William Matheson's Journal
Apr. 1st, 2007
05:44 pm - notes from night #8 (closing) + party!!
I never bring my laptop out on the bus, but today I’m making an exception. I’m sitting on Classic #970 now at the Village at Bayer’s Road (as the Route 80), and guess what? Yep, we had a breakdown! (This is twice in one week!) Gah, this is frustrating, especially because I was going home to eat, rest, and I’m tired and hungry, and, etc.. etc.. although there are probably people on board with more pressing concerns than mine. Next bus is in 30 minutes, and we’ll probably transfer to that. They are sending a replacement, but the transit garage is in Burnside and busses (and, more to the point, drivers) don’t just materialize out of nowhere on a sunny Sunday afternoon. (It’s a beautiful day. One for the memory banks, including this I-wish-this-was-an-April-Fools-Joke incident.)
The show tonight was smoking. We not only killed, we brought them back as zombies and killed again. The letter scene was the best it’s ever been done. Everyone in the cast experienced great reactions from the audience with just about everything they did. It was a great closing show. Everything-
LOLZ. I overheard the radio - they just asked the 80 behind us to wait (30 seconds, but it’s the principle of the thing!) at the Barrington Terminal, in order to facilitate someone else’s transfer. Um, I’m officially at the end of my rope, transit-wise. As funny as this is, this bussing it is for the birds.
* * *
They sent another bus in relatively short order, as you can tell by the fact that I only got three paragraphs completed. Horray! So I got to Mill Cove and took a cab back to my house, and the cab driver was very nice – still, if I were to start cabbing it to the bus, that would be $16 a day (almost the cost of my courses! j/k).
I was going to leave the house again at 6:40, walk the 25 minutes to the bus, and then go into town to catch <cough> WrestleMania, but I’m just way too exhausted. Reason: We partied until 5am. 5! I will elaborate more on that in a moment. Anyway, this means I’ll miss chilling with some of the guys from the play, but it also means I’ll get to eat a proper meal here (turkey dinner) and get some sleep. I haven’t been following the plots lately anyway, and I care much more about great wrestling matches (if there are any) than I do about who gets their head shaved or which centerfold is appearing in a pillow fight or any of that junk. I wish wrestling was classier; I hate being embarrassed to admit that I’ve ever been a fan. Shawn (Sir Toby Belch) is the man, he wears his (carefully chosen and classy!) wrestling shirts with pride. He and some of the other guys in the play also really know the history of it all – I’ve listened to them talk backstage, and they were so well versed that it was a conversation I had no hope of participating in. More to the point, it would be bucketloads of fun to watch with them, but tonight it just can’t happen.
* * *
Back to the performance. It killed. We were all so comfortable, so at ease with our roles! We were all able to cover for anything – it felt like nothing could go really wrong! It was all so good that it seems a shame to be stopping the show now. I’m just now at the point where I feel like I’m hitting a consistent stride. And yet it’s over.
Immediately after the show, I shaved my beard. Ouch ouch ouch. Amusingly, Sam was like, “Oh! Now I recognize you from the other play! You were great!” LOLZ and thanks, Sam. She’s referring to 2004’s Murder for One.
Post-show was incredibly confusing for me, probably because I was bringing more complication into the situation with shaving: my jacket got locked up in the costume room, but that all ended OK and the details aren’t worth getting into. We walked up to the party, which took place at a certain fraternity with a basement that brings together the best features of a billiards hall, a bar, and the locker room at your local rink. Thanks again to Mike and Darcy for being so hospitable – and hospitable they were!
The party in some ways exceeded my wildest dreams. In other ways, it was frustrating because there was just so much going on that I kind of got lost. At several points during the night, I found myself standing alone in the antechamber because I couldn’t handle the sensory overload.
It was so great to have so many people together, so close, and so happy. It was a rare, rare thing. And that I’ll always remember.
In other ways, though, I’d like to forget this party. I got so drigh so quickly that I kind of lost my self-consciousness and let loose. Unfortunately, for me “letting loose” can mean becoming less social, especially as socializing for me is a pleasant and somewhat technical task, not an instinct. I also feel doubly embarrassed because I’ve come to know these people through Saint Mary’s. It shouldn’t make a huge difference, but in a way it does – I would be far less mortified if the party had gone down among high school friends. And then there are certain people that, rightly or wrongly, I really care about “impressing” (whatever that means) and parties like this don’t exactly help the cause. However, I can at least take comfort in the knowledge that with so many people thinking back on what they did themselves, they won’t have any time left to think about me! =)
And this is without mentioning that I have less to be mortified about than some, especially a certain someone whom we found to be wearing bright white boxer briefs. =)
So what happened after the party? Well, I found myself walking away wearing Marek’s coat and walking to his place. Say what you will about Marek, at the end of the day he’s a stand-up guy. He really helped me out, in his own unique way. We had some fun screwing around on MSN this morning – he’d record us speaking without my knowledge, then beam it over to Jaymee, André, and Sam’s eager ears. This was all happening when my embarrassment was at its peak, but I think we all need to be mortified once in a while. I walk around carrying too much pride as it is; I can afford to risk losing a little.
