Culture Archives - A Flimsy Plan

Six Things I Learned From Seeing 10 Plays in One Month

May 15, 2025 No Comments

Things I Learned from Seeing Plays photo collage with playbills

Since Porcelain Dolls closed, I’ve seen 10 plays in one month. Here’s what I learned!

On Monday’s Off Book, I mentioned that I had seen 10 plays since Porcelain Dolls closed just about a month ago and would you be surprised at all to know that I had lots of people reaching out to me? Asking what shows. And how I did it. And why? All good questions. Questions that I may or may not answer before diving into the meat of this post – what I learned from seeing 10 plays in one month.

This is semi-common knowledge, but I am a new member of the Calgary-ACTS Nom Com (nomination committee) this year. In exchange for a free ticket or two, I try to see all of the shows our member companies present so that I can nominate the best of the best for awards and vote on the eventual winners. I take this responsibility extremely seriously and, while I will end up missing about five shows, I see almost everything. Plus, I have subscriptions to the Vertigo Theatre and Alberta Theatre Projects opening nights. And then I try to see projects that my friends are working on. It adds up! (So that’s the how and why.)

6 Things I Learned from Seeing Plays in One Month

As for the what? Well… I’ll answer what I learned. I am actually not going to name names when it comes to the shows. These are holistic lessons that came from seeing so much back to back. Some of the shows were really good, some were less good, and I don’t intend to categorize them in this post. What would anyone gain from that?

Acting is Reacting

This month, I’ve caught myself going all theatre school and talking about motivation and tactics more times than I ever thought I would over ten years out of university. I rarely do tactics anymore as an actor, unless I hit a wall when it comes to understanding or performing a scene. It’s a tool, not a standard for me, at this point.

But boy, is it obvious when no one has ever bothered to explain to an actor that their character wants something out of every single scene and each line should help them get that thing! It’s obvious when actors think it’s just about learning their lines and making the movements on the stage that their directors told them to make. And it’s especially obvious when they aren’t listening to the other actors onstage because they are too worried about just doing those two things right.

Good Director? Game Changer.

Okay, this isn’t revolutionary. This is in line with my first point and it’s something I knew, but I re-learned it. Directing isn’t just about making pretty stage pictures. In fact, I would say it’s rarely about that. A good director helps the actors understand the human emotions behind the words they say and evokes motivation to create those stage pictures. A good director sets the tone and tempo. A good director creates a rehearsal room energy that draws out those inspired choices from actors. And all of this is way too evident onstage.

Simple Is Better

Maybe not always. I mean, we all love a good Cirque du Soleil show or Broadway mega-musical. But especially when resources are limited (time, money, space, people, knowledge), it is better to focus on the small things you can do well, instead of throwing things at the wall and seeing what will stick. Now, don’t get me wrong – simple is not always cheap and it’s not always easy, but it’s usually my favourite.

The Gap Between “Good Ideas” and “Good Execution” is a Canyon

Not always. But it happens. And I think we should always keep taking big leaps and seeing where we land. Because no show is ever the last show – so let’s take the lessons we learn and do better next time.

The Audience Vibe is Everything

A good audience evokes a great performance. So that makes me think about Full Circle Theatre – how do we find and create the audiences we want? How can we set up our audience experiences as soon as they walk through the door so that they know what to expect and can show up for us?

Theatre is Alive

Seeing 10 plays in a month is totally different than seeing 10 movies in a month. I think a lot of people can easily watch 10 movies in that time! But theatre is a living, breathing experience where you share the same air as the storytellers in front of you. When things go well, you are ecstatic for them. And when things don’t go well, you choke on your own breath, praying for them to get it together. It’s uplifting and exhausting.

And I learned that even when something isn’t to my taste, I will hunt for the things they did well and the bright side of the experience. Because after I shared a room with those artists who invited me to share a story with them, how could I not?

Seeing 10 plays in one month reminded me why I make theatre. And I cannot wait to do it again.

So now I ask you – what is the last thing you learned from seeing a play?

