Work hasn't really let up (not that I expected it to) and I have found that I don't have much energy to unpack in the evenings. In fact, I came pretty close to collapsing from exhaustion on Thurs., and ultimately I slept in (just a bit) and worked from home. However, I really was working, not lazing around. I've been in almost non-stop phone calls over the past two days, all related to technical matters, which means that I couldn't zone out.
I have done a fair bit of straightening out of the old house, and today I think I will rent a bigger car and get the last of the stuff over here (the bikes, the paintings and a few last random boxes). I'll probably take the opportunity to drive over to Canadian Tire and get a replacement wardrobe (unless my wife decides she can live with one without doors!).
I really ought to see if I can staple up this tarp before it starts raining, but I think that window has passed, and I'll just have to work in the rain (after I return the car).
Anyway, I did take advantage of the fact that the books aren't up on the shelves to arrange the CDs and DVDs that lie behind them on the shelves. This is probably the most organized they have ever been. I actually took the time to generate a spreadsheet-based key to locating where certain things were. This may not actually inspire me to watch the silly things (rather than just hoard them), but it will probably help a bit. It looks like I have turned up all the key DVDs, aside from Fellini's La Dolce Vita (which I pulled after hearing of the death of Anita Ekberg back in January, but then never got around to watching!) and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing.
I will need to figure out what to do with the overflow CDs. I'm planning on putting up one more shelf in the back room, and anything that can't fit on that will have to be sold off (ideally) or go into deep storage in the basement (the more likely outcome).
I do think this evening I can make significant progress in unpacking the art books, but then I will need to spend at least some time Sunday catching up with work-related tasks. I think my biggest headache right now is that the people who said they would take the shed and the spare file cabinet are starting to flake out on me. Truly, I never had this much trouble giving things away (or just charging a nominal fee in the case of the shed) when I was in Chicago.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Friday, June 26, 2015
Medium-to-long term events: 2015-16 season and beyond
I've sort of let this slip, though most of the events are slated for the fall or after. While I could simply list the upcoming seasons of the various companies, as I already intimated I don't really think there is a single company where I feel so in tune with their season's offerings that I will be subscribing, compared to this past season where I subscribed to both Soulpepper and Tarragon. If I was going to subscribe at all, it would probably be to Remy Bummpo, which is a Chicago-based company! I actually came close to subscribing to Tafelmusik, but their exchange policy was stupid and unworkable for someone like me who sometimes has to travel for work on short notice. I will say the Amici Chamber Ensemble season looks good, though I am torn between seeing three shows where it might be worth subscribing or just two where it wouldn't. Given the shows are all Sunday matinees, I shouldn't be forced to have to skip one due to work. I think for now, I'll just list the two shows I am most likely to make.
Anyway, this is very much a work in progress, and I expect to add -- and occasionally subtract -- concerts and shows, as I get more information. It's more to keep this straight in my own head, though anyone else is welcome to join me on one of these outings.
June - Sept The Comedy of Errors Bard on the Beach (Vancouver) Apparently, this steampunk flavoured production has already opened, but it should still be running when I make a work trip out to Vancouver in September. I should be able to adjust the dates of my trip to make sure I see it. Now the bigger question is whether I really want to see it again, as I will have just seen it in High Park in July or August. I'm not sure of that, but I am leaning towards going again, since the concept seems intriguing. Still, I will scan the reviews a bit closer to the time I have to decide. Bard on the Beach is also doing Love's Labour's Lost, which I will see at Stratford this summer, but that one I will probably skip.
July-early August The Creation of the World by Arthur Miller 9th Hour Theatre (Ottawa) Now this is interesting, and might merit a trip to Ottawa, though I have to say the summer is already looking kind of booked up.
July-August A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally Eclipse (Chicago) I had actually kind of forgotten about this play running in the late summer, but I may make an effort to go see it. Of course, now if I add that and Lookingglass's Moby Dick, I probably can't make all the shows during my very short stay in Chicago. This is a show that had a relatively long run in Manhattan while I was just starting to explore the city and Greenwich Village in particular. I sometimes regret skipping the show at that time, though it's a relatively minor regret, as these things go.
Sept. Yours Forever Marie-Lou by Michel Tremblay Soulpepper (Toronto) I already have my tickets for this, though I may try to switch dates as it overlaps with Nuit Blanche. No idea what Soulpepper is thinking about doing in 2016, but I'll probably check out at least a show or two.
Sept. Antigone (adapted by Jean Anouilh) Alumnae Theatre (Toronto) I've been reading a bit of Anouilh recently and I might see about making this production. (Someone just pitched it at the SFYS and made it sound worth checking out.)
Sept-Oct We the Family by George F. Walker Hart House (Toronto) Somehow I missed that this was a brand new play by Walker. I'm definitely going. It turns out that Walker is going to be giving a talk at UT, though I suspect I won't be able to go -- it would require leaving work at 3:15 or so.
early Oct. Musik Mania concert by Tafelmusik
Oct Love and Information by Caryl Churchill Remy Bummpo (Chicago) (We came close to making this trip, but it just seemed too much money, particularly for a play that is more clever/cerebral than truly earth-shattering. There are hints that Canadian Stage will tackle it in the 2016-17 season. Fingers crossed.)
late Oct Beckett Trilogy at Canadian Stage (This replaces something that wasn't nearly as interesting to me. I'm sure I've seen these 3 all performed in various combinations, but I'll go again anyway. Tickets are getting scarce though, so I'll probably book tomorrow.)
late Oct-early Nov Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire East Side Players (Toronto)
Nov Hamlet by Shakespeare Hart House (Toronto) I will probably pass on this, expecting to be Hamletted-out by the fall. (I'll almost certainly see two productions this summer!)