And right now I think it’s time to get my ducks in a row and be ready to go to sleep immediately after supper, as unhealthy as that is. See you soon! Let me know if you find any good April Fool’s jokes – I haven’t really seen any yet.
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/blush.gif){kind=small}
embarrassedMar. 31st, 2007
03:15 am - notes from night #7 + mouse! + new video
A+. We killed. Tomorrow can be even greater, but we killed tonight. I’m--
INTERJECTION: Well, our new cat, Dexter, just found a mouse. A wee little house mouse. (Aunt Shirley, do NOT click that link!) I would say “caught,” but that would imply some kind of persistent restraint. He was playing catch-and-release with him all over the house, much to Mom’s chagrin.
She took the open end of a beer mug and clomped it down on top; I fetched a piece of cardboard and the mouse was out of the house in minutes.
Interestingly, Mom postulates that I may have brought this mouse into the house with me. From a place that has house mice. From PEI, in my suitcase. You laugh, but it’s very possible. I vividly remember when we moved a bunch of Mom’s stuff here to Bedford; we were infested with cluster flies for weeks! Oh, do I have cluster (or “shingle fly”) stories… and so do a zillion other Islanders. Anyway, that house mouse has been expatriated to Nova Scotia, and here he’ll stay until something eats him.
Okay, back to the play.
- We had a huge audience (our biggest yet, over 100 people), and, what’s more, a receptive huge audience. They enjoyed themselves and they showed it, and that just helps us along even further.
- We killed on the letter scene. They laughed in places I had no idea anyone would laugh at. Robe scene and jail scenes went well, too. I was pleased. Since this is the last night of performing for some, it’s all the more important to give them our best efforts and make it the best show it can be.
- For Act 5, practically half of the cast advised me to “just belt it out.” So I did. And they laughed this time! (And it’s not really supposed to be funny, but we’ll take what we get.) Last line was so-so. It’s different every time I say it; unfortunately, my best rendition so far was in Dr. Katz’s office during a meeting with (the director) Glenn!
- At the end of the show, people commented about how “likeable” I was. That’s not a good sign. I’m going to see if I can give the performance of my life tomorrow. Goal: Get booed the hell out of me on the curtain call.
It’s all the more amazing that I had a decent night, what with all the other crap flinging around right now. One thing in particular was that our little blonde haired friend came to see the show tonight. And she sat in the front row! I couldn’t believe it. She didn’t cause trouble, but back in the dressing room it came out that most of the things she was telling me throughout our pretend relationship were lies, and lies built on top of lies to sustain the credibility of older lies. Augh. My sense of trust for people in general is going pfbttt. I know there are some truly trustworthy people out there, though. I think I know a few who might even be reading this. =)
A lot of people noticed that I was off my feed tonight before the show. Much like my character Malvolio, I don’t suffer “fools” (or, more to the point, what I perceive as foolishness) very well. (And like my character, I have a propensity to make a fool of myself in these defensive posturings.) I was harsh, impatient, and borderline argumentative. I got sick and tired of the crowds in the makeup room and the crappy music and etc.. etc.. and then someone in the crew came aboard me (we cleared the air about it, though)… I was about ready to explode. Fortunately, I didn’t. I channelled my rage and frustration appropriately, and we had a good show! (And Simon drove me home, another major bonus.)
If anyone’s interested, I’ve uploaded two backstage preparation videos from our second night (March 21st). [ 1 - ONE 2 - TWO - the sound is out of sync on YouTube, hence the willmatheson.com availability]
Boy, all this effort in keeping my digital and anologue lives in sync is exhausting me! One more night to go! I probably wouldn’t have blogged after every show, were it not for my old pal ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
castusalbuscor who cheerfully remarked, “You blog after every show!” And so I must. =)
Your e-Pal,
~ Will
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tiredMar. 30th, 2007
03:28 am - notes from night #6 + bus + Brooke!
The bus, I doth hate it. I left the house this afternoon in plenty of time to make a certain run of the 80. It’s a 25-minute walk. I get to the stop, and there’s someone waiting (usually a good sign). Five minutes becomes ten becomes twenty, and at a certain point I come to the conclusion that no matter that I was a few minutes early, the bus was probably even earlier, and I missed it. The GoTime system was no help, citing departures in 20, 8, and then again 20 minutes.
Finally, 40 minutes after I get to the stop, a bus comes – one of those awful New Flyer D40LF (fleet number 1015) with the sideways-facing seats that extend all the way to the back doors (the new D40LF with the new paint scheme and the front bicycle racks have more forward-facing bench seats, as do all the MetroLink D40LF).
