Theatre

Stay the Fuck Home Guest Post by Cate McKim Theatre Edition

It’s been heartbreaking to see all the cancellations of live theatre performances—not to mention devastating for theatre companies, festivals and artists—with seasons being cut short or delayed indefinitely, and productions and festivals cancelled during the COVID-19 crisis. But there are still ways you can support companies and artists, and stay connected with theatre while we wait for the doors to open again.

Theatre artists and companies are going online, and even on the phone, to deliver livestream readings, live performances and filmed productions to a device near you! And there are also a number of resources you can tap into for up-to-date info and connection with theatre—and ways to support companies, festivals and artists. The following is by no means an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add to it in the Comments. 

THEATRE ONLINE

Canadian Opera Company #OperaAtHome posts a clip every day at 11:00 a.m. on Twitter https://twitter.com/CanadianOpera

Convergence Theatre’s (http://www.convergencetheatre.com/) over-the-phone presentation The Corona Variations http://www.convergencetheatre.com/corona-variations has new dates coming up in May

Outside the March’s production of Rosamund Small’s Vitals is up on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/102824358

They’re also presenting an interactive theatre experience, over the phone, The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries https://outsidethemarch.ca/the-ministry-of-mundane-mysteries-an-faq/?preview=true

The Social Distancing Festival (https://www.socialdistancingfestival.com/), launched by Canadian actor/playwright Nick Green, is an online artist’s community that showcases talent from around the world, and connects the work with audiences through livestream performances and social posts.

Soulpepper presents Fresh Ink, livestream script readings, on their website: next one is on Fri, May 1 at 4:00 p.m., featuring works by Beverley Cooper, Judith Thompson and Carole Fréchette. https://www.soulpepper.ca/online/live-events

Spontaneous Theatre Canada (https://www.spontaneoustheatre.ca/) has been presenting Blind Date livestream performances on YouTube on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. EST (with Rebecca Northan as Mimi and a featured guest actor date every week) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpJc-n4bx1XWHCqBXBbl01w (you can also catch up on previous Mimi dates). On Fri, May 1, Mimi will be joined by actor/improviser/comedian Andrew Phung (who many of you will know as Kimchee on Kim’s Convenience).

SpiderWebShow (https://spiderwebshow.ca/) is hosting FoLDA (Festival of Live Digital Art) June 10-13 https://www.folda.ca/

Stratford Festival presents streaming performances with StratFest@Home https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/AtHome

Also: Follow theatre companies, festivals and artists on social media, and visit their websites to get news/updates on one-time only livestream readings/events.

PODCASTS

PlayME by Expect Theatre: Listen to radio drama-style podcasts of Canadian plays http://www.playmepodcast.com/

Stageworthy podcast: Host Phil Rickaby interviews folks in and about theatre https://stageworthypodcast.com/

RESOURCES

Follow Toronto theatre producer and corporate/entertainment lawyer Derrick Chua (aka the King of Toronto Fringe) on Twitter; Derrick is in the know and a great resource for what’s happening in the arts all over: https://twitter.com/d_chua

Recently launched, GhostLight Canada (https://www.ghostlight.ca/) provides an online platform for theatrical mentorship, collaboration and experimentation, as well as audience/artist connection through their Friday Night at the GhostLight conversations on YouTube (first one, Margaret Atwood in conversation with Adrienne Clarkson, is May 8 at 8:00 p.m.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dajResBwffY

Hye’s Musings https://www.facebook.com/HyeMusings/

Intermission Magazine https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/

Globe & Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck’s theatre newsletter https://www.theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/?utm_source=Globe%20Life&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=2020-4-21_16&utm_content=GlobeLife&utm_term=newsletter_signup#newsletter-group-5

Toronto Theatre Zone Facebook group for theatre folks https://www.facebook.com/groups/TorontoTheatreZone/

HOW YOU CAN HELP 

Consider making a donation to The AFC, which provides emergency financial aid to support the health and well-being of Canada’s entertainment professionals: https://afchelps.ca/

The good folks at CBC Arts posted this great list of supports for Canadian artists/freelancers, which arts supporters can check out and donate to: https://www.cbc.ca/arts/here-s-where-canadian-artists-and-freelancers-can-find-help-during-covid-19-shutdowns-1.5503360

Have tickets to a show that’s been cancelled? Instead of requesting a refund, consider donating the price of that ticket back to the theatre.

Donate to local theatre companies and festivals. 

Support theatre companies, festivals and artists by following them on social media, and broadcast boosting their online performances over your social media accounts—and telling your friends!