Nov. Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde George Brown (@ Soulpepper's theatre). I've actually never seen this, and it's probably time I did.
Nov 25 Shostakovich Symphony 10 The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal takes over Roy Thompson Hall from the TSO and puts on perhaps the most rewarding show of the season. While I really do like Toronto and its art scene, I often wish we could swap symphonies with Montreal...
late Nov-Dec. The Castle by Howard Barker RedOne (Toronto) While RedOne has an extremely ambitious line-up for the fall, this is the first one that I am likely to go to, though perhaps if I get a bit more integrated back into their community through Sing-for-Your-Supper, I might go to a few more of the shows.
Dec. 4 Lowest of the Low - Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto). I guess this is one of those occasional reunion shows. I never saw them live in the 90s when they were reasonably big here in Toronto, so I might go. I work fairly close to the Horseshoe Tavern, which is also a positive factor.
Dec Incident at Vichy Redtwist (Chicago) I'm sure I won't make it, but I am keeping my eye out for future productions of this and A View from the Bridge, which will complete my goal of seeing all the major Arthur Miller plays live at least once. But as it turns out Soulpepper will do this.
Dec The Chasse Galerie RedOne (Toronto). Inspired by the legend of a flying canoe paddled by men who had made a deal with the devil, this is supposed to be a bit of an anti-holiday show to close out the year. Sounds intriguing.
mid Jan. Remount of 3 Men in a Boat Factory Theatre (Toronto). This is part of WinterFringe. I might see one or two others, since I work fairly close to Factory Theatre.
Jan. 24 2016 Ludwig concert by Amici (Toronto)
Feb 2016 Mustard by Kat Sandler Tarragon (Toronto) This actually sounds inspired by/lifted from Noah Haidle's Mr. Marmalade, so I am not entirely sure I will go, but I might if reviews are good.
Feb 2016 Les Belles Soeurs by Tremblay (Peterborough) I just found out about this show (which is the last major Tremblay play I am really itching to see), and it is more or less in my backyard, and there is not that much going on in February. So fingers crossed that the weather is cooperative and I can rent a car and drive out or worst case take the bus (there is apparently no commuter rail service from Toronto to Peterborough). Ideally, I will be able to go to a Sat. matinee (Feb. 7 or 13) and also check out the Art Gallery of Peterborough, which has apparently just returned to its main space after they made extensive repairs/renovations.
Feb 28 2016 Jazz concert by Amici (Toronto)
It turns out there is a conflict with Goodnight Desdemona playing at the same time. While I suspect that the production in Calgary is going to be more polished, it is just far more likely that I can get to this one (only takes a $20 Megabus return ticket to St. Catherine's). And while I am just trying to justify a decision I have basically already made, the main feature of this Amici concert is Darius Milhaud's La Création du Monde is a reduced version for piano and string quartet, and I think it would sound better with full orchestra. As it happens, however, there is an excellent opportunity to hear both versions, if you turn to March 31.
early March Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti Hart House (Toronto) A bit of a trifle, but I'd much rather see this at student production rates than the quite pricey tickets for the Vancouver production last year.
mid March-April The Crowd by George F. Walker (Studio 58 at Langara College, Vancouver). When does George Walker ever rest. He's had something like 4 new plays produced in the last 2 years. I've managed to catch 3 of them (and am now kicking myself for not going to see more of the Suburban Motel series when I had the chance). This is the 4th -- a world premiere at Langara College, just down the street from where we used to live. I suspect it will make it over to Toronto fairly soon, but I should be doing some work in Vancouver in 2016, and if there is travel involved, I'll see if I can arrange it so I fly out towards the end of March.
March 31, 2016 Esprit Orchestra, Koerner Hall (Toronto) Milhaud La Création du Monde. I just learned about this, and think I will go to it rather than the Amici version, though both will surely be interesting. I've probably heard Milhaud's piece live before, but it would take a lot of searching to confirm.
March-April 2016 The Life of Galileo by Brecht Remy Bummpo (Chicago) -- I've wanted to see this for a long time, and I'm sure I would find this a solid production, but is it really worth the time/cost of traveling to Chicago?
April 14, 2016 Steve Reich at 80 concert (Soundstreams @ Massey Hall, Toronto) This is one show I probably ought to book soon, as I do think it will sell out.
April The Beaux Stratagem by George Farquhar George Brown (@ Soulpepper's theatre). I did consider checking this out at Stratford in 2014, though that year I went to Lear and Lear only. It will be good to see a second time, particularly at the slightly lower rates of a student production. Though what I am really hoping to see (and George Brown is probably the most likely to put it on) is Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair. The most recent time this has been fully staged in Toronto is 2009. I'm also hoping they do some of the Thomas Middleton plays I've not seen produced.
April 2016 August: Osage County by Tracy Letts Alumnae Theatre (Toronto) This is a production I will encourage others to see, but I will be skipping myself, as I saw the original Steppenwolf production and just don't want to get the two blurred, which occasionally happens to me.
April 2016 Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph Pacific Theatre (Vancouver) This is actually a remount of the production that was playing last summer, and I just could not make it due to packing woes (and the fact that my movers turned up a day late!). Unlikely that I will make it, but if it works out, then I'll try to go.
April 2016 Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (Toronto) This is just about the only thing I am likely to see at Mirvish this next season. I'm just not a fan of the type of show they bring in to town. What is also somewhat interesting is that the same top tier of relatively new shows are playing in Chicago and Toronto and occasionally Vancouver. It happened with Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike and The Other Place, and now it is happening with Disgraced. I guess it's a good thing for audiences in each city, but it lends to the impression that the theatre world is a bit insular and always focused on the same authors and hot plays.
