June that'll be a little nuts, I've got next to nothing on the agenda which leaves me plenty of time to worry about my financial situation, freak out about the incomplete nursery and panic about parenthood. Oh, and maybe I'll have time to read a book or two as well!

The nursery is actually taking shape quite nicely. Stewart and I bought a crib and a chest of drawers (thanks to Mum and Dad Matthews) and we finally took the time to register for baby stuff. (At Toys R Us and Sears, if any of you are curious to see cute baby things... and some odd things too.) Yesterday, Stewart and I tried to shop at the Home Depot for nursery related things, and all we came back with was a hungry tummy and 50$ worth of pine boards and brackets that Stewart still needs to cut, sand, stain and install. Makes me kinda wish we would have just bought the 80$ shelving unit at Ikea instead.

We're planning on seeing quite a few shows in the next couple of months (in part, thanks to Mom and Dad Quesnel for their gift of some awesome NAC flex passes), but now that I'll be taking a bit of a break from working the theatre scene, I feel even more hesitant to post any of my opinions or criticism. So I'll probably just do more yakking about my growing belly, swelling ankles and delivery concerns.

I'm really sorry if I'm boring some of you with all this baby talk... sometimes I annoy myself with it!

Why I won't have time to blog for the next little while (Part Deux)

Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill
Presented by the Algonquin College Theatre Program
Directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
Set Design by Art Penson
Lighting Design by David Magladry

4 NIGHTS ONLY!!!
March 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st 2007, 7:30pm
Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Ave.
N Building Room N112

Tickets are $10 (adults) and $8 (students and seniors)
Algonquin College Box Office: (613) 727-4723 ext. 5784
Monday – Friday, 9-5

Why I won't have time to blog for the next little while

Featuring: Chuck Herriott, Margo MacDonald, Teri Rata Loretto and Stewart Matthews

Stage managed by yours truly.

Steven Berkoff’s Greek is a modern adaptation of the Oedipus tale by Sophocles: a young man is fated to kill his father and sleep with his mother. Berkoff not only sets the story in post-punk Britain, but also changes the focus of the tale to speculate on the numerous restrictions on love in a modern day society, as well as the seriousness of patricide. Berkoff employs a unique form of poetic vulgarity in his scripting, a language that is both offensive and beautiful.

Where: Natalie Stern Studio Theatre, Ottawa School of Speech & Drama
294 Picton Ave, Westboro, Ottawa

When: March 7-17th, 2007.
Performances are at 8pm (no performances Monday and Tuesday)
with one matinee performance on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 at 2pm

Tickets: Tickets are $20 and are available at the door or by reservation at 1 888 931 2644.

Info: For more information, call 1 888 931 2644 or visit www.repercussiontheatre.com

Warning - VERY mature content and coarse language

BETRAYAL

It's that time again... for shameless self-promotion!!! The above photo has nothing to do with the show, except to showcase that I had to direct a drama with a bunch of clowns! What was I thinking?

Betrayal opens next Thursday and I'm really proud of the work we've done. I've got an amazing production team and three actors that just won't quit : Richard Gelinas, Stewart Matthews and Alix Sideris.

Here are the details:
Showdates - Feb 8th to the 17th, 8pm with Saturday matinées at 4pm
Tickets are 24$ for adults and 18$ for students/seniors
Performed at Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Avenue
Call (613) 236-1425 for ticket reservation.

Wanna see a show this week?

I've tried many times to upload the darn poster for the show, but I'm having technological difficulties. So unfortunately, you'll all have to deal with my shameless self-promotion in simple word format.... and in french.

JOHN de Wajdi Mouawad
Mise en scène par Natalie Joy Quesnel, Anne-Marie Riel et Anne-Marie White
Laboratoire de mise en scène - Production du Théâtre du Trillium
Du 17 au 20 janvier 2007, 20h
La Nouvelle Scène, 333 King Edward
Billets - 16.50$

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Trillium's directing labs, here's info. The Trillium normally takes one text (or many different segments of a same text) and allows three different directors with three different casts to take a crack at them. In this case, all three directors are working with the entire short one-act John, which centers around the suicide of a 16 year old and his older sister's way of coping with the tragedy. It's not exactly a light, happy evening, but it should be an interesting one. I don't have a clear idea of how the other two directors are approaching the text, but based on their set, I'm quite curious.

After each show, there's a discussion between the audience, the actors and the directors. The shows could (and are meant to) evolve from night. It's quite a neat project to be involved with. I'm the youngest director of the bunch, so I'm feeling a bit of pressure, but I'm sure all will go swimmingly on Wednesday.

Hope to see you there!

Why I love being a bilingual artist in Ottawa.

Journée Internationale des Bénévoles

International Volunteer Day

I have a masters... and theatre still makes me feel stupid sometimes.

Thursday was a busy day of theatre for me. I saw One Yellow Rabbit’s Dream Machine at 12:30 with a bunch of high school and college students. In the evening, I saw the opening night performance of Third Wall’s Dr. Faustus.

