Grinder's Grumblings

I'll likely have some news to announce next week regarding our upcoming summer season. It'll be good news, I'm pretty sure, and I really want to spread the word now, but I can't just for the moment. Tune in next week!

It's been a long few months out here at the homestead. A lot has transpired, from a new bathroom that never seemed to be finished to health issues that never seemed to get resolved to physical and emotional exhaustion from the pressure of starting all of that at 5:20am every morning. Oh yeah, and it's winter, with all of its attendant challenges (cold, biting winds, snow, ice, cold, cold and did I mention the friggin' cold? - I see now how easy it is for people to get Seasonal Affective Disorder - sunlight or no sunlight). Through it all the world's greatest wife has been there beside me, thank goodness. Without her I surely would have gone over the edge. As it is I find it difficult enough simply to concentrate on the tasks at hand - between the sleep deprivation and the peculiarities of a creative mind I feel like I'm a self-whipping mule sometimes. Writing helps, when I can do it, which is why I'm so candidly blogging away here today. To express some of ...

Apparently April 23rd is Hug an Actor/Techie/Theatre Geek Day. It's probably got nothing on World Theatre Day (that would be March 27th - the day of our open auditions) but hey, it's still another reason to celebrate who we are and what we do, and there's nowhere near enough of that going on these days. Here's the link to the Facebook group .

We've got just over a month until our open auditions on March 27th. If you're looking to just come on out, have some fun and do some cold reads from the shows this season there isn't really much preparation you need to do (although it might be a good idea to bring your calendar). But if you're interested in performing a prepared audition piece here's a few things you should keep in mind: Memorise your piece. Nothing screams "I don't have what it takes" like drying in the middle of your monologue. Nail the lines cold. Slow down. The people who are watching your audition have never heard your monologue before, and no matter how eager they may be to hear it they can't if you talk too fast. It's a performance. Treat your audition with as much seriousness as you would a show. Again, we're looking for a professional attitude and commitment. There's no shame if you don't feel like you can do all of this, or all of the other things t...

There's been a lot of activity going on recently at the Fergus Grand Theatre. New draperies have been installed onstage, and some badly needed backstage clean-up and repairs have been done. The new draperies are a direct result of the Trillium Grant currently being overseen by a collaborative of user groups of the Fergus Grand. Grinder Productions is pleased to be a member of this collaborative, doing our part to ensure the signature theatrical venue in our community remains a viable, vibrant space for years to come. It's the "for years to come" part that I find the most important part of the whole project. The Grand is over 80 years old already - she needs constant care and attention to be kept in suitable shape for live performance, and as much as these new draperies are a welcome (and badly, badly needed) addition what's just as important is the sense of ownership amongst the user groups that this sort of collaboration can generate. What's happening here...

Check this one out, and please feel free to let me know what you think! The most influential Canadian figures of the 20th Century

This is one of the Helium articles I wrote recently on the topic "What is Canadian Nationalism?" Of course only an American company would ask such an unanswerable question, but I decided to take a stab it. Take a look , and see if you agree with me.

We found this in a bunch of old pictures on Jules’ camera – she thought she had sent me everything Grinder that she had, but these were new to me! So here’s a long overdue look of the cast of Frankenstein, quite possibly the largest, most technically complex play we’ve ever done (okay, so Noises Off was pretty close too). From left to right: Herbert Chamberlain, Sara Dunbar, Rachel Behling, Eric Regimbald, Gavin Baumbach, Brad Rooke, Mike Sutherland, Dean Dunbar, Kenton Kruger and Mathew Sega. The production was directed by Georgie Landry. Oh, the memories…

2010 Auditions – Synopsis of Available Roles Here’s a sample of what we’re looking for this summer – there are just too many plays to list every role –surely there’s a part that will be a fit for you! Play (Dates) Roles Chaucer Uncensored (May 9 th – July 3 rd ) Act 1: The Miller’s Tale John, the cuckolded husband Alison, his pure young wife Nicholas, a young scholar Absolon, the lusty parish clerk Graves, a blacksmith Act 2: The Reeve’s Tale Simkin, a Miller His Wife His grown daughter John, a young scholar Alan, another young scholar (actors may have one role in each act) Godiva’s Children (May 23 rd – July 17 th ) Leslie Godiva, a hard-working single mother in her 40’s Jerome, Leslie’s teenaged son Lola, Leslie’s teenaged daughter Roughing It (June 6 th – July 31 st ) Row...

