Grinder's Grumblings

At least these two seem well-prepared It's been a long, long time since I tried rehearsing a play in January. It can be done here on the farm but it's not easy, and you have to have actors with some very steely resolve. Not that anyone would be able to get up the driveway right now anyways - even the four wheel drive isn't enough to tackle the drifts.  And it's also a busy time at the day job (annual maintenance) and on the farm - January is kidding season for us, and while things got off to slow start today was another day of multiple births, with many more definitely coming in the hours and days ahead. Apologies for the lack of pictures - there just hasn't been time.  But even with no rehearsals, lousy weather, long days at the top of a ladder and long nights in the barn I still have room in my thoughts for the summer, and getting ready for the shows that we're planning to do. It's something to think about after I'm tired of pushing through all the str...

Year of the Blue Jay? Dear friends and fans of Grinder Productions, Happy New Year! As always, this is the day when I announce the shows that I'm planning to do in the coming year. Sometimes I have a theme, sometimes I don't. For 2026 there is no theme, just a couple of shows that I hope you'll enjoy.  Our first show is called Dirty Deeds at Handlebar Dan's House of Old Wives, or, How Sally Simple Saved the Sarsaparilla Saloon. This is a “gay-nineties” melodrama (think of it as the American version of a Panto, if that helps). It calls for exaggerated, over-the-top performances. Actors shouldn't hold back, or try to over-analyse characters, and the audience is encouraged to cheer for the heroes, boo for the villains, and have as much fun as the actors on stage.  Instead of our usual set-up, for this play we're going to transform the Ennotville Library into Handlebar Dan's, with the patrons seated at tables, cabaret-style. Maybe we'll even get Dan to serv...