Back in the Swim of Things

Yesterday (Wed.) was one of the first days in quite a while where I simply felt I had bitten off too much to chew.  I was giving a presentation (only wrapped up a day or two ago) in a meeting that just wouldn't end.  The meeting was supposed to wrap at noon, but then there was question after question.  And the chair kind of twiddled her thumbs and just let it roll.  The problem, in my mind at least, was that I was also scheduled to give a lunch-time talk (and I had kind of skimped on getting those slides ready...).  I finally got there 20 minutes late (yes, the other meeting ran 20 minutes long), apologized to the folks who had stuck around, then launched into the talk.  It went ok, but definitely wasn't one of my better lectures.  I'll have to spend some extra time cleaning up the presentation and send that around to try to make amends.  Then I had about a 15 minute break, then another couple of hours of meetings.

When I got home, I had to launch another round of model runs, as I am trying to wrap up a TRB paper.  Given that the deadline to submit is August 1, I don't have a lot of time.  But for once the modelling gods were smiling on me, and several models actually worked out pretty well.  Because the models can be launched through a batch run, I was actually able to run off to the gym, so that was a plus.

Today was a lighter day, spent partly on getting the bibliography together.  I only had informal meetings today, so that was nice.  I was a bit unhappy that I listened to the weather forecast, as I definitely could have ridden my bike in (and avoided some very unpleasant transit crowding).  I suppose it sort of worked out on the way home.  I stopped off at Regent Park Aquatic Centre (soon to be renamed for the late Pam McConnell).  I got in 10 laps, though I was a bit disappointed that the whirlpool was closed for maintenance.  Oh well.  It happened that the next bus was actually one of the rerouted King buses, so that actually took me up to the subway, so I rode a couple of stops, then grabbed some books at the library.  

I took care of a few chores (replacing some lamp bulbs and rehanging a painting), but am trying to take it slightly easy.  I think I will take a bit of a nap, then get back to the paper.  It really has been a fairly long and trying week.  But the TRB paper deadline is the last major, major deadline I have to deal with (for a while anyway), and I feel confident that I'll make it. That's all for now.

Guns on the Danforth

Details are still pretty sketchy, but last night around 10 pm, a lone gunman shot up several restaurants along the Danforth from Logan to just east of Chester.  While no part of a city is completely immune to gun violence (there have been several shootings in the Entertainment District and fairly recently in Chinatown), this hits very close to home.  One woman is dead and the shooter is also dead, though it isn't clear if he took his own life.  Many wounded, including a 9 year-old girl. The motives aren't clear at this point, but it doesn't appear to be a targeted killing, either gang-related or an ex-boyfriend hunting down his ex-girlfriend.  Thus, it was someone who just wanted to terrorize the city.  I suppose we'll know more soon.

While it will never be possible to completely stop the flow of guns from the States, given the fairly porous border, it won't take too many more incidents like this for the federal and provincial government to crack down much harder on gun ownership, particularly in cities.  That's a complete contrast to the States.

My thoughts go out to the wounded and hope they recover quickly, as well as to the families impacted.  I'm obviously glad I wasn't out and about.  While Pape subway is technically open this morning (Chester will be closed), I think it will be a total mess over there.  I'll take the 506 Carlton instead.  Incidentally, this is the last day before they start detouring the 506 to avoid Gerrard and Broadview, which will be totally closed.  I have a meeting tomorrow where I would have preferred to take the 506, but I suspect this will add at least 10-15 minutes to the travel time.  Of course, if the rain is hard enough tonight, it may be out of the system for tomorrow, and I can just bike instead.  That would be preferable.

Rainy Day Update

The weather forecast kept changing over and over.  First it was going to rain all weekend and perhaps Monday as well.  Then they removed rain in the forecast entirely.  Then rain crept in for Sat. evening and Sunday, which is what is says right now.  And in fact, it says it will rain from now until Thurs!  While we desperately needed rain, especially the lawn and gardens, five days straight is a bit much.  I suppose if it is more like Vancouver rain, a bit here and there, then I can deal with it and may bike to work most days.  Anyway, it isn't worth worrying about it too much.

In some ways, I am still recovering a bit from Fringe.  On the whole, it was a good experience, though I certainly wish the reviews had been better. I suppose it is always worth challenging oneself to do better, but it just felt like such a discrepancy between the reactions of the general audience and the reviewers, and it's a shame if people stayed away due to poor reviews.  I was basically ready for Fringe to be over a few days before it was actually over, just because it was so much work.  We didn't have anywhere to store anything, so everything had to be brought back and forth across the bridge for every show.  I also had to leave work at 5 sharp each night, though that turned out to not be such a huge deal.  After our last show, I saw a couple more shows on Sat. (including the incredible Entrances and Exits, the improvised farce), then on Sunday, I saw three shows.  One thing that is kind of neat is that for three of my last five Fringe shows, I knew others in the line-up.  I guess that's what happens when you start spending time with actors.