Cate McKim is a multidisciplinary storyteller, an accidental freelance copy editor/proofreader, and an arts/culture lover and supporter. Her blog life with more cowbell (https://lifewithmorecowbell.com/)—once featuring reviews and interviews of and about Toronto’s arts scene, with a focus on theatre—is gradually returning after an extended hiatus, in an ongoing, emerging new direction.

Stay The Fuck Home Support Local Bars, Restaurants and Small Businesses Edition

When we are finally at the end of this Twilight Zone episode, I am going out as much as I can and I am going to be supporting all of my favourite restaurants, bars and small businesses. I live in the west end of Toronto and the list are my favs. I highly recommend you get out to yours as well. If any of your fav bars and restaurants are offering take out, please order from them and often. It is helping them survive!

Apiecalypse Now Best pizza in the city! http://www.apiecalypsenow.com

Bloomers Every once in a while I will venture out of the Junction for my coffeeshop writing and go to Bloomers for writing and lunch!
https://www.facebook.com/bloomersto/

Disgraceland Punk rock and delicious, greasy comfort food!!! I’m really missing the Poutine Supreme right now!
https://www.facebook.com/disgracelandtoronto/

D&Y Sushi This place is amazing and the staff are gems. We’ve had many family dinners there and they go out of their way for us. My father-in-law is in a wheelchair and my mother-in-law uses a walker. They make sure we are comfortable and my in-laws are served first.
https://www.facebook.com/dandysushijunction/

Fabric stores on Queen Street! Not even kidding here. The second I’m out of isolation, I’m coming at you. I need fabric and all of the notions. By the time we are out of this, I will have sewn through my stash.

FullStop Another coffeeshop writing haunt for me.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Full-Stop/471732279583814

Glory Hole Donuts Ashley and her team and wonderful and their donuts delish! They even have vegan options! I go to the Parkdale location, but they also have a location in the east end.
https://www.facebook.com/GloryHoleDoughnuts/

Hannah’s I spend a lot of time coffeeshop writing here. I really, really miss coffeeshop writing. I have extra love for this coffeeshop because it is right across from High Park. When I need a break from my laptop, I can stare out into the beauty.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannahs/1612218942405850

Machino Donuts These are the best vegan donuts in Toronto! Sooooooooooo goooooood! They are open for take-out!
https://www.facebook.com/machinodonuts/

Micro Cinema Toonie Tuesday, Squishy Freak Frolic Film Nite, Low Life Cinema, Rad & Bad Cinema, plus so many more and of course running our own Killer B Cinema.

Music Venues! There will be no excuses. I need to get my rockabilly, surf music fix! Music venues such as The Baby G, The Dakota, The Piston, The Horseshoe, See-Scape and so, so many more are going to need you to get out, buy several drinks and dance!

See-Scape This is one of our absolutely favourite places. We host Killer B Cinema there and everyone who works there are truly amazing. They made us feel at home right away. They are open for take-out right now. Please make sure you order from them.
https://www.facebook.com/SeeScapeToronto/

The Shameful Tiki Room Not only am I going to get my Tiki on as soon as this is over, I’m going to have a Tiki dress made and ready to go! I. Cannot. Wait! https://shamefultikiroom.com

Skyline When you walk into the Skyline, you feel like you’ve walked into a restaurant from the 1940s/50. It is a beautiful and fun place to go for lunch or dinner. When we go to The Revue for a silent or classic movie, we always head over to Parkdale for a meal at Skyline. It always completes our night out. https://www.facebook.com/Skyline-Restaurant-121249527918931/

The Revue We have spent many a Sunday here for the Silent Revue, Designing The Movies, and The Toronto Silent Film Festival. We are really missing our time there. We will be first in line when they reopen.
https://revuecinema.ca/revue-series/

Stay The Fuck Home The Livestream Edition

Social distancing is preventing us from going to events. Since we can’t go to them, events are coming to us via livestreams! YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are generally the chosen platform, however, theatre and opera are also streaming from venues. I’ve provided a list below.