What Seeing Plays in Taught Me About Theatre Header Image

Culture

2025 New Book Releases I’m Excited About

December 16, 2024 No Comments

I wrote a similar post to this in early 2023 – ten new release books that I was super excited to read in 2023. And I actually ended up reading five of them! In 2023, I wrote the post because my word of the year was “Intentional” and I was trying to be more intentional about what I read. And this year? This year, I’ve decided to be a trendsetter or something, I guess. You know, after my trip to Sound Room the other night. (I guess. I haven’t yet picked my word of the year for 2025, so maybe I’ll figure out a more accurate reason why.) Either way, I love lists and I am super excited for this list – 2025 new book releases I’m excited about!

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

THE STORM IS COMING . . .

After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there’s no more time for lessons.

No more time for uncertainty.

Because the battle has truly begun; and with enemies closing in from outside their walls and within their ranks, it’s impossible to know who to trust.

Now Violet must journey beyond the failing Aretian wards to seek allies from unfamiliar lands to stand with Navarre.

The trip will test every bit of her wit, luck, and strength, but she will do anything to save what she loves – her dragons, her family, her home, and him.

Even if it means keeping a secret so big, it could destroy everything.

They need an army.

They need power.

They need magic.

And they need the one thing only Violet can find—the truth.

But a storm is coming… and not everyone can survive its wrath

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed

Nura Khan is a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta and business has never been better. Her exclusive clientele benefits from her impeccable track record. And while a single thirty-one-year-old matchmaker would normally raise some perfectly threaded eyebrows in the community, Nura’s childhood best friend Azar is willing to double as her pretend fiancé at her clients’ weddings—as long as Nura is able to hide that her feelings for him might not be so pretend.

But Nura quickly learns that all that glitters isn’t gold. While it’s not uncommon to get the occasional hate mail from rejected prospective clients, after a couple’s carefully constructed wedding implodes, Nura is blindsided by a cascading chain of increasingly terrifying events and realizes someone is taking things too far. With Azar by her side, Nura embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens not only her safety but everything she’s worked so hard to build.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years–or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing . . . and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight and morning, and a night market in the clouds.

But as they get closer to the truth, Hana must reveal a secret of her own—and risk making a choice that she will never be able to take back.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they’ve saved.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.

Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen other girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.

Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid…and it’s usually paid in blood.

Installment Immortality by Seanan McGuire

After four generations of caring for the Price family, Mary Dunlavy has more than earned a break from the ongoing war with the Covenant of St. George. Instead, what she’s getting is a new employer, in the form of the anima mundi, Earth’s living soul made manifest, and a new assignment: to hunt down the Covenant agents on the East Coast and make them stop imprisoning America’s ghosts.

All in a day’s work for a phantom nanny, even one who’d really rather be teaching her youngest charges how to read.

One ghost can’t take on the entire Covenant without backup, which is how she winds up on a road trip with the still-mourning Elsie and the slowly collapsing Arthur, both of whom are reeling in their own way from the loss of their mother. New allies and new enemies await in Worcester, Massachusetts, where the path of the haunting leads.

With the anima mundi demanding results and Mary’s newfound freedom at stake, it’s down to Mary to make sure that everyone gets out of this adventure alive.

It’s been a long afterlife, but Mary Dunlavy’s not ready to be exorcised quite yet.

They Bloom At Night by Trang Thanh Tran

A red algae bloom has taken over Mercy, Louisiana. Ever since a devastating hurricane, mutated wildlife lurks in the water that rises by the day. But Mercy has always been a place where monsters walk in plain sight. Especially at its heart: The Cove, where Noon’s life was upended long before the storm at a party her older boyfriend insisted on.

Now, Noon is stuck navigating the submerged town with her mom, who believes their dead family has reincarnated as sea creatures. Alone with the pain of what happened that night at the cove, Noon buries the truth: she is not the right shape.

When Mercy’s predatory leader demands Noon and her mom capture the creature drowning residents, she reluctantly finds an ally in his deadly hunter of a daughter and friends old and new. As the next storm approaches, Noon must confront the past and decide if it’s time to answer the monster itching at her skin.

Now here’s the real million dollar question. These are the 2025 new book releases I’m excited about. How many will I actually read? And, of those, how many will I actually link back to this post? Who wants to guess in the comments!?

