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Posts Tagged ‘Nancy Kenny’
Kicking It, Improv Style
Wikipedia: Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one’s immediate environment and inner feelings.
Sounds a lot like what an actor does, doesn’t it?
I’ve never considered myself an improviser. I did play improv games in high school, but I went to a French school and improvisation in French is very different from its English counterpart. Whereas most anglophones might associate improv with its Who’s Line Is It Anyway? type of humour, for francophones the games take place in a mock hockey arena setting. There is a referee and the teams wear jerseys in various colours. The ref can even assign penalties. Two teams compete and the audience votes after every game (or match) to see which team scored a point. These usually culminate into tournaments and eliminations rounds and all other kinds of sports related analogies.
Here’s a photo from la Ligue nationale d’improvisation to give you some idea of what I am talking about. If you want to know more and understand French, I encourage you to check out the link.
LNI – Vert contre Orange
Although the University of Ottawa did (and does) have a French improv team, I was too intimidated to join at the time. At some point, some of my friends in the Theatre Department and a couple rats who hung around the Café Alternatif (which at the time was a hippy chic amalgamation of found furniture that lived up to its alternative name) decided to start an improv troupe. I think we called ourselves the Improv Dogs. We met every week, played some games against the team at Carleton University and even went to Montreal one time to compete. After a while though, things fell apart and we all went our separate ways.
I then didn’t do any sort of improv until I took a jam class with Ken Godmere at the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama a few years ago. And I guess you could call the work I do with Sanitas Playback Theatre a type of improv, but, like I said, I never considered myself an improviser before.
After last night though, I guess I may be allowed to start calling myself that.
The local (and awesome!) Crush Improv – whom I’ve talked about before – have had a habit of bringing together improvisers from all over for a variety of events. First it was the very popular Improv Awareness and now it’s the Tuesday Make-’em-ups with Crush Improv. I saw the very first Make-’em up in January and immediately approached Crush for an opportunity to play.
Fighting panic and nausea, I finally got my chance to play last night at the Cajun Attic in Ottawa. Most improv teams spend hours rehearsing together, learning both games and how to work with each other. The neat thing about the Make-’em ups is that you get thrown into a pit with three other people you might have never met before and told to just have fun. Easy right?
I was pretty unsteady for the first half of the show, just trying to get my bearings and desperately listen to my teammates. After intermission though, I felt slightly more comfortable, confident and took more chances, though I couldn’t help but walk off stage and think of all the HI-larious stuff I should have said at the time – I swear I am ridiculously funny when no one is watching me!
The amazing Averie MacDonald, birthday boy Dave Lindsay and yours truly.
I had fun and hope that this was just the first of many improv shows in which I will be taking part. Next Tuesday, do yourself the favour of having a ridiculously good time with the gang from Crush. Only $5 cover and all the improv you can stand!
Tuesday Make-’em-ups with Crush Improv – every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. – $5 cover – Cajun Attic (349 Dalhousie St.)
Nancy Kenny is an actor, a writer, a founding member of Evolution Theatre and currently works as the Marketing Associate for the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. She is a dog person who secretly masquerades as a cat person, tries to be a vegetarian but cheats an awful lot, reads the first half of books without ever getting to the end, and has a crazy obsession with vests and anything argyle. As an Acadian girl, chances are she can also drink you under the table. She blogs on life as an artist at So You Want To Be An Actor (Redux) and can always be found on Twitter.
Les Prix Rideau Awards Nominations
From the Official Press Release:
NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL RIDEAU AWARDS
Peer-assessed awards celebrate Ottawa-Gatineauʼs professional theatre in both official languages
The votes have been tallied and it’s time to announce the nominees for the third annual Rideau Awards, which celebrate achievement in professional theatre in the region of Ottawa-Gatineau. This year for the first time, Les Prix Rideau Awards will be fully bilingual, with a full slate of awards to be presented for both English and French-language productions. The awards will be handed out during a celebration to take place on Sunday, April 18, 2010, at De La Salle High School. Tickets go on sale March 15 at La Nouvelle Scène.