Berlin’s Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz
https://www.timeout.com/news/the-worlds-coolest-theatre-is-streaming-a-play-every-night-for-free-032320?fbclid=IwAR2B-54x6w9jkdkCtRFWq02ZQdaXcTL7K-JuRHqJKqKd0H92HL_JQVT2FQY

RIOT at the Movies is an awesome Toronto group that posts b-movie events as well as listing movie recommendations and commentary. Adam has been doing livestreams via FB.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1690165747926557/

Billboard has a great list of music live streams
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9335531/coronavirus-quarantine-music-events-online-streams

A great article on What theatres are performing online this week across Canada
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance/article-what-theatres-are-performing-online-this-week-across-canada/?utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Nestruck%20on%20Theatre&utm_type=text&utm_content=Theatre&utm_campaign=2020-3-24_16&cu_id=z3ZUmFNE9CRbWhZmqo2LpPff5R6jzfNA

Slow Fizz Soul Brunch
https://www.facebook.com/events/585558542171548/

Write Bloody North
https://www.facebook.com/events/2548626035378780/?event_time_id=2549783858596331

Toronto Poetry Slam (Apr 3)
https://www.facebook.com/TorontoPoetrySlam/?hc_location=ufi

National Arts Centre. https://nac-cna.ca/fr/canadaperforms/apply?fbclid=IwAR2qOFN_BqwxCYqb-h3ahtGq9zo21WpUc7koEz8SceCeGXUp2DTRHK3vViU

Stay The Fuck Home The Virtual Tours Edition

Being stuck at home, a lot of us will being going stir crazy, if you haven’t already. Many are used to regular social gatherings or the freedom to go to a gallery, museum, theatre, movie theatre, or restaurant at will. When this is suddenly taken away, it can be depressing and make you feel completely isolated from the rest of the world. Though this isn’t quite the same as physically going there, and being there is always better, several places have created virtual tours. It is a great way to spend an hour and an amazing way to distract your mind for a while.

Google Earth launches virtual tours of 31 of the world’s most incredible national parks
https://www.countryliving.com/uk/travel-ideas/abroad/a31891488/google-earth-virtual-tours-31-national-parks/?fbclid=IwAR2yvH6VFPxlz72h-t2eKPxtUqGmK15plHi43qhVINVhIkIQe-S_EamXtik

Canada’s Wonderland Roller-coaster
https://www.canadaswonderland.com/blog/2020/march-2020/heres-how-to-take-a-virtual-ride-on-all-the-rides-at-canadas-wonderland-in-your-own-home

AGO
http://lodzghetto.ago.ca/start?t:state:flow=25866551-8cb1-42a3-8ceb-73c569f44eae

ROM
https://collections.rom.on.ca/?_ga=2.44462948.1396545685.1584450489-329250888.1584450489

Dundurn Castle
https://museumshamilton.com/#/pano/dundurn-main-frontentrance

National Gallery Of Canada
https://www.gallery.ca/collection/search-the-collection#

Casa Loma
https://casaloma.ca/experience-the-castle/

The Louvre
https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne#tabs

Good Housekeeping has an extensive list of virtual tours.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/travel/a31784720/best-virtual-tours/

Travel Japan has a few virtual tours of Japan.
https://en.japantravel.com/article/virtual-japan-tours/61611

Explore the Catacombs of Paris
https://boingboing.net/2020/03/24/explore-the-catacombs-of-paris.html?fbclid=IwAR0QW-okTfscCoQ3Xk7ZRJJGG3y-wunr5jLJvFxqyqMIoxaI9soeKGhclZw

The Redhead Revue on June 10th at The Imperial!

A night of Girls, Gags, Music and a Movie!

On June 10th, 2017 join two swell dames and sassy redheads Heather Babcock and Lizzie Violet at The Imperial! You will be treated to an evening of storytelling, music and a movie.

Starring alongside Heather and Lizzie, will be musician Neil Traynor, who is just the bees knees and our Emcee for the night is that charmer and extra swell fella Zed Dulac.

Oh, now just hold your horses, that’s not all. For an extra swell time, we will be having a special screening of Barbara Stanwyck in Lady of Burlesque and there will be trivia and prizes?

This is a night of entertainment you don’t want to miss!

Doors at 8 pm
Show at 8:30
Cost: $10 at the door

Address: 54 Dundas Street East. You’ll find us in the performance space (main floor)

Movie info: Lady of Burlesque is a 1943 American musical comedy-mystery film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O’Shea and is based on the novel The G-String Murders written by Gypsy Rose Lee (with ghost-writing assistance from mystery writer Craig Rice) and was directed by William A. Wellman, produced by Hunt Stromberg, costumes by Edith Head.

For more information on The Redhead Revue, please visit out Facebook page.

Here is a link to the invite.  https://www.facebook.com/events/162102664322287/?fref=ts

redhead-review-poster

 

Blast off!

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“Love what you do and do what you love. Don’t listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.” — Ray Bradbury.

So here we are. The final day of the countdown. Months of numerical vague book entries.  The day I’ve been dreaming about since the first time I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I was ten years old and wanted to be just like Francie Nolan…

Alright! Alright! Stop yelling at me. I have to give you the long version of the story to make this worth your while. Right? No?