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 8

December 15, 2024 No Comments

Happy Sunday, beautiful friends! And let me tell you, today was another wonderful holiday season weekend day. Yes, it is Beer Exchange Day 8, but it is more than that! Today is a day where I both got productive and had fun.

Despite my post from early in Blogmas about feeling like myself again, I haven’t quite fallen into a good routine yet. It’s hard when your life is so full and there are so many demands on your time. But that’s not really an excuse. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what is important to you. So, this morning, I set my alarm for 7:30am and managed to sneak into a 9:30 barre class.

That was before the main event of the day – taking Rylee to Morpheus Theatre’s Puss In Boots. (I told y’all that I was going to!) I have already posted about this over on ye old Instagram and Facebook, but it was truly the best. She was so excited to see the show, she was basically waiting at the front door for me when I arrived to pick her up. And even though she kept the excitement up the entire time we were there, she was so well behaved during the actual show. Of course, she had little questions, but the nice thing about a pantomime is that she could whisper them to me. And she got to shout at the stage in her little voice.

But let me tell you, after all that excitement, I was ready for a quiet night. A little bit of cooking, a little bit of holiday decorating, and a little bit of enjoying Beer Exchange Day 8.

Culture, YYCEats

Beer Exchange Day 7

December 13, 2024 No Comments

Today is Beer Exchange Day 7, but before I get into that, I need you to celebrate something with me.

I did it! Finally, I did it! Unlike last week, I made it to Cochrane in ample time to see the play I attempted to see in that post. (Mostly because I knew what time it started at this time.) In fact, I actually made it there early enough that I was able to swing by Half Hitch Brewing to enjoy a thoroughly delicious brisket sandwich. Not really the type of thing I would normally go for, but I was drawn in by the dill pickles on it and it was totally worth it.

But what about the play, I hear you asking! It was a pantomime version of The Wizard of Oz, filled with songs new and old, and lots of shouting at the stage. (This is normal in a pantomime.) The costumes were elaborate, which is exactly what you need for something that takes place in Oz. And there was so much heart. I look forward to driving out to the Cochrane Ranchehouse yet again to see another play. But maybe in the daylight next time…

Oh, and the best part was that I was home before 10pm, even though it was a 45 minute drive home! And I celebrated by drinking Beer 7. Obviously.

Culture

Calgary Holiday Plays

December 12, 2024 1 Comment

The first Theatre Thursday of this year’s Blogmas is upon us, I’m about to go out for Kegnog, and I’m going to do a classic post today. I love a round-up post and y’all loved this post last year… why not do it again? Buckle in, grab your favourite lactose-y holiday drink, and read all about Calgary Holiday Plays.

A Christmas Carol (Theatre Calgary)

I mean, I had to include it. When people think of Calgary Holiday Plays(tm), they think A Christmas Carol.

But this year? Don’t even try. It’s so sold out that the pre-Christmas shows only have single tickets available. Plus, there are other amazing holiday plays out there that need your custom (aka, money). Go indie, check out the smaller theatres. A Christmas Carol will be waiting for you next year.

If you really want to try, it runs between Nov 29 – Dec 29. Your best bet for tickets is after Christmas, which is still fun and cozy!

Twelve Days (Forte Musical Theatre and Lunchbox Theatre)

You may remember that last year, I wrote about how it was the last year for Naughty… but Nice! I was curious about what Forte would come up with next. And the answer is here! Twelve Days is a cute little story about a boy who likes a girl but has a rich friend who also likes said girl. Perhaps it’s simple but the Joe Slabe music is certain to make it seem anything but simple. Plus, it has a 75 minute run time, so you can catch it during lunch or fit it and something else into full weekend evenings.

I know I’m curious and I’m sure you are too. You can catch this Calgary holiday play from Dec 3-21.

Puss in Boots (Morpheus Theatre)

Morpheus Theatre is back with a holiday tradition that we just don’t see enough of in Calgary – a pantomime! And not only a pantomime, but a purr-fect pantomime. Puss in Boots, opening tomorrow! Do you have little kids that always want to talk to the tv when they watch a movie? Then a pantomime is perfect for them! They’ll get to boo the bad guys, cheer for the heroes, shout at the actors when the person they are looking for is directly behind them. Plus, since its community theatre, it has a slightly lower price point and is the perfect opportunity to introduce a kid to theatre. What more could you ask for!?