So as you might imagine, this bus was jam packed, because, as it turns out, the 80 before it had a breakdown and didn’t even leave Sackville. What? Anyway, at some point along Bayer’s Road I was finally able to get a seat, but this in itself wasn’t enough to cheer me up because the driver specifically let the 17 (which directly serves Saint Mary’s) pull around us and vanish. The only low-floor busses in MetroTransit with rear windows are the Nova LFS, so I had no idea it was creeping up behind us, else I would have disembarked and transferred. And to add insult to injury, it was a beautiful New Look – one of those grand, high-floor busses with the cushy blue seats that we purchased second-hand from Victoria BC (fleet numbers in the 500-range).
Anyway, no harm done – I came to the theatre and had plenty of time to get myself ready, thanks in no small part to everyone else being better organized! =)
We had a great show; probably the best one so far. I had a merely acceptable finish, but this time the jail scene worked well, and the unveiling scene was smoking. This show oozed quality from start to finish. Full A! I can’t quite give it A+, but boy, it comes close!
I also got some interesting new feedback tonight – one person suggested that I was part of a good show, but that I was stiff. Hmm! Something to think about, there are no doubt some parts where I play things a bit jerky-like. Memo to self: I am playing Malvolio, not Will Matheson. =) Another friend also suggested that the short returning-the-ring-to-Viola scene worked well. I’m relived to hear that; I’m always worried about that scene, because I have to communicate my irritation to both Viola and the audience, even though the blocking is set up so that we’re at the same point downstage centre.
And, wouldn’t you know it, Brooke and Nyron came by to see the play tonight! They’re down from Toronto for two weeks for family visits and touring, and this was a happy, lucky coincidence. We drove back to Bedford and hit Dr. Sharp’s Route 2 Roadhouse. After talking about the play (they’re both English majors), we had a great chat about Toronto (to the point that I’m tempted to ask my cousin Ruth-Ann if I can stay with her for a few weeks sometime later on this Spring so that I can pound the streets looking for work).
They drove me home, which I greatly appreciated. Amusingly, when I got in the house I noticed that it was only midnight. If I’d taken the 80 and walked up to the house, I would still be walking, and I’d arrive at about 12:20am.
So, in the time it takes to get home on the bus, I can:
- Have an out-of-towner drive us from the South End to Bedford
- Find a place to drink in Bedford (the driver’s not drinking, of course)
- Park
- Have the drinks (5-10 minutes in my case)
- Chat for another 30 minutes
- Get driven home
Man alive. This bussing it is for the birds, at least from where I live. Sackville is much better served by transit, even though it is farther away from Halifax proper – at least partly because the highway links are much better, and they can leverage Dartmouth and the Harbour bridges.
This post was supposed to be 70% play and 30% bus. Ha-ha.
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/smile.gif){kind=small}
chipperMar. 29th, 2007
12:50 am - notes from night #5
- It was an acceptable performance all around. I wouldn't call it a particular standout, but it was probably the best night so far to tape (and, they did tape it!) - things were as stable as much as they were subdued.
- I was booed by many audience members for my curtain call. As much as this is a breakthrough for my character, I'm not sure how I feel about it. =) It's hard to avoid the temptation of playing Malvolio as an almost likable character.
- There were a few scenes tonight where it just felt like things were on cruise control. We're well beyond the point where we can go through our lines without even really thinking about them, and this means that it's really easy to shut one's brain off on stage. I often catch myself doing unspeakable things like making eye contact with audience members or approaching a monologue with an awkward cadence. But maybe this was because I only had a few hours of sleep yesterday morning.
- Tonight's jail scene went particularly well. The only problem is that I tend to be looking directly at Julie and Kurts (our Festes) as if I can see them, and I'm supposed to be in total darkness. I try to look as bewildered and unsure as possible, but it's tricky. To my chagrin, I caught myself with chewing gum in my mouth again - which was promptly swallowed before I came to have to say anything.
- I didn't have a particularly memorable Act 5. The problem is that my fellow cast members expect this brief, grandiose performance, and I do deliver one sometimes, but it's by fluke, not by design. I didn't let my last line travel as far as the front row before I had myself turned and walking back upstage. I pin it all down to fatigue. Tonight I'm going to get a better night's sleep, and put out a better show tomorrow.
- I usually think of one or two new subtle things to add to every show, and in that sense I wish we were playing for another few weeks, but in another sense I'm somewhat exhausted and anxious for everything to be over. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, though! (Soon after that, there's a new tunnel. Big mountain range here to get through.)
tiredMar. 28th, 2007
12:57 am - notes from night #4
Frickin' A.
Oh yeah, I give tonight's show a full A. We killed.