May 1-4 {Denver} I hope to be in Denver a few days at a TRB conference. I'll try to sneak back over to the Clyfford Still Museum and see if there are any plays or concerts going on at that time.
mid May Tales of Two Cities concert by Tafelmusik
May Instructions to any Future Socialist Government Proposing to Abolish Christmas, Coal Mine (Toronto) I'll have to see exactly what this is about, but it sounds at first glance like something I would like.
May The Summoned by Fabrizio Filippo Tarragon (Toronto) I will probably pass on this one, which is a SF fable about a man who puts his brain into a computer, unless the reviews are truly outstanding. This strikes me as something one could explore in a 10-15 minute skit and a full length play is just overkill.
May 2016 Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie MacDonald The Shakespeare Company (Calgary). I probably won't be able to make this performance, just as I just missed a strong production at Hart House in 2014 and a staged reading or something in New Westminster, but we do have an office in Calgary, so never say never. I'm sure I will eventually get to see this play. If it was a summer production, I would probably make 2016 the year that we visit Calgary and Drumheller and perhaps Banff, but I can't fit that much into the one or two days the kids are likely to have off from school next May.
late Spring 2016 Video Cabaret -- they have not totally settled on the show for next season but were leaning towards a remount of The Great War, which seems like it might have just a bit in common with the last season of Blackadder. The following season, they were hoping to have a blow-out bash of 5 to 7 shows, since 2017 is the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canada's Confederation in 1867. Expect lots of history shows on tv and so forth. Anyway, this will be quite an exciting opportunity to catch several of the shows in Hollingsworth's History of the Village of the Small Huts history cycle.
May-June Wasserstein - The Heidi Chronicles Soulpepper (Toronto)
May-June Arthur Miller Incident at Vichy Soulpepper (Toronto) -- finally!
July-August Lori-Parks Father Comes Home From the Wars Soulpepper (Toronto)
Update (8/7) It now looks as though the turmoil at TransLink is terminal, and I won't be going to Vancouver in September after all. Too bad, though I enjoyed the production of Comedy of Errors in High Park quite a bit (almost but not quite enough to go a second time).
I did make it to the Arthur Miller play in Ottawa. It was interesting, though not as good as Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, which is sort of the same thing -- a revisiting of Genesis with a particular focus on Cain and Abel. It also was not as professional a production as I expected. I don't regret going up to Ottawa, but it didn't quite match my expectations.
All of the Halcyon shows this season look at least a bit interesting, though I doubt I will be in Chicago to catch any of them. If I could only make one, it would probably be Dreams of the Penny Gods by Callie Kimball, which will be showing next March-April. (Well, that does line up with the Galileo play. Hmmm.)
Update (11/8) They have confirmed that Video Cabaret will be doing The Great War, but more exciting is that Soulpepper is doing Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy.
Anyway, this is very much a work in progress, and I expect to add -- and occasionally subtract -- concerts and shows, as I get more information. It's more to keep this straight in my own head, though anyone else is welcome to join me on one of these outings.
June - Sept The Comedy of Errors Bard on the Beach (Vancouver) Apparently, this steampunk flavoured production has already opened, but it should still be running when I make a work trip out to Vancouver in September. I should be able to adjust the dates of my trip to make sure I see it. Now the bigger question is whether I really want to see it again, as I will have just seen it in High Park in July or August. I'm not sure of that, but I am leaning towards going again, since the concept seems intriguing. Still, I will scan the reviews a bit closer to the time I have to decide. Bard on the Beach is also doing Love's Labour's Lost, which I will see at Stratford this summer, but that one I will probably skip.
July-early August The Creation of the World by Arthur Miller 9th Hour Theatre (Ottawa) Now this is interesting, and might merit a trip to Ottawa, though I have to say the summer is already looking kind of booked up.
July-August A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally Eclipse (Chicago) I had actually kind of forgotten about this play running in the late summer, but I may make an effort to go see it. Of course, now if I add that and Lookingglass's Moby Dick, I probably can't make all the shows during my very short stay in Chicago. This is a show that had a relatively long run in Manhattan while I was just starting to explore the city and Greenwich Village in particular. I sometimes regret skipping the show at that time, though it's a relatively minor regret, as these things go.
Sept. Yours Forever Marie-Lou by Michel Tremblay Soulpepper (Toronto) I already have my tickets for this, though I may try to switch dates as it overlaps with Nuit Blanche. No idea what Soulpepper is thinking about doing in 2016, but I'll probably check out at least a show or two.
Sept. Antigone (adapted by Jean Anouilh) Alumnae Theatre (Toronto) I've been reading a bit of Anouilh recently and I might see about making this production. (Someone just pitched it at the SFYS and made it sound worth checking out.)
Sept-Oct We the Family by George F. Walker Hart House (Toronto) Somehow I missed that this was a brand new play by Walker. I'm definitely going. It turns out that Walker is going to be giving a talk at UT, though I suspect I won't be able to go -- it would require leaving work at 3:15 or so.
early Oct. Musik Mania concert by Tafelmusik
Oct Love and Information by Caryl Churchill Remy Bummpo (Chicago) (We came close to making this trip, but it just seemed too much money, particularly for a play that is more clever/cerebral than truly earth-shattering. There are hints that Canadian Stage will tackle it in the 2016-17 season. Fingers crossed.)
late Oct Beckett Trilogy at Canadian Stage (This replaces something that wasn't nearly as interesting to me. I'm sure I've seen these 3 all performed in various combinations, but I'll go again anyway. Tickets are getting scarce though, so I'll probably book tomorrow.)
late Oct-early Nov Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire East Side Players (Toronto)
Nov Hamlet by Shakespeare Hart House (Toronto) I will probably pass on this, expecting to be Hamletted-out by the fall. (I'll almost certainly see two productions this summer!)