Ok.
Here goes.

I quit my job yesterday. Why? Why would I quit a job that paid my bills and kept me in food, clothes and off the streets. Why would I give up benefits, a pension and security? Why?

Let me tell you.
Let me explain.

For as long as I can remember I’ve written. I’ve done it part-time, full-time, as a contractor and as a freelancer. For the last several years I’ve written and edited for other people. I have done poetry and spoken word. I’ve had my writing published in literary magazines and short stories in anthologies. I’ve been a theatre reviewer and a columnist. I’ve fixed dialogue for movie scripts, written copy, done PR writing and business writing. I’ve won awards and contests. I have not written in the capacity I will be.

Full-time.
Fiction.
My own writing.

I have worked hard to get here. To get published in magazines and anthologies.
Applying for grants.
Performing my work in public.

Part-time was never enough.  There was always an ache. It always felt like something wasn’t being fulfilled. If I ever went days without writing, my soul hurt. I knew I needed fix this.

Time to sit down.
Finish my novel.
Send my short stories and poems to be published.
Finally finish all my writing projects.
Write.

Don’t worry. I’m not all starry-eyed about something that’s impossible.  Over a ten year period I worked in publishing and know what to expect and what not to expect. I know how much a writer makes and how hard they work to earn it. I know the ins and outs of what needs to be done to be seen, heard, published.  I’m not walking into this with my head in the clouds. I know reality and how to manage it.

I have paid off my debt.
Put aside some money.
Continually apply for grants.
I’ve prepared for this day.

The reason for doing this full-time; is to make money from my writing. To survive from it. It’s what I am waking up for. It’s my living. I don’t have a sugar daddy. Someone else won’t be supporting me. I will be working myself hard.  This is my career. My life.

I’ve already had many ask me how I could possibly survive doing this. Isn’t it just a hobby? That I’m unrealistic. Well folks, many people are full-time writers and they are doing ok. Cough JK Rowling Cough. (yes, we all want to be JK Rowling — even secretly) I have many friends who are full-time writers, musicians, artists, performers and guess what, they are able to survive doing it full-time as well. So you can now stop worrying. I’ll be fine.

Today is the beginning.
A new chapter.
I look outside. Low in the sky sits the Hunter’s Moon. Bright. Friday the 13th.
The perfect day.
The horror stories begin. Will the next chapter be werewolves, zombies or ghosts?

Actually, I really do need to get that next chapter written. Off I go. Laptop on my lap. Off to write the words.

Blast off!

 

Lizzie Violet’s Cabaret Noir with Brandon Pitts, Cry Wolf and Bella Fox

lvcnapril2013
That’s right!  Next Sunday is the the 2nd helping of Lizzie Violet’s Cabaret Noir at Q Space!!!  The April 14th features ARE Brandon Pitts, Cry Wolf and Bella Fox!  I hope to see all your beautiful faces!

No time for idle hands!

I know! I know!  I set this blog up, way back in May and nothing happened!  Well! Guess what…. ya.  You got it!  So… what has Lizzie Violet been up to you ask…  Well let me tell ya!  She’s been one busy demented soul!

Just finished editing a Werewolf anthology for Books of the Dead Press.  Looking forward to the next anthology!

Seeing tonnes of live music, lit events and theatre!  I love this city just for that fact!

Live music all the time, everywhere.  Everyone should be checking out these bands/musicians Meghan Morrison, Marcus Walker, Tin Star Orphans, Alissa Vox Raw, High Heels LoFi and Myke Mazzei!

I Fringed my arse off this year!  My FAV’s were A Depper Kind of Love, Kim’s Convenience and Tiki Bikini Beach Paradise Party a Go-Go!  All Brilliant!

Meeting new friends who feel like we’ve been friends FOREVER!  Kat Leonard and Cathy McKim you ladies rock hard!

Four Day Birthday Weekend!  I wasn’t even going to celebrate this year, but… due to some sneaky and wonderful friends, I was not only thrown a surprise Bday party, but ended up celebrating for 4 days straight!  I guess when we let go of all of the negative BS that has happened during past Bdays, they turn out to be pretty damn wonderful!!!  I crammed in as much as I could as well, 2 plays, 3 bands, a trip to the island, 4 dinners, and some movies oh my!  And there was beer… oh there was lots of beer!

So…. what’s on this evil little girls plate next!

More editing, looking for new clients and back to working on the Zombie movie script, book proposals, trying to get the new issue of Lipstik Indie up (damn you unreliable servers!) booking and doing promo for The Beautiful and the Damned.

And… of course out causing trouble, I wouldn’t be Lizzie otherwise!