I slowly caught up on work over the week.  I had actually planned on seeing a couple of Summer Music Festival shows, but the late night show was Thurs, rather than Friday, and I just didn't want to disrupt my schedule that much.  Then Friday's show was sold out.  There is one show I will try to see in two weeks, but I had better get tickets soon!

This Sat. I spent a huge amount of time working on a TRB paper (the deadline is basically a week away), but made terrific progress.  I actually took a nap (while the program was running a batch file), so wasn't able to get out and go swimming in Regent Park.  But later I did grab some groceries, ran off to the library and then went to the gym.  I also obtained the painting which is part of the Impermanence Project, but I'll blog about that separately.  And I did some weeding, after the temperature finally broke.  So it was a fairly productive day, all things considered.  I had been inside a few hours before it finally starting raining.

Today, I should be able to run out to go swimming (just waiting to finish digesting breakfast), do some more shopping and wrap up the grocery shopping.  I should try to hang the painting, though that might wait until Monday.  The model estimation for TRB should wrap up tonight, and I need to carve out a few hours for other work, but I feel pretty much on top of that.  I guess then I can work on a few other projects, like returning to the quilting, figuring out something for under the porch to keep the frigging raccoons from knocking over the garbage bins and then building a Little Free Library for the front yard.  Always something to do, that's for sure.

Edit: While the rain was fairly gentle on the way out to the pool, it was so heavy coming back.  I managed to get my laps in, but it has been far too long since I've swam laps.  I'll have to try to make it back there once a week.  Looks like it will definitely be raining pretty hard tomorrow, but maybe it will lighten up a bit after that.  The plants do look a lot happier right now.

Short Stories into Novels

I wonder if this is more common today (turning or rather extending a short story into a novel), given that short story collections are so much less commercial than novels.  This came to mind because I happen to be reading two novels that fall into this category: Thomas Mann's Felix Krull and Max Apple's The Propheteers.  One might argue that Kafka's Amerika, which I also just read, falls into this category, since he was relatively pleased with the opening chapter, The Stoker (it actually is one of the relatively few things he published during his life).  Though one might argue that he had always considered this part of a larger work, which he eventually abandoned.  Of course, there are other odd hybrids, such as when the New Yorker or the Atlantic Monthly publish excerpts from novels that could be read on their own but could be seen as works in progress.  For instance, I couldn't force myself to finish Franzen's The Corrections, though many people feel the short story (or even novella) "Chez Lambert" published in the Paris Review is more successful, or at least more succinct.  I'll try to get to that one of these days.

Actually, as I was checking up on the Franzen details, I stumbled across this cool list.  I should have remembered Mrs. Dalloway, since I've actually read Mrs. Dalloway's Party, which contains the original short story and some related stories.

Anyway, one interesting question is if the short story serves as a seed for the later novel, and there are subtle (or even significant) changes, such as apparently occurred with NoViolet Bulawayo's Hitting Budapest.  Or indeed, if the text is repeated word for word, as with Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street and Felix Krull (at least for the first several pages -- I haven't compared the ending of the short story to the novel yet).  I do know that some people wondered if Mann was going to continue Felix Krull's life-story (before he himself died) or if he considered it a completed work.

I've mentioned a few times before how a character from a short story in Vanderhaege's Man Descending got his own novel -- My Present Age, so I won't dwell on that, other than to say I'll have to find some time to read these again.

It took a trip to Goodreads to remind myself that Max Apple's "The Oranging of America" was about Howard Johnson restaurants (they all used to have orange roofs) and thus there was a direct link to The Propheteers, where the trio (Howard Johnson, his secretary and his driver) are trying to grab some land in Florida in time to get a piece of the Disneyworld action.  I don't remember the story well enough to know if it is repeated word-for-word in the novel or if it is a different part of their (very fictional) biography.  I'll try to grab a copy of The Oranging of America out of Robarts this week.  I might even tackle The Jew of Home Depot (his recent collection of short stories).  And just possibly T.C. Boyle's The Road to Wellville, which seems somewhat akin to The Propheteers.  As always, there is just too much to read!

Edit (7/24): I did make a short trip to Robarts (getting fairly wet in the process), and I picked up The Oranging of America.  While there are some very slight differences, the title story is indeed Chapter 1 of The Propheteers.

