A Weekend of Storytelling

This weekend, Soulo Theatre (where I serve on staff in the ill-defined role of Interim Sanity Consultant) is presenting the Mid-Career Retrospective of storyteller James Judd. James was a performer and panelist at the 2015 Soulo Theatre Festival earlier this year where he presented his one-person-show Killer Quack. This weekend he's presenting three nights of shows - Friday, Saturday & Sunday - at the Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street East, Toronto) tickets to the extravaganza are available at www.soulo.ca/judd. There are discounts for purchasing tickets to more than one event.

On top of that, there's a special story telling workshop on Sunday afternoon, also at the Red Sandcastle. Having sat through his show in the spring riveted, I can recommend both whole heartedly. Hope to see you there!

Photos from Killer Quack 

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Death and Dating at the Hamilton Fringe

First I'll begin by saying I appreciate any production which allows me to walk up to the box office and say "One for Death please".  I first saw Death And Dating last fall under its original title, The Mom's House Factor, as a recital piece when I did the Soulo Theatre class in Toronto. What began as a 10-minute piece has grown into a forty-five minute extravaganza which mourns breakups and celebrates karaoke and funny hats. I suppose it falls under the category of tragicomedy, which I'm surprised my iPad recognizes as a legitimate word. It's the story, told as a set of reminiscences and flashbacks of a woman subjected to a cruel and in humane break up... At his mom's house. This takes quite a while to get over, as each flash forward in time shows that the pain hasn't really gone away.

Death and Dating is a project to help make light of and put in perspective those unfortunate events which occupy an unhealthy space in our consciousness.  

The venue, which has been confusingly named a hardware store... Is not one. Although somewhat confusingly it contains a bar and the beer is clearly visible in the fridge. Given that large portions of the show take place in a karaoke bar inside the protagonist's imagination, one would have hoped that for added realism, the bar could be open.

Death And Dating has 5 shows left at Mills Hardware (95 King Street East, Hamilton) Tickets $10 plus a Fringe backer button.

Written by Magdelana BB, Directed by Mark Kalzer

All the fun fact-shaped things at www.HamiltonFringe.ca. 

The Ghosts are Returning

I'm delighted (and slightly frightened) to learn that Nicholas Wallace's Seance is coming to Toronto this fall. Over the past several years, Nick has earned a reputation for producing outstanding shows. He is as clever as he is charming. I first saw Seance nearly two years ago at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton and I left the theatre feeling thrilled and more than a bit disturbed. Nick Wallace may seem to be sweet and innocent but I suspect he is actually the devil, pure evil wrapped in Mister Rogers' sweater.

If you don't believe in ghosts and you're not afraid of the dark, Nick Wallace can help with that.

Seance is playing in Toronto for nearly two weeks at the Theatre Passe Murraille Mainspace in September and October. Tickets are now available from the theatre box office.

Theatre Passe-Murraille

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SOULO Theatre Festival Gallery

I wear many hats.* *That's a metaphor. I never wear real hats, they mess up my hair

One such hat is as the general manager for the SOULO Theatre Festival which presents a weekend of exceptional one-person shows and a series of seminars and panel discussions teaching actors how to present their own material. From behind the scenes it's an exhausting four days, but also a very uplifting, inspiring and entertaining four days.

Take a look at what we got up to down at the Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto.

Call for Submissions

We are now accepting submissions for the 2015 SOULO Theatre Festival. Now in its third year, the festival is a four-day intensive of performances, panel discussions and workshops where every event is one-performance-only. We are looking for recently-performed finished work, 45-60 minute one-person shows. The festival will be May 21-24, 2015 at the Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto. For the full details and the submission form, please visit soulo.ca/submissions

The 2014 festival was a huge success and earned SOULO Theatre the title of Best Small Theatre Company from NOW Magazine's Reader's Choice. Past speakers have included artists and speakers have included Tantoo Cardinal, Linda Griffiths, Sandra Shamas, Chris Gibbs, Daniel Stofi, Sebastien Heins, Shelley Marshall, Rachelle Ellie, Terrence Bryant, Precious Chong, Phil Luzi, Sandra Battaglini, Zabrina Chavannes, Deb Filler, Wanda Caroll, Sage Tyrtle, Adrianna Prosser, Christopher Sawchyn and many others.

As the General Manager of the festival, I have no say in show selection. Even so, I will still be accepting bribes personally including but not limited to chocolate, pastries, cash, traceable securities and rare magic books because I enjoy those things.

And NOW for something completely different

SOULO Theatre - where I plot and scheme away, largely behind the scenes as the general manager - has just won Best Small Theatre Company from NOW Magazine's Best of Toronto Reader's Choice! Massive credit goes to the team that helped organize the 2014 SOULO Theatre Festival and massive thanks to everyone who voted over the past few months. It's a tremendous honour.

I also spent the afternoon earlier this week locked in a room with some wifi, unhealthy amounts of coffee and the Artistic Director, Tracey Erin Smith, planning updates to the soulo.ca website and there will be more interesting news coming out of that work shortly.