Good grief, it’s hard to keep your blog updated when you’ve got a play coming up. Sorry about the delay, let me try to recap the last couple of weeks. Monday was load-in, always an intense day what with renting a one-ton to pick up all the props, lights, furniture, costumes, etc, etc that have been sourced from around the lower mainland and driving from one end of it to the other while trying to coordinate the pick up schedule with everyone’s bizarre hours, but we’re crazy enough to put up two plays in one night, effectively doubling the amount of stuff to do in one day. That day is still a little hazy, our producer Paul and I showed an amazing amount of calm under pressure for everything that went wrong that day, while stuck inside the cab of an over-heated Budget truck. Lesser men would have either killed each other or those around them. Somewhere in there we managed to drive to Mt. Seymour to pick up 3 huge green couches for our production designer’s assistant and deliver them to his dad’s house, and a huge coffin that Paul seems unnaturally attached to from Canada Place. All this on the day of a Canucks playoff game. Mind you, if I had known the outcome of that I probably wouldn’t have cared so much. Hell, I’d have stopped to dig up a coffin rather than have my loyal hockey heart broken. Again. But I digress…
We were lucky enough to be able to gain access to the Beaumont a full week before curtain, a luxury never, ever afforded you when you’re renting a theatre. Truly, a heavenly bonus. It allowed the actors spades of extra time to be in the performance space, not just to rehearse but to get a real grounding in it, to soak in the reality of what will be their world for two weeks. And so the week progressed, Paul and I finding ourselves once more sandwiched together in a truck driving all over hell’s half acre to pick up last minute props and lights (no dusty old-time chesterfields or Dracula beds this time, mercifully), and basically trying to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. All my work so far has been outside of the actual theatre space, I’ve spent the bare minimum amount of time on the set. Which is a weird feeling, I’m not used to being so far removed from the artistic side of a production, but I love that I get to experience so many surprises tonight when I see the whole show together for the first time, performance, lighting, music, the work of so many people who toiled so hard on this play for no money, just for the sake of contributing to theatre and launching our new venture, it’s very humbling, to say the least.
And then, ladies and gentlemen, came the party last Saturday, the epic fundraiser for the play and the launch of LSP. Ben and I have put on a lot of fundraising parties in the past few years, but this one set a new standard in ass-kicking. It was ridiculously successful, I can’t even tell you about it right now, it deserves a post of its own. Which I promise I will get to soon, the curtain rises on Lyric Stage Project’s inaugural production tonight at 8:00, and most of my work is done, henceforth I will be able to pay this blog the attention it deserves. And I will start with details of the party, XperiencE part 1, nudity included.
Miss Julie/Dutchman
The Beaumont Playhouse, May 9-12, 15-19
All shows 8:00
$17
For reservations call 604-733-3783 ext 305
or just click it here.
Simon Ogden 