October 11, 2013 -- We laugh a lot. Boy, do we laugh a lot.

It’s not necessarily because we are producing a comedy that laughter has found its way into the rehearsal hall. It’s the people. If we were doing a heavy drama with this group of stage managers and creative artists, I believe we’d be laughing just as much.

It doesn’t hurt that we’re doing a comedy. A truly funny one at that.

What makes it truly funny? As opposed to, what, falsely funny? I think things are truly funny when we see ourselves in the characters and we think to ourselves, “It’s so true!” and then…“I’m so glad that’s happening to them and not me.”

How does one tackle the performance of comedy? For it to be “truly” fun, our performances must be “true”. That means, we can’t try to be funny, we just need to play the scene given to us with strong intentions and let the writing do the work. That’s not always easy. It can feel like more fun in rehearsal to “act funny” but in the end that’s not what needs to be onstage and that’s why we have a director.  Bob Metcalfe is our referee and coach. He blows the whistle on our mugging and throws a flag when we cross the line. But he also encourages us to go as far as we can within the boundaries of the playing field.

Laughter in the rehearsal hall does not always translate to laughter in the theatre…so I think it’s a good sign that in the last few days it’s become deafeningly quite during our run-throughs…that means the audience is coming soon…and a play without an audience is silent. We cannot wait to share McIvor’s play with you and feel free to share your laughter with us.

Now blogging:  Carson Nattrass, who plays Kyle Best in Daniel MacIvor's The Best Brothers

October 8, 2013 -- Well, week one sure went by in a hurry. 

In fact, week two went by just as quickly.

Sorry for not blogging about it. But here I am to catch you all up to speed.

Paul and I have had our ladies hat and glove fittings…yes, ladies hat and gloves. I haven’t asked, but I would assume this is not the first time Paul has dressed in women’s clothing. I know it’s not my first time. If you work in theatre long enough…

Even if you don’t…

We’ve been fitted for our costumes and we’ve received our haircuts.

Fittings are a strange thing. Unless you go to a tailor, it’s not often one gets measured for their everyday clothing choices. Nor do you have three or four people crowding around, staring, glaring, frowning, thinking and pinning as you’re making your clothing choices. I myself, feel self-conscious enough about how I look and being on display doesn’t make it any easier. That may sound strange coming from a person who stands on a stage for a living but I think our director, Bob Metcalfe, put it best: actors are “insecure egomaniacs”. So believe it or not, the desire to stand up in front of hundreds of people can co-exist quite nicely with self-loathing.

It’s always a good sign when someone as hard on myself as I am comes away from a costume fitting happy. I loved the pants, shoes, socks, shirt, vest and jacket. Perhaps it’s because I could never afford clothes like these in real life, but it doesn’t matter to me. If I’m going to stand in front of all those people, I want to feel like they represent the character well and represent me well.

As I mentioned earlier, I got my hair cut. It took 2 minutes. I don’t have much hair.

Haircuts and costume fittings…we can see the finish line and we can’t wait to join you all there. I think the show is an absolute delight. Hilarious and warm. Just what we need during our beautiful Winnipeg autumn.

Now blogging:  Carson Nattrass, who is playing the role of Kyle Best in PTE's season opener, The Best Brothers by Daniel MacIvor, directed by Robert Metcalfe -- opens October 17, 2013.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Week one...done!

Blog one...begun!

I haven't had the pleasure of rehearsing for a PTE Mainstage show for 10 years. That's kind of crazy to me. PTE feels like home whether I'm working here or not. 

The first day of rehearsal was...well for me it's like the first day of school. What should I wear? Are people going to like me?

I'm happy to say that I made a couple of new friends. Specifically, a guy named Paul. He's awesome. He plays my brother in the play. We bond on lunch breaks. We're both married and have kids. He just moved here and doesn't know many people. He's nice to me. We play well together. 

Some old friends were there too. Bob Metcalfe, our director, and Melissa Novecosky, our stage manager, I have worked with a lot and it's really great to see them again. 

Anyway, I have more to say but I'll leave it at that for now. I'll chat a bit more about rehearsal next time.