I had a minor mess-up in Act 4 with the Festes, but no one could have noticed; I gave Kurts the end of a later line and they just kept it going right through. I'm going to pay special attention to that scene - it's my least favourite, and even though I'm seated for the entire scene I find it physically the most challenging. I have to channel more information into a narrower range of expression, and it can be frustrating at times.
A bunch of people came to see this show, including some of my friends, classmates, and of course my mother and stepfather. Heck, even the University President (Dr. Dodds) was around for the first two acts, and then it got so bad he walked out he was probably very busy tonight.
Anyway, this is the first show that I'm pleased with without qualification. No "yeah, but"s tonight! And I did it all without my back-pocket cue sheet. About time I left that at home, really.
Also, memo to everyone: Please do not disturb our costume manager when she's trying to study. She bites. =)
cheerfulMar. 23rd, 2007
01:50 am - notes from night #3; Subway musings
We had a pretty good show tonight. It wasn’t perfect, but we were definitely batting in some runs.
Personally, I had a pretty mediocre first act, and this was purely my fault. I confused one entrance with another and walked in on Alli, and we just stared at each other for an awkward few seconds, and then I reacted as if she forgot her line (when in reality it was me who was to speak), but then I remembered where we were and we recovered it well enough. It probably wasn’t blatantly obvious to the audience.
In my monologue on Act 2, Scene 5, I skipped over some of the best lines, but at least that was neither harm nor foul to any other actors. In any case, that won’t happen again. This scene has been running really well so far, but just that little bit of extra polish will make it faintly sing in the hearts of our audience for the rest of their lives.
I opened up Act 4, Scene 2 with the redundant “Sir Topaz! … Who calls there?” Not only that, the lighting cue was messed up, and we hauled the cage and stool onto the stage under full lights. Then I realized, as the scene wound down – I still had chewing gum in my mouth! Augh. I was eating my lunch during the interminable Act 3, Scene 4 and thought I’d pop in some to freshen my breath. I hope against hope the gum wasn’t visible, because that would have taken people out of their suspensions of disbelief faster than you can knock over a prop table backstage.
We finished tonight very strong. Tonight was my favourite Act 5, and favourite curtain call, by far.
It’s looking good for next week; we’ve got a lot to build on! I give our shows so far a B+, C+, and tonight was an A-. And I’m really fussy, and my assessments are biased. It’s not as if the entire show hinges on Malvolio; there’s also this other little story with mistaken identity and people falling in love. =) j/k It’s similar to what has been said about Titanic, “It’s about this salvager who takes this old lady out to the Titanic’s resting place – oh, and there’s a flashback.”
Simon (our lighting and sound controller) gave me a lift home – thanks, dude! He has this awesome 2006? Corolla that senses the weight in the front passenger seat and uses that to decide whether or not the airbag should be turned on (so children under a certain weight will be protected from an airbag deployment), and it also starts chirping at a passenger who takes his seatbelt off in transit. He’s studying computer engineering at SMU, and works at Subway.
We were talking about subs, and he asks me, “What do you like on yours?”
I say, “Oh, everything – except olives.”
“Oh, you’re one of those people. You get everything and then you can’t get the sandwich closed.”
Hmm! That’s – quite literally – food for thought. My last Classic Italian BMT (at a different location than his, but still) was a dripping, drooping mess. Next time I’ll consider taking some things away, or asking them to go easy on the lettuce, or something like that.
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contemplativeMar. 22nd, 2007
03:19 am - notes from night #2
Up way too late. Just made a Facebook group for Twelfth Night. We’ll see how that goes. I was inspired to do it while standing at the bus stop tonight. I was feeling great, so so great! Oh, and on the bus I met someone who was studying a Scottish Gaelic grammar book! Well! We had a great conversation – in English, of course: my Gaelic-learning days are so far behind me that I can’t spell ‘ceilidh’ without a dictionary.
How was tonight’s show? Well, it was OK. I think the opening night was more consistent, but tonight had its own special moments. We seemed to have a really tough crowd, and it looked like there were a lot of older folks in the audience.
Still, we came out of Act 2 thinking, “Great! Now we’ve got them! They were laughing and everything!”
Thankfully, Alli and Emily waited until the end of the show to divulge that they were sitting in the stands and laughing in the appropriate places, in an attempt to get the crowd going. =)
So that being said, I’m not going to brag about between-scene applause, because it was probably Alli and Emily! =) Oh, thank goodness they were there for moral support. We were fighting an uphill battle almost all the way. We dropped the ball quite badly in the long final scene of Act 1, and said ball was tossed to me, and my sleep-deprived skull was like, “uh… uh…” and I ended up going with what line I was tossed, which meant skipping at least a page of dialogue, and the funniest jokes in the scene. It was painful for all of us, but we recovered well enough. And we won’t flub that scene, again, that’s for sure!
