Tales from the Evil Dead....

No apologies...the odd post every now and again is better than no posts at all!

I am currently in Calgary (again!) doing Evil Dead the Musical. This brings me no end of GREAT JOY because I've always wanted to be in a larger musical production. A long time fantasy of mine has finally come true...and Bruce is here doing it with me - which is always a treat and a half!

The cast is stellar, the rehearsal process was a delight, the work is solid and we're all having a blast! What none of us anticipated though were the crowds! We are truly involved in a sub-cultural phenomena! A "once-in-a-career" experience.

Here are a few tales from beyond the Dead:

The Splatter Zone was sold out before our second week of rehearsals!

As of 5pm yesterday we are sold out for this week of shows!

We announced a two week hold over BEFORE we opened the show!

The average age of the audience is between 25 - 35 years old...

On Saturday night the audience spontaneously started doing the WAVE while they waited for act two to start!!!!

A woman showed up at the box office a few nights ago in a t-shirt that said, "I want to have Ash's baby".

6 police officers showed up at the theatre AFTER the show, having followed a trail of bloody footprints back to the theatre...when they saw an usher madly cleaning blood off the walls of the elevator they pounded on the doors and demanded to be let in! When they got into the lobby and saw the Evil Dead posters they were all very relieved and thankful that they wouldn't have to do the mountain of paper work associated with the crime they were anticipating finding.

Police officers pulled over to the side of the road when they spotted a young man, covered in blood, leaning up against a tree outside a popular downtown bar. They offered to call him an ambulance and wanted to know what happened to him. "No dudes!", he said, "I was at Evil Dead!!!!".....he was drunk and leaning on the tree.

A few nights ago, a fellow in the crowd was so appreciative of everything he was seeing that he would yell "FUCK YAH!!!" after each of his favorite bits.....When I do the bit where my costume gets all ripped off he yelled, "JOIN ME!!!"....and a lady a few rows back, fed up with all his yelling, yelled, "STOP IT!!!!".

At the top of act two the audience often yells things like, "BRING ON THE GORE", "MORE BLOOD", "WE WANT ASH!!"

At the merchandise table they sell between 50 - 80 shirts per night. Last night a gal came to the table and said, "I've been saving up for a MONTH. I will take one of EVERYTHING!!!"

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Oddly - some theatre-types with whom I have shared these stories have had quite negative reactions. They've said things like, "God help us all", and, "Oh - just what we need in the theatre."

ISN'T this EXACTLY what we need in the theatre?!

Yes - the classics are important, "culture" (whatever that is!) is important, etc....

At least we who work in the theatre think it important...and yet our theatres are half full! (I used full to be positive...they are in fact half empty!) Too often the "But it's important and good for society", sounds like the bullshit your mother would try to get you to swallow just before she jammed a tablespoon of the foulest tasting concoction in your mouth because it was going to be "good for you".

Theatrical bad medicine! Bleagh!

People have said, "Well - it's just 'entertainment' ".

Fair enough. I think it's safe to say that 350 people leave the theatre having been entertained every night...And what's wrong with that? What some folks fail to take into account is that the same 350 people have been entertained in a THEATRE - not a movie theatre, but a LIVE THEATRICAL VENUE....and while they've been yelling and screaming and laughing and getting covered in blood....they have also been having a truly theatrical experience! They have been sitting in the dark, en masse, collectively focussed on the stage, listening to the unfolding of a story - and they are being CHANGED by it! Yes - they are also being given the "familiar"...but isn't that what Shakespeare gives us too? Stories we recognise? Characters we identify with? Universal plights?

The character of "Ash" is a hero to throngs, and throngs of "non-traditional" theatre goers...in fact, many of these people are likely coming to the theatre for the FIRST TIME to watch Ash rise to the challenge, screw his courage to the sticking place, and fight a legion of demons. He's nerd-turned-ass-kicker....who can't identify with, or at least long for THAT?!

