Grinder's Grumblings

I'm handling the tech this weekend for Wingfield on Ice, the 5th installment in the Wingfield Farm series of plays. These plays feature Rod Beattie as Walt Wingfield, the Bay Street stock broker turned farmer. Directed by his brother Doug, Rod plays a multitude of characters in this one-man show, written by Dan Needles (of Harrowsmith's Country Living, for those of you familiar with the magazine). This is some top-notch Canadian theatre, right in our very own Fergus Grand Theatre. The Wingfield shows have over 3500 performances to their credit - all with same actor - and they have played in Canada and the US, as well as been adapted for television by CBC. I can't think of a better example of "getting it right" when it comes to theatre than these plays. Click here for info and tickets. May 29th and 30th at the Fergus Grand Theatre.

Click here to get your tickets!

Here it is again, in case you haven't seen it already - the best season subscription packadge in summer theatre - $10 per show! The Grinder Card works just like a season ticket, but instead of being tied to a specific venue or series of shows it is tied only to you. Your $100 card is good for ten admissions to any Grinder show, in any venue, at any time. You only come to the shows you want, when you want, where you want. Come alone and use one admission, or bring a date and use two, it’s up to you. The Grinder Card. It’s fast, easy and even makes a great gift. Get yours by calling 519-780-7593, via e-mail at grinder@grinderproductions.org, or better yet, just see me after the show and I’ll sell you one on the spot!

I was talking with a fellow member of Grinder Productions the other night, and we got to talking about all the Grinder people that we knew who had gone on to "bigger and better things" - be it careers in film, modelling, Broadway, etc - Grinder has been the starting place for people who have wound up in these and other places. We then lamented our own lack of advancement "in the biz," but then quickly recanted, realizing how much satisfaction we had both taken from the years of working on shows in our simple journeyman's existence. We are the cottage industry of theatre, the grass-roots of a creative force that ends, not begins, on the stages of New York, Stratford and the West End, to say nothing of Hollywood. I told my fellow member that there weren't a lot of people who would do what I do - many producers would leave what we're doing to community theatre and high school drama departments, choosing instead to pursue more lucrative endeavours. I rema...

It's been a leisurely weekend at the Grinder estate. The world's greatest girlfriend was off sick Thursday and Friday, so I was spared my weekly insomniac's coma that usually settles in on about Wednesday (we already had the Monday off) and stays with me until the weekend brings a reprieve. But with her at home for four days, and a weekend spent on pre-matrimonial celebrations (ones organized by other people, a welcome relief from our task of organizing the main event) made for a good time on Saturday and Sunday. We caught up with some old friends, worked hard to recall the names of just-introduced relatives (and those that we've known for years but have completely forgotten who they are), and we ate cake two days in a row. All in all, not too shabby. So here it is, 6:30am on Monday morning, and I'm all alone again, save for a computer screen, and a loudly purring ring-tailed kitten who's just gorged himself on kibble for the third time in an hour settling d...

I sometimes wonder why I write this blog. It's certainly not a vibrant, two-way discussion like some of them are. Yes, it does help get the word out about the company, but only to the people who care to know, and many of them know what's going on already. I think though, that one of the best reasons I write this blog is that it helps me find the narrative of Grinder Productions. It is what gives me a voice. For a writer, finding a voice is critical. Being able to express my thoughts in such an open platform allows me to clear a lot of the rubbish out of my head, get down on the screen that which is filling my head with nonsense, long before I ever get to the day's writing that demands an impeccable command of language, spelling, grammar and rhetoric. So how much of that nonsense is allowed to stay and thrive online, and how much of it is consigned to the Recycle Bin? I'll never tell. But in the stuff that does make the cut I still find value, in that it helps me...

Did you know that Grinder Productions is looking for new plays to produce? I'll gladly read submissions of plays from members and non-members alike to consider for upcoming seasons. Original scripts only please, and no, this isn't a professional company, so you won't be paid anything except the satisfaction of seeing your work come to life on the stage. In the coming months I'd like to develop a "Playwright's Circle" within the company to encourage the development of new plays, both for active consideration for production with Grinder, and for aspiring playwrights to have materials with which to pursue a professional career. Please get in touch with me if you have a script you'd like to see brought to life, or if you know of someone who does!