Outlook for 2012: Still Stage Crazy!

This weekend marks the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012.

This year, there were auditions and performances for the Diary of Anne Frank at the Palace Theatre and Chicago at McManus Studio. Rehearsals have begun for Treasure Island going up at the Palace Theatre in February and Jenny's House of Joy going up at McManus Studio in February as well. There has also been talk about Arsenic and Old Lace going up at the Palace and I am anxious to find out when the auditions are going to be.This year also was a quiet one for Maybles' Theatre Productions. Since producing Norm Foster's "the LOVE LIST" in 2010, there has not been another production. In 2012, we WILL have another production and you are NOT going to want to miss it!

"Miss. Twiddle and the Devil" and "Miss. Twiddle Meets an Angel" are two one-act plays written by Maurice Hill. They are light-hearted and pure fun. Before I get into some of the MANY pre-conceived notions and ideas surrounding these titles, let me explain why I chose this script for our next production:

In 2001, when I was in grade 8, I was asked to step-in as Assistant Stage Manager for a high school production of Miss. Twiddle and the Devil. We performed this production at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts in Brantford, Ontario for the SHAW festival. We won Best Actor and were nominated for Best Actress. We had an actor break his wrist during the dress rehearsal and he had to perform with his arm in a cast. The director, Rae Brown, was a teacher at the high school where it was performed and he showed me what a comfortable rehearsal space could and should be. All of the actors became close and confident in each other. Everyone built trust and the relationships that were made during those rehearsals lasted years.

Earlier THIS year, I started reading scripts online and at the library to try and find that perfect combination of characters and story to bring to life in 2012. I've always loved the script for "Miss. Twiddle and the Devil" but I was set on doing a full-length production as I did not want to put so much work and time into a half-an-hour show. Then, magic happend! I had a close friend of mine read the Twiddle script to have her opinion and, while she was researching the production, she found a second one-act play written by the same playwright and with the same characters which takes place immediately after this one! I ordered a copy of "Miss Twiddle Meets an Angel" right away and fell in love with it the very first time I read it. It was decided. These were the plays I was going to bring to life.


This was a play people could get excited about but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull this off alone. After producing one play before, I knew that I would need to find a small group of people I could depend on, confide in and trust to back me up and help to breathe life into these scripts. I am proud to announce that Amber McMitchell, Heather Heywood, Lisa DesGroseillers, Jenny Stapleton, Mike Ge and Trish West have all come on board to help with props, costumes, make-up, advertising, lights, sound and the production as a whole.

A very special "Thank-You" to each of you.


Now, let's talk about the "Devil" and "Angel" words in the titles. In a time when people strive to be accepting of all religions and beliefs, I think some people can forget to just 'chill'. These plays are not meant to convert anyone into believing in guardian angels or the devil. These plays are not meant to be taken as any form of preaching. These plays are strictly fun, light-hearted and are meant to entertain. Yes, there is strange chanting in the play. Yes, there is a battle (of sorts) between good and evil. Yes, there are horned figured dancing around in smoke - BUT - I cannot stress enough that these are tools of comedy and are meant to be laughed at. Nothing more.


For this production, I hope to have on board a cast of 11 actors who want to have fun, learn, grow and work hard to being the best they can be. I hope that my production team remains strong through my emotional ups and downs and times when life gets tough on all of us. I hope to build strong relationships between the actors as well as the characters they portray on stage. I hope that the audience leaves at the end of each night feeling light, entertained and satisfied. Above all, I hope that the actors finish the production feeling like they have learned something new, built new friendships and are more confident in themselves both on stage and in their lives.


Stay Strong. Stay Stage Crazy!


A Very Happy New Year to you all!

ACTORS WANTED for "the Twiddle Plays"

~Maybles' Productions~
the same company that brought you "the LOVE LIST" by Norm Foster in 2010 which won the "Best Comedy of the Year" Award at the Brickendens
is holding auditions for:
Miss. Twiddle and the Devil
and

Miss. Twiddle Meets an Angel
by Maurice Hill

"2 one-act comedies about a woman so evil that the Devil himself tries to save her soul...so he can avoid spending an eternity with her in Hell."

**NOTE**
This is a family-friendly comedy and is not meant to be taken as a religious display or tool in any manner. This production is purely meant to be a source of entertainment for all and should be taken as such.

