Grinder's Grumblings

It's cold here at castle Grinder this morning - getting out of bed wasn't a lot of fun, and while I think the furnace is good to go the world's greatest wife and I are holding out as long as we can for fear of the exhorbitant cost of heating oil (though I actually think the price is quite reasonable at the moment, so we should probably place our order soon before it goes up any further). So here I sit, cold and alone (even the cats have left for the morning), finally able to digest some of what I have been through in the last few days. The last week or so of my life has been lived in more or less of a daze. I can't go into the specific details of what has occurred, except to say that a number of people have done a number of things of their own accords (and not in concert with each other) that when taken together served to push me over the edge. I snapped. I lost control of my feelings, shed the usual stoic optimism that I've found to be essential for surviving in t...

Sorry to keep leaving little teasers like this. The car broke down, and I've been all day fixing it. Between that and driving all over the place trying to get wives and actors where they need to be there hasn't been much time for me to collect my thoughts. Tomorrow, with any luck...

I'm writing this in the middle of an electrical storm, and I don't really think I should be online at all right now, so just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm still here, alive and kicking before I shut down the computer. Once the storm outside my door and the storm inside my head clears there's going to be one mother of a rant coming in the next day or two. A few things have happened in the past few days that need some sorting out....

Well it looks like we've made it through another week. Unlike many of my previous posts, this one is in real-time, at 7:08 am on a Friday after a long, hard, exhausting week. This week was filled with much the same things as every other: insomnia, intermittent illnesses and more highs and lows than a lithium factory. Sometimes I think I'm living in the twilight zone. But through the usual fog this week has also come something a bit different, I think. Something that says to my "wait a minute. Something has changed." I finally rid my to-do list of the backlog of work that had been piling up since the wedding. Yes, there are still things to do, but for the first time it doesn't seem insurmountable. It looks as if it actually is possible to get through the day, do what needs getting done, and not fall asleep worried sick about everything that didn't get done. It's possible, just possible, that I might be getting caught up once again, or maybe for the f...

Here's a few of my latest articles on Helium - please check them out! How to use your blog to keep customers informed Recovering from a business failure The Negative Side of Blogging As you can imagine, these are topics that I've had a little experience with over the years... Would you like to write for Helium? If so, just send me an e-mail at grinder@grinderproductions.org and I'll invite you through the site's "Invite a Writer" feature. And as always, you can check out my all my articles and my newly-revised bio on my "About Me" page, available here .

It’s going to get a little intriguing in Ennotville this October. Grinder Productions is pleased to present Marriage is Murder, a mystery-comedy by Nick Hall as the first show of the fall and winter season at the Ennotville Library. This murderously funny comedy is about ex-spouses Paul and Polly Butler, two murder mystery writers that penned a few bestsellers when they were married, but have failed to make much use of their talents on their own. The secret to their success (and perhaps their marriage) was that they tested out the murders in their books… on each other! This play is filled with comic twists and turns right up to the very end. It is part murder-mystery, part farce and part reality, with both characters walking an extremely fine line between “acting” their murderous ideas and actually carrying them out. Starring in this show are Eric and Julie Goudie, in their first show together as husband and wife. While they may not share Paul and Polly’s animosity towards each o...

For Grinder and Friends, our Christmas show December 3rd, 4th and 5th at the Ennotville Library. Bring your talents and we'll work you in! Call 519-780-7593 or e-mail grinder@grinderproductions.org if you are interested in being a part of this event.

I went in to the Parks and Recreation Office the other day to request our dates for the 2010 season at the Belwood Hall. It's imperative that I get those bookings in well in advance so that we get the dates we want - even one year out there's still no guarantees that we'll get the dates we want. Yes, we will be back at the Belwood Hall in 2010. We'll also be at the Ennotville Library, with both a summer and a winter season to boot. We'll be back the Elora Centre for the Arts on October 6th for "By Jove!" a one-act dinner theatre show we'll be doing in conjunction with the Sensational Elora Festival, and I hope to book some more dates at the Centre for shows next year. With any luck we'll even be able to bring a show back to the Fergus Grand Theatre in 2010 (though I'm not ready to commit firmly to that just yet). It's true that Grinder has taken quite a few body blows over the last few months. We've weathered the worst of the econ...

Stole this off of a Facebook Profile. It's old hat to me, but nice to know The Technician's Bible is still being taught in post-secondary institutions the world over: Theatrical Logic: In is down, down is front Out is up, up is back Off is out, on is in And of course- Left is right and right is left A drop shouldn't and a Block and fall does neither A prop doesn't and A cove has no water Tripping is OK A running crew rarely gets anywhere A purchase line buys you nothing A trap will not catch anything A gridiron has nothing to do with football Strike is work (in fact A LOT of work) A a green room, thank god, usually isn't Now that you're fully versed in Theatrical terms, Break a leg. But not really.

It's been a rough few days here at Grinder. The world's greatest wife has been off sick all week, and she's not exactly a model patient, so I've spent a great deal of time looking after her and not nearly enough time looking after the company, let alone the blog. And now that she's just started feeling better I'm coming down with a variation of whatever it is she's had for the past few days. While I doubt my illness will be nearly as severe as hers (a few winters in a cold, cold rehearsal hall does wonders for your immunity) it is shaping up to be a week of trying to work through the congestion, runny nose and vomitting of your run-of-the-mill seasonal affliction (and no, we're not talking H1N1 here - I'm sure we'll get that the week before Christmas). And to top it all off, unlike the world's greatest wife, I don't get to call in sick, and if I don't work I just fall farther behind. So, there's a lot to be done this week; By Jo...

Grinder Productions is a member of the "Users of the Fergus Grand Theatre," a collaborative organization that has been brought together to oversee the application of the grant that was applied for and received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation this past summer. As a member of that group we are expected to undertake a share of the activities that are required to achieve the grant's outcomes, as assigned at regular monthly meetings of the collaborative. This month we have been tasked with generating a list of all the theatre groups in Wellington, Waterloo and Dufferin counties. This list includes community theatres, semi-professional groups, senior's drama groups and high school drama clubs and departments, in addition to other community-based organizations with a live performance component. Our reason for generating this list will be to ensure that the entire region will receive information about the extensive series of workshops that we are offering as part of thi...

Available here , folks. I've included a couple of wedding pictures this month as well, because apparently people want to see some. Enjoy!

It's that time again. Time for the most momentous un-official non-holiday of the year - the first day back to school. While few recognize it, and even fewer are willing to admit it, there's a societal sea-change afoot once the kids go back - routines become more established, the frenetic pace of summer fun is replaced with the mindless drugery of home and work, and families spend a little less time together. Even if you don't have kids there's an adjustment to be made - no more dropping by your buddy's place for a beer at 9pm - the kids are already in bed. So what does the return of mediocrity and subservitude mean for theatre? Well, for one thing it signals an end to the summer season, theatre's busiest time (at least in this country). While a few companies do spill their seasons over into September most are now gearing up for their fall seasons, a time that can be quite lucrative, or quite slow, depending on the venue. Most everyone will be looking forwa...