Night after night audience members LEAP to their feet in raw celebration. This is not a crowd that claps for the sets and costumes, or gives a standing ovation so they can justify the ticket price they've forked over...there is no sense of polite appreciation. They love Ash. They love the story. They love the comedy. They love the blood. (hmmm....sounds a bit like ancient Rome, doesn't it? The grandfathers of theatre....)

Last night, as we came out to shake hands with the Splatter Zone....I asked a crew of 20-something guys, "So - have we converted you to the theatre?" And with some reluctance one said, "Yeah - maybe. I might try this again. Tonight was fucking awesome!"

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When my mom was sick she refused to take her morphine pills. We all knew it was good for her. We tried to explain how important it was to take it. Even the home care nurse couldn't get her to swallow that pill. Out of sheer, desperate frustration and a deep urgency to get that morphine into her so she could be in less pain, it occurred to me to put her pill in a tablespoon of vanilla pudding.....Low and behold - taking her morphine became something she looked forward to.

;-)

Blind Date Toronto!

I will confess that I have, in this last run of neglect on my blog, found a new Mistress....
After having resisted Facebook for well over a year - I finally joined, and have been publishing notes there- specifically regarding Blind Date. However, as there have been several comments posted here in the last week, or so - I thought it might not be a bad idea to at least jot down a few updates on the old Blog!

Tonight will be my final performance of Blind Date as part of the current Worldstage Series at Harboufront Centre in Toronto.
At the outset, I was EXTREMELY nervous about doing the show in Toronto. You see, in the last 8 years, when I've stepped out of the confines of my apartment to perform in any sort of start-up improv show, I've become accustomed to performing for houses of 30 or LESS - often even 6 - 12, half of which are often other improvisers! Over time, this phenomena has helped to keep me humble, and has led me to appreciate Calgary audiences, or Spiegeltent audiences even MORE! What a JOY to occasionally get to play for over 100 members of the TRUE public!

In any case - my nerves were all for naught! Blind Date sold out it's five day run by the end of its second day of ticket sales!!!
Harbourfront Centre ADDED 40 seats to the house - and then sold out again. I could be mistaken, but it seemed to me that a few extra seats may have been squeezed in again last night - and there was a waiting list at the door in the hopes that some folks wouldn't show up and claim their tickets!

I'm completely overwhelmed - and again humbled.

For those not on Facebook - I will try to post the write ups of my various Toronto dates here, on the Blog, over the next week.
Once again - it has been a delight! As the show evolves, I continue to hone in on the core "message" that Mimi is trying to bring to the world....nothing all that original: be brave, live for the now, open up and show us who you really are and we'll all fall in love with you. And fall in love we do! Each guy charms me, and the audience in his own way - and I always feel like I've witnessed some small miracle unfold before my eyes as men go from nervous and unsure to brave and playful over the course of 90 minutes!

Fingers crossed - Harbourfront will have me back sometime next season!

;-)

Blind Updates

Ahhhh! Where does the time go?
Well - if you're me, a lot of it went into The Dream in High Park in Toronto this summer! 60 performances, 14 of which were rained out. Still - an excellent crew of people and a wonderful way to spend the summer.

I'm happy to share that Blind Date will live on!
I will be doing my insane little show again in Calgary Jan.8,9, 10...15, 16, 17 at Loose Moose...
And again in Toronto the first week of March!!!!!!

Check this out!

http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldstage/blind.cfm

Wooo hooo!

Gotta run.
More to follow.

Cheers!

R

Blind Experiment....

Phew!
I've finally got a a few moments to myself to catch up on the wrapping up of Blind Date.

I'm so glad that I tried this and THRILLED with the results. All in all, I do believe it was a more than successful experiment.
My audience doubled every weekend until we sold out the last two shows.
I had repeat audience members who came more than TWICE!!!
Often people would return with groups of 4 - 8 friends in tow!
AND - groups of MEN started coming together!

