…And welcome to the first post of our brand New Year here at the Visitorium! Yes, it was one year ago today that, instead of just making a Facebook note like I SHOULD have, I made the wholly unwise decision to start up this here Blog instead…which I often, and rather unfunnily refer to as a ‘Chud’ instead, because I think it’s a cooler sounding word.
But anyhoo…a year ago I started up, mostly with the intention of writing about the Ottawa Fringe Festival, which is a thing I sorta like. But as time went on, I ended up writing about other things too…local theatre mostly, of course, although I did travel to Toronto for Summerworks as well. In fact, i just did a not-so-quick check, and here’s what I think is a fairly complete list of every show/production.party/event/whatever I’ve ‘reviewed’ in my year here:
Heroes
Airport Security
Trans-Canada 69
Every Job I’ve Ever Had
The Roof Top Guy
Art DeXo
Purely Cabaret
Underneath it All
Cactus: The Seduction
It’s Raining in Barcelona
Shadows
Mixing Boal: Kitchen of the Oppressed
Peter N Chris Show
Beer Tent: Reflux
Prisoners Dilemma
Who You Callin’ Sweetheart?
Divinity
Deliver’d From Nowhere
Archy and Mehitabel
Last Goddamned Performance Piece
Love in the Time of Harlequin
Men Telling Stories
Sputniks
Burlesque Unzipped
Duck Wife
Dale Beaner and the Turtle boy
7 (x1) Samurai
It’s Just a Stage
Breaking Down in America
Billy Stutter
A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup
Heart Strings
Edge
Phone Whore
Multinational gRape Corporations
‘Dentity Crisis
Seeking
The Pig of Happiness
Grouch on a Couch
Death of Tybalt
Aomega
Time to Put my Socks On
Educating Rita
My Summer Crush Improv
Midsummer Nights Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Andrews Brothers
Shed
Biographies of the Dead and Dying
Countries Shaped Like Stars
Kayak
Haunted Hillbilly
Miss Caledonia
Word! Sound! Powah!
Ixok
Saddest Girl in the World
Kreutzer Sonata
Anatomy of a Broken Love Affair
Redheaded Stepchild
Sad and Cautionary Tale of Smack-Headed Peter
After Shock
Ride the Cyclone
Bliss
Molotov Circus
Say Ginger Ale
Innocents
Me Happy
Big Face
Swimming in the Shallows
They All Do It
Jamaica Farewell
Kilt
Shakespeare’s Interactive Circus
Guerriers
A Fistful of Flowers
Someone for Everyone
The List
Blackbird
A Flea in her Ear
Grievous Angel
You Are Here
Steve Sauce Memorial Nerd Showcase
Taxi Stand jam
Hamlet Solo
Wrecking Ball
St.Nicholas
Turn of the Screw
Red Noses
My Narrator
This is a Play
Visitor
I
Six Characters in Search of an Authour
Mechanicsville Monologues II
Twelfth Night
Vimy
Nativity
It’s a Wonderful Life: the Radio Play
We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!
Inspecting Carol
1 12th of Twelfth Night
The Year of Magical Thinking
Strawberries in January
Bifurcate Me
Hard Ways
Agokwe
My Pregnant Brother
Spent
One-Act Comedy Festival
This is a Recording
Iphegenie en Taruide
Little Martyrs
That Summer
Sins of the Mother
Sweet Tarts Takeaway (ongoing)
The Importance of Being Earnest
Rideau Awards
Crush Improv Bout Time’s (various)
Into the Woods
Hot Sauce Deluxe Fundraiser
Shadow Cutter
St.Carmen of the Main
Rozencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Ottawa Improv Fest
Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme
Under Milk Wood
Antigone
Dirty Bird
Middle Place
Medee-Materiau
Zastrozzi
The Danger Project
Stories of Love
Hamlet 2011
Lavender Railroad
Trapped in a Vox
Tour de morose
the Game and How to Play It
It’s Nothing
Fallen: The Book of Samael
Queen for a Day
Homechild
This is What Happens Next
…Not bad, I suppose, for a know-nothing overaged kid who only learned about people acting on stages about three years ago now. 161 posts, by the by, in 365 days. I guess that’s at least BORDERING on prolific, yeah?