Nov. Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde George Brown (@ Soulpepper's theatre). I've actually never seen this, and it's probably time I did.
Nov 25 Shostakovich Symphony 10 The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal takes over Roy Thompson Hall from the TSO and puts on perhaps the most rewarding show of the season. While I really do like Toronto and its art scene, I often wish we could swap symphonies with Montreal...
late Nov-Dec. The Castle by Howard Barker RedOne (Toronto) While RedOne has an extremely ambitious line-up for the fall, this is the first one that I am likely to go to, though perhaps if I get a bit more integrated back into their community through Sing-for-Your-Supper, I might go to a few more of the shows.
Dec. 4 Lowest of the Low - Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto). I guess this is one of those occasional reunion shows. I never saw them live in the 90s when they were reasonably big here in Toronto, so I might go. I work fairly close to the Horseshoe Tavern, which is also a positive factor.
Dec Incident at Vichy Redtwist (Chicago) I'm sure I won't make it, but I am keeping my eye out for future productions of this and A View from the Bridge, which will complete my goal of seeing all the major Arthur Miller plays live at least once. But as it turns out Soulpepper will do this.
Dec The Chasse Galerie RedOne (Toronto). Inspired by the legend of a flying canoe paddled by men who had made a deal with the devil, this is supposed to be a bit of an anti-holiday show to close out the year. Sounds intriguing.
mid Jan. Remount of 3 Men in a Boat Factory Theatre (Toronto). This is part of WinterFringe. I might see one or two others, since I work fairly close to Factory Theatre.
Jan. 24 2016 Ludwig concert by Amici (Toronto)
Feb 2016 Mustard by Kat Sandler Tarragon (Toronto) This actually sounds inspired by/lifted from Noah Haidle's Mr. Marmalade, so I am not entirely sure I will go, but I might if reviews are good.
Feb 2016 Les Belles Soeurs by Tremblay (Peterborough) I just found out about this show (which is the last major Tremblay play I am really itching to see), and it is more or less in my backyard, and there is not that much going on in February. So fingers crossed that the weather is cooperative and I can rent a car and drive out or worst case take the bus (there is apparently no commuter rail service from Toronto to Peterborough). Ideally, I will be able to go to a Sat. matinee (Feb. 7 or 13) and also check out the Art Gallery of Peterborough, which has apparently just returned to its main space after they made extensive repairs/renovations.
Feb 28 2016 Jazz concert by Amici (Toronto)
It turns out there is a conflict with Goodnight Desdemona playing at the same time. While I suspect that the production in Calgary is going to be more polished, it is just far more likely that I can get to this one (only takes a $20 Megabus return ticket to St. Catherine's). And while I am just trying to justify a decision I have basically already made, the main feature of this Amici concert is Darius Milhaud's La Création du Monde is a reduced version for piano and string quartet, and I think it would sound better with full orchestra. As it happens, however, there is an excellent opportunity to hear both versions, if you turn to March 31.
early March Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti Hart House (Toronto) A bit of a trifle, but I'd much rather see this at student production rates than the quite pricey tickets for the Vancouver production last year.
mid March-April The Crowd by George F. Walker (Studio 58 at Langara College, Vancouver). When does George Walker ever rest. He's had something like 4 new plays produced in the last 2 years. I've managed to catch 3 of them (and am now kicking myself for not going to see more of the Suburban Motel series when I had the chance). This is the 4th -- a world premiere at Langara College, just down the street from where we used to live. I suspect it will make it over to Toronto fairly soon, but I should be doing some work in Vancouver in 2016, and if there is travel involved, I'll see if I can arrange it so I fly out towards the end of March.
March 31, 2016 Esprit Orchestra, Koerner Hall (Toronto) Milhaud La Création du Monde. I just learned about this, and think I will go to it rather than the Amici version, though both will surely be interesting. I've probably heard Milhaud's piece live before, but it would take a lot of searching to confirm.
March-April 2016 The Life of Galileo by Brecht Remy Bummpo (Chicago) -- I've wanted to see this for a long time, and I'm sure I would find this a solid production, but is it really worth the time/cost of traveling to Chicago?
April 14, 2016 Steve Reich at 80 concert (Soundstreams @ Massey Hall, Toronto) This is one show I probably ought to book soon, as I do think it will sell out.
April The Beaux Stratagem by George Farquhar George Brown (@ Soulpepper's theatre). I did consider checking this out at Stratford in 2014, though that year I went to Lear and Lear only. It will be good to see a second time, particularly at the slightly lower rates of a student production. Though what I am really hoping to see (and George Brown is probably the most likely to put it on) is Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair. The most recent time this has been fully staged in Toronto is 2009. I'm also hoping they do some of the Thomas Middleton plays I've not seen produced.
April 2016 August: Osage County by Tracy Letts Alumnae Theatre (Toronto) This is a production I will encourage others to see, but I will be skipping myself, as I saw the original Steppenwolf production and just don't want to get the two blurred, which occasionally happens to me.
April 2016 Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph Pacific Theatre (Vancouver) This is actually a remount of the production that was playing last summer, and I just could not make it due to packing woes (and the fact that my movers turned up a day late!). Unlikely that I will make it, but if it works out, then I'll try to go.
April 2016 Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (Toronto) This is just about the only thing I am likely to see at Mirvish this next season. I'm just not a fan of the type of show they bring in to town. What is also somewhat interesting is that the same top tier of relatively new shows are playing in Chicago and Toronto and occasionally Vancouver. It happened with Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike and The Other Place, and now it is happening with Disgraced. I guess it's a good thing for audiences in each city, but it lends to the impression that the theatre world is a bit insular and always focused on the same authors and hot plays.
