What a week!
Both of the shows I'm doing at the Fringe are enjoying success, which is a joyful relief. Rock Time received 4 NNNN's from Jon Kaplan in Now Magazine. Here's his review:
http://www.nowtoronto.com/fringe/listing.cfm?listingid=9315
I don't know what I can tell you about Rock Time, other than the fact that I'm extremely proud of it. The cast has worked incredibly hard and managed to create a show that really seems to resonate with children and adults alike. There are moments, when the show is finished, where I pause from wrestling with the set to watch the kids rock out to Iggy Pop or interact with the puppets in the meet and greet. In those moments I'm reminded that I am part of something that is truly good in every sense of the word.
Please do take the time to see the show. There are two left. One today, at 5:40 PM, and one Saturday, at 11:00 AM. 560 Palmerston Ave. You won't be sorry.
Meanwhile, over at the Bingo Show, we got 4 stars from Eye Magazine. Check it out:
http://www.eyeweekly.com/fringe/article/64013
The show has also generated a fair amount of buzz, which is pretty cool. As a show, it's a strange beast. Someone on the boards described it as an "interactive environmental theatre piece", which is as apt as it gets, I suppose.
What I love about the show is the fact that it's not a show at all. There is no audience. Everyone's a participant. And if you win, you end up playing a small role in our story. Sometimes we turn to the people sitting beside us and engage them in conversation. As the preacher who can't keep a secret, I often point out members of our "congregation" and endow them with names and skeletons from their closet. All the while, we quietly dole out what little story we can in order to give a bit of form and substance to the experience.
On nights that it works, it's incredible. Last night we absolutely rocked, and it turned out to be one of the best improv shows I've ever been a part of. But it's taken us a while to find our way. While most people have loved the show (or at least had fun), more than a few people have felt cheated by the looseness of what we're doing. I suppose their points are valid in their own way, but I'm not sure I can offer a solution to their complaints. It's the looseness that allows the cast to discover new moments and make stronger choices for our characters. These choices then help us move the story forward. But it's a game of inches. Every night is a new show. Every night we seem to get better.
This has served to really bond the cast as a performing unit and really forced us to listen to one another and help each other out. Each member of this cast has lent a different character and a different strength to the process. I hope we can carry the show on beyond the Fringe. But if that doesn't happen, it will at least be an experience I'll remember fondly and continue to learn from.
We get 2 more kicks at the can with Bingo the Show. Saturday at 1:45 PM, and Sunday at 4:15 PM. St. Vladimir's Theatre. Check it out!
Once the Fringe Festival is over, it's all about pitching cartoons and planning Zombie film festivals.
Whee!
Jim out.
What Free Time?!
13 hours ago






