Grinder's Grumblings

Now is truly the winter of our discontent. Shall we make it a "glorious summer," even without a "son of York" to lead the way? I certainly hope so. I had hoped to be in a position by now to announce the third project in the Grinder Productions season, but alas I still need to keep it under wraps for just a little longer. Despite that, and despite all the doom and gloom of a plague that just won't quit, this is actually going to be an optimistic post, where I talk about the plays that we're planning to do this summer. It's hard to find much to smile about right now, but looking foward to directing these plays definitely lifts my spirits and puts me in a better frame of mind. Theatre is truly good for the soul. This year I've rented the Ennotville Library for two weekends, and I plan to stage five thematically-linked 1-act plays each weekend, for a total of ten unique shows. I'd like to build a small acting ensemble for each week's production, ...

Happy New Year - I'm back!  It's been over a decade since my last post here on Grinder's Grumblings. I thought that my blogging days were behind me - I'd wasted enough time (and inflicted more than enough self-harm) trying to blog my way to fame and fortune, and had nothing to show for it. It was definitely time to hang things up and move on.  But a lot has changed in my life over the past decade - a steady income, a few dozen new plays, even a couple of productions by companies other than my own, and I'm still married to the world's greatest wife. I don't have everything I want out of life, obviously (and the pandemic has set us back more than most of our friends and family) but I'm a lot happier now than I was when I made my last post all those years ago.  I no longer try to make a living with Grinder Productions, or even try to make it a profitable side-hussle (ask me about the 200+ goats we've got for that). Now Grinder Productions is something t...

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...