Summer Catch Up

photo credit: Heather Corinna

How has your summer been? Mine has been good. Very good. Rainy and cold but good. I spent much of June doing a big purge of belongings. Mainly clothes (moving towards a ten item wardrobe à la Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris by Jennifer L. Scott - her blog is my latest lifestyle obsession) and books (50% of them gone to Renaissance Quebec). I also followed suggestions from Magical Housekeeping: Simple Charms and Practical Tips for Creating a Harmonious Home. My apartment has been Feng Shui-ed! There was also a big clean up of financial papers and my filing cabinet. No reference book needed for that. Just some time and space to put things in order and then shred! shred! shred! July was mainly about burlesque. Acme Burlesque performed at Just for Laughs - Juste Pour Rires again this year. We were in a larger tent but had the same tech team and crew. So it was a similar experience to last year but with more space. The crew and our gang of performers make for a good team and we had a fantastic time. Afterwards, I took a week off to spend time with my niece, nephew and sister. We visited cottage country for a few days with our oldest friends. Growing up my sister and I were best friends with another set of sisters. It was the first time in over 15 years that we were all together! I had a wonderful albeit exhausting time (13 people - 7 of which were children under the age 9