Chain Link made Beautiful

Passion Flowers in Collingwood.

Something for Everyone

Melbourne is known as a "Festival City"....it seems as though there's something going on every weekend! The International Arts Festival, International Comedy Festival, the Fringe Festival, Food and Wine Festival, Moomba Water Festival, Midsumma Festival, Harvest Festival, Buddha's Day Festival, Thessaloniki Festival, Women's Circus Festival...and of course, the Bicycle Film Festival. At any given moment, somewhere in the city there is a group of people celebrating something!

Who Needs Discretion?!

I think I've been pretty discreet when it comes to blogging my nocturnal activities here in Australia. Discreet?!! How about completely Close-Mouthed! So...for those of you who are dying to know the nitty gritty...here are some pics of our Year End Party.

Rinske, Samara and Brenda and I are freaking out because we are literally TEARING UP the dance floor!...board by board.

I am about to dance Samara into a corner and she knows it!

Directors and Sound designers actually do get along! This is Tim.

Olivia and Mike and yours truly.

I am glassy-eyed and dancing with Sapidah and Kev. It's water... I swear.

The Final Showing

Yesterday was the last day of the school year at VCA. There was a performance for industry people and acting agents, graduates were formally presented, and then a few hours later, the final school meeting was held. (School meetings happens at the end of each term -- basically big assemblies.) The directors filmed some crazy footage after our season closed, and I edited it all together to present in Mockumentary form at the school meeting. It was WELL RECEIVED!

The beautiful Post Grads: Animateurs and Directors

Acting Company 08

Me and Sapidah and Samara

Note to Self #16

As a rule, visitors to a country should avoid speaking to the press in regards to topics of federal politics about which they are ill-informed. Especially when the journalist will not take "But I'm CANADIAN!" as an answer. I mean, come on! I don't know from cars! However, flirting with said journalist can work in your favour.( Note the age!)

New Additions to Elwood

This week we welcomed the new (real!) COWHIDE POUF and 2 COWHIDE CUSHIONS to the fabulous leather furniture family here at #10-106 Addison St.

The Turtles

If we were a rock band, we'd be called "The Suffragette Turtles". Nadia and her partner Benny have taken off early to Sydney for a month and a bit, so the picnic we had on Monday seemed a nice way for us all to end the year together.

Directors

Six Post Grad Directors, and One Theatre Training Methodolgist, all part of the VCA Company 2008. At the back: Paul Terrell (aka "Dada") and Alex Rigozzi (aka "Tech Boy").
On the park bench: Paola Unger (aka "Cookie"), Samara Hersch (aka "China"), Nadia Townsend (aka "Hatchet"), Brenda Monaghan (aka "Bender"), and Sapidah Kian (aka "Irania").

Picnic in the Park

Things you'll need to enjoy a basic Aussie picnic (Non BBq):
* Green space, preferably a park, within walking distance.
* Beer and White wine
* A lot of cheeses
* Bread and chips for dipping
* Dips
* Salads
* Olives
* Brownies
If you look hard, you'll notice the "blanket" is actually a towel with the Australian Flag printed on it.

Remembrance Day

I stood out on the deck at 11:00 today in order to just take a moment and quietly observe Remembrance Day on my own. ANZAC Day in April is the public holiday here, so it was business as usual, and I was going in to school to work on a presentation at noon. I was lucky enough to get to hear the ceremony held at the Primary School around the corner. It was piped out to the neighbourhood on loudspeaker. Interesting to hear the Australian national anthem sung...but of course, why wouldn't it be?

The Value of a Sense of Humour

"Inspirational" words from artists like Cecily Berry and Stella Adler have been posted in the VCA stairwell throughout the year. Their message has been more subliminal than anything. Who posts them? Staff using every opportunity to inculcate student actors? Young zealot actors whose eyes are glassy with theoretical fervour? I've got no clue.
The theatrical lesson here is really all about timing. The end of the school year is here. The directors finished classes today, the actors will finish up projects next week, and the third years will be released into the big bad entertainment industry. Sure, the theatre is a stressful place sometimes.... but there really is no need for emergent theatre makers to take things SO seriously! The levity is appreciated!

Research

Some of us met Humphrey at the Melbourne Zoo on Monday to do some research for our adaptation of WISH. One of the main characters in the story is a Gorilla, so we watched the Gorillas in their habitat and listened to the Keeper talk about them. Shy Gorilla, do you think?

After that, Sam, Nadia and Alex and I wandered around to check out more of the zoo.
The Gibbons were the most entertaining of all the animals on that particular day!
It's not the best zoo in the country...I'd say that Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo top it easily in terms of animal habitats. Having said that, Melbourne Zoo does have a Platypusary, and that's got to count for points!

Dramaturgy: Wishful Thinking

My post grad program at the VCA is almost over. All my papers have been handed in! For the last 2 weeks, we have been working on our last seminar: a workshop on Adaptation with Humphrey Bower, a Perth-based dramaturg.
Our project has been to begin to adapt a novel for the stage. The novel is WISH by Peter Goldsworthy, an Australian writer.
"What's it about?" you ask. One of my fellow directors, Paul Terrell wrote a great trailer for the project:

J.J is an AUSlan sign teacher. He is asked to teach a student who is beyond our world, and to whom, under normal circumstances, sign would be impossible to teach. However, the relationship between the two of them is extra-ordinary... one that explores love, language, taboo and what it means to be human.

Australia Smells “Noice” in Spring!

Once again, I have to mention how wonderful this country smells in Spring! I breathe deeply as I go on my runs through the neighbourhood in the mornings or when I walk home from the tram at night. There are some scents that my Canadian nose can't recognize...but I love smelling the Star Jasmine, Daphne, Orange Blossoms, Lilacs, and Roses.

Happy Halloween!

Here's a bit of Jack-o-lantern decoration on Addison St. Halloween is a bit of a Non-Event here in Australia. In Melbourne it's overshadowed by the Spring Racing Carnival and the Melbourne Cup at this time of year. Kids don't really Trick-or-Treat in neighbourhoods, but house parties and costume parties at clubs definitely happen!