For those of you not in the "theatrical know" - groups of men do NOT go to the theatre together.
Men tend to go to theatre because their wives and girlfriends take them. Groups of women go to the theatre together. Pockets of 3 -5 guys showing up at the theatre together is unheard of! Men go to sports together. They go drink beer together. They go to comedy clubs together. They might go to the strippers together....So. Why Blind Date?

I can only speculate.....Thanks to the handsome and talented Kurt Furla - I did end up with quite a saucy poster. I got great press coverage with some equally saucy photos....and, I don't know....I can only guess that word of mouth had something to do with it? I certainly encountered a few men in the lobby who made it very clear to me that they would be more than happy to come up and be my Date for the evening - so, obviously they'd heard about it....

It did get me wondering though - why don't men go to the theatre together? Perhaps it's simply not their style of entertainment? Or, not the sort of thing you invite your buddy out to: "Hey Mike - wanna go check out this awesome play tonight?" Doesn't sound quite right....

Blind Date though, offers a great "male - appeal" combo: comedy and titillation - and what's wrong with that?! That's NOT to say that the women weren't equally as entertained (there was at least ONE group of gals who came every weekend!)....but I'm hard pressed to think of too many theatricals on offer that serve up both comedy and titillation. Burlesque (when done well) certainly does - and the success of the Spiegeltent in Toronto this summer proved night, after sold out night, that people like to laugh and see something a little bit naughty!

I think the other appeal of Blind Date - is the danger and the voyerism. A representative of the audience is pulled up on stage with no preplanning. People immediately start to think things like: "I'm so glad it's not ME - but let's see how he reacts to things.", "Huh - I would have handled that situation differently.","WOW - that was amazing!", etc.....We see the Date's nervousness about being on stage, but also the nervousness of being in a blind date situation, of not knowing what to do next - but having to move into the future anyway. PLUS - I get them talking about themselves and so we get the added interest of hearing all about a stranger's life - and NO LIFE is boring! The stakes get higher as the night goes on - but the Date also (for the most part) relaxes as the night goes on, plays more, and takes bigger risks.

Several volunteers overheard people on their way out to their cars after the show saying things like, "I totally would have kissed her sooner than that guy!", or "I would have DIED at that one part." So- the audience is really putting themselves in the Date's shoes while it's happening and then wondering how they would have dealt with it if it had been them.

I also learned some truly valuable things over the course of the six shows:

- Always include the girlfriend in a respectful manner off the top of the show. Give her the power to call a time-out AND bring her down to be reunited with her man at the end.

- Do NOT pick guys who are on date #1 - 5 with a lady. Choose either a single guy, or someone who's been in a relationship for a while. They are under less pressure to be "impressive".

- Use the time-out box to REWARD, not just "punish".

- Steer clear of guys who PRETEND to not know what's going on in the lobby, because they're hoping to get picked.

- Allow myself to be CHANGED by my Date: both positive and negative emotions.

Oh - there's so much MORE!!!

I can't WAIT to try this again. Six shows was NOT enough, to be sure. It was so great to be scared, to be vulnerable, to be open, to PLAY - and I was truly moved by each of the men who played with me and went along for the ride. I forget that being on the stage can be terrifying - and yet, they pushed through anyway! What an inspiration!

Keith Johnstone came and saw the final performance (if you're not aware - he is my life-long improv teacher!)...so of course I asked if he would give me notes afterwards....I was SO nervous! And - in the end, I think he really liked it. I'm going to have lunch with him next week....John Turner of Mump and Smoot also attended two shows (I was taking Baby Clown with him at the U of C at the time...which turned out to be SO HELPFUL!!!)...John had some great feedback as well. I'm so lucky to have brilliant people in my life who are willing to share their thoughts.

Oh! And I've also heard that Loose Moose received ONE very ANGRY email about the show. I don't know all the details yet - but I will get to the bottom of it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, of course - and there may be a good lesson to be gleaned from this woman's complaints. I'm a bit nervous (I certainly didn't set out to make anyone ANGRY!)...but, I'm also looking forward to it. Curious, very curious!

Ahhhhh! Blind Date- I'm in love all over again!