May 1-4 {Denver} I hope to be in Denver a few days at a TRB conference. I'll try to sneak back over to the Clyfford Still Museum and see if there are any plays or concerts going on at that time.
mid May Tales of Two Cities concert by Tafelmusik
May Instructions to any Future Socialist Government Proposing to Abolish Christmas, Coal Mine (Toronto) I'll have to see exactly what this is about, but it sounds at first glance like something I would like.
May The Summoned by Fabrizio Filippo Tarragon (Toronto) I will probably pass on this one, which is a SF fable about a man who puts his brain into a computer, unless the reviews are truly outstanding. This strikes me as something one could explore in a 10-15 minute skit and a full length play is just overkill.
May 2016 Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Ann-Marie MacDonald The Shakespeare Company (Calgary). I probably won't be able to make this performance, just as I just missed a strong production at Hart House in 2014 and a staged reading or something in New Westminster, but we do have an office in Calgary, so never say never. I'm sure I will eventually get to see this play. If it was a summer production, I would probably make 2016 the year that we visit Calgary and Drumheller and perhaps Banff, but I can't fit that much into the one or two days the kids are likely to have off from school next May.
late Spring 2016 Video Cabaret -- they have not totally settled on the show for next season but were leaning towards a remount of The Great War, which seems like it might have just a bit in common with the last season of Blackadder. The following season, they were hoping to have a blow-out bash of 5 to 7 shows, since 2017 is the sesquicentennial anniversary of Canada's Confederation in 1867. Expect lots of history shows on tv and so forth. Anyway, this will be quite an exciting opportunity to catch several of the shows in Hollingsworth's History of the Village of the Small Huts history cycle.
May-June Wasserstein - The Heidi Chronicles Soulpepper (Toronto)
May-June Arthur Miller Incident at Vichy Soulpepper (Toronto) -- finally!
July-August Lori-Parks Father Comes Home From the Wars Soulpepper (Toronto)
Update (8/7) It now looks as though the turmoil at TransLink is terminal, and I won't be going to Vancouver in September after all. Too bad, though I enjoyed the production of Comedy of Errors in High Park quite a bit (almost but not quite enough to go a second time).
I did make it to the Arthur Miller play in Ottawa. It was interesting, though not as good as Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, which is sort of the same thing -- a revisiting of Genesis with a particular focus on Cain and Abel. It also was not as professional a production as I expected. I don't regret going up to Ottawa, but it didn't quite match my expectations.
All of the Halcyon shows this season look at least a bit interesting, though I doubt I will be in Chicago to catch any of them. If I could only make one, it would probably be Dreams of the Penny Gods by Callie Kimball, which will be showing next March-April. (Well, that does line up with the Galileo play. Hmmm.)
Update (11/8) They have confirmed that Video Cabaret will be doing The Great War, but more exciting is that Soulpepper is doing Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
The Move -- Day plus 1.5
We're heading into Day 2, but not quite there yet. We survived and that is the important thing. The crankiness levels are beginning to subside.
The movers actually showed up on time, and it never rained. It's hard to ask for more than that. It started to get hot towards the end of the move, and I really felt for them, as they had another move scheduled. We managed to get the move done in only 15 minutes over what they had originally quoted us, which is fantastic. Normally, these moves go long, as people are frantically scrambling to pack up things and forgetting this or that. Actually, I did run out of boxes for the art books, though my wife brought a few back mid-move. We did end up scrambling a bit, mostly so that I could try to have them get as many of the basement boxes as possible. On the other hand, I had already moved the kids' beds over.
And we now have the luxury of another week to clean up and move smaller things that weren't worth boxing up.* For instance, I went over tonight and picked up the computer and a bag of clothes and some kitchen stuff. I had planned to pick up posters and paintings (not that I know where any of them are going to go, but they still have to be moved), but it started to rain. Now I will have to aim for Thursday or Friday.
In addition to my wife straining herself, I was putting the bed together in the new place, and the headboard fell down right on my leg. It felt almost as if it had been broken, though it was just badly bruised. I actually hardly feel it only a day later, but I was pretty steamed at the time, as my leg really hurt, but I couldn't take a real break, if I wanted to assist the movers by taking boxes downstairs for instance, so that they could basically dump almost everything in the living room.
The biggest problem is that things are just a bit too small. We couldn't get the overstuffed chair upstairs, which is a huge problem, since I think it looks ridiculous in the dining area. I agreed not to do anything radical like give it away until we have all the books on shelves and the boxes out of the way, but I think we'll have to donate either that chair or the love seat. There is another chair that was too big to go upstairs, but that one may squeeze through after I take the bottom part off. (Another task that I didn't really want to take on.) On the other hand, I am extremely relieved that the bookcase did fit in the basement, as that will make it much easier to clear out a bunch of boxes (and I don't need to try to construct 2 or 3 smaller bookcases).
We thought that we came through the move with nothing broken, but actually the door on the wardrobe fell off, narrowly missing my wife's foot. I can't really blame the movers, as this had always been a bit of a dodgy piece of work, held together with a lot of glue. I tried to fix it just a while ago, but honestly, I think we'll have to toss this out and build a new one.
The biggest issue was that the desk just wouldn't go where I wanted. It was about an inch too long. I was starting to measure and to break out a handsaw, when I decided to be more like the bending willow and to see if there was another way (that didn't involve tearing up the molding). I decided that I could reorient the desk, so that it faces the sliding glass door. It's starting to grow on me and actually I will almost certainly like the view more, at least when the sun isn't staring right into my eyes. I suspect if I ever have the luxury of working on my own writing on the weekend, it might be quite nice indeed.
So that solves the last major problem (aside from the chairs), and I just have a bunch of books to unpack over the next week or so (or sooner if my wife has her way). And figuring out where paintings and posters might go.