Missed opportunities (the cat)

As anyone taking a casual glance at the blog knows, I have been very preoccupied with Fringe.  That said, I did manage to get to the big art fair at Nathan Phillips Square (more on that soon).  And in the evenings, I did some internet browsing.

I stumbled across a site with kittens and cats for adoption.  I was so drawn to one that looked almost exactly like my first cat, and apparently had many of the same characteristics.  She was calling to me...  As I said, I was fairly busy, and I was also slowly softening my wife's opposition, since she has never been a big cat person.  Perhaps I should have at least emailed the site.  But when I went back yesterday, she had already been adopted.  So sad.  The others just didn't do as much for me, and one or two clearly had behavioural issues.

What I will have to do, in order to move more quickly the next time, is make a real effort to clear out the space in the office where a litter box would go.  I have to clean up the basement too, but in some ways this is a bit less daunting.  Then perhaps I can get more serious about cat hunting this fall. 

12th Canadian Challenge - Consumption & AGO show on Inuit art

I pushed through a bit more than I expected and finished reading Kevin Patterson's Consumption (to get it back to the library without having to renew).  I guess I wrapped it up on what was technically the day after Canada Day, but nonetheless a very early entry into the 12th Canadian Challenge (with a 2 week lag in writing up the review!).  Details here for those interested in signing up for the 12th Canadian Challenge (still plenty of time).  As I noted elsewhere I am still reading a fairly large number of Canadian novels, but I am feeling slightly less motivated to review all of them and I may drop the challenge next year.

I'm not entirely sure how Consumption got on my reading list, but perhaps it was mentioned in the Toronto Star as a book that talked about the themes of Reconciliation but didn't have any easy answers, which seems accurate enough.  While there is a lot going on in the novel, there are a number of steps taken by well-meaning individuals that have unintended consequences, and yet it is too easy to say that these people should have done nothing.  The novel starts with a young Inuit girl, Victoria, taken from her family and sent to Winnepeg to treat her very advanced case of tuberculosis.  If she hadn't been taken for treatment, she most certainly would not have lived long.  However, once treated, she fell through the cracks for 6 years, losing her connection to her family and her traditional ways as she grows up in Winnepeg.  Then she was returned home, somewhat against her will.  She never fully integrated back into the community, and quite a few people in the small community near Rankin Inlet feel she should have stayed away.  She actually mostly socialized with the Kablunauks (aka white people) and ultimately married Robertson, a white man who eventually became manager of the local store (I believe it was essentially a Hudsons Bay trading post).  She had been warned that most Kablunauks "married" and had children, but then felt no compunction about pulling up stakes and leaving (without their families) if they were transferred.  Nonetheless, she feels affection for him and thinks Robertson is different, and indeed, he is uniquely committed to staying in this remote community.  Her decision to marry Robertson was certainly helped along by her feeling fairly alienated from the rest of her clan.

The novel makes a number of interesting and challenging choices.  First in centering so much of the story on Victoria (and making her an untypical Inuit).  Second, Victoria is not actually particularly admirable as a character, or at least I didn't like her as a person.  She makes a number of bad decisions, and then later blames others, even shunning them, when things go awry.  A bit more self-reflection or the ability to forgive would have been welcome.

The cast of characters starts expanding, and characters that only had a relatively small role in Victoria's life get more important.  By the end, it almost feels like an episode of Northern Exposure, and the doctor (Keith Balthazar) has just about as much weight as Victoria.

Here is a list of the "main" characters:
Emo (Victoria's father)
Winnie (Victoria's mother)
Robertson (Victoria's husband)
Tagak (Victoria's brother)
Justine (Victoria's daughter)
Marie (Victoria's daughter)
Pauloosie (Victoria's son)
Simionie (Victoria's lover)
Doctor Keith Balthazar
Amanda (Balthazar's niece)
Father Bernard (priest)
Two teachers at the school - Penny and Johanna
Simon Alvah (a Kablunauk with boat wintering in Rankin Bay)

I'm actually skipping over a few characters from Victoria's early life, as well as Amanda's parents and her boyfriend.  I'm not sure how I feel about this huge cast.  I think it might have been better to start off with a broader view, taking in the whole village, from the beginning, rather than switching midway through.  As you can imagine, the focus definitely starts to slip as pages are allotted to everyone, and the time spent on Amanda, who lives in New Jersey(!), seems completely extraneous to the plot (and really the two teachers as well, though they did interact with Victoria's children from time to time).  By the time the novel proper wraps up (with Balthazar meeting the retired priest in the South Pacific), the novel feels pretty baggy.  Then the reader is treated to over 50 pages (in even smaller font!) of the doctor's notes.  While there is some interest in getting his take on what actually transpired up north, it really dragged on and overstayed its welcome.  The novel would have been more effective had it been more focused, at least in my view.