The nominees for English-language productions are:
Outstanding Performance – Female
Mary Ellis, Doubt
Patricia Fagan, The Syringa Tree
Teri Rata Loretto, Shirley Valentine
Margo MacDonald, A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale
Emily Pearlman, Countries Shaped Like Stars
Outstanding Performance – Male
Pierre Brault, Portrait of an Unidentified Man
David Fox, The Net
Kris Joseph, Doubt
Andy Massingham, Peer Gynt
Paul Rainville, The Drawer Boy
Outstanding Lighting Design
Martin Conboy, Portrait of an Unidentified Man
Martin Conboy, The Drawer Boy
Rebecca Miller, Henry V
David Mcgladry, A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale
Jock Munro, The Children’s Republic
Jock Munro, The Syringa Tree
Outstanding Set Design
Robin Fisher, The Drawer Boy
Robin Fisher, The Syringa Tree
Ivo Valentik, A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale
Ivo Valentik, The Final Twist
Sarah Waghorn, Old Times
Outstanding Costume Design
Louise Hayden, A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale
Louise Hayden, The Girl Who Was Eaten by the Dark
Jennifer Triemstra & Karen Rodd, A Guy Named Joe
Sarah Waghorn, Henry V
Sarah Waghorn, Old Times
Outstanding Stage Management / Technical Award
Donna Bourgeault, A View from the Bridge
Sean Green & Tina Goralski, Noises Off
Louisa Hache, The Children’s Republic
Samira Rose, The Lieutenant of Inishmore
Outstanding Fringe Production
Countries Shaped Like Stars, Mi Casa
The Girl Who Was Eaten by the Dark, Ottawa Stilt Union
Inclement Weather, Mi Casa
Squatter Heart, ReduxDelux
We Never Clothed, People with Principles
Outstanding Director
AL Connors, A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale
Todd Duckworth, The Drawer Boy
Janet Irwin, The Children’s Republic
Lise Ann Johnson, The Syringa Tree
Brian Quirt, Portrait of an Unidentified Man
Emerging Artist Award
Simon Bradshaw, Actor, The Rideau Project
Nicolas Di Gaetano, Creator/Actor, Countries Shaped Like Stars
Patrick Gauthier, Director, Countries Shaped Like Stars
Brad Long, Actor, The Pillowman
Emily Pearlman, Creator/Actor/Writer, Countries Shaped Like Stars
Outstanding Adaptation
A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale, A Company of Fools
Much Ado About Nothing, A Company of Fools
The Net, Great Canadian Theatre Company
Pirate Jennyʼs Circus, Counterpoint Players
The Radio Show, Gladstone Productions
Outstanding New Creation
The Children’s Republic, Great Canadian Theatre Company/Ottawa School of Speech and Drama
Countries Shaped Like Stars, Mi Casa
The Girl Who Was Eaten by the Dark, Ottawa Stilt Union
Inclement Weather, Mi Casa
The Rideau Project, Théâtre la Catapulte
Outstanding Production
Countries Shaped Like Stars, Mi Casa
The Drawer Boy, Great Canadian Theatre Company
A Midwinterʼs Dream Tale, A Company of Fools
Portrait of an Unidentified Man, Sleeping Dog Theatre
The Syringa Tree, Great Canadian Theatre Company
The nominees for French-language productions are:
Interprétation féminine de l’année
Nathaly Charrette, (RAGE)
Larissa Corriveau, (L’Illusion comique)
Geneviève Couture, (L’honnête homme/ une one woman show)
Magali Lemèle, (Le Bout du monde)
Emmanuelle Lussier, Martinez (Le Bout du monde)
Interprétation masculine de l’année
Benjamin Gaillard, (Projet Rideau)
Richard Léger, (Et si on tuait l’ennui?)
