Keep Calm and Carry On!
It is mid-November and time for an update in my world. Aspen Crossing’s Train of Terror ran until November 2nd and was a lot of fun, but we were all Train of Terror-ed out by the end of it!
Next up for Aspen Crossing is the Polar Express, for which, I will again be a dancing/singing chef. In mid-October, the production I was working on as a daily locations production assistant wrapped, however a week later I got hired as a locations production assistant for a few days on the set of lower-budget Canadian feature film.
On set one day, I met a background performer who walked this cardboard cut out of Ellen 800kms gathering signatures as part of a fundraiser for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
At the moment I do not have any production assistant work and film work is winding down, however I hope that I will get some more in January. At the time of writing, I am also hoping to hear from my agent as to a few days on the set of a Hallmark movie as a background performer (fingers crossed!).
I am also in the midst of rehearsals for “Babette’s Feast” with Fire Exit Theatre and the show is coming together really well. I am very excited about doing the show, my first (of many I hope) to be performed in Arts Commons at the Engineered Air Theatre.
I have also been cast as the Detective in “Clue: The Musical” with Dewdney Players in Okotoks which will open near the end of February 2020 for three weekends. Rehearsals are also underway for “Clue”, though due to “Babette’s Feast” and Polar Express, I am not able to attend all of them over the next couple of months. This is the first time in many years that I have been in two shows at once, the last time was in Ottawa in 2002.
It is nice to have the next project lined up as it takes the pressure off. I am sure that I am not the only performer that experiences tonnes of self-doubt when not in a show and seemingly getting rejection after rejection from countless auditions.
Because I am not working full time anymore, I have more time to work on my real estate business as well as more time to write. Writing is where it is at. I believe that performers, as well as delving into more behind the scenes work such as directing, should also work on their own material rather than merely waiting and hoping to be cast in something by someone else, when there is often another performer who is a better fit. This week I finished the rough draft of a short film (which is also a short story – also in rough draft form). Other than that, I have several other scripts that are in progress in the outline to partial rough first draft stage. Thanks to my friend, Rick, who teaches scriptwriting, for some helpful hints over a drink a couple of years ago, I now have a system that works. Once I have my scene breakdown for a story idea complete and written down, sort of like a road map, there is no need to feel the muse, just open the document and flesh it out with dialogue and action. Another benefit to getting it mapped out like this, is that it gets the story out of my head (where it has probably become an obsession) and onto the page, leaving room for another idea to develop. My main hurdle has been finding the time, wanting those two to three-hour windows in which to work (though even half an hour to an hour is enough to get a scene or two written). I find that the morning is the best time for me to write and it is often the first thing that I do now. Once I have something in revised first draft form it will be time to pluck up the courage to allow other eyes to see it.
I try not to get too political, however I feel the need to touch on politics for this post as the recent budget of the Alberta UCP government, true to conservative fashion, features many cuts to a variety of sectors including the screen industry. We now have a tax credit system however available funding for productions has been cut drastically. Social media is filled with doom and gloom that our blossoming screen industry will die and those employed within it will migrate to other production centres. This is worrisome. Whatever happened to the old adage, “spend money to make money”? Surely a healthy screen industry that the government can invest in will bring great financial returns for the province and help diversify the economy. The government seems to be out of touch with the people. These cuts will just mean more people out of work and the corporate tax cuts have not seemed to help with companies in the oil and gas sector shutting up shop here and/or laying more employees off. Employed and well-paid people pay taxes and spend money, thus keeping the economy rolling – why does the government not seem to understand that? Screen industry unions and organizations are working to make some changes and I recently participated in a letter writing campaign to my MLA regarding these issues.
Whilst I have no plans in the near future to relocate to Vancouver or Toronto to pursue work as a performer or crew member (never say never, but the cost of living in both these centres is sky-high; Calgary’s is more reasonable), the future seems uncertain unless some changes are made. I am lucky as I have several sources of income, marketable skills and cheap rent. My plan is to spend more time on my real estate business, continue to seek work as a PA and performer and to write - keep calm and carry on!
