CaptainOrange

One of my “update” style posts. We are going to get into a hodge-podge of activities. Puppets Hmmm... I think that bear may be putting on a layer of winter fat :(   A few months back, I was contacted to do some shadow puppetry for the Remai Modern  art gallery. I try and choose to involve the library whenever possible, so I arranged to do it via SPL . I get paid less for the gig this way, but I also get paid for the development and preparation time, so it more than balances. Also, it raises the profile of the library, which I love.   I decided to do a show that we had previously developed which we call “The Hat Trilogy.” It is a mixed puppetry version of three of Jon Klassen’s books : I Want My Hat Back, This is Not My Hat, and We Found a Hat. They are excellent and entertaining children’s picture books. It was originally Claire’s idea and she directed the original showing of it at the library. So, it’s general form is pretty much thanks to her (and, of...

Leora and Anwyn were recently in a production of... I think it was "Ursula and the Eels." Of course, as a proud father, I wanted to take photos of my beautiful children. Then my children said, "could you take some pictures of the other cast members, for Facebook... and the year book?" Flattered, how could I say no? Then they revealed that there were more than 100 teenagers in two separate casts and that they were in their starring roles on opposing nights :( So, Wendy and I had to go twice (fortunately it was pretty good for a high school musical) and wound up with about 1400 photos of the show. The girls and I managed to narrow that down to just 400 and my favourites amount to 116. Still too many to expect you to peruse. I thought that maybe in Blog form, I could show off just few enough that I won't drive you all away ;) Flotsam and Jetsam  The first night we saw was Anwyn's big night. She played Jetsam, one of the two pesky electric eels (loved th...

Wendy and I are leaving for Nashville today. I'll start posting about that in a few days. Today, just a little update for those of you who are either far flung or have been too busy to catch up since my last mountain trip. As a disclaimer, many of these pictures have already appeared on G+ or FB. We did a family photo shoot at a couple of locations on the river bank. There was some grumpiness and hard feelings (aging parents and teenage girls have some body issues, in case you were unaware), but mostly we had a great time. There were Halloween shenanigans... Wendy is a genius when it comes to Value Village shopping. Months ago she found me some great felt boots. They were the basis for one of my favourite costumes ever. Sure, you say... Mike as a pirate, how novel! Get over yourselves. Yes, I could have (and have in the past) whipped up a costume for free. However, this is a costume that required some effort. Boots - Felt VV find -- $5 Pants - Lululemon. I wear the...

The Preamble I've just spent what could have been a nothing-to-do weekend at a work-sponsored class on storytelling. Having known about it for a month or so, I have been living in anticipatory dread the entire time. I didn't really know what I thought was going to happen. On reflection, it was a problem I have been dancing around all year. I'm scared to let myself down. If I don't blow away expectations, I feel like a failure. No pressure there. To combat this problem, my usual solution is to lower expectations so that it is easy to surpass them. That is likely familiar to some of you. Perhaps you are someone who eats expectations for breakfast. I'm working on it. For right now, I lost not a few nights of sleep worrying about what story I might do and thinking more than once about giving a co-worker, Jim, my spot in the workshop. I'm sure he wishes he could have taken part. Having managed to go, in the end, I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I didn...

I have volunteered with  Saskatoon Summer Players since we moved back to Saskatoon, 8 1/2 years ago. Since then, I have done West Side Story, Pirates of Penzance, Kiss Me Kate, Cinderella, and been M.C. for The Broadway Bash on 3 occasions. They should not be confused with Gateway Players (now defunct) with whom I performed in Becket: or the Honour of God, The Mouse Trap, And Then There Were None and a privately produced version of Monkey Business. Last year I decided to try and take more of a leadership role with SSP and I allowed myself to be nominated to the board of directors. I've been acting as Secretary since then. The "on paper" commitment is one meeting per month and a second one in November for the AGM and I keep and distribute the minutes. As happens with me occasionally, things have managed to get out of control. Summer Players has been attempting a restructuring during this last year for a number of reasons that I won't go into. The result is that t...

