Theatremania!

In Which Akiva is Engulfed in a World of Theatre

I know, I know...it's been a while since last post. I have just gotten really busy with school and my shows.

Speaking of shows...theatre has had a definite huge role in the past few weeks. First off there is the show that I am Assistant Designer for, called "The Hostage" by Brendan Behan. It is about a you British soldier that is being held hostage by some I.R.A. officers in a crazy run-down whorehouse full of all these crazy, funny characters. The set is turning out to be amazing and will definitely be unlike anything that has been done in that space. The designer I am assisting is amazing to me and is trying to get me good industry connctions and experience, and I consider her more a good friend and mentor than someone I am assisting. I mean, I have been spending more time with her than any of my other friends.

The other play I saw was called The Optomists by Morwyn Brebner. It is about a guy, Chick, and his fiance, Teenie, that are in Vegas for the weekend to get married. Chicks best friend comes along, and then when his wife tags along too all things go to hell and their relationships are pushed to the limit. The show was well-written and the set and lighting were brilliant, but I felt the acting a little stale and the characters very one-dimensioanl. The cool thing was that this show was directed by Eda Holmes, who is one of Toronto's biggest directors, and who also just to happens to be directing "The Hostage". I have been working with her pretty closely, providing her with a lot of visual research. I also knew the Costume Designer, and her assistant, as well as the Lighting and Sound Technician. It was weird to look through the porgram of a major Toronto play and realize that I am slowly becoming part of this community and that I already have these amazing connections and I am not even graduated yet.

The other play I saw was the first show of this year's Ryerson season, called "Walking on Water". It was definitely the best show Ryerson has done since I was in first year. It is a murder mystery set in a small Canadian community in the 50's, but it has lots of humour and heart. The writing was unpretentious (which is rare for Ryerson) and the acting was top-notch. What really blew me away was the technical elements. the lighting totally gave the feel of a Film Noir, the sound design and music totally took me back to the period, the sets were simple but effective for the story, and the costumes told me write away who the characters were...or in the case of this play, who they wanted you to think they were. Kudos to all my friends involved. The writer even came to see the show and apparently this is the best production of it he has ever seen!

The show I just saw today was perhaps the most amazing of them all. It is a show called "Enoch Arden". I had the pleasure of Kelly's company to this show and it was breathtaking. Everyone in the theatre school, actors, techines and profs, had been telling me to see this show, especially for the set. I wasn't let down. It was amazing. It was a barren wasteland, utilizing the exposed brick and wood of the intimate theatre. there was rubble all around and in the middle a chair, piano, and a weird platform/pool, all covered in clear construction tarp. The show itself was about two mental patients at a halfway house, practicing a performance of Lord Alfred Tennyson and Richard Strauss's "Enoch Arden" for the talent show, but in doing so tell their own story. The acting was BRILLIANT...some of the best I have ever seen. The music was gorgeous and the ending had me near tears. It taught me a lot about a good set, and I can't wait to use what I learned.

And I have saved the best for last. For those of you that haven't heard, Lord of the Rings is being made into a huge theatrical musical...although it is more like a grand opera. It was supposed to premiere in London, but Toronto was lucky enough to grab that premiere. This thing is massive and jsut may help revitalize tourism and the theatre community in this city. It sold 1 million worth of tickets in the first 24 hours the box office was open, and 3 million in the first week. That is almost on the level of a movie.

Anyways...through school, I have been presented with the amazing oppertunity to witness the development of the show (along with 29 of my friends) throughout it's various stages of conception. We had our first tour on Friday, and there will be four more tours over the next few months, leading up to the February opening.

It was amazing...that's all i can really say for obvious reasons in the next post.

Akiva