February 2012

Recent Posts

Archives

All News

Shackles – A Push for Perfection

Upon the sudden realization that one has only a single week left to perfect their production, it is not uncommon for them to wish they were heavily skilled in the art of sorcery. However, as medicine, mathematics, and that old thorn in the side physics constantly reminds us, sorcery is usually considered useless when paired against its more physically plausible components; laser beam focus, perpetually burning energy, and good old fashion, fist-clenching stress.

Read More

Sweet Dreams Are Made of Short Rehearsals, Peanut Galleries, and Six Weirdos We All Can’t Stand

Coleen/Reality: Hi, I'm Reality, but I'm sometimes called Coleen.Kealin/Possibility: And I'm Kealin, also known as Possibility.Coleen/Reality: And we're in a play, a delicate balance where we all know the true reality,Kealin/Possibility: But are also here to explore the possibilities. The play is titled, 'Sweet Dreams' and it revolves around a seventeen year-old girl named Sam who encounters and befriends her future mentor, Tara, a bartender at the Beaver Pub. Tara in her own essence teaches Sam about getting what you want but also facing the consequences that come along with it.Coleen/Reality: Then there's Amala, who is a prime example of settling and knowing how to make herself content. Through the relationships between these three women, we discover the consequences of risking possibility and facing reality.Kealin/Possibility: And that's our play, pretty much. Reality and I are always at odds.Coleen/Reality: No, we aren't.Kealin/Possibility: Mhm, sure.Coleen/Reality: We're supposed to talk about how we're doing, and our process!Kealin/Possibility: No, it's a blog post. We can talk about anything, the possibilities are endless!Coleen/Reality: Really now? I'm pretty sure they want something with actual information.Kealin/Possibility: Yes, because our title was so self-explanatory. Do they know that 'peanut galleries' means chatting? Not very clear.Coleen/Reality: Well fine then! Dear reader, if you're wondering how our process is going, here's the facts: we rehearse for less than two hours every Monday and Wednesday in a stairwell at Ryerson University, we talk non-stop, watch youtube videos, bicker, and somehow manage to block a scene.Kealin/Possibility: Ha! You can hardly call our rehearsal space a stairwell, it's HUGE. We call it the 'room'. And we get work done, just WHILE talking and watching youtube. Broaden your horizon there buddy, the reader is going to think we're slackers.Coleen/Reality: Well, we finally are posting on the blog-after over a month.Kealin/Possibility: It's not homework. Calm yourself. Dear reader, ignore our bickering, it's pretty much our play. Coleen and I have been watching our cast help create this show, and wanted to let you know what has been going on. So what has been going on...Coleen/Reality: We're focusing on transitions, last minute additions, and cleaning up some scenes.Kealin/Possibility: That and also the fact that we've all come to the understanding that this story, what it says for us and for so many out there, is a story we feel more than privileged to share at the Paprika Festival.Coleen/Reality: Yes, despite the very cheesy way you've worded it, I do agree.Kealin/Possibility: Really, you do?Coleen/Reality: Yes. I think the love we have for this show is something we can both agree to agree on.Kealin/Possiblity: We hope to see you there!Coleen/Reality: We will see you there.

Read More

Instructions for Use: A Blog Post

Hi there, this is the blogger checking in from the Instructions for Use team. Hopefully this blog will give you an inside look on the Paprika process.

Read More

Exploring the Creative Process: Drafts

Hey there fellow Paprikans, just thought I'd check in with you guys and keep you guys in the loop as to the sort of things we're trying to do here at Drafts.  As it's a very movement oriented piece, we've done numerous exercises trying to explore just that, movement.  What you're seeing below is an activity we've used a few times which we refer to as "Filling the Space".  An actor goes up, and makes a pose of some sort.  Then, one or two other actors go in, and fill the empty space left by the first volunteer.  One drops out at a time and is replaced by a new one, and in this rotation we are left with interesting poses that would never have been thought of on their own.  These sort of exercises have proved invaluable to our creative process along with...  Well you know, rehearsal.  So feel free to comment on whatever is making your rehearsal process more...  Productive!

Read More

We’ve got Deities, Magic, and Plenty of Time to Spare…

Of all the weeks working on Shackles, this is the one most likely to be blog-worthy.

Read More