Blind Review

How lovely.


http://www.thenewwest.ca/the-arts/let-loose-your-inner-moose.html

Blindly Stumbling...

Well - tonight was the first night that Blind Date felt like work.
I take the FULL weight of this on my own shoulders, of course! One of my basic rules is "what they do is right".

Richard was my fourth Blind Date in this ongoing madness.
He was lovely, British, and 26 - he works as a Health and Safety Inspector (wow!)....
And - he was also on his own personal THIRD date with a sweet gal named Carolyn.
Whether it be that he was young, or English - or just plain-old, admirably gentlemanly and dignified - Richard had me working harder than I have on any of the other dates....

But - there's really nothing wrong with that....because, so what if the show doesn't go the way I'm hoping it will?
What is facinating is how each individual differs in the same situation....

Where other guys eventually made-out with me, Richard was content to call our date "a night", say he'd had a lovely time, and that we should do it again. (sweet!)

It's possible that the lesson for me - is not to choose people in such budding, new, uncertain relationships....There might be too much at stake, and not a great enough level of comfort between the guy on stage and the gal in the audience? I'm not sure....

My deepest regret about tonight, really my only regret - is that I did not get the chance to check in with Richard at the end of the show. The previous guys have all waited around in the lobby and I've had the chance to thank them and say goodnight. Richard was gone by the time I got out of the washroom. I fear that he had a bad time and bolted. I have no idea if this is the case - but my mind goes to the negative. I so want to be sure to give these guys a good time....the thought that he may have hated the experience worries me. He didn't seem too bad during, in spite of being slightly reserved - he laughed a lot, made eye contact, made offers, etc....

Oh - and, I've also started asking my various dates to write about their experience and pass it on to me. I'd like to have asked Richard to do the same....

Well. Maybe these hopes and well wishes will find him out in cyber-space.

Richard - you were fabulous! I learned a TON from you and am grateful.

R

Blind Bliss....

Phew!
Two Blind Dates under my belt - what a thrill!
I was blessed by the Clown/Improv Gods in that I chose my audience volunteers well, and they turned out to be AMAZING!!!

Friday was "Brad" - the cowboy beer salesman.
Saturday was "Adam" - the 24 year old musician/student teacher.

Both shows were very different from each other, and I think quite successful. I'm so enjoying this exploration of, "where does the audience end and the performance begin"? I have added a "time-out box" to one side of the stage which allows us to "step out of the play" and check in, get the ground rules straight, have some acting coaching, etc....On Saturday, I also threw in allowing the girlfriend, who gets left behind in the audience, the ability to call ONE time-out herself if there's anything going on that makes her uncomfortable.

Also stunning and inspiring is how wonderful the audience members are at being obvious (once they've calmed down and the pressure to be clever is removed by our chat in the time-out box)....proof to me that this notion of putting a non-performer in a somewhat familiar situation is enough to activate their own internal "scripts" for any given moment. We all know what sorts of things happen on a Blind Date...it's simply about PLAYING. Both guys seemed to have a lot of fun engaging in play time - lots of giggles, some fab acting moments, and tons of fun surprises.

It's also nice to know, KNOCK WOOD, that my improv skills are sharp enough to take care of someone through this insane experiment: make the safe, give them a good time, make them look good. I still struggle with the worries of "where should this go next? Is the audience enjoying it, is HE?"....but I'm also starting to trust that there's something exhilarating in this experiment that fascinates. Someone said to me after the show, "It's like watching a lab rat - we spend all of our time looking from him to you and back again to see how each of you is going to react to the other."

Huh.

And - isn't that what good theatre should be doing to an audience? COOL!
How are we changed by each other?

There's also a "Life Game" element off the top when I'm getting to know him. I ask that he not make anything up (another time-out coaching)....so, we get to find out true things about this stranger, in real time - and there's simply nothing boring about that at all! I think I'm going to find other ways to get more of that into the show...

Anyhow.
There's the update from the brink of terror! Risk taking is such a BLAST!!!!