I love openings!

Opening night, that is!

We had 87 people attend the first ever performance of Without a Clue.

It went great. The audience was exactly what we had hoped for: attentive, giggled in the right places, guffawed in more places than we had imagined. We even got spontaneous applause mid-show! (You'll have to come and see it to figure out where that might have happened.)

All in all, through the nervousness and excitement, the cast was very pleased.

The director in me thinks we could have been more grounded in our "franticness" (if that makes any sense). I also felt our pacing was a little off in places. But the "notes" I got from fellow actor friends were generally very positive, which was reassuring.

We have our first of two 11pm performances tonight... keeping my fingers crossed for a large-ish crowd!

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.

It has begun!

The first online contest of the Ottawa Fringe has begun ! You could win a gift certificate to Elgin Street Diner. Check it out!

Shopping List for Tomorrow

- Acrylic paint - red, green, yellow, purple, blue, white
- piece of canvas - 10 feet long by 18 feet wide
- a van to transport said piece of canvas
- 3 rolls of matte black gaff tape
- 5 rolls of hockey tape
- pasta sauce
- fake blood
- frying pan
- drinks cart

... all in a day's work.

An extra bit of news

I totally forgot to mention that the Ottawa Fringe Opening Night Party is scheduled for Wednesday June 18th, sometime after 7:30pm. There are no shows that night, so it's the perfect opportunity to come to the Courtyard (at the corner of Waller and Daly) and schmooze before performances start. THIS EVENT IS BY INVITATION ONLY.

On another side note, the Enigma Productions site has been updated thanks to my lovely friend Marc Connor. We don't have much there yet, but more will be added in the weeks leading to the festival.

As a bit of a random teaser, here's a small video of us rehearsing a section of the show. I'll leave it totally out of context for you... so you'll have to come see the show to know what's going on!

Basking in the glow...

... of finally staging my Fringe show!

We had an excellent rehearsal today. All major players were there and we finally finished staging the show, with just 2 and a half weeks to spare before opening! To some people, this would sound crazy, but not to me. We've done incredibly well with the time we've had. It hasn't been easy coordinating 7 people's schedules. Most rehearsals we haven't had all of the actors available. But today we finally finished it. Now all that's left is to polish, learn the lines, make the set, organise the props, contact the media, market the show and hope someone comes to see it.

Ouch.
We'll be fine.
We always are.
The show must go on.
It always does.

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.

You know what time it is...

It's Show Time!

...oh...and...

Christmas Time!!!

Still struggling to find that perfect gift for the person who has everything? Then look no further! Why don't you treat them to a wonderful evening with Ottawa Little Theatre and the Zucchini Grotto Theatre Company? Their next co-production is sure to warm any cold hearts and souls during this holiday season.


With beautiful musical direction by Wendy Berkelaar, choreography by Maria Mespolet, stage direction by moi and staring the amazing Sean Brennen, Nicole Milne, Sarah Lynn Strange and Shaun Toohey, this is not to be missed. The show is a compilation of classic and modern musical theatre numbers that celebrate all aspects of life.

Life Up On A Wicked Stage
Performed at Ottawa Little Theatre (400 King Edward St.)
December 27th-29th 2007 and January 3rd-5th 2008
8pm
Tickets can be bought at the door or by calling the OLT box office at 613.233.8948