I always feel a little odd expressing my opinions about theatre on my blog. I have a feeling a lot more people read this little journal than I would normally expect. Every once and a while a comment from someone I haven’t spoken to in a while will be left, or I’ll meet someone on the street and find out they’ve been avid readers. I greatly respect and admire most of the people who read this and would never want to accidentally hurt or insult anyone. I guess that’s why some of us bloggers have felt the need to make that clear before someone reads our latest post.

Anywho… Dream Machine.
I didn’t get it.
Ok, yes, this might sound weird coming from a woman who recently directed a Tristan Tzara play… but I just didn’t get it.
I don’t mind plays that aren’t linear. Let’s face it, non-linear is the new linear. I accept and enjoy that, but this play was so non-linear that it didn’t make much sense to me at all.
And I agree that plays don’t have to “make sense” to be good plays, but then I at least have to be fully captivated by something in the performance to compensate for the lack of continuity/plot/logic. The performers in this play were great, no doubt. So were the musicians. But they didn’t grab me like I had hoped. I found the women more captivating than the men, but it still wasn’t enough to keep my full interest for an hour and a half. I was trying to explain to someone what bothered me about the performance, but didn’t do a good job without gesticulating like crazy… but I’ll still try to explain it here in writing.

The staging of a play can also be called a “physical score” (a term I was taught by a professor and friend of mine). Like a musical score, written down on a page, a physical score can be repeated exactly, broken down, rhythmically adjusted and examined. Simply put, an example of a physical score can be “person walks from point A to point B, taking four steps starting with the right foot.” What makes a physical score performed by one person different from another person’s is the “underscore”. (Or “subtext” if you want to get all Stanislavskian.) So the underscore for one person could be “it’s as if I’m stepping towards the man of my dreams” and for another person it could be “it’s as if I am a robot testing out my new legs.”… different underscore, same score. The problem I had with Dream Machine was, though the physical score was beautiful to watch, I didn’t always get the feeling that the underscore was clear for each performer. Not that, as a spectator, I’m supposed to be able to read the underscore. However, if the underscore is clear to each performer and they perform it with belief and sincerity, they create a certain presence for themselves on stage that makes it difficult for an audience member to not be captivated by it.

And now, on to Doctor Faustus.
I’m biased. Stewart is in the production and, as usual, he’s great fun to watch.
Did I like the show? Yes.
Do I think it’s a great show? Not quite yet.
Do I think it has the potential to be a great show? Definitely.
The set, costumes and lighting are fantastic. The directorial concept is a very interesting one and does succeed in making a classic text more accessible to today’s audience. However, I wish it had gone further in that vein and therefore I found it a little inconsistent with its choices. I enjoyed the updating so much that I wanted more of it. The audience is allowed to laugh, but I felt we were not quite given the “permission” to do so until a little late in the play. (I don’t want to give too much away, so you’ll have to see the show and form your own opinion!)
I also sometimes felt that the actors weren’t always 100% sure of what they were saying, so therefore it made it difficult for the audience to fully understand… but I think that’s something that might be ironed out with future performances.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening and definitely recommendable.

Oh, and to answer recent comments on my last post… no I will not be doing my PHD… even though Bamfaphd does have a nice ring to it! The MFA is a terminal degree, (sounds serious doesn’t it?) and therefore I can’t go directly to the doctorate level unless I get equivalent M.A. courses. I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon… if ever! I’m too tired to go back to school.

You may now call me "Master".

It's official. I can now say that I am:

Natalie Joy Quesnel B.A. M.F.A.

"... and Bamfa was her name-o!"

Sorry... being silly.

Anyway, convocation was as long and boring as I remembered it. The only highlight was Todd Duckworth blowing a kiss to the audience when he got his diploma and me shushing my husband and mother when they yelled their guts out when my name was called. Otherwise, the whole event was blah. The theatre department had a little reception afterwards and my parents organised a little party for me after that... both were lovely. I'm a very lucky girl to have such good friends and family.

Do I feel any different now that I officially have my masters? Not really. Though I definitely have more confidence in myself as a person in general.

Someone asked me recently what I was planning on doing with this degree... I honestly said that I didn't know. Well, that's not quite right. I don't know exactly because I plan on doing it all. Acting, directing, teaching, producing, mothering, wifing (ok... so that's not really a word), dramaturging (also not really a word), administering, etc. My problem is that I don't know where to start. I love too many things and I know that I can't spread myself too thin anymore.... my migraine head just can't take it.

I'm looking forward to November and December. I'm moving into a new place. Prepping to direct two shows. Doing my standard dinner theatre thing. Making Christmas soaps (don't question or judge, please!) Spending time to re-evaluate what I want to do after that. The one thing I remember from the grad ceremony was how much the vice-rector stressed that it's normal for university grads to not know what to do after graduation... and it's because there is usually a multitude of possibilities in front of us. It's all very exciting and scary and fun.

On another note, I'm going to see One Yellow Rabbit's Dream Machine on Thursday with my Algonquin students. I'm looking forward to sitting in a theatre again. It's one of my favorite places to be. I'm also going to see Third Wall's Faustus opening on Thursday. Hey, maybe if I sleep with one of the actors I could get a comp?!