Maybles' Productions is a theatre company founded in 2010 which produces comedies - TRUE comedies.
Frankly, we think ife is too short for Tragedies.
We bring productions to life through quality acting and hard work. We focus on character development, back story, connections between characters and creating lifelong relationships between our actors.
Our goal is to take the stresses of everyday life and turn them into giggles. Let us take you on a journey to a happy place!

Group Auditions will be held at the Palace Theatre 

(710 Dundas Street, London, Ontario) on:
Thursday, January 19th from 7-9:30pm
Saturday, January 21st from 1-3pm
Friday, January 27th from 7-9:30pm

-Actors are asked to come willing to play with the script, the words, the characters and each other...as actors :)

-Actors are asked to bring a headshot but do not require to bring a resume. Actors will fill-out a brief information sheet upon arriving to the auditions.

-Actors are welcome to attend more than one audition if they choose.

-Actors will participate in group work and cold reads of the scripts. They will not be required to prepare a monologue.

We will be auditioning for the following roles:

[*Please Note*
the celebrities I have referenced are purely for
entertainment purposes only and are not to be taken too seriously.]

1. Nicholas Q. Nicholas (the Devil)
age: early 30's
tall
deep/sultry voice
suave & smoothe
a "ladies' man"
ie. Jack the Pumpkin King

2. Harry (Devil's aide)
age: flexible
*must be comfortable wearing full-body tights*
awkward/clumsy
not too bright
unique sound to his voice
ie. Danny Devito

3. Justice (the Guardian Angel)
age: late 30's
the perfect specimen of a MAN
manly
comforting/calm
wise
ie. George Clooney or Sean Connery

4. Biff (the angel's apprentice)
age: early 20's
young and new at angel...ling
eager with angelic looks
possibly large eyes & curly hair

*also must be comfortable wearing full-body tights*
ie. Cupid

5. Carrie Simons (the landlady)
age: 40+
grand and motherly
caring
"imperious about the establishment she owns"
jolly
ie. Rita MacNeil

6. Emmy (the maid)
age: 20's
sweet
clumsy but likeable
bit of a psychic
spooks easily
ie. Kenzi from Lost Girl

7. Letitia Marchbanks (the drunk)
age: 35+
she's a "happy drunk"
drinking is due to some deep, previous loss in her past
absent-minded
forgetful
ie. Feebie from FRIENDS

8. Aloysius Humperdinck (always asleep)
age: 40+
could have been a member of the mafia in his early years
snorts, snores and makes strange noises in his sleep
lazy and only wakes up when food is mentioned
"don't care" attitude
ie. Steven Seagal

9. Leona Plum (sweet old lady)
age: 55+
always smiling
still has "pep in her step"
looks like she'd have 50 cats if she lived alone
old & gray on the outside but bursting with energy on the inside!
ie. Mrs. Doubtfire

10. Abraham Dooley (a charming gentleman)
age: 55+
*this character has the most wiggle room and can be custom-built by the actor portraying him*
he has eyes for Plum but it's a subtle romance.
ie. Richard Dreyfus...with a HAT!

*the role of Miss. Twiddle has already been cast.

SHOW DATES:
Wednesday, May 16th at 8pm
Thursday, May 17th at 8pm
Friday, May 18th at 8pm
Saturday, May 19th at 2pm
Saturday, May 19th at 8pm

For more information and to let us know you'll be attending the auditions, please contact the Director, Heather May via Facebook, email (http://www.blogger.com/goog_1141486796 or phone (519-280-4188)

Break legs and keep laughing!

Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service, Inc., Englewood, Colorado

Words of Advice for Opening Night...

I do not like to give advice unless it is first asked for SO, if you would like some advice on what to do or prepare for opening night - read on; if you do not wish for advice or think you cannot possibly gain anything or expand your knowledge as an actor - stop reading and please remove yourself from the world of acting. 
A true actor never stops learning and never stops seeking knowledge. I type this, in the nicest way possible - honestly.

Three One-Act shows are coming to the Arts Project in London, Ontario this Wednesday night (which I am directing & stage managing).  Today (Sunday) we had our first full run of all three shows and it was uplifting to have so many actors and crew members show-up on time and ready to go - EARLY.  Lines have been memorized, costumes have been purchased, blocking has been rehearsed and permanently imprinted onto the brains of the actors, now, the actors have a few "last minute" homework assignemens and items to keep in mind.

