My Helium Profile... in case you wanted to know

Eric Goudie is a freelance writer and theatrical entrepreneur enjoying a rich, diverse and fulfilling career as a creative person in the arts.

As a teenager, Eric had a poem published by the Poetry Institute of Canada, and was a recipient of the Dorothy Shoemaker Literary Award for Fiction. He wrote, produced and directed his first play, "To Be a Friend" while still in high school and participated for two years in the Lions Club Effective Speaking Contest, each time advancing to the pronvicial finals in his age category.

After earning his undergraduate degree in English and Drama from the University of Guelph Eric started Grinder Productions, realizing his dream of running his own theatre company. His first play was an original production called Seeing Red, or the story of Little Red Riding Hood your Mother didn't tell you, which was subsequently published as part of the Canadian Amateur Playwrights Catalogue through Questex Consulting Ltd.

Since then Eric has gone on to write many more full-length and one-act plays, almost exclusively for production with his own company, though theatres from across Canada and the United States have read and expressed interest in his works. He has also published a how-to manual for Production Managers entitled "Tech Theatre 101," which is available for purchase (along with many of his plays) at his online storefront at lulu.com.

Besides writing plays Eric is also active on Grinder's Grumblings, his company's blog, where he serves up daily information about what's going on at Grinder, as well as more general thoughts on the evolving state of theatrical practice in Canada and around the world.

Eric's newest literary pursuit is writing for Helium, where he has amassed a large and diverse portfolio of articles on subjects ranging from performing Shakespeare to tips for preventing mailbox vandalism. He is an editor for the site, as well as the Channel Steward for Theatre and Drama, and enjoys the opportunity to collaborate with his fellow writers to constantly improve the quality and quantity of writing that can be found on Helium.

Besides writing, Eric volunteers his time and expertise as a technician at the Fergus Grand Theatre, performing regular annual maintenance on the equipment and serving as a consultant on the purchase of new lighting, sound and staging gear for the building. He has also volunteered with Guelph Little Theatre, Galt Little Theatre, the Owen Sound Summerfolk Festival and many, many others.

Eric has worked professionally as a Stage Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Set Designer, Lighting Designer, Production Manager and Technician, and has been involved in projects with some of the best and brightest in Canadian Theatre, including Norm Foster, Brian MacKay and Doug Beattie, as well as recording artists La Toya Lesmond, The McCarrel Sisters and Juno Award winner Carlos Morgan.

Eric lives in a 150-year-old log cabin on a farm just north of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with two cats and Julie, the love of his life.

Click here for my complete "About Me" page, where you'll find links to all of my articles.