Yesterday, Vocal Point, the choir that I belong to, had a workshop. It was wonderful. On a few levels. First, since it was on a Saturday, instead of a Tuesday, I was able to go to it. I’ve only been able to go to one choir rehearsal since February. Because my play rehearsals are on…
I just saw Bluebirds by Vern Thiessen at Theatre Burlington.It’s a beautiful play about three Canadian nurses in World War I.And it made me marvel at the power of words.Well layered words.“We made a vow.”So simple.And out of context it doesn’t mean much.But in the context of the play.And where it comes…A gut punch.That’s one…
I consider Steven Pressfield to be my writing coach. I read his book Do The Work before I start a new project. I’ve just finished reading it again as I revisit my play Minced. Pressfield describes the creative process accurately. And encourages you to find your way through the Resistance that will challenge you. The…
Some things never change. The way to accomplish goals is simple. Find moments of focus and do the work. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time. Consistency is more important than duration. Because consistency builds on itself. It compounds. Doing a binge of work here and then a binge later might feel good.…
One of the perks of running the Around the Bay last weekend was that I missed a rehearsal. It was a milestone rehearsal. Off Book Day. Yes, I would rather subject myself to the pain. The pain of running 30 kilometers. Rather than face the humiliation of not knowing my lines. But I couldn’t dodge…
The Around the Bay is done. Time to rest? Nope. The next countdown is ticking away. Things I Know to be True opens in 24 days! That’s just over three weeks away. And I’m working on those lines. They’re coming, but not fast enough. It’s going to be a great show. After that, the Vocal…
Shortly after my birthday, I came up with three priorities for the year. And for March, I looked at that list every day. To make sure that those priorities stayed top of mind. I tried to find some step every day to move forward on those goals. I plan to do the same in April.…
One of the things I love about theatre is how egalitarian it is. Especially with the actors. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. We’re all equals working together to put on the show. We’re all peers. There are very few situations where people can work side by side. People with different levels…
I’ve been waffling for months to get started on another playwriting project. And I decided to revisit one of my old plays: Minced. Minced is a one act play with two characters. I always thought it could be expanded into a longer piece. And taking a page from Great By Choice, I can consider it…
We’ve got two weeks to be off book for Things I Know to be True. It’s that awkward time where you need your script in your hand. But the script hinders your movement around the stage. There’s line learning and movement learning. And I’ve been a bit lax. I’ve got rehearsals on Sundays, Tuesdays, and…
peter gruner 