I think I got into my character more tonight, which really helped some of my parts along. Still, there were moments when I was sluggish on my cues (I think now it’s much better to be a little too early than to be even the littlest bit late, and I will now err on the side of “early.”) – all this isn’t helped by our venue, which is as modern and chic as it gets, but one that underwent a renovation to be this way with little heed paid to its theatrical requirements. Without getting into details, the distances between where you wait and where you enter are ridiculously long, and you have to be in character on this journey because the audience can see you.
So I had these sublime character moments, but again the lack-of-sleep thing probably compromised me in subtle ways, and tonight (OK, this morning) I intend to sleep in. Sorry, American Literature! I’ll shower at my leisure (no need to do it before home care gets here for Paul), and get in rested, refreshed, relaxed, and totally ready.
Sheesh, time to get on that. Getting home at 12:30 these nights really throws me out of whack, because there’s all this stupid stuff I feel like I have to do. Well, now to sleep!
Your Pal,
~ Will (Malvolio)
tiredMar. 21st, 2007
05:32 pm - tech milestone; notes from opening night
Today is the first day I’ve brought a modern laptop to a class. (I once dragged my old 386 to Intro Computer Science to run Turbo C++ in MS-DOS to try out little code snippets while the prof. ran Visual C++ on Windows 2000.) I’m really impressed with the battery life, especially for a large-ish 15” notebook – there was almost 20% still remaining, after being on from 11:45 straight to 3:45 – three straight lectures! I guess I could get about four or five hours straight just typing in MS Word in these optimal conditions: not playing music, not running SETI@home (that eats the battery), and disabling the wireless radio (generally, it’s distracting to have web access during lectures anyway). I’m really glad I sprung for the better battery.
My only problem is that, especially in my very small Chaucer class, I’m wondering if my constant typing annoys people. I will break a social rule and ask – on a day that I don’t bring the notebook. =)
In Intro Psychology it’s okay, because dozens of people have notebooks and the venue is a cavernous lecture theatre.
Actually, I have a few problems with Intro Psych. I love the material, but I kind of dislike the class, because everybody hates me. Gah, it’s like Computer Science all over again! Every time I answer a question or basically do anything, I hear snide whispers. What gives?
On Monday the professor was saying something like, “You’re happy! You’re astonished! You’re amazed; as if you got 100 on the exam! Actually, I think one person did that.”
That was me.
I didn’t do as well on the first exam; I only got a 98/100.
I wisely stayed silent.
We opened last night, and it was OK. Our closing song was a rousing, upbeat rendition of “Hey, Ho, the Wind and Rain.” In fact we were so enthusiastic that we came up with four simultaneous and different ways to sing the first line of the last verse, and equally different timing on the final notes. We sounded like this:
A loneat whime ago the world began
with thhey, ho, the wiand the ndrain
But that's all one, our pldone is lay
And we'll strive to pleayou se, evday ryday!
Still, our audience seemed happy. Some of our scenes were really smoking. Overall, it was a successful first show. Tonight should be even better. I’m going to see if I can pick times to be a convincingly, deeply frustrated Malvolio. I want to harness things like missing my bus two days in a row because the rat b*****d came early, walking all the way back home from my bus stop last night because my mother didn’t feel well, but then being asked to move the van that would have saved me the exhaustion on top of exhaustion (when you’re at school for 10-14 hours at a go, an after-midnight 25-minute walk home is not as pleasurable as it ought to be). I’m hoping against hope that Simon, the lighting guy who lives in Sackville, drove down here tonight – getting a drive from Mom lately has been like pulling teeth. I miss the car. I really miss the car. Last semester was an entirely different lifestyle. If I went back in time to January, I think I would have taken the (obscene amount of) money I spent on this notebook and put it on a car. The problem with the car, though, is that it’s a continuing money pit. The notebook requires comparatively little upkeep and maintenance, and it can generate its own creative wealth.
That paragraph got lost and forgot its destination. I’ll leave you with two unrelated (yes, actually unrelated) things:
( pay attention to your friends... )
2. Our little blonde-haired friend has recently filed a civil suit against one of our actors. In fact, she specifically timed the suit to coincide with our opening night (and, sadly, her “You guys hate me!” is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy), and our actor showed up at court in his costume! They set a date for the meat of the proceedings. We know that she set this time deliberately, as the time of day in question is normally reserved for traffic court, unless someone specifically asks for it. And there was the usual drama of her not wanting to be in the courtroom with him and all kinds of other nonsense. OK, end of story. Or so we think.
For the play, I needed to fill up some prop wine bottles with water. So I’m at the water fountain by the security desk filling these bottles. Suddenly I hear someone at the security desk speaking on the phone, “… May [trial date]th, [charge], he’s in the play…”
… and I turn and discover this same girl, with her back towards me. I made haste to fill up the bottles and escape without being noticed. I may have succeeded.