What was a bit ironic is that I was reading this novel about the north (where most of the time the characters are dealing with terrible winters) in the midst of a severe heat wave.  And indeed, two weeks later, the heat has returned.  But to help put myself in the proper frame of mind, I went to the AGO.  For the first time ever, the main exhibit features Inuit artists: Kenojuak Ashevak and her nephew Timootee (Tim) Pitsiulak, who died tragically young from pneumonia.  (The AC helped a bit to put me in the right spirit...)

While I generally like Inuit carvings more than Inuit prints, some of these were quite nice.  Here are a few that stood out for me.  (The whale piece is quite large and really needs to be seen in person.)

Kenojuak Ashevak, Untitled, 1994-5

Kenojuak Ashevak, Nunavut-Our Land, 1992

Tim Pitsiulak, Swimming with Giants, 2014

The exhibit runs through mid August, so there is still about a month left to check it out.  I'll try to get back one or two more times before it closes.


Edit: I managed to borrow a copy of the exhibit catalog, and none of these three works is reproduced in it (there is a small shot of Swimming with Giants in the background).  I think that is a real missed opportunity (and I can't really recommend the catalog now that I know it is missing works from the exhibit), but it just means there is even more reason to go see these works in person!

Final Show!!!

Today at 4 pm is the last performance of Final Exam.  Last night, we had several walk-ups (a bit astonishing given our location) and got 20 people in the audience, which I was not expecting.  The energy was great (and a welcome change from Thurs, which was a low energy show to a certain extent).  We had the biggest reaction from the audience, including someone who got a bit carried away in their student role and answered Mr. Miller.  I wasn't expecting that...  It was really the best or second best performance of the run (just a couple of times the actors jumped on others' lines and one slightly missed cue).  We had great feedback after the show as well, but I think we can top that today...

We're hoping to get 3-4 more folks to turn out today (though more are welcome).  This will allow us to have an unbroken streak of 10 or more audience members at every show (in fact, we are averaging 17, which is great).  By the end of our run, just under 120 people will have seen the show.  To encourage folks to show up for the last performance, we have put the tickets on the Daily Discount, so they are only $8 (cash) at the door (or you can order them here).  Hope to see you!

Edit: It looks like we just made it to 10, and there might be a couple of walk-ups.  Yea!  Thanks for the support, and hope everyone had a wonderful Fringe!  I have just a few more shows to catch (I haven't decided on any of the Patron's choice shows Sunday evening, though I'm currently leaning against).

Edit2: Incredible!  We went from 7 last night to 27.  That might not actually count a few people that showed up at the door, and the Front of House manager said we were technically sold out.  All I know is I had to run for more chairs twice.  Now unfortunately, two of the friends of one of the actors thought the show was at 5 not 4, so they showed up as we were packing up.  Most unfortunate, but aside from that it was a great show overall, with a lot of good vibes from the audience.  I think anytime you go from thinking you are going to have a lightly attended show and then you jump up to essentially sold out is quite an adjustment.  (Obviously, a good problem to have.)  We also had the youngest audience members by far (perhaps a few under 10), which is probably the unofficial cut-off for age appropriateness of the show, but they seemed to be ok.  Hopefully no nightmares tonight.  I'm going to ponder if I am going to do anything more with the show, like run it again at Danforth Tech in the fall, but I am leaning against it.  One Fringe-like experience is probably enough.

Over the Hump aka World Fringe Day

Wed. was World Fringe Day (yea!), so hoping people were out Fringing it Up.  We were quite busy, Hiving It Up ourselves.  We played to another packed house.  Wed. was our fourth performance, and we have three shows left, so come on out!  Today and tomorrow, shows are at 7 pm and Sat. the final show is at 4 pm.

Look for the sign at Matty Eckler (Pape and Gerrard).

Tickets can be purchased here, or at the door ($13,* cash only).  See you soon!

* Thurs. night only is part of the Daily Discount deal, so tickets are only $10. 
What a bargain!

Secrets, revealed

I saw Featherweight last night at the Paddock.  It was an intriguing show about how the Egyptian gods -- who used to weigh one's heart after death to decide if one was worthy or not to pass onto the Field of Reeds (or be entirely devoured) -- were now taking one's Internet browser history into account.  You can see the set of scales and the feather on the table, but the dead man's heart is still in his body at this point.

Nothing stayed secret from the gods, and our hapless protagonist was squirming as he had to justify some of his Reddit comments.  The show has been getting rave reviews and was sold out last night.  It might be a challenge to get tickets, but it is worth checking out if you can score tickets somehow.