My apologies that all of this week's posting have looked more like Tweets (yes, I do that sometimes too). It's been kind of crazy around the Impressario's house this week (and the last few) so since I thought a few short lines to keep in touch was better than none at all I made sure to sit down and write these few in a spare moment. More in-depth content to return next week!

... but good luck to all our Canadian athletes at the Vancouver Olympics!

We had a bit of technical glitch with the website last week - the webmaster! So the Februrary edition of the newsletter wasn't up on February 1st as planned. Fortunately the situation has now been rectified - sorry for the inconvenience.

I've been talking a lot lately about our upcoming open auditions, but it's not just the actors who make a season happen. There's a whole slew of backstage jobs that need to be done, from design to construction to stage management and everything else in between. These are the places where the unsung heroes of theatre production live, and it's an area that we need people more than ever. No matter what your area of interest or your level of skill we have plenty of opportunities for you to help us out this summer. Why not join us? Call 519-780-7593 or e-mail grinder@grinderproduc tions.org and we can talk further!

I did the math on the weekend - we've got over 100 roles to fill this summer! We need people from all ages, backgrounds and walks of life to be in our shows. People who would like to rehearse during the day, during the evening, during the week or on the weekends. We have a show that will fit every schedule, and I can guarantee that anyone who comes on out with a smile on their face and the right attitude is going to be offered a role somewhere in our vast summer season! Please call 519-780-7593 or e-mail grinder@grinderproductions.org for more information or to book your time slot today. Auditions will he held on Saturday, March 27th (yes, World Theatre Day!) at the Ennotville Library.

Beat the crowd! We're now taking bookings for all types of auditions. Here's a breakdown of how the day is going to go. Call 519-780-7593 or e-mail grinder@grinderproductions.org and book your spot today! The auditions for our 2010 season will take place on Saturday, March 27 th at the Ennotville Library. There will be several different auditions throughout the day, so please take a moment to look at each of the categories below to see which type of audition you are best suited for. Children’s Auditions: 9am – 12pm (1 hour sessions) Kids between the ages of 8 and 14 are invited to come and show us their stuff. No experience or preparation is necessary, just wear loose, comfortable clothing and be prepared to have some fun! Through games, improvs and other exercises we’ll find the best part for you, and get you involved in one of our Saturday morning shows this summer! Open Reading: 1pm – 5pm (1 hour sessions) Anyone aged 15 and over is invited to ...

Mackenzie awoke to the sound of the vacuum cleaner out in the lobby. She glanced down at her watch: 9:43 am. Reluctantly she willed herself to sit up, but as she opened her eyes the black curtains around her began to spin. She put her hand to her head. Then suddenly she felt her stomach start to do summersaults. Oh no. A minute or so of throwing up in the backstage washroom later and Mackenzie’s head was feeling a bit better, even though the rest of her now felt as if she’d been whipped at the stake. She flushed the toilet, cleaned herself up as best as she could, then gingerly headed out to the auditorium. Steven and LLG were both laying across several seats in the front row. Like Mackenzie, they had spent the night at the theatre after the strike. By the time the set was down, the props put away, the costumes washed and the lighting returned to the house plot the cast party had long since ended and Frank and the actors had gone to bed, so the Techies (alon...

Happy Groundhog day! Newsletter is on the website (you may need to refresh your browser). It contains lots of important info for anyone who's interested in auditioning - like what the roles are! Check it out.

There's a writing contest on Helium right now that I'm working on. It's the "Title Madness" contest, an ongoing event that offers writers the chance to put up a bunch of articles on topics around a similar theme. Presumably in preparation for an expected upswing in traffic during the Olympics there's currently a "Canada" contest. I'm writing furiously as fast as I can to fill as many of these titles with high-quality articles. Check out the leaderboard and see how I'm doing, and then enjoy some of the articles! http://writing-contests.helium.com/marketingcontest/leaderboard/1036?cms=title-madness