Gilles Provost, (Mardis avec Morrie)
Pierre Antoine, Lafon Simard (L’Illusion comique)
Victor Trelles, (RAGE)
Conception de l’année
Marcel Aymar, (Le Bout du monde), env. sonore
Josée Bergeron-Proulx, (Le Bout du monde), décor
Diane Bouchard, (L’effet réel des polluants sur les animaux imaginaries), marionnettes
Julie Giroux, (Les sept jours de Simon Labrosse), décor
Guillaume Houët- Brisebois, (L’honnête homme/ une one woman show), éclairage
Artiste en émergence
Josée Bergeron-Proulx, (Le Bout du monde)
Emmanuelle Lussier Martinez , interprète, (Le Bout du monde)
Pierre Antoine Lafon Simard, interprète, (L’Illusion comique)
Prix technique / de la regie
Tina Goralski, (L’Illusion comique)
Guillaume Houët- Brisebois, (L’honnête homme/ une one woman show)
Benoît Roy, (Le Bout du monde)
Lindsay Tremblay, (Le Projet Rideau)
Mise en scène de l’année
Joël Beddows (RAGE)
Dominique Lafon (L’Illusion comique)
Marc Lemyre (L’honnête homme/ une one woman show)
Pier Rodier (Cyrano Tag)
Anne-Marie White (Le Bout du monde)
Adaptation de l’année
Le Bout du monde, Le Théâtre du Trillium
Cyrano Tag, Vox Théâtre
Nouvelle création de l’année
Cyrano Tag, Vox Théâtre
L’effet réel des polluants sur les animaux imaginaires, GESTES théâtre
Et si on tuait l’ennui?, Théâtre Dérives Urbaines
L’honnête homme/ une one woman show, poésie électrique
Le Projet Rideau, Théâtre la Catapulte
Production de l’année
Le Bout du monde, Théâtre du Trillium
Et si on tuait l’ennui?, Théâtre Dérives Urbaines
L’honnête homme/ une one woman show, poésie électrique
Le Projet Rideau, Théâtre la Catapulte
RAGE, Théâtre la Catapulte
40 English and 11 French professional theatre productions were juried by two teams of local arts professionals (14 English and 10 French) during the 2009 calendar year. Nominations were submitted by secret ballot and tallied by local accountants, Chong Pelot and Marcil-Lavallée. Complete details on award definitions, terms and criteria are available at www.rideauawards.ca
Les Prix Rideau Awards initiative was undertaken in late 2006 as a result of discussion at an open meeting of the regional Canadian Actorsʼ Equity Association. The program aims to raise the profile of locally-produced professional theatre by celebrating its successes.
Enjoying Theatre on a Budget
I see almost every bit of theatre that comes to Ottawa. Out of 45 professional productions juried by Les Prix Rideau Awards in 2009, I’ve seen 40. that’s not including the community theatre, Fringe, Magnetic North and student productions I’ve seen. I think last year I probably saw over 100 theatre performances. That averages out to 2 a week, which sounds about right.
This may come as a shock to you, but I am not the type to sit around in my tub with my bath pillow eating bonbons and drinking wine as I use my laptop to peruse the “next big theatrical event” I will be attending (though that’s probably because using your laptop in a tub is just asking for trouble). Nor do I have an ample supply of disposable income which I use on $20 to $40 theatre tickets. No. I am a poor broke artist who just wanted to know everything there was to know about my local theatre community and I figured out the cheapest way to do it.
So, dear friends, this is how you too can enjoy your theatre on a budget.
Are you a student?
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! Both the National Arts Centre, the Great Canadian Theatre Company and Third Wall Theatre in Ottawa have rush tickets for students that go for something like $10 or $11 a piece if you purchase your tickets the day of the performance. Not ideal if it’s a show like The Drowsy Chaperone, which sold out rather quickly, but trust me, there are a lot of performances in town that do not sell out and you would be more than happy to see your smiling face walking to the door for your rush ticket.
Of course, the tricky thing here is that most of these companies do not clearly advertise their rush ticket availabilities, which I can understand to a point. So how can you find out about them? Well, you could just call and ask. Then again, why would you do that when you have me?
I almost never took advantage of my student status when I had a valid student card and it still bothers me to this day. Think of all the great shows I missed… As an added bonus, the GCTC also has ADULT Rush Tickets for $20. No i.d. necessary, just show up after noon on any show day to get your discounted ticket.
Are You An Artist?
A lot of companies like the NAC, GCTC, Third Wall, Evolution Theatre offer artist rates. How do you prove you’re an artist? Usually with your union card. That said, if you are not in any performers union, I believe they will all accept two contrasting monologues at the box office… but don’t quote me on that.
Volunteer!
Every theatre company in town needs volunteers and it does come with benefits. In most cases, volunteers actually get to see the show on the night of their shift. I know this is the case for Evolution Theatre and it sometimes works out for other companies like The Gladstone and A Company of Fools (unless they happen to need all their volunteers for a secret ice cream experiment…) I wanted to see the amazing Inclement Weather/Countries Shaped Like Stars again when it was presented at the GCTC, but couldn’t afford the $20. I offered my services on opening night and boom! I got to fall in love all over again.
The added bonus of volunteering means you get to know the people involved with the production. Today’s front of house volunteer may be tomorrow’s performer… or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.
Join Mailing Lists, Facebook Groups and watch Twitter Feeds
How else will you know what shows are playing in town? (Other than the brilliantly up-to-date What’s On – À l’affiche listing by the Ottawa Theatre Network) Lots of theatre companies (perhaps taking a page from my book) run online contests and special promotions for their members. Vision Theatre, Evolution Theatre and Third Wall Theatre have all been known to do this. The Ottawa Fringe Festival ran a brilliant Friday Trivia contest on Twitter where you could win free tickets and other gift certificates. A Company of Fools also sends out a very informed newsletter every once in a while, so you probably want to sign up for that one too.