The problem with all this is that on one hand she says she’s afraid of this guy, and on the other she proactively comes to where he is to attempt to make trouble. On one hand she cries of his supposed unspeakable offences, and on the other she says it would be awful if he moved on. On one hand she’s broke, and on the other she borrows money to buy puppies – and reportedly asking, “I wonder what [the guy] would think of these?”, and to top it off she also borrowed money for something else (but it’s so sensational that I dare not say what outside of absolute proof). So what gives? Nothing she does makes any logical sense. Except to her. She must have her own internal checks and balances. Her task will be to make them fit with those of the outside world. I wish her well in this, and look forward to seeing her well adjusted in her later years.
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coldMar. 19th, 2007
03:06 am - dress rehearsal
We had our dress rehearsal tonight. A few of the lines that I had solid in front of my bathroom mirror this afternoon took wings and flew into the rafters post-cue. The whole experience was a truckload of learning – everything from costume practicalities to getting around the building to access the other end of the stage; and all manner of incidental learning from how to walk quietly in dress shoes to how to handle seriously stressed out members of the production crew. =)
I’m exhausted. I just spent a couple of hours making all of my cues into a list, with the hopes of nailing what for me has been the biggest trouble spot so far. Take a look! About 50% of this, I learned tonight for the first time. We open on Tuesday.
( Malvolio's cue sheet )
Anyway, I think I can swing it, especially with these cue cribs folded up in my back pocket. They’ll go a long way towards eliminating uncertainty and indecision. I also won’t have to look at my script for any reason whatsoever.
One of my good friends has accused me of being rather snotty towards them lately. As fickle as I feel some of the rationale is, she was (unfortunately for me) quite right. I don’t know about the specifics, but there’s ample evidence that 1) I can’t take a joke, 2) the jokes I make are often completely insensitive, and 3) I often don’t have two clues about what’s going on in the world around me. This is something for me to work on. Frustratingly, it’s hard to be told things like this, and the initial chagrin is choker.
exhaustedDec. 2nd, 2006
03:46 am - thoughts on the Liberal leadership speeches
I didn’t work on any of my term papers today, and spent way too much time in front of the TV following the Liberal Leadership Convention.
Overall, I was really impressed by almost all of the candidates (I slept through most of Joe Volpe’s speech after his video which was basically a glorified PowerPoint presentation).
I came into today thinking that I didn’t like Bob Rae because of his defensiveness concerning his time as Ontario premier that he exhibited during early media interviews. But it seems that now he’s this congenial, charismatic, driven, and gifted speaker. Being from the Maritimes, I guess I don’t know Rae as much as I should like.
He impresses me because he seems really good with people, and when he was congratulating his competitors on their speeches, he wasn’t just politicking – you could tell that he meant it. And he has a great sense of humour. For me, his speech was the best overall, striking the perfect balance of rhetoric and spontaneity. He was also the only one who dared tell a joke:
“Stephen Harper took his Cabinet out to dinner. The waiter asked what he’d have, and he said ‘Steak.’ The waiter asked, ‘What about the vegetables?’ ‘They’ll have steak, too.’”
What I think I would like to see is a you-steer, I’ll-work-the-gas-and-brakes arrangement with Bob Rae as the mouthpiece. But maybe that’s not what is needed most for the Liberals right now.
Martha Hall Findlay: She had a really sharp presentation and deserves future consideration. Just take Stronach and add personality. You’ll notice that Stronach is a brunette this weekend.
Scott Brison: I hope he sticks around for the second ballot. I had no idea he was such a good speaker. CBC just about forced me to write them a nasty e-mail when they put on the screen that Brison was twice elected as a “Conservative MP” in 1997 and 2000, had stepped down for “Conservative leader Joe Clark” and had run for the leadership. No, “Progressive Conservative,” and I’m always ready to draw the distinction. CTV got it right though, as anyone who follows politics more than once a decade would.
Gerard Kennedy: Appeals to Western Canada, said in his speech that he would win seats in Alberta and that “Canada is counting on us to win the next election, and we won’t let them down!”
Ken Dryden: I could live with any of these candidates as Prime Minister (the only Liberal leader to fail to become Prime Minister is from the nineteenth century: Edward Blake, the second leader of the party), but Dryden would be an inspired choice. He has a lot of fire in him, and I like how he said he’d stick around tomorrow. He talked a lot about how he’s distressed that the “small-thinking” Conservatives are undermining his vision of Canada. He said to a reporter, “I want my Canada back!”
Dion: He would be a highly respectable choice, though I worry about how he’d perform in election debates and in Question Period. But if he’s suddenly thrust into a position where he has to speak English almost every hour of every day, he’ll improve very quickly. It’s all nitpicking anyway, he was eloquent and decisive, and it’s easy to forget that he missed a few words here and there.