Speaking of (nearly) sold out shows where secrets are revealed, there are only 5 seats left to Final Exam tonight (Wed.).  So thankful for everyone for coming out!  But don't worry, there is good availability for Thurs. and reasonable availability for the Friday and Saturday shows.  Hope to see you then!

I asked the cast a number of questions to get their take on what the show covers.  The actual questions were:

#1 Did you have a big secret (in high school or university) that you didn't want anyone to know?
    #1a Did the secret get out?
    #1b Do you still feel the same way, or does it not seem such a big deal now?
#2 If you could probe the mind of anyone, who would it be and what would you want to find out?

Here are some of the responses:

Brandon - I don't think I really have any dark secrets; I'm a pretty open book if people bother to ask.

Elizabeth -
#1. I can't think of any big secret I had, no.

#2. Maybe a boring answer, but I guess I would want to read the minds of people I'm going to audition for, so I would know exactly what they're looking for! I wouldn't want to read their minds AT the audition, that would be super distracting, but I would love that extra insight while preparing!

Veronica -
#1 Yes, I am a kinesthetic learner and excelled at extra curricular activities. Unfortunately, I would always be seen sleeping in class which made everyone think I was lazy.

#1a Yes, the secret got out when I had the opportunity to perform a Chinese Folk Dance during Heritage Month and International Day. I got a group of my classmates together to choreograph a dance, and they were surprised by my drive and passion.

#1b It was a big deal because I felt I slept through my whole school life and missed out on opportunities.

#2 I would probe my grandfather's mind because he was a famous 1950s Hong Kong comedian that passed away at 36. I would like to find out how his life was growing up as a child actor.

Feel free to add your own (former) secrets in the comments.  Happy hiving...

Upcoming Fringe schedule

It's a gorgeous day, so obviously I want to go spend most of it indoors at the Fringe.  Just joking.

I've basically figured out my Fringe schedule.  I really do have the Fringe bug this year; I'm sure this is due to the fact that I am so heavily promoting my own show but also want to see what others are up to.  I'll probably drop back down to a more normal 4 or 5 shows next year.  Anyway, I'd rather be out and about than sitting at home and fretting about reviews (and why they haven't posted yet...).

Sunday (8th)
Police Cops in Space 1:15 - Factory Mainspace (apparently a huge hit)
Josephine 3 - Randolph Theatre (I don't actually have tickets, so if it is sold out (as it appears to be), I'll just go to Nathan Phillips Square for the art show there.)
The Makeover Show 7:30 - Monsieur Barber Shop & Spa 

Monday 
(nothing -- what's wrong with me?)

Tues
Flute Loops 6 - Helen Gardner Theatre (if I can sneak out of work a bit early)
Featherweight 8 - The Paddock (really looking forward to seeing Kat Letwin)

Wed-Fri 
(stage managing Final Exam, so no time for anything else)

Sat. (14th)
Space Hippo noon - Randolph Theatre (a very lovely shadow puppet play)
The Ties That Bind 8 - Factory Theatre
Entrances and Exits 9:15 - Factory Theatre (another big hit at this year's Fringe)

Sun. (15th)
Entrances and Exits noon - Factory Theatre (I know, I know, but it is an improvised show, and Colin Mochrie is guest appearing!)
Paradise Lost 3:15 - Theatre Passe Muraille (poetry and puppets) 
Cluster F*cked 5:45 - Tarragon (not entirely sure about this one, as I may just be too beat, especially if I have to bike up the ridge to Tarragon) 

What's Cooking in the Kitchen at Fringe?

I had a chance to drop by the Ralph Thornton Community Centre to see Kitchen Sink Drama.  (It's actually right next to Queen Garden Centre, where I saw a beautiful tree that I hoped to plant in my front yard, only to be foiled by the city bureaucracy, but that's another story...)
 

As we mentioned elsewhere, we are promoting a Saturday double-feature of our show at 4 pm and then their show at 7:30.  Obviously, it's too late to do that this weekend, but next weekend would work, and the weather is supposed to be nice.  There's plenty of time to grab something quick to eat on Queen St. as you head down to Queen from Gerrard.  But leave some room for the snacks.  My companion for the evening and I ended up with pretzels, chocolate-covered coffee beans (a bit too bitter for my taste), almonds and gummy bears.