I will be taking Rylee to see this play, who else is in? Puss in Boots runs from Dec 13-21.

Charlotte’s Web (Alberta Theatre Projects)

Finally! Alberta Theatre Projects is doing a holiday show that is actually good for the whole family! I’m going to be real – sometimes ATP goes way too “edgy” or “dark” for their holiday shows and I’ve felt like little kids have been excluded from the audience for a long time. We can still do creative things and push boundaries while making things that are fun for elementary school kids. And Charlotte’s Web does that! Everyone is raving about it!

It is playing from Nov 26 to Dec 29… and it is in the same building as Theatre Calgary, so maybe a good alternative.

Beauty and the Beast (Storybook Theatre)

Is Beauty and the Beast a holiday play, or do I just think it is because I got a ton of Beauty and the Beast gifts for Christmas in 1992? Maybe it doesn’t matter. Holiday is what is in our hearts. And also the play is on during the holidays! In fact, the play is running all the way from Nov 22 to Jan 5. Perhaps it is the most Holiday play, as it covers all the holidays?

(Note: Storybook Theatre has also brought back Natascha Girgis’ outstanding show from last year – One Christmas Carol. It is being performed on Sunday and Monday evenings between Dec 8-23… aka the days that Beauty and the Beast is dark. And also Charlotte’s Web. Because Natascha has no chill and is also in that.)

Friends. There is so much amazing theatre in Calgary, especially during this holiday season. Don’t let it pass you by. The weather is nice right now and you’ll have memories to talk about for years afterwards. Such is the joy of live theatre!

Culture

Beer Exchange Day 6

December 11, 2024 No Comments

Survivor beer, survivor beer, survivor beer! It’s Beer Exchange Day 6 and I am delighted to announce that I have ticked yet another item off my Holiday Bucket List. (At this point, I’m going to have to do a check-in post!) Today I got to present on learning styles and when to embrace them at a Psychiatry Resident wellness event (not the bucket list item), and then do my favourite thing… watch an important Survivor episode with Mike and Sarah!

And delicious charcuterie.

So, of course I had to bust out another Beer Exchange beer for this special night. And today’s beer was… my dad’s beer! Yes, yet again, Rob had to save the exchange by filling in and buying a beer. He is in the industry, you know. (He works at a liquor store as his retirement job.) So what did my dad select?

Culture, Stuff About Me

ShakesPeers Holiday Bash

December 8, 2024 No Comments

One of the hallmarks of this blog, ever since it started, was “fun things I do in Calgary”. And slowly – sloooooowly – I’ve moved into creating fun things to do in Calgary for other people. I mean, I’ve produced theatre on and off for over a decade, so that counts as something. But over this past year, Full Circle Theatre has started putting on community building Shakespeare-inspired salon events. And that is definitely creating “fun things to do in Calgary”. Tonight was our most recent event, the ShakesPeers Holiday Bash and it was everything I needed it to be.

First, What is ShakesPeers?

Great question! It is, obviously, a pun on Shakespeare. And the fact that we get together with our peers. And shake, I guess?

Basically, we wanted to make something that would bring theatre people together, but wouldn’t be a class or a performance. It would just be an opportunity to nerd out with other cool theatre people and potentially practice our craft a little bit in a low stakes environment. Our first event was a Roles in a Bowl reading of Much Ado (which was exactly what it sounds like) and our second was a Scene Exploration (where we just selected scenes, messed around, and talked about them). We’ve met new people and gotten comfortable with Shakespeare. And more importantly, for my sanity, they’ve been really easy to plan.

What About the ShakesPeers Holiday Bash?

Also, kind of what it sounds like! It was our holiday party for people we wouldn’t normally be able to attend a holiday party with! We rented a basement events room at The Joyce on 4th, and they were fantastic. Very attentive, gave us access to their full menu, and decorated the room in a cute festive manner… What more can you ask for in a private room!?