#1. As an actor, you WILL deliver your lines faster than you have been duiring rehearsals.
This is for three main reasons. One is that your brain creates adrenaline which makes your blood pump faster and your heart rate increase. Your brain does this so that your body has enough energy to maintain the performance in front of an audience without passing out.  "Theatre is an exagerration of life" and as such, your body needs more energy to keep up with your larger-than-life actions and your louder-than-usual voice. The second reason is due to the reactions of an audience.  When an actor has been rehearsing the same lines for months, they quickly forget which lines are funny or may get a laugh. The first time infont of an audience soon reveals the jokes that have been long forgotten.  It is only natural to want to keep that laughter going, so, an actor will try to make other lines funny. As it is uderstood that comedic timing is quick and without pauses, an actor can unintentionally lose pauses where they have been during rehearsals.  The third main reason is the most obvious one - nerves. When performing infront of a live audience and when awaiting your cue to go onstage during a show, it is only natural to get excited, nervous and anxious.  This also causes lines to be delivered quickly.  My first tidbit of advice to actors is to be aware of this and prepare to deliver their lines slower than usual. If an actor intentionally delivers their lines slowly, they will most likely deliver them in real-time once they're onstage infront of a live audience.

#2. Don't Panic but something WILL go wrong.
As much as you try to prepare ahead of time and as often as you rehearse a play - something will not turn out the way you've planned or rehearsed - it's inevitable.  Whether someone forgets a line, skips ahead in a script, misplaces a prop, the lighting cue isn't on time or a sound cue lasts a few seconds longer than it should - deal with it.  This is community theatre people and it is rare to have a "perfect production".  As I stated, don't painc.  As long as an actor prepares as best as they can ahead of time and as long as the cast & crew supports each other NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, you can ensure a pleasant evening.  The biggest piece of advice I can give regarding this is the following: "If you mess up but the audience didn't notice you messed up - you didn't!".  The show must always go on and if you can maintain your character and push through whatever obtacles may come your way AND if you ensure that the audience leaves satisfied - you have done your job and done it well.

#3. It's hard to believe BUT - you might "Over Act"
As an actor, you have rehearsed until you were blue in the face and all the while during rehearsals, the director has drilled into you NOT to over-act or upstage the other actors on stage with you.  In a nutshell, upstaging or over-acting means making your character louder, bigger and moreso the primary focus compared to the other actors onstage. THIS IS BAD. Actors should always keep in mind what Harry Edison once told me, "an actor should aim to be a player in the best play rather than be the best player in a play." You only shine as bright as the weakest actor in a production and though you KNOW this and try so hard NOT to do this - come opening night - you might.  This is due to hearing the first laughs and getting the first audible feedback for all the work you have done leading up to your first production. Don't let it go to your head! Stand your ground and try to remember that you are playing to the script rather than playing for the laughs.

#4. Try not to get ditracted - it's harder than you think
Many actors believe they have rehearsed so much and put so much work into their characters and lines that nothing could possibly throw them off their game. They're wrong.  No actor can prepare for someone in the front row sneezing so violently that snotty spray hits them in the face or someone's chair in the back row breaking and forcing them into someone else's lap. These are exagerrations of course but let me tell you - something may and probably will distract you. Actors should review their scripts during the run of a play - it can't hurt. And though you think you know everyone else's lines as well as your own, you never know when a situation may arise when it is you who must give another actor their cue or nudge them to say a certain line because THEY got distracted. It happens! If you think nothing can distract you - maybe you're right BUT chances are, during the run of your show, someone WILL get distracted and as an actor you WILL have to save their chops. That's one of the main difference between theatre and film by the way. NOTHING gets edited out. Work as a team to make sure everyone in the production looks good - not just you.