The cast was solid.  My favourite courses were the Main and Sweet Dessert, both about affairs of the heart and both ultimately quite sweet.  If you really follow along, you can learn how to cook risotto and how to make a trifle, which looked decadent indeed.  One thing that was a bit of an issue, but probably won't be next week, is that the Leslieville Music Festival was going on.  There was a band right in the street between Ralph Thornton Community Centre and Queen Garden Centre playing Latin music at full blast during three of the short pieces.  (There was a short set break that coincided with the Main course.)  For the Sweet Dessert, the setting was a late-night raid on the kitchen (at a bed and breakfast).  When the music kicked back in (a cover of Camila Cabello's Havana), one of the actors started dancing along, as if it were a radio in the next room playing really loudly.  It was probably the best way to acknowledge the elephant in the room...  While I was initially a bit nervous about being in the front row for the show (it's a very tight venue, much smaller than our room at Matty Eckler), I was glad we sat there, so we could hear the actors over the music.  I really don't know if I would have been able to hear at all had I been sitting next to the window.  Music aside, it was a satisfying ending to the day, and I would encourage folks to turn up and support a fellow East End show.

Posters

Even though I have a few more of the large posters left, I think I am postered out.  I have heard from a few people that they liked the look of the poster (not overly cluttered), and that was nice to hear.

 

If you are in Toronto and come see the show next week and would like to have one of the large size posters (11 x 17), just let me know (either in the comments here or on Twitter).  Limit 2 per household while supplies last.

It is also worth checking out the set, especially the amazing classroom posters created by one of the actors, Elizabeth Rose Morriss.  First, we have an Earth Day poster (NASA-approved). 

But my favourite poster has to be the periodic table.

Notice anything different?

Sex Odyssey at the Fringe

I really am about to run out the door to start my show, but I had a chance to catch 2018: A Sex Odyssey.  It was quite amusing.  I would describe it as Friends in Space (and indeed, there is a moment where some of the characters are catching a Friends rerun -- some things never change).  The plot, such as it is, is that Earth is in terrible danger, and the only remaining fertile humans are being shipped off to Mars to repopulate that planet.  We are watching 6 of them at the beginning of the nearly 2 year voyage to Mars.  More information here.

I would say the show has a very similar sensibility to ours, though with even more sex-crazed characters.  If you enjoyed our show, you would probably like this show, and hopefully vice versa.  I passed out a fair number of our postcards to my fellow attendees while waiting for the show to open.  On the way back home, I ran into Bakka Phoenix Books (Toronto's best and perhaps only SF/fantasy-themed bookstore).  I explained that I wanted to leave some postcards about our show, which had a science fiction theme, and they took all of them and put them front and centre on the desk in front of the cash register.  So a big thanks and shout out to them!

Now I really have to run.

Opening Night!

We had an amazing turn-out this evening, despite the threat of thunderstorms!  In fact, it did rain hard, but cleared up 30 minutes before show time (and then rained again a couple of hours after we wrapped).  The rest of the run should have much better weather, and it might even be a bit cooler than this past week.

In any event, we came thisclose to selling out on our first show of the Fringe!  Incredible!  I think the final tally was 25 tickets/passes sold with one no-show.  The room is only set for 30 audience members max!  We actually had to round up a few more chairs, since we weren't expecting quite such a huge turnout.  Thanks again for coming out, and do spread the word.  We have six performances left and still reasonable availability for most of them (and we still have those extra chairs).

We were also fortunate to have Emily Dix drop by on Wed. to help document our dress rehearsal.  Here are a few of the incredible shots she took of the action going down.

You'll just have to come see Final Exam for yourself what has the teachers and students so upset...

Meet the Cast (and Crew)

I know I should have put this up much sooner, but I just didn't get around to it.

Cast: Front row - Veronica, Brandon, Sanjay Back row - Kendall, Phil, Elizabeth, Tahlia

Phil Rickaby (Mr. Miller) is an actor, writer and the host of the Stageworthy podcast (www.Stageworthypodcast.com). Selected theatre credits include The Commandment, Gormless Joe, The Last Man on Earth, and Hamlet (Polonius). Film/TV credit include Abolition, Inventions that Shook the World, Curious and Unusual Deaths, August Heywood, Behind Closed Doors and the Youtube classic So You’ve Decided to be Attacked by Zombies.

Elizabeth Rose Morriss (Ms. Renard) most recently created and performed her own cabaret, I Woke Up Singing: the Jane Powell Songbook, sang in the choir in Shakespeare in the Ruff’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and played Olive Redmond in Harvest Moon Rising (Women of Musical Theatre Festival). She is thrilled to be making her sixth appearance in the Toronto Fringe Festival! Look for Elizabeth next in the upcoming webseries Howl.