Now unfortunately, the contractors that I contacted took a long time to get back to me, and the quote was a bit higher than I was expecting. So I am going to break the job in two, as well as do a bit more myself. So we won't have absolutely everything done all at once (and obviously not before we move in), but I guess as we do expect to be here for quite some time it is reasonable to do this work in smaller pieces over time.
On the plus side, the cable/internet folks turned up and were able to get the internet working within a day, so we didn't go all that long without it. A few snags aside, this has been one of the better moves we have gone through. But I'm still glad that it is essentially over, and I may well not be moving for another 15 or more years. Now that is really something to celebrate!
* We're somewhat relieved that the landlord has found somebody to rent, though they aren't starting their lease until mid-July. I suppose if we absolutely must take a day or two in July to finish cleaning we can, though that should not be necessary nor is it at all desirable.
The movers actually showed up on time, and it never rained. It's hard to ask for more than that. It started to get hot towards the end of the move, and I really felt for them, as they had another move scheduled. We managed to get the move done in only 15 minutes over what they had originally quoted us, which is fantastic. Normally, these moves go long, as people are frantically scrambling to pack up things and forgetting this or that. Actually, I did run out of boxes for the art books, though my wife brought a few back mid-move. We did end up scrambling a bit, mostly so that I could try to have them get as many of the basement boxes as possible. On the other hand, I had already moved the kids' beds over.
And we now have the luxury of another week to clean up and move smaller things that weren't worth boxing up.* For instance, I went over tonight and picked up the computer and a bag of clothes and some kitchen stuff. I had planned to pick up posters and paintings (not that I know where any of them are going to go, but they still have to be moved), but it started to rain. Now I will have to aim for Thursday or Friday.
In addition to my wife straining herself, I was putting the bed together in the new place, and the headboard fell down right on my leg. It felt almost as if it had been broken, though it was just badly bruised. I actually hardly feel it only a day later, but I was pretty steamed at the time, as my leg really hurt, but I couldn't take a real break, if I wanted to assist the movers by taking boxes downstairs for instance, so that they could basically dump almost everything in the living room.
The biggest problem is that things are just a bit too small. We couldn't get the overstuffed chair upstairs, which is a huge problem, since I think it looks ridiculous in the dining area. I agreed not to do anything radical like give it away until we have all the books on shelves and the boxes out of the way, but I think we'll have to donate either that chair or the love seat. There is another chair that was too big to go upstairs, but that one may squeeze through after I take the bottom part off. (Another task that I didn't really want to take on.) On the other hand, I am extremely relieved that the bookcase did fit in the basement, as that will make it much easier to clear out a bunch of boxes (and I don't need to try to construct 2 or 3 smaller bookcases).
We thought that we came through the move with nothing broken, but actually the door on the wardrobe fell off, narrowly missing my wife's foot. I can't really blame the movers, as this had always been a bit of a dodgy piece of work, held together with a lot of glue. I tried to fix it just a while ago, but honestly, I think we'll have to toss this out and build a new one.
The biggest issue was that the desk just wouldn't go where I wanted. It was about an inch too long. I was starting to measure and to break out a handsaw, when I decided to be more like the bending willow and to see if there was another way (that didn't involve tearing up the molding). I decided that I could reorient the desk, so that it faces the sliding glass door. It's starting to grow on me and actually I will almost certainly like the view more, at least when the sun isn't staring right into my eyes. I suspect if I ever have the luxury of working on my own writing on the weekend, it might be quite nice indeed.
So that solves the last major problem (aside from the chairs), and I just have a bunch of books to unpack over the next week or so (or sooner if my wife has her way). And figuring out where paintings and posters might go.
Now unfortunately, the contractors that I contacted took a long time to get back to me, and the quote was a bit higher than I was expecting. So I am going to break the job in two, as well as do a bit more myself. So we won't have absolutely everything done all at once (and obviously not before we move in), but I guess as we do expect to be here for quite some time it is reasonable to do this work in smaller pieces over time.
On the plus side, the cable/internet folks turned up and were able to get the internet working within a day, so we didn't go all that long without it. A few snags aside, this has been one of the better moves we have gone through. But I'm still glad that it is essentially over, and I may well not be moving for another 15 or more years. Now that is really something to celebrate!
* We're somewhat relieved that the landlord has found somebody to rent, though they aren't starting their lease until mid-July. I suppose if we absolutely must take a day or two in July to finish cleaning we can, though that should not be necessary nor is it at all desirable.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Moving Day - Day 0
Moving day is here (at least for the furniture)!
Almost all the other stuff is moved, but then you say that and realize you still have boxes and boxes of random crap left behind. I have a confirmation from the movers, but it is from a week or so ago. I've written down their number, so that after the computer goes down (in about 15 minutes) I can call if they are late.
I still have about 3 hours to pack up the last of the art books, and to empty out or to clean off the top off anything that is going. I also need to unplug all the modems and TV boxes and such. So we'll be going dark for the day. (Now that I think about it, I probably should see if I can book the car one more time in the late evening to grab things that are too loose for the movers to move, but after a bit more reflection I decided we would be spending almost all night unpacking, so I booked it for Monday evening.)
I feel quite badly as my wife overdid it yesterday and has pulled a muscle. I am certainly weary from the move, but haven't hurt myself (so far anyway). I think in general it will be ok, though we were originally supposed to have thunderstorms in the afternoon. If it is late afternoon, we should be done, so there is a bit of beat the clock going on. Though I just checked the weather again, and it suggests the danger has passed. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Anyway, it may be a day or two before I really feel like posting about how moving day actually went. Wish us well!