#5. Have fun
No one you know might show-up to see the show, a prop may go missing or worse - explode, an actor might show-up with a sudden serious case of leringitis and can only speak in a whisper, the lighting guy might go missing 5 minutes to curtain and a critic might be in the audience on the night that everything goes wrong.  It is during times like these that we all must reflect on why we got involved in the first place.  Whether we're involved with theatre because it gives us pleasure to make people laugh or we want to be a part of a supportive group working towards the same goal. Whether we need to be infront of an audience for attention or we need a break from our hectic lives (the kids, the bills, the wives, etc. lol). We are involved with theatre to give an audience the opportunity to escape and to have a night away from it all.  No matter what happens, we as the cast and crew of a production owe it to the audience (and to ourselves) to ensure that the show goes on and that everyone has a good time.  At times, it may be hard to smile and "sluff it off" but for the run of the show, we must all stick together, support each other and make sure we all do the best and deliver the best we have to offer.  If you see the director pulling their hair out, the stage manager pacing backstage or an actor biting their nails and hyperventaliting - give 'em a nudge, a hug or words affirming that they are doing a great job and that you're in this together.

To the cast and crew of "An Out of Sight Night" opening this Thursday at the ARTS PROJECT - break a leg!

Working with Blind Actors - Truly an Eye Opening Experience

I am currently stage managing and directing a one-of-a-kind piece of theatre with Out of Sight Productions in London, Ontario.  This theatre company uses both sighted and sight-challenged actors in their productions.
Listen to the owner, Kelly MacDonald, talk about this theatre company and hear what actors are saying about their experience here: I Only See Shadows

It is amazing what I have learned about myself and others through directing actors who cannot see me.  At first I was nervous about saying the wrong thing or offending someone by my ignorance but the actors on this project have helped me to better understand what life is like for them everyday.  They are also very good at taking a joke and dishing them out!

I remember at the second rehearsal asking an actor  to make the hand gesture of someone talking and the actor did not know what I meant.  It made me stop.  My mind went blank and I feel as though, right there and then, that I experienced something that changed who I am.  As a director, I often tell actors what I want them to do and when I want them to move their hands or body in a certain way to express emotion or inner thoughts.  It was magical being able to hold the actors hands in mine, and show her what I meant.  "The thumb  is like the jaw of a mouth, " I said "and the other fingers are held tightly together above the thumb representing the top of a mouth.  When you open and close your hand making the thumb touch the bottoms of your fingers and separate repeatedly, this looks like a mouth opening and closing - like someone who doesn't stop talking.".

At another rehearsal, I caught myself asking an actor to put up her hand to make "the peace sign" with her fingers towards another actor.  She did not know what I meant.  I felt a piece of my heart break a little just then.  The "peace sign".  Something many of us have seen as a symbol of love, change, revolution, hippie times, acceptance, the Beatles and diversity.  Something we all take for granted.

The most powerful part of working with this group (for me) is being able to share body language, hand gestures and facial expressions with people who have never seen them before.  As a director with this group, I can't simply ask an actor to frown as if she smells something rotten, I have to show her by having her touch my face while I frown or by touching the areas of her face I want her to move.  I can't ask an actor to "pop out her hip like a young teenager giving her mother attitude".  I have to stand beside her and show her which leg to straighten, which leg to bend and which hip to place her hand on.

I have never felt more connected to a cast than I have with this group.  The show will be dedicated to the memory of my late Uncle William Douglas Baker who was blind since the age of 12 and passed away this year at the age of 47.  May he rest in peace.

It has been a wonderful journey and the best, I'm sure, is yet to come.  The show goes up at the ARTS PROJECT on Dundas Street in London, Ontario on September 28th at 8pm. Tickets are $15 and all are welcome!

And so it Begins!

The Verdict is In!
As of today at 2:49pm, I have chosen the play I am going to produce next year in May and I have booked the time slot at the theatre where it will be produced!

Thanks to everyone for their feedback regarding the plays I was (and still am) interested in.

The show I have chosen to direct and produce will open on Thursday, May 17th at 8pm at the ARTS PROJECT on Dundas Street in London, Ontario.  Tickets will be $15 and only $10 for those 12 and under.

Many people will think that this is too early to announce ahead of time but I AM EXCITED!  The last play I produced was in my head and on my mind for a full year before it opened. This time around - just under 10 months.  The last play I produced had a cast of 3 - THIS play, has a cast of 11!!! Go big or go home right? ;)

Auditions will be posted in early January at theatreinlondon.ca and rehearsals will run twice a week from February till opening night.  Auditions will be held in January at the Central Public Library in downtown London, Ontario and they will be open to everyone!

Character descriptions of the specific roles in this play will be posted on this Blog in December later this year. I can however tell you that the lead character will look as close (as possible) to the image attached of Nurse Wilson from the movie "Return to Oz".

Stay Tuned!