Veronica Choi (Britney) is an actor, dancer and teacher. She majored in Drama at the University of Toronto, and graduated from Seneca College's Acting for Camera and Voice Diploma program. Veronica has been dancing Chinese Folk Dance since she was three years old, her specialties include the Mongolian Bowl Dance and playing stock characters in dance dramas. You can currently see Veronica working as a cashier in an Interac commercial and also as a midwife for the Borrowell commercial. Selected film credits include Gurlesque, Bunka Club, Velcro and Lace, Welcome to DeLish and Roommates.

Sanjay Pavone (Stephen) is an actor based in Toronto. He is co-directing, producing, and acting in the webseries Vigil, set to release in 2018. Selected credits include Carrie: The Musical, Footloose: The Musical, The Goodbye Girl and The Olympus Project.

Kendall Petersen (a Visitor) has acted in various school productions and a commercial for Value Village.  He is excited to be making his Fringe debut.

Brandon Schamerhorn (Colin) is a graduate of Canadore College’s Theatre Arts program. Selected theatre credits include As You Will (Best of Fringe at North Bay Fringe), The Misanthrope, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, As Bees in Honey Drown, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Selected film credits include Desperation and Underneath: An Anthology of Terror.

Tahlia Zaloski (Christine) is a graduate of Canadore College’s Theatre Arts program. Selected credits include (theatre) Zoo Story (North Bay Fringe) and The Seagull, (film) SOMA, and (television) The Tom and Doug Show and Paranormal Survivor.

Gillian Armstrong is the director of Final Exam. She has directed Stars (New Ideas Festival 2018) and The Doorknocker (Drama Studio Series 2016). She was assistant director on This Will Be Our Last Transmission (FireWorks Festival 2017), No Bombs on Monday (Commonplace Theatre 2017), The Seer (Commonplace Theatre 2017), Volpone: A Staged Reading (Shakespeare BASH'd 2017) and Much Ado About Nothing (Hart House Theatre 2016).

Eric Petersen is the producer and writer of Final Exam. His work has been seen at Red Sandcastle Theatre and various cold reading series around Toronto.  In addition to serving as a board member for Halcyon Theatre in Chicago, his work was produced at Straw Dog Theatre.

Textile Museum visit

For a slight change of pace (i.e. some posts not about Fringe), I thought I would cover our recent trip to the Textile Museum.  This is a relatively small museum, tucked away just a few blocks northwest of City Hall.  I do try to go a couple of times a year to catch the main exhibits.

We actually went a few weeks back, just as the Jane Kidd exhibit was closing (sorry) but the quilt exhibit that opened will be on view through September 23, so plenty of time to check that out.

First, here is an example of Kidd's tapestry art.

Jane Kidd, Burn, 2017

Then a selection of quilts, many looking more like paintings than quilts.

Erica Waaser, Across 2, 2015

Anneliese Zimmermann-Vogl, Purple Dance, 2015

It was a pleasant trip.  The next exhibit will be on beads.  Right now I am not sure that is compelling enough to make the trip, but perhaps there will be some sort of a hook that makes it more interesting to me.  I'll check back in in a few months.

Look for the Fringe sign!

Rehearsal last night was awesome, and we are ready to go tonight!  We have a good-sized crowd already, but there are still about 10 more seats available if you want to come by last minute.  Tickets are sold at the door!  Lots of good availability for the rest of the run.

Look for this sign at Matty Eckler, then follow it around to the west side of the building, where you will see the Fringe table.  

We may let people into the building a bit early today, since it is likely to be raining, but the doors to the classroom open at 6:45.  Don't be late!  Late-comers are not admitted into Fringe shows, even the site-specific ones.  

For those of you just tuning in, Matty Eckler is at 953 Gerrard St. E (south-east corner of Pape and Gerrard).  506 College/Carlton/Gerrard streercar stops right near by.  The 72 Pape bus drops off at the corner of Gerrard and Carlaw (just one block west of Pape).

There may be limited parking on Pape, but parking at Gerrard Square is also an option. Hope to see you there, whichever way you travel (even by space ship)!

Fringe Parade

It's been quite a while since I've been in a parade.  Perhaps the last one was actually a Halloween parade with the kids (in costume!) in Chicago.  In any event, I was definitely a bit stressed out, since I wasn't able to ride my bike (because the laminated poster was too big) and also I thought I would head back with the other actor in my show after the parade.  But then I had to get from work to the parade starting point in 15-20 minutes.  I decided to try the Bike Share program.  I'm not going to lie.  I really disliked the feel of these bikes -- they barely geared up and the breaks weren't very good either.  I don't think I'll ever take one again, but it did serve its purpose.

I made it to Kensington Market with about 5 minutes to spare (well, more like 10 since we started just a bit late).

