Grinder's Grumblings

Eric Goudie’s Creative Resume Phone: Available upon request  Email: grinder@grinderproductions.org Summary I am a creative professional with a large and diverse skill set, seeking contract employment in a wide variety of fields. While the bulk of my experience has been in the live performance and freelance writing industries there are many different types of jobs that I am qualified to do. I believe in building positive long-term relationships with my clients through hard work, excellent communications, and an ongoing commitment to our mutual success. Employment (selected) Theatre Owner/Operator          Grinder Productions               Sept 2003 – Present Professional Lighting Design      Touchmark Theatre               March 2009 Freelance Writer a...

Come see it!

Welcome to the 18 Carat Blog series. Over the next six weeks between now and opening night we’ll be featuring weekly guest posts here on the blog from some of the people who make Grinder the great theatre company that it is. You’ll hear from actors in our current production, as well as a few alums from shows gone by. I’ve also asked a few special guests to give us their thoughts as well. I’ve asked each blogger to answer a fairly simple question – what it feels like to work on a show, and how has theatre improved their lives. I haven’t been looking for deep, dreary philosophical musings on the nature of art – this is community theatre, and it’s supposed to be a fun experience, first and foremost. I want to know how people are “getting their kicks” when it comes to theatre. Tune in next week for our first post, by someone involved in our current production. In the meantime, don’t forget to purchase your tickets now for The 18 Carat Bumpkin, going up October 14 th and 15 th at the...

It's now the Monday morning after the Saturday night before, and Life and Death is in the books. Thank-you to everyone who came out and made this show a success. While this wasn't the largest or most complex show I've ever done it was a very rewarding project to work on. Sadly, I never did quite reach that "buzz" that I was hoping to attain at the outset of the process - too many things just didn't go our way for that to happen. Despite this, I don't feel embittered or wanting this Monday morning - it was a good show, and we did a good job with it. I proved to myself that you can survive a heart attack and go on to direct a decent play. I'd say that alone is accomplishment enough. Now the hard work begins. Now we begin preparations in earnest (though they've been going on quietly for some time already) for The 18 Carat Bumpkin. I'm really looking forward to this project, but for different reasons than I was for Life and Death. That show was...

It seems that Life and Death is finally having its coming-of-age. We had our first really difficult rehearsal last night, when for the first time we encountered some real challenges when it came to making the material palatable to everyone. While we were only concerned with a small, eight-minute chunk of the production I'm struck by how large and difficult the obstacles this one little segment presented to us. In the past this would have been the sort of thing that would have devastated me - how can I make this material work for everyone involved? I would have spent days wracking my brain for some sort of rationalization, and probably would have come up short. In all likelihood I would have made the problem worse. Instead I simply asked the cast to take a leap of faith, and trust that between the strengths inherent in the script, my directorial eye, and their abilities as actors that we would prevail. I wouldn't have done that even a few years ago. I wouldn't have taken...

Another day, another month, another summer slipping by all too quickly - for all the things that have changed in my life some things, like the passage of time, seem to stay the same. We got a lot accomplished this past weekend on the organizational front - moved some materials, made some improvements to the livestock feeding arrangements, and put a major dent in the ongoing efforts to simplify life around the house. So much for sitting down and taking it easy. Now that I'm back into the weekly grind (even if it's only a short week) I've got to see if I can translate at least some of that productivity and creative empowerment into substantive improvements on the professional front. Over the past few weeks I've found myself coasting a little in rehearsals, working from rote instead from inspiration, and while the creative writing seems to be doing okay the non-creative aspect of my writing is in a certifiable rut - even this blog has seen better days. Patience is a ...

We had a good rehearsal last night, I think - the play was run, worked through bit-by-bit, and then run again. Good questions were asked, good choices were made, and by the end of the evening there was a noticeable improvement in both the look and the sound of the entire piece. A small step, perhaps, but an important one for me, as I soldier on in my quest for creative renewal. To be honest I was exhausted last night - between the early morning wake-up (plus the light sleep the night before), a day of heavy farm work, four hours of production work, and the oppressive heat, I had to hold onto the side of the barn just to stay upright. Despite this I think we had one of our better rehearsals. Such is the lifeblood of theatre. But I can't rest on my laurels, or congratulate myself on a job well done - at least not yet. A good base like this must be built upon, improved upon, and the opportunity must not be missed. Seize the moment. Suck less. But how? Certainly my preparations...