BTW, I have an idea for a Liberal Drinking Game: Take a drink every time you hear “social justice.” Stéphane Dion will have you under the table in no time.
Still on Dion, was it he that said, “The NDP doesn’t understand the market economy, and the Conservatives don’t understand social justice?” I know he did say that he’d like to take those two traditional piers of Liberalism and add environmental sustainability. Take a drink every time the environment is mentioned; if a candidate says “climate change” or “global warming,” take two.
Okay, who’s left… Ah! Michael Ignatieff! If he becomes leader and eventually Prime Minister, the delegates at this convention will be cursed by millions of future history students who need to look up the spelling every time they refer to the 40th Canadian Parliament.
But seriously, he is one of the greatest intellectuals we have. If we want a Philosopher king, here he is. He’s got lots of new ideas about a green economy, and he’s got a great way of explaining high concepts in layperson’s terms. (Paul Martin had this talent as well, which I feel he didn’t employ nearly often enough. You don’t often find yourself wishing that a political figure would talk more, but there you have it.)
I also like that Ignatieff said, with regards to post-secondary education in his ideal Canada, “If you’ve got the grades, you get to go!” We’ll hold him to that.
Movements:
- Joe Volpe put himself into irrelevance shockingly fast. He did make some good points about making things easier for new Canadians, and I’m definitely with him there as far as things like credential-recognition go. But his time at the convention was short, as he crossed over to Rae before the first ballot was even counted. It was obviously staged, and it makes a bit of a mockery of the process: You’re a Volpe delegate who has yet to vote, and you have Volpe’s name automatically checked off on your ballot. Wouldn’t you then feel that voting was a bit of a waste of time?
- Ignatieff got less than 30% on the first ballot (29.3%). Rae got 20.3%, so Dion at 17.8% is perfectly positioned to leapfrog over the two of them if he gets enough outside support. I think getting outside support is going to be a struggle for Rae, even with Volpe coming over to his camp. Dion will roll down a hill like a snowball in a cartoon and accumulate hundreds of delegates. Kennedy will be an interesting Kingmaker.
- Findlay’s votes, though the smallest in number, will carry some extra suasion to whomever she takes her votes. She won’t be the next Liberal Leader, but she will have an important role, at about the same magnitude as Brison’s. I say this both because she is the the only woman candidate and because she has a certain poise and drive that is not reflected in the voting results.
Oh, and there’s good news concerning Twelfth Night. Looks like I’m playing Malvolio. This will be Yet Another Malcontent™ among the roles I’ve played over the years, and sometimes I’m alarmed at the frequency with which I play argumentative, opinionated characters. I wonder who is playing Sir Toby Belch, my favourite character, the festive drunk? Anyway, I need to think about what I can bring to my role as the outcast, the puritan, and the only (or nearly the only) single person at the end of the play who doesn’t get married. I hope I don’t end up becoming the character!
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excitedNov. 3rd, 2006
02:10 am - Corvette Crossing - a capsule review
I have no aspirations to become a drama critic, but here's an attempt that will serve as a course assignment. This is an excellent play that deserves serious attention - my review is hampered by the fact that I saw it more than two weeks ago and also by the fact that I was drunk that night and made it to the theatre by the skin of my teeth (after running delieriously from Saint Mary's to the Ferry Terminal - my legs hurt for days afterward) - never drink with a Newfoundlander before going to a play, that is my new Theatre Motto.
On October 25th my peers and I took the golden opportunity to see the final dress rehearsal of Michael Melski’s Corvette Crossing, presented by Eastern Front Theatre. It’s a play about the vital role of the lowly corvette in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War, replete with unforgettable characters, authentic but not overbearing jargon, and the great responsibilities of bravery and sacrifice – all in an intimate space.
You first notice that the set is Spartan, but you find that the changes in elevation provide the effect of the variegated decks of a corvette. It’s perfect because the austerity of the stage makes us see the characters all the more vividly in their laughter and (more often) terror.
You sit down, the play begins. You laugh at Christopher Shore’s masterful, subtly comic portrayal of a Francophone sub-lieutenant. You’ve never heard of the (fictitious) HMCS Larkspur, but it sounds like one of the many ignominious, diminutive ships named after similarly diminutive Canadian towns. At the end of the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Navy was the third-largest in the world, largely consisting of proud vessels with humorous names like the HMCS Asbestos (Québec: 2006 population 6,645).
But don’t let my indulgence in nomenclatural jest fool you; this is a serious play. In fact, the emphasis on hometowns is appropriate, because the crew members bring their hometowns on the voyage. Issues like homesickness, independence, comradeship, faith, bravery and sacrifice make up the dramatic landscape. The dramatic space is tightly constrained (the Alderney Landing Theatre seats a privileged 285) and in the tension of uncertainty and fear we watch the character’s colourful and ultimately honourable personalities bounce off one another. Should you find the justification for this brilliantly crafted anxiety murky, let me add this: If you think you have friends, try hanging out with them on a glorified tin can floating in the fog on the North Atlantic, surrounded by U-boats.