Update:
The movers showed up 10 minutes early and were quite pleasant to work with (important on such a stressful day). I think we had done a pretty good job of getting everything ready, though I was still boxing up stuff in the basement while they were getting the furniture out. Everything (just) fit in the 20 foot truck, though that would not have been the case had I not moved all the boxes of books out over the previous couple of weeks. I'm sure it also helped that I had moved the kids' beds over on Friday evening.
Almost all the other stuff is moved, but then you say that and realize you still have boxes and boxes of random crap left behind. I have a confirmation from the movers, but it is from a week or so ago. I've written down their number, so that after the computer goes down (in about 15 minutes) I can call if they are late.
I still have about 3 hours to pack up the last of the art books, and to empty out or to clean off the top off anything that is going. I also need to unplug all the modems and TV boxes and such. So we'll be going dark for the day. (Now that I think about it, I probably should see if I can book the car one more time in the late evening to grab things that are too loose for the movers to move, but after a bit more reflection I decided we would be spending almost all night unpacking, so I booked it for Monday evening.)
I feel quite badly as my wife overdid it yesterday and has pulled a muscle. I am certainly weary from the move, but haven't hurt myself (so far anyway). I think in general it will be ok, though we were originally supposed to have thunderstorms in the afternoon. If it is late afternoon, we should be done, so there is a bit of beat the clock going on. Though I just checked the weather again, and it suggests the danger has passed. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
Anyway, it may be a day or two before I really feel like posting about how moving day actually went. Wish us well!
Update:
The movers showed up 10 minutes early and were quite pleasant to work with (important on such a stressful day). I think we had done a pretty good job of getting everything ready, though I was still boxing up stuff in the basement while they were getting the furniture out. Everything (just) fit in the 20 foot truck, though that would not have been the case had I not moved all the boxes of books out over the previous couple of weeks. I'm sure it also helped that I had moved the kids' beds over on Friday evening.
Stratford vs. Shaw
Very recently I drove down to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see this season's production of Top Girls. While the production was very good (with maybe one misstep in that the girl Angie just seems like a typical "prole" or "pleb" and not especially developmentally challenged) and I had a very good (2nd row) seat, I found myself really not enjoying the whole Shaw Festival experience. I was really unhappy that there wasn't a transit option and no generic festival bus. (Obviously I wasn't going to charter a bus for the weekend.) It ended up costing me quite a bit to have to rent a ZipCar for the day, and traffic was pretty bad, though generally better coming back until I got to the outskirts of Toronto.
I really don't like Niagara-on-the-Lake -- a gross tourist trap with almost nothing but ice cream shops and bakeries. Because of the extra traffic and missing an exit, I had very little time to eat before the play and I didn't see anywhere I could just grab a pre-made sandwich or anything fast and relatively cheap. Only a few blocks out of the core, they don't even have sidewalks, and I can't abide that. This is the first time that I've ever walked down to the main Festival Stage building, and I couldn't believe that they had this huge intersection as an unmarked 4-way stop. In five minutes I saw two near-collisions. Talk about horrible planning, sacrificing safety in the name of charm or maintaining on old-time feel.
In general, I don't like the plays the Shaw Festival selects relative to Stratford, particularly this season. I will have to go back for the Kushner, and I suppose there may be something in the future I feel I have to see, but on the whole, I am going to be avoiding the Shaw. It just isn't remotely what I want in a summer theatre festival. In particular, I shouldn't come back feeling stressed about the driving to and fro.
I really don't like Niagara-on-the-Lake -- a gross tourist trap with almost nothing but ice cream shops and bakeries. Because of the extra traffic and missing an exit, I had very little time to eat before the play and I didn't see anywhere I could just grab a pre-made sandwich or anything fast and relatively cheap. Only a few blocks out of the core, they don't even have sidewalks, and I can't abide that. This is the first time that I've ever walked down to the main Festival Stage building, and I couldn't believe that they had this huge intersection as an unmarked 4-way stop. In five minutes I saw two near-collisions. Talk about horrible planning, sacrificing safety in the name of charm or maintaining on old-time feel.
In general, I don't like the plays the Shaw Festival selects relative to Stratford, particularly this season. I will have to go back for the Kushner, and I suppose there may be something in the future I feel I have to see, but on the whole, I am going to be avoiding the Shaw. It just isn't remotely what I want in a summer theatre festival. In particular, I shouldn't come back feeling stressed about the driving to and fro.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Emily Carr in Toronto
While it hasn't had the rapturous praise of the Emily Carr show in London, there are certainly good reasons to go see the Carr show at the AGO (which runs through early August, so there are roughly six weeks left to go see this). The main reason is that it is an opportunity to see Carr paintings that are not from collections in Vancouver or Victoria. While those institutions (the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria) have the deepest collections, it gets to the point where if there is a Carr painting reproduced in a catalog, it inevitably is from out west. It is nice to mix it up a bit.
That said, I was a little disappointed that my favourite Carr painting from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria ("Blue Sky") didn't actually make it into the exhibit. Here it is below.
The catalog of the exhibit is nice, and again, one of the first books to include paintings from collections in Ontario and Quebec. I did manage to take the kids, and in general, they seemed to enjoy it. It did help that there weren't huge crowds, as there were for much of the Basquiat show's run.
One of the odder things about the catalog is that, apparently, the painting of totem poles owned by Hart House (at U of T) was included in the London leg of the exhibit but not the AGO. I went back twice to try to find it, and it just was not there. I cannot remember now whether I ever saw the Carr painting at Hart House while I was going to UT. I suspect they kept it somewhat out of the way, which is just as well, as a few paintings from Hart House were recently stolen.
The painting not on view at Hart House is one of her better totem pole paintings, but I must admit that generally I don't find these all that interesting.