You take it all so casual, second nature to you now, You drive away assuming that you'll make it back somehow Life and death, life and death a whisper in the air...                                            - John Gray, from the musical 18 Wheels It seems that I've finally figured out where I'd heard the phrase "Life and Death" before. I was the ASM on this irrverernt masterpiece of Canadian musical theatre back in the 90's. It's a production that features an actual semi truck on stage (or at least we made it look like it was a real truck) and while it's not the deepest show I've ever done (it's written entirely in rhyming couplets) it is one of my fonder memories of my time in the rat race. It was a show that brought out some of the better skills in me (and it was around t...

I'm listening to tracks that I might want to use in Life and Death right now, and I have to admit that it's having quite the experience on me. I've been adamant for some time now that one of the ways I was going to suck less when it came to theatre was to pay more attention to the sound design - less utilitarian filler, more compelling narrative and counter-narrative. The effect is, in this case, faith. No, I haven't found God (or organized religion - many people confuse the two). I haven't found anything new per se, but I do get the feeling that I'm beginning to rediscover a part of myself that has been lost for some time, a part of myself that comes from making great theatre. I'm psyched for rehearsal this evening, despite being considerably tired. Maybe because we'll have everyone we need there tonight (someone better knock some wood). Maybe it's because we're moving into the second half of the play tonight, towards the plays that are perh...

One of the most-read and most-loved posts I ever wrote back in the old days of these Grumblings was this one entitled Where have all the Cowboys gone? , a reference to the song of the same name by Paula Cole and its ironic depiction of male responsibility. At the time I was quite frustrated with the large number of men that were flaking out on their commitments to my shows, in many cases after rehearsals had already begun. While that summer wasn't the end of Grinder by any means it was perhaps the summer where the "casting curse" as I call it had its coming-of-age party. I no longer find it surprising, or even particularly upsetting, when someone, male or female, drops out of a show. It's not the crisis that it used to be - I don't lose sleep over it anymore. Another director might see losing a cast member as a unique and unthinkable catastrophe, but I've almost come to expect it. It's not that I'm confident of finding other actors to replace the one...

It's been a few months since I've written anything here, and much longer then that since I've written anything of real substance. In fact it's been a long time since I've managed to produce much of anything as a essayist, playwright or blogger of any sort - I've been in the proverbial creative rut. The time has come to write again. Time to make a new beginning, a fresh start. So much has changed in my life since I began blogging - I've got a home to call my own, set in picturesque surroundings, and I'm married to the most wonderful woman the world has ever known. Recently I've also become student-debt free (yay!), and suffered a mild heart attack (damn). Time for a fresh start. I don't know when I'll post, or what I'll post - lots of ideas are running through my head. I'll still be sure to blog about what's going on at Grinder, but I hope that from now on my posts will be more philosophical than commercial (though there will s...

Just a reminder - it's almost here - seating is limited, so talk to any cast member or call to reserve your seats today!

It's been a while since I've done a show - months - which for me is an eternity. It's so great to be back to the cut-and-thrust of creative collaboration, and even greater to be working on this very special project. This is a co-production between Grinder productions and up-and-coming local playwright Vince Masson, who's bringing his work to the stage for the very first time. The show is called Crime and Passion, and it is actually a collection of five 1-act plays, three by Vince and two by yours truly. It will be performed March 26 th at 2pm and 8pm at the Ennotville Library. The first half of the show, Crime, revolves around illicit activities. “I enjoy the idea of regular people getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances, especially when it pertains to crime,” Vince says. “Stories where straight-laced, regular people can become entangled in criminal activity is something I’ve explored heavily in these plays, and I’m really looking forward to seeing...

Grinder Productions, in collaboration with up-and-coming local playwright Vince Masson is pleased to present Crime and Passion, a collection of 5 one-act plays on Saturday, March 26th at 2pm and 8pm at the Ennotville Library. Come on out and be a part of a new writer's world premiere! Warning: These plays contain some coarse language and mature humour. Viewer discretion is advised.

Actors wanted for new playwright’s world premiere Grinder Productions is working in collaboration with up-and-coming local playwright Vince Masson to bring his plays to the stage for the very first time. Masson, along with Grinder’s Creative and Executive Director Eric Goudie will be holding open auditions on Sunday, January 16 th at 7pm at the Elora Centre for the Arts. The show being cast is called Crime and Passion, and is actually a collection of five 1-act plays, three by Masson and two by Goudie. It will be performed March 26 th at 2pm and 8pm at the Ennotville Library. Masson’s plays form the first half of the show, and all revolve around illicit activities. “I enjoy the idea of regular people getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances, especially when it pertains to crime,” says Masson. “Stories where straight-laced, regular people can become entangled in criminal activity is something I’ve explored heavily in these plays, and I’m really looking f...