Our Poster

We actually joined up with another group and marched down to Scadding Court (Dundas and Bathurst).  Here we are merging into the other group.

We've got a short clip of the parade from the outside and then from inside the parade itself as we neared Scadding Court.  It was great that we had a small band (from High School Symphony).  Quite a lot of talent in this Fringe this year.  I wish I could see more of it, but I don't think I can see more than 5-6 shows, maybe 7 at the very most.

Anyway, we dropped off our poster at Scadding Court.  We didn't have time to stick around or to even buy the performers passes (as the box office line was too long), but I'll try to do that today after lunch.

We were able to find a cab on Bathurst and had him run us over to Gerrard Square (since my postcard order was finally done -- so frustrating that it wasn't the day before, as I would have handed some out at the parade).

The troops then gathered at 7, and we had our dress rehearsal.  It was very exciting, since this time around, we had a photographer taking shots, and the entire performance was recorded on video.  (That's one less thing to worry about tonight!)  It's really come together well, but it is so hard to believe we are opening tonight!  One last time, information about the show is here (and you can also buy tickets (only $13!) on-line through the Fringe website or at the door at Matty Eckler -- Pape and Gerrard).  Just remember that Fringe shows start on time, so please arrive a bit early (perhaps 6:45).  Hope to see you there!

Edit (7/5): I cycled back over to Scadding Court right after lunch (wow it was hot!).  There wasn't anyone in line at the box office (score) and every show time I wanted was still available (double score).  I took a look at our poster, which has good placement on the wall, right in the center panel.  We're a little high, but I think the slightly unusual placement actually catches the eye.

Summer Music Fest

The Tafelmusik festival is already over.  I managed to catch one show.  I also saw the Kindred Spirits Orchestra.  Usually at the very end of June, they play one show at the Glenn Gould Studio at CBC.  This year I managed to get a decent shot of the piano that Glenn Gould played.

I usually don't see a lot of summer classical concerts, but this year the Toronto Summer Music Festival looks pretty good.  Details here.

Apparently for the opening concert, the Borodin String Quartet pulled out and has been replaced by the Echer Quartet.  While it looks like a fine concert, I have to be at my Fringe show, so I'll have to pass.  I think the most interesting offering is the New Orford String Quartet doing Reich's Different Trains and Crumb's Black Angels on July 24.  (This was a pairing on a Kronos Quartet CD from way back in the day.)  I actually saw Kronos Quartet doing Black Angels and just am not sure I'd want to see anyone else do it (though it is true I've never seen Kronos doing Reich's Different Trains).

Anyway, I had seriously considered catching Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.  I don't think I've seen the entire piece since 2017 (when Nicola Benedetti came through with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, whatever that is) and then before that it was in Vancouver (where it was paired with Astor Piazzolla's Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires), which is itself pretty amazing).  However, all the tickets are $90, and that is outside my budget.  I will probably catch two shows -- Schubert's The Trout Quintet on July 20 and Brahms's Sextet (which I'm not sure I've heard) on August 3.  I'm quite torn over a late-night show of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.  I just saw Amici do this last year, and I maybe can take a break.  I have another week or so to decide.  But many of the other concerts look interesting, even if I don't manage to make it out to them.

Happy Canada Day 2018!

What a difference a year makes.  I was already grateful to be living in Toronto (well, not always during the winter) but things are truly upsetting just south of the border.  I certainly wasn't expecting the Fraudster to be sparking trade wards and trying to undermine NATO and the G7.  On the flip side, I am not super crazy about the direction that provincial politics are going, and indeed it is more than a little uncertain whether Trudeau will remain in power after 2019, though I suspect he has one more election win in him.  I've decided to start studying for the citizenship exam before things get even crazier.

On a lighter note, this list of names that Canada could have been named is pretty amusing.  Most are pretty bad, but Norland is ok.  I wouldn't mind being called a Norlander.

I don't have a ton planned for the day, though it would be nice to go somewhere air conditioned.  (Our AC is not working and is apparently irreparable according to the repair guy that looked it over last week!)  I'll probably try to wrap up a book for the 12th Canadian Challenge, which is kicking off today.  And of course, getting ready for my Fringe show...

Fringe Caption Contest Winner!

The caption contest is over and we have a winner.  If you can't recall the details, the contest was announced here.  In fact, the same contestant had the winning entry both captions, so @iType2U will be eligible for 2 tickets.  Congrats! We'll arrange to set aside a couple of tickets for an upcoming performance.  Note there is still good availability to come down and the show, especially in week 2.

The winning entries:

Photo #1

"He's fine. The cold floor helps when there's no AC."

Photo #2

"It's an open book exam." "I only brought one page."