Grinder's Grumblings

Our open auditions this past Saturday saw over 30 new members added to the Grinder family. Since there’s no membership fee to join our company once you’ve auditioned – congratulations! It’s like the Teamsters, you’re in for life. I earnestly hope that all of our new members enjoy their time with us, and I look forward to making some great theatre with each and every one of you. This newsletter will be delivered monthly to your inbox, packed full of information about the shows, auditions and special events that are happening at Grinder, as well as the occasional bit of lighter fare. Back issues of the newsletter are also available on our website (which would be great if, for example, you’d like to find Chapters 1,2 and 3 of Standby, Mackenzie – they’re in this year’s previous issues). And as I may have mentioned at the auditions, I am a theatre junkie through-and-through. Feel free to get in touch with me anytime if you have a question about anything and everything t...

Our auditions this past Saturday were a lot of fun. I had a great time, met some great people, and was genuinely impressed more than once - that in itself is more than enough to declare it a success. But it has left me oddly drained. Most of Sunday I felt exhausted, irritable and down, as if coming down from the high I was on the day before. Has it really been that long since I've been out of the game? Does the cut-and-thrust affect me so profoundly. It's only in the dawn of the next day that it all becomes clear - the ups and downs are still there, but they aren't as profound as before. Three years ago a great day of auditions could translate into a week of melancholy, and while we're by no means out of the woods yet on this one I am feeling more like my old self sooner. Such is the rollercoaster ride of theatre.

Our open auditions on World Theatre Day have come and gone. It maybe wasn't the largest call we've ever had, nor was it the smallest, but it felt different to me than some of the previous ones we've had. In fact, I don't think I've felt that way about an audition call since our first really big one, back in 2006. That was a day where magic was made, knowingly or not, and the seeds of future successes were sown. Did the same thing happen on Saturday? Jules seems to think so. She's only got one previous experience with this, but she tells me that this time feels better than the last. I think I agree with her, and while I'm careful not to put too much stock into gut feelings (and we've still got a long road ahead of us before we can declare any sort of victory) I do feel, well, good. I sent out the offers last evening and it's now 6:30am and both acceptions and rejections are starting to come in. A lot of people wanting more information - which I guess ...

... see you there! 519-780-7593 grinder@grinderproductions.org

It always seems to be a busy week. There's just so many tasks that stretch out before us on Monday, and so few of them that seem to be done by this point, and so many more that have been added. How do you keep up? I've been wondering a lot about that lately. It seems that no matter how much I do, no matter how hard I work, I never seem to get any further ahead, or so it seems. But upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that something fundamental is going on, and that rather than not seeing the forest for the trees I'm not seeing the trees for the forest. Yes, I am behind schedule in almost every aspect of my life (professional, financial, literary, take your pick). But it turns out I'm a lot less further behind than I used to be. There is less that I have to do in order to be "on top of things" than there was a year or even six months ago. I am closer to being "caught up" than I have ever been. What's more, the things I was worring about a ye...

I thought I'd post a little bit of one of the shows we're doing this summer. This is a selection from The Heart of Eden - a romantic comedy that will be a part of our "Mostly Music Lunch" series. I may be using this as material for the cold read auditions, I may be not - check it out and enjoy! Music begins. The stage is in darkness. The lights begin to rise ever so slowly, revealing the scene. The scene consists of a park bench, a garbage can, streetlamp and a fire hydrant. Large, thick undergrowth forms an impenetrable wall upstage, and two large bushes form an entrance on either side of the stage. As the lights come up it is apparent that someone is lying on the park bench, covered by a newspaper. As the Overture finishes it is replaced by the sounds of the city, intermingled with the sounds of the park. Suddenly, a loud siren goes past. The figure on the bench is startled awake, and frantically tries to pull the newspaper off of her and get up. This is Ed...

There are still a few days left to sign up for the auditions! Call 519-780-7593 or email grinder@grinderproductions.org for more info or to book a time. If you've been sitting on the fence don't delay any longer! I guarantee you'll have a great time with us, so come on down!