At any rate, as I was searching for this painting, I found out that the reason it was not available is that there is a touring exhibit of paintings from the Hart House collection (details here). Apparently back in Feb. and March, there was an expanded show at Hart House that I missed completely. I suspect it wasn't that well advertised in the papers, as I generally do keep on top of the listings. At the moment, the paintings are in Kelowna, BC through mid July, and then September through November they are in Kingston at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. I will try to remember to make a trip out that way (perhaps another train trip) to see the show. Perhaps I'd show the family the Queen's University campus, which I remember was pretty nice. Not sure it would be an overnight stay or just a day trip. That would depend a lot on the train schedule and what else was going on in and around Kingston that weekend.
That said, I was a little disappointed that my favourite Carr painting from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria ("Blue Sky") didn't actually make it into the exhibit. Here it is below.
 |
| Emily Carr, Blue Sky, 1936 |
The catalog of the exhibit is nice, and again, one of the first books to include paintings from collections in Ontario and Quebec. I did manage to take the kids, and in general, they seemed to enjoy it. It did help that there weren't huge crowds, as there were for much of the Basquiat show's run.
One of the odder things about the catalog is that, apparently, the painting of totem poles owned by Hart House (at U of T) was included in the London leg of the exhibit but not the AGO. I went back twice to try to find it, and it just was not there. I cannot remember now whether I ever saw the Carr painting at Hart House while I was going to UT. I suspect they kept it somewhat out of the way, which is just as well, as a few paintings from Hart House were recently stolen.
The painting not on view at Hart House is one of her better totem pole paintings, but I must admit that generally I don't find these all that interesting.
 |
| Emily Carr, Kitwancool Totems, 1928 |
At any rate, as I was searching for this painting, I found out that the reason it was not available is that there is a touring exhibit of paintings from the Hart House collection (details here). Apparently back in Feb. and March, there was an expanded show at Hart House that I missed completely. I suspect it wasn't that well advertised in the papers, as I generally do keep on top of the listings. At the moment, the paintings are in Kelowna, BC through mid July, and then September through November they are in Kingston at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre. I will try to remember to make a trip out that way (perhaps another train trip) to see the show. Perhaps I'd show the family the Queen's University campus, which I remember was pretty nice. Not sure it would be an overnight stay or just a day trip. That would depend a lot on the train schedule and what else was going on in and around Kingston that weekend.
The Move (t-minus 3 days and counting)
On the one hand, we have made very significant progress. On the other, moving day is stressful no matter what. I am torn between trying to box up a few more things and have the movers deal with them versus just taking them over in the week after the move. And no matter how I think it will go, the day of the move, I'll be scurrying around, throwing stuff in boxes just to get it out of the way. For instance, the desk hasn't been completely emptied out. On the other hand, the downstairs file cabinets and bookcase have been. I'll need to take part of tonight and tomorrow to box up the books upstairs.
Anyway, I think I can consider the basement a success. It is down to maybe 12 or so relatively light boxes when it was well over 50 at one point, probably closer to 70 boxes.
Upstairs is looking pretty good, though I'll have to toss my clothes in a few bags just so the wardrobe is empty. I do hope the movers can actually get them up and down the stairs without too many pieces breaking off (only a bit of a joke). I guess we can ask that those be wrapped in the clingwrap stuff. Anyway, it turns out that the downstairs basement stairs are so narrow that one of the wardrobes simply won't fit, and they'll have to try to bring it in through the back room in the basement. It might be the same thing with the Christmas tree container, though I think that makes more sense, as it will be left in that general area anyway. Fortunately, that is all that I think they are moving downstairs (aside from the bookcase that may or may not fit). Most of the heaviest furniture stays on the main floor.
Tonight I am supposed to take the kids' beds apart and run them over in the ZipVan, and if there is still time after that, I can grab a few more boxes from the basement and perhaps the art work. I haven't decided if that is a good idea or not. I'd prefer to move them myself, but after the furniture is in place. However, I don't really feel like renting the van again. Once is enough. I'm still not sure how well it is going to go trying to get it back in the alley and backed up in our parking space. And whether there will be parking at the new place (though generally that hasn't been a problem).
Well, it will be over soon, one way or another. I do wish this wasn't all happening at a time when work is hotter than ever. I find I am torn in far too many directions right now.
Anyway, I think I can consider the basement a success. It is down to maybe 12 or so relatively light boxes when it was well over 50 at one point, probably closer to 70 boxes.
Upstairs is looking pretty good, though I'll have to toss my clothes in a few bags just so the wardrobe is empty. I do hope the movers can actually get them up and down the stairs without too many pieces breaking off (only a bit of a joke). I guess we can ask that those be wrapped in the clingwrap stuff. Anyway, it turns out that the downstairs basement stairs are so narrow that one of the wardrobes simply won't fit, and they'll have to try to bring it in through the back room in the basement. It might be the same thing with the Christmas tree container, though I think that makes more sense, as it will be left in that general area anyway. Fortunately, that is all that I think they are moving downstairs (aside from the bookcase that may or may not fit). Most of the heaviest furniture stays on the main floor.
Tonight I am supposed to take the kids' beds apart and run them over in the ZipVan, and if there is still time after that, I can grab a few more boxes from the basement and perhaps the art work. I haven't decided if that is a good idea or not. I'd prefer to move them myself, but after the furniture is in place. However, I don't really feel like renting the van again. Once is enough. I'm still not sure how well it is going to go trying to get it back in the alley and backed up in our parking space. And whether there will be parking at the new place (though generally that hasn't been a problem).
Well, it will be over soon, one way or another. I do wish this wasn't all happening at a time when work is hotter than ever. I find I am torn in far too many directions right now.
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