The ending, when you get there, is open, in the sense of it not being spelled out and indicated with flashing amber warning lights. We asked each other, “Do you think…?” as we walked through the exits, having been stunned by this breathtaking theatre experience.
Barring an extended run (which would be merited), Corvette Crossing will play until November 12th. If you’re looking for a substitute for seeing Corvette Crossing (not that there is one), pick up a copy of Timothy Findley’s The Wars. A different war, a different battlefield, but the message and the tragedy are analogous. After your bombardment, you may think, “why am I not wearing a poppy?” I ashamedly, inexcusably am not, but I’ll pick one up as soon as I see one.
~ William Matheson
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hotOct. 26th, 2006
12:56 pm - Michael Zachary
No ball game last night, but I got a new nephew. Michael Zachary C., born at 6 this morning, 10 pounds 4 ounces.
My Contemporary Canadian Fiction class went to see Corvette Crossing last night at the Alderney Landing Theatre, and we’ll be writing reviews instead of midterms. Excellent play, though I hear you might have trouble getting tickets. I also want to give a quick shout-out to Shannon; it was nice to see a familiar face!
But before that I was hanging out at the Gorsebrook with a Newfoundlander friend of mine, and apparently “a few drinks” in Newfie means two shared pitchers plus two singles apiece. (I’m joking here.) He would have done well in Eastern Europe. I ran away from the Gorsebrook at 7:25, got to the ferry terminal at 7:45, arrived at Alderney Gate at 7:57 and got my ticket for the play that started at 8:00. Zoom, zoom, zoom. It’s a good thing the theatre is in the same complex as the ferry!
And before that, I ran up to King’s looking for a copy of Timothy Findlay’s The Wars. I figured I could squeeze it in between my second class and meeting Jeremy at the pub, but I was wrong, because they didn’t have the book on the shelf where the catalogue said it would be! Grrrr. On the bright side, I saw Casey, though we didn’t get the chance to talk as she was in a rush as well. At 4:25, I ran like heck to get back to Saint Mary’s for 4:35, five minutes late. I’m lucky he’s the patient type, I had to cancel on the poor guy last week. Anyway, we had a ton of fun and the three hours went by quickly.
Naturally I started the day off by oversleeping, and the occupation of the bathroom meant I had to wash my hair in the sink. I was 25 minutes late for class, and I guess I was just having one of those days.
This day seems like it’ll be pretty good, though. I’m an uncle again.
chipperMar. 11th, 2006
12:44 am - things that go "click"
What a beautiful day!
Okay, there was lots of rain, but at least it was warm. The snow that fell on our driveway in the morning is long gone, so there's some reason to celebrate right there.
I got up in the morning feeling like going back to bed. Maybe I could cancel my lunch date with Jessica. Maybe I could fax my documents to the Library HR office over the internet. But as I sat down to do that, I quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to sign the document I wanted to fax. I also might have lost control of the document formatting, and it would have cost enough money that I just decided that I'd better grin and bear it and head in. I ended up being really glad that I did.
When I went up to the Administration office at Alderney Gate, they were really, really nice. They went out of their way to let me know that they appreciated, for instance, my filling out two applications for two different competitions. A simple, seemingly obvious thing, but I *was* tempted to fill out only a single application form. It's a good thing I didn't; they would have had to photocopy it. Great way to get started, that would have been! So there's a free tip for anyone who ever wants to apply for a job at the library.
I took Jessica to One World Cafe for lunch and had the best spicy-anything I've had since that Pakistani-style chicken Shan made for us in Ternopil. The chick peas and potatoes were outstanding. It was the best food I'd eaten in weeks. It wasn't really Jessica's cup of tea, but I can think of some other friends who might be more open to that particular experience in the future.
Tonight I took John down to the Dalhousie Arts Centre to see JuJu's micro play. To my surprise, James from CPA was in one of them as well. As to that particular piece, it seemed to be aimed at musical fans, and I had a hard time getting most of the jokes. Good singing, though! The other three pieces were more accessible, and often quite funny. In JuJu's piece, we learn that he is a very lousy shot. =)
I wonder if I'm growing a new front tooth. I think I spent too much time basking in the glow of Ukrainian hospitality.
In general, I feel a lot better now. I had a really good day; I got to drive around a bit, think about my future... I had time on the meters at the first two places I parked, hit a lot of green lights, discovered both of the items I was waiting for at Spring Garden Road Memorial Library were waiting for me (not only one as I had thought), T. needs to see me next week, and in general everything just clicked. I hope to have more days like this.
pleased