Pay Attention to Pay-What-You-Can!
Every single company in town has a Pay-What-You-Can performance at some point in their run (and if they don’t, they probably should). For instance, when I did Shining City with SevenThirty Productions, we had a PWYC matinee on the first Saturday in the run. During the summer, the Fools shows are by Pass The Hat donations. PWYC/PTH means whatever you can afford. Really, you have absolutely no excuse not to go. And how do you find out about the PWYC? See the point above this one.
Previews and Dress Rehearsals
These shows are often free or cheap and take place before the official opening night. Sure you might not be getting a final polished performance, but when is a performance ever final? Besides, you’re doing the theatre company a great service by being part of the test audience.
Know Somebody
Finally, if not a single one of these suggestions works for you, call someone you know who might be involved with the production. (See, this is where all the networking you’ve been doing after attending performances is going to pay off.) Let whomever know that you can’t afford to see their show but you really want to. Perhaps they will be able to offer you a comp or a discounted ticket. That said, only use this method if you really can’t make it to the show otherwise. You do not want to abuse of this privilege! It’s just not nice.
Or be friends with someone who happens to get a lot of invitations to shows (you know, like me). Typically these people get two free tickets to a performance and they might not have anyone to go with that night (because they happen to be single and can’t meet anyone new because they spend all their time attending the theatre by themselves… ahem) I’m sure I they would be happy to have some company with which to discuss the performance post-show. Just make sure you by me them a drink after. It’s only fair.
….
What? This still isn’t working for you? Alright. Fine. Here’s my final solution: start your own theatre company, build it from the ground up over at least five years, somewhere in there start a blog, become a valued and indispensable part of your city’s theatre scene, and watch the invitations pour in. It worked for me, but it’s a lot of work. You might just want to pay the $10 instead.
I’ll be seeing you at the theatre!
Nancy Kenny is an actor, a writer, a founding member of Evolution Theatre and currently works as the Marketing Associate for the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. She blogs on life as an artist at So You Want To Be An Actor (Redux) and can always be found on Twitter. The original version of this post, specifically targeted towards actors can be found here.
Back To Me – The Power of No
Over the last few weeks, everything’s felt off (and it has not just been a case of show withdrawal either). I’ve been feeling lost, anxious and overwhelmed all at the same time, which created a big ball of resistance and self-pity that I knowingly indulged in. I stopped writing. I stopped doing the work I enjoy. I threw myself into the comforting and familiar embrace of depression combined with avoidance in pointless busy work.
Then, little by little, I came out of it by doing something that actually scares me: I started saying ‘No’.
I’ve built that word up in my head to mean so much more than what it actually does. To me, I had (and still struggle with) the false belief that saying ‘No’ leads to closing doors, missed opportunities and (gasp!) having people be mad at me (and, subsequently, not like me). So, I say yes to everything that comes my way: every project, every work opportunity, everything even if I don’t really feel like doing it. Then I get overwhelmed and resentful because I’m not doing what I want to do… and the cycle begins anew.
But this time, I’m doing something different. I’m saying no. For my own personal sanity and well-being, I’m saying no to stuff. I think the biggest no of all was to the Ottawa Fringe Festival. After three years of producing shows, I’m taking a break. In fact, I didn’t even apply to the lottery. Now, this doesn’t mean that my Roller Derby show is kaput or that I wouldn’t perform in someone else’s show if given the opportunity. It just means I’m taking some time off from producing and I’m going to wait until I have something more solid on paper before I rush head first into another deficit.
All in all, I need to take care of me.
So, in the past few days, I’ve allowed myself to be inspired by the people and the situations that surround me. I’ve summoned new people into my life who bring with them a positive and fresh energy and I’ve let go of others who weren’t beneficial. And I’ve stopped to listen to the messages that come to all of us (whether you call it intuition, your gut, The Universe, your guides or TPTB) in all their forms.
The Universe has been good to me, like a parent who waits patiently while their child chases around Disneyland on a sugar high; not exactly preventing me from doing anything, but waiting until I exhausted myself with all my running around so that I could hear where I’ll be going to next.
Though I am not certain where all this will take me, I do know that I am right where I need to be and what I need to do next. Everything else is gravy.
Nancy Kenny also blogs at: http://nancyjkenny.wordpress.com/
