And....Curtain!

And almost as quickly as it began....it's over. We closed The Yalta Game & The Bear on Saturday night. I think a good time was had by all. The audiences who came were small - but enthusiastic (not to mention FAR larger than some of the audiences that I have grown accustomed to in the Toronto imrpov community. I have been so humbled in the last four years that any more than 10 in an audience and I'm practically weeping with gratitude! The Stratford guys are used to audiences beyond my wildest dreams...The Festival Theatre holds 1800!!!! Can you imagine? At that size, 600 seems like a let down. Perspective is everything!)

I had a good time, and it was so nice to be back in the theatre. I've missed it. And I'm happy to say I've made a new pal. Thom Marriott is indeed a "good egg" and a funny one at that....And to help set him better in your minds, for those of you in the know, he is what I would describe as "Stratford's Len Stanga". Of course, NO ONE could ever replace Len Stanga in any way, shape, or form...but these two could pass for brothers in looks and in temperament. (sorry Len, but he does have a WAY deeper voice than you...even deeper than Horak's maybe...)

Closing night saw Thom and I on our own (because Brian, Leslie, Doug and Ann had other things to do). We painted The Paddock red (because the whole of Toronto was just too overwhelming) with the help of Albert Howell. Oh!!! And we also saw SNAKE, from Degrassi. I could hardly contain my excitement I'm such a HUGE Degrassi fan. I didn't want to make a fool of myself though...so I stayed put and only glanced over my shoulder a few times. Thom and "Grandma" shut down the bar though...which I think may even have been a first for me (in Toronto...I'm not counting the few times I shut down the Ship and Anchor in Calgary...It was always so awkward to be there when the fluorescents got turned on!)

So I am now back in Toronto facing the prospect of NEVER working again for the rest of my life. Isn't' it always thus? For the moment I am happy just being back home and relaxing a bit. I've been going almost non-stop since September. Feast or famine, feast or famine....

Bruce has been gone since Jan.2 ...and won't be back until March 30th! Curse "going where the work is"! At least we miss each other...and I'm getting stuff done around the house...Today I'm hanging curtains. Yes - the excitement is non-stop...

OH!!! Yesterday I went to "Listen Up Canada" and had a free hearing test! I went because Bruce has been saying for a while now that he thinks I'm losing my hearing - I often have to ask him to repeat himself. It's always been my belief that he's a mumbler....So, I endured the discomfort of having long, foam covered wires pushed into my ears - WAY past the point of the Q-tip safety zone even - and listened as best I could. There was a point where I was quite nervous when we did the test to see how much I'm affected by background noise. They play something that sounds like static in your ear...and then at the same time you're to listen for a man's voice and try to repeat the words he says. Well...I could hear the static no problem - but I could NOT hear any man talking. As the minutes ticked by I got more and more nervous...I envisioned myself having to get hearing aids and how this would only further embellish my reputation of being a "Grandma".....Then, I think just as I was on the verge of tears...the "audiologist" came over the head-set to let me know that one of the CD players wasn't working so she'd have to do the talking live. CHRIST!!! In the end, the results of my test? Bruce is mumbler! I have totally NORMAL hearing! Yeah!!! I have "slight" hearing loss in my left ear, but still within the normal range and only on one of the higher frequencies...(most likely as a result of a fellow actor shooting one of the BIG guns right next to my ear during a schmooze in the courtroom of the Deanne House many, many years ago...a whole other story...but let me just say that the gun was SO close to me that I also got powder burns on my FACE!)

Speaking of many, many years ago - I was interviewed for the University of Calgary's Alumni Magazine last week. Weird! I wonder if that means I'm successful....? Who reads Alumni Magazine? Anyone out there? I was a bit weirded out to discover that the U of C still knows how to track me down..Good God...I graduated 10 years ago. Help me.....

I just realised, this March 4th will also be the 10 year anniversary of my Mom's death. Now THAT is a tough one to wrap my mind around. I still have a hard time fully understanding that I'm never going to SEE her again. Unfortunately I rarely dream about her.....Wow - yeah, this time last year we had just brought Mom home from palliative care and our whole world was insane. I was also in the midst of my first professional job at ATP's playRites Festival in the WORST play ever. All very surreal. Little did we know on Feb. 21, 1996 that Mom would only live another two weeks...

Time flies friends. We go through things that we think might kill us...and 10 years later life isn't as bad as we imagined it might be....and, to err on the side of cheesy...every "curtain" is the beginning of something else. Unknown....here I come!

R