Kevin put together six rounds of Shakespeare inspired trivia and I learned I don’t know nearly as much about Shakespeare as I think I do. We did a classic White Elephant gift exchange. I brought some local bitters and fancy tonic water, and walked with a nice bottle of wine. (There were also gifts that weren’t beverages, but beverages is my brand, as we know.)

We did Burt Reynolds shots, which I certainly have not done since I worked at Earls.

Now, I will say that the one challenge with putting on events is that you never quite get to socialize as much as you want to. There are always small things that you need to attend to that pull you away from being fully involved with the event. But it’s so worth it when you know you’re creating something great for other people.

And, hey, maybe it’s just a good excuse to get back together with my friends again and again and again.

So tell me, what holiday party plans do you have on the menu?

Culture

Talking About Writing

August 15, 2024 No Comments

Lights Up! poster with session details
(Aug 16, 5pm in the Acadia room)

Play With Us poster with session details
(Aug 18, 2pm in the Acadia room)

I am writing this blog post on the eve of the 2024 incarnation of the When Words Collide writing and reading festival, and there is nothing else I could possibly write about tonight. It is filling about 90% of my mind. Some of what is filling my mind is bubbly anticipation of talking about writing and theatre, but most of it is kind of nonsense. In fact, the thought that is currently at the top of my mind is that I actually didn’t realize that it was called a “festival”, not a “conference”. Was it once called a conference and it changed? Who can say?

It’s probably on the internet somewhere. But that’s not important right now.

Hey Erin, what are you doing at WWC? And how is this relevant to theatre?

I mean, what I’m doing at WWC is going to lots of fun panels and readings to get me inspired to write, competing with other artists and intellectuals in game shows and Quiplash games to entertain the general conference public, staying up way too late with other cool nerds, and generally immersing myself in the world of writing and reading for 72 hours.

Perhaps more importantly, I’m presenting two interactive sessions with blog favourites, Claire and Megan, on the very important topic of writing theatre. We are, in fact, the only scripted theatre related sessions during the weekend. (The Kinkonauts are doing a very cool improv thing, but improv is a whole other art form, thank you very much.) We’re doing one classic presentation on writing/putting on your own play, which we’ve been presenting in one form or another since 2018, and a newer hands-on workshop where we introduce people to our collaborative creation process. As discussed in last week’s Theatre Thursday, collaborative creation is FCT’s bread and butter, you know we’re going to bring that to a writing event.

This year, When Words Collide has quite a few active sessions on writing, which is great. There’s even a drop-down space where attendees can write and decompress whenever inspiration strikes!

I’m also doing a few other little things. Like I said, I’m competing in a trivia based game show that Kevin has created/hosted. I won last year, so I need to defend my fancy pumpkin trophy. Also, I need to be a woman forcing my way into nerd spaces in a bubbly and cute way. I’m also participating in Kevin’s Quiplash session for *entertainment*. And, finally, I’m speaking on a panel for fanfiction writers, which I am psyched about. Writing Riverona made me legally qualified to speak on it, but my years of writing Newsies, Rent, and The Babysitter’s Club fanfiction made me spiritually qualified. (Don’t go looking for it.)

Why Do You Love When Words Collide? (Or Specifically Talking About Writing, I Guess?)

I feel like this maybe might have come through above? But there is something that is just so inspiring and comforting about being around people who like the things you like. I remember the first year I “attended” WWC (aka, I visited Kevin at the hotel and crashed a few parties), I was so surprised that it was a place for me. But it truly was. It’s kind of a place for everyone I’ve ever invited there.

I’ve also never walked away from WWC and not been inspired to immediately get to work on a project. A ton of great work has come as a result of being in this great place.

I want to go to this place!

Of course you do. A few logistics:

WWC is a Calgary based festival, which takes place in the Delta South in the August of each year.
Conference passes are very affordable. (Like, less than $100.)
That said, you usually need to buy your pass early. Like, before the release of all the session details. You go to this festival for the vibes, not necessarily for the speaker line-up. But the cool thing about art is that it’s subjective, so you will absolutely learn things no matter who ends up presenting. Plus, the conversations with your fellow attendees! That also gives you a lot.
Presenters really run the gamut. Writers, editors, agents, book designers, book sellers, theatre artists, industry specialists. Widely published commercial writers, wildly published indie writers, poets, people who have just gotten their first book deal, former English teachers. However, session blurbs and presenter bios are available when you arrive, so you can make the choice that is right for you.
There is a Merchant’s Room where many of the presenters have their books and even some other merch on sale. It’s nice to support your favs.
Interact with people. Socialize. Take advantage of the experiences outside of the formal learning opportunities, that’s where this adult educator feels like the learning really takes place.

Now, I’ll be completely honest. This year’s When Words Collide is 100% sold out. However, I’ll be sharing a lot of the experience over my stories on Instagram and I’ll post a recap here. If you’re a writer or just writer-curious, I hope I’ll be able to convince you to join next year! Let’s get to work talking about writing, my friends!

Culture

A New Season (Theatre Thursday)

August 8, 2024 No Comments

Man, what a full year it’s been so far, my friends. So much Riverona and building my relationship with people and growing my career and reading not nearly enough books. And now suddenly it’s been 6 months since I wrote here and I have the most intense imposter syndrome known to man. I wrote that really fun post about my 50 favorite things and then bounced, you know? I feel like I don’t even know where to start and that’s part of why I haven’t been writing at all. The less you start, the less you start, you know?

So I’m just starting!

What I thought might be cool on Theatre Thursdays this year is to write about all the different things that I’m doing in theatre, week-by-week. Of course, I’ll still write about shows that I see when the mood strikes me, but a documentation of the actual things I’m doing in close to real time feels good to me.

Why the Change?

Good question, self! (And by extension, you, gentle reader. I’m sure.) A few reasons for the change.

Recently I’ve been looking for blogs and vlogs and podcasts about the day-to-day reality of making theatre and art. I’ve stumbled backwards into a few blogs that have documented the process of creating a production and I think that’s really cool. I love hearing about other artists’ thought and decision-making processes. So I should create the thing I want to find in the world!
Full Circle Theatre is actually producing a full season for 2024-2025. (Well, a full season for us. We’re a little indie company.) That means that I’ll have a lot of organic inspiration for things to write about, rather than just trying to pull post ideas out of the ether.
I always enjoy blogging more when I’m a little bit more personal while I write. A little bit more real, as it were. Not a diary or anything like that, I’ll still be professional, but I like to throw myself in there.

So all in all, this seems like a solid plan to navigate through the Sunday scaries when it comes back to writing. Maybe a way to make my blog a bit more of a priority, perhaps?

Excellent sweeping declaration. Now what are you going to write about first?

Ha! Did you really think I wouldn’t have a plan coming back into this? I feed on plans, my friend. This blog is called A Flimsy Plan, after all. (I just don’t always follow through on them. Or they’re flimsy. Don’t worry about it.) I even revealed what I was going to write about up above…

Full Circle Theatre has announced our new season!

Like, we literally dropped the reel on Instagram yesterday. This is hot news!

Actually, we did give a sneak peek announcement of the upcoming season during our first week of Riverona and I’ve not been good at keeping it quiet, so some people knew, but still. It was a big moment! The reel is performing pretty well, which is all you can really ask for, as we try to grow our audience on social media, and people seem excited about the season. Which, for those of you who haven’t seen it, it is:

May-Apr 2025: Porcelain Dolls (a FCT classic, first developed in 2016-17, which we will be rewriting for this year)

Jun 2025: Much Ado About Nothing (a Shakespeare classic, one of his most popular)

Why did you pick these shows for your first new season?

Great question!

Like everything FCT does, we decided by committee. Claire and I always make the final decisions, but we take in a lot of input from our collaborators, current cast members, audience, board, and friends. Our philosophy is that one of the reasons we tell stories is to entertain, so we should consider telling stories that people want to hear.

Our mandate has always been to do brand-new works (aka shows created under the FCT umbrella) paired with classical works (aka public domain, foundational plays). When we came back after Riverona, we had no interest in changing that. But we had a few logistical things to consider.

We are burnt out after Riverona. We needed to take the summer to relax, have fun, and pursue other passions. So it likely wasn’t practical to create a new play completely from scratch in the second half of 2024. Our brains needed some time to reset.
One of our top shows that we wanted to do was Twelfth Night. We actually have the perfect Sebastian/Viola twin actors in our sphere. But in April, The Shakespeare Company announced that they would be doing Twelfth Night this fall, and to do the same show as a professional company in the same season is just inviting comparisons. So if we could avoid doing that, we would. Back to the drawing board!

There was very little drawing on the board.

Porcelain Dolls was our biggest hit to date the year that we originally produced it and it still has a lot of components that still work. (Home tacos, anyone?) It counts as a FCT original creation and, most importantly, it would give our core team a bit of a break after two years of writing without breaks. In the future, we plan to write a new work in the fall of each season, but not this year.

Much Ado was another show on our short list and is a Shakespearean banger. It’s like bringing Bugles to a party – everyone is going to want to be your friend. Since we are still newly re-emerged, still rebuilding our audience and performer base, we wanted to do a show that will bring people in. If you want to attract a good director, designer, actors, and audience, you do a show they love. I mean, you have to pair it with a good production, buuuut… Local theatre company, Untold Stories, has figured this formula out all too well and has truly exploded onto the scene over the past three seasons. (They also mastered the art of co-pros early on, which we haven’t yet, but that’s a conversation for a different day.)

Anyway. That’s our new season and how we announced it and why we picked it.

And I wrote a post. What a good day.

Full Circle Theatre Season Announcement Image

What do you think about our new season?

Culture

Naughty… But Nice (Theatre Thursday)

December 21, 2023 No Comments

Naughty... But Nice publicity shot — Picture courtesy of Forte’s Facebook page –
this moment is right before a really great boy band number about being seated at the Kids’ Table

On this, the last Theatre Thursday of 2023, I am writing about a theatre event that is ending in 2023. And, okay, yes – I understand that theatre is ephemeral and exists only in the moment and also pretty much every local show in Calgary is ending in 2023 anyway because runs are short. But that’s not the point. You’ll understand what I mean if you read the title. Today, I am writing about Forte Musical Theatre’s Naughty… But Nice.

What Is Naughty… But Nice?

Ah. You must be a new reader who didn’t experience my Naughty… But Nice post from 2021. To quote myself from the past “Naughty But Nice is a comedy musical theatre revue – all original songs, all sassy, all funny.” It’s also a yearly tradition and this year is the 10th incarnation.

It’s also the last year. Forte has announced that there is another holiday show coming next year, but this is the last time that we’ll be able to hear such classics as “Bailey’s For Breakfast”, “Why Do I Live Where the Air Hurts My Face?”, and, my personal favourite, “Just Another New Year’s Eve”. (I thought this song was new in 2021. I have discovered that I was wrong but I don’t care because it’s still my favourite.)

Why See It This Year?

Other than because it’s the last one? Because this year is a delight. It is such an amazing celebration of all the things that make this show what it is. There is not just one but two songs about sleeping with Santa. Scott Olynek gets to sing his song, “Bailey’s For Breakfast”. The audience gets to vote on songs when there are various songs that fit a specific niche. (One of which is New Year’s Eve songs… and my performance was lucky enough to include my fav from above.)

There is a medley where the performers mash together, like, 50+ classic Christmas songs and carols. There is also a medley to include a bunch of popular NBN songs that aren’t in this production. And there are new songs. And the show ends with a video completion of clips from the past ten years, which is enough to make you cry.

And Eric Wigston is a goddman delight in his first year in the show.

Now, if I have one small criticism, it’s that this particular compilation of Naughty… But Nice songs makes a show that is heavy on dude solos and light on solos for Katherine and Katelyn. But maybe that was in part because of the songs that my particular performance voted on? Hard to say.

So We Should See This Show?

Anyway. Just go buy tickets. If you’re reading this post on the day it comes out, there are four more performances (though tickets are selling fast). And if you can’t make it to NBN – that’s okay. Forte is dropping another new show in the spring and I will do everything in my power to see it and write about it here.

I love local theatre.

Oh! And also also – they dropped a music video to perennial classic “Why Do I Live Where the Air Hurts My Face?”. Check it below. (Important note – Justine Westby now lives in Florida. Coincidence? I think not.)

Why Do I Live Where the Air Hurts My Face?

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