In the past year, aside from all those amazing productions I was privileged enough to see, I’ve met some incredible people and had life-altering experiences (and I don’t just mean the many, many self-destructive benders, although…well, those too). Made my acting class debut under the brilliant teachers Barry Karp and Brie Barker (and Mary Harvey too, a couple of times)…met and befriended the wonderful and beautiful Nadine Thornhill, Nancy Kenny, Emily Pearlman, Kelly Rigole, and I suppose probably a guy or two as well (okay, okay…Simon Bradshaw, Nick diGaetano, Tim Oberholzer, Al Connors, and many more of both and possibly more genders)…got to work with the amazing Evolution theatre on one of their shows, took my very first audition (WITH callback, thanxverymuch) courtesy of aforementioned Nadine Thornhill, and almost sorta took part in what can now formerly be called the ‘SuperSecretMysteryProject’ of the Ottawa Fringe. Turns out it’s a book, all about TSN’s Michael Landsberg.
But what now? Well, of course there’s Fringe, coming awfully soon now. And no, I didn’t specifically mention it in my last ‘Coming up’ post, because Fringe is just too big for that. More to come on that subject, and you bet. But in the long run, really…what now? It’s been a whole year now, and I often don’t know if I’m doing any good, really. Okay, one of my classmates the other day told me she went to see HOMECHILD based on my review, and I think I got some folks out to the ever-awesome DANGER PROJECT a ways back. But I’m fairly certain the NAC crowd couldn’t give a flip if I write a stellar review of one of their productions, and is anyone ever going to link to me again? I swear, it’s been a long time now…and I haven’t even been AROUND a long time!
Whining. sorry, it’s sometimes what I do best. On the plus side, I’m still loving me some theatre, and aside from multiple Magnetic North viewings in the upcoming days, I’m going to be covering me some SERIOUS Fringe, starting soon. My last few classes at the OSSD wrap up the day before the Festival begins, so there’ll be precious little rest for me this June. But who needs rest, when you’ve got theatre? And it’s nice to be able to still say this like that, a year into it.
So, that’s it, I suppose. Except for one more thing…one thing I’m absolutely terrible at and that I’d like to at least try and start correcting. Self Promotion. Now, I understand that a review Chud (there I go again) quite simply doesn’t get that much in comments as a general rule, and that’s totally cool. EXCEPT today. I’ve decided, and Winston purrs his agreement. If you’re reading this, and ya dig this site, if I’ve helped you out or made you smile or turned you onto a show that you totally grokked, than do me one small favour…tell me. Just this once, take a few extra seconds, log on, and tell me I’m not completely wasting my time.
Or don’t. I’m starting to get all self conscious again. Never mind. Forget I said anything. See you at YICHUD tomorrow, yah? Peace, love and soul, Ottawa, and sheep on sheeping on,
The Visitor (and Winston)
The Visitorium 
I think you’re great. Better than great. And the Ottawa Theatre Community, nay THE WORLD, is a better place because you’re in it.
Aww. Of course, you HAVE to say that, because I have your cat. But still…aww.
I’m logging on on my mobile from my RSS reader because it’s that important to tell you that you’re doing an awesome job here with your chud. I enjoy it; I like your fresh dewy perspective. And it helps me to stay connected with my home away from home, as an Ottawa girl in a long exile.
I can’t make it to Fringe this year, so I’m counting on you!
Why thank you kindly, Miss Katharine! I have never before thought of myself as ‘dewy’. 🙂 I’ll see what I can do about fulfilling your vicarious Fringe-needs.
Visitor, I thank you and enjoy your blog, especially for those shows that I miss the Pay What You Can because of work or rehearsals, you make it like I was there so I am not completely in the dark.
A pleasure and honour, Nick! Thanks for being the cool Arts courts guy you are, and for all the cool shit that you do (directing and stage managing and what-not). I’ll see you around Fringe!
You KNOW I’m reading, dude! Always have been, always will! And now, with 50% more calcium! And fresh lemon scent!