We had a mostly fun drive from Ottawa to Waterloo -- we did have to go through Toronto, after all. It was pretty uneventful, but we did stop to have a picnic lunch at a small resort village where we feed some gulls. The place we stopped was quaint and quiet. There was an entire beach made entirely of the best skipping rocks ever. Wendy was sick or I think I would have stayed until my arm was spaghetti. Don On The Job The other reason to move on was the facilities. The place we ate was equipped only with a port-a-potty. Let me tell you, I don't think "Don" was on the job -- despite the assurance. I think I might have been nervous if he was there anyway. We arrived without incident and commenced with the visiting. Anwyn was in the second day of being sick, but recovered with all speed when there was an infant to hold. Max Gutoski (2 1/2 mos) I was amazed at how great the girls were with their new cousin, Max. Gus and Greta's first son will soon be 3 month's old and...

-- guess I forgot to put a link to the great review we got in the StarPhoenix . Ever since working on Cinderella (capO), Leora has been on my case to do more community theatre. When she heard the possibility that Gateway would be doing To Kill A Mockingbird (wikipedia), she would not let me rest. I had to repeatedly check the website for any hint of auditions. When we saw James Hawn (who was to direct it) there would be questions about when auditions might be scheduled, etc... Eventually, there were auditions. Wendy, Leora and I all tried out for roles and Anwyn hoped to work as a crew member. Anwyn got her way, as did the rest of us. Short of patient, reliable children, James H. eventually convinced Anwyn to also take on a couple of roles in the show. So we were all in the show -- a first for our family. We were excited, yet trepidatious. I know how hard it is for the family with just me in a play. For this to succeed we were going to have to take special measures. I took time off w...

I´m finished with my play. I don´t really think it was ready for the stage, but such is life. I had a great time AND am glad it is over. That is really the best I could hope for. The Star Phoenix review of the show didn´t encourage last minute ticket sales, but there were a couple of nice words for yours truly. Considering the opening line of the review, I´m not sure you can take any of it seriously (good or bad). Gateway ends season with uneven production REVIEW By Tom Eremondi The StarPhoenix 16 Apr 2009 “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life.” You also have the latest presentation from Gateway Players. The company’s final play is a stage adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery And Then... read more... Tech Tags: The StarPhoenix newspaper Arts & Life ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would have just given you the link to the Star Phoenix , itself, but I am really exc...

My volleyball season is winding down. It has mostly been an enjoyable season. My team is in the "D" division of our co-ed league, and if you were to break "D" into pieces... we would be in the "D" part of it. In case you don't get the picture -- we suck sort of hard. I say 'sort of' because, on this team, we don't do anything all the way. I guess that's part of the problem. It's been good for me, really. I've helps me to focus on my game and not get frustrated with things beyond my control. For my part, service reception has been quite weak all year. I don't quite know how to shake off the nerves of making that first good pass. Aside from that, I am very happy with my game. My vertical has been coming back over the last 6 weeks as has my general bounciness. I had a bit of a knee issue all through the late fall and right up until the end of December. I was starting to feel age seeping in through the vulnerable places and sett...

From Cinderella-Mik's Piks Pippin, our new cat, certainly has her work cut out for her... One thing certain is that this fellow was of no help whatsoever! From Cinderella-Mik's Piks In case you have been under a rock, our show goes up tonight and runs for 10 days (with Canada day off). If you think this show isn't for you, think again. Princess, pumpkin, punctuality, ... er ... posture?!? And don't forget True Love :) Oh, the other 'P' word. Price. Tickets run about $40 (ouch!)

It is time that you were training mentally and physically for this year's event. Here is the scoop on last year , if you need a refresher as to what City Quest is all about. I don't have a firm date yet, but it will definitely be after Cinderella is finished for Leora and I. That means after the first week in July. My summer will book up early, so if you want a say, speak now. As a primer, Leora, Anwyn and I are planning to bike out to Osler to see Grandma and Grandpa. It looks to be about 36km of backroads. Should be a good challenge in itself. Look for this to happen near or just after the end of school. I guess I would be remiss if I didn't plug the show. Leora and I both have small roles in the production, so no star value here, but if you like Cinderella (not the Disney version) and waltzes...

Some of you may recall a little dramatic flick I was in surrounding events in the Winter War (wikipedia). James Klenz has done another piece covering the same conflict but with a serious comic twist. The trailer is only 35 seconds, which I deem to be too short. I hope I am invited to a screening. It looks like a hoot. Jim, if you can hear me, post more details for your adoring public. I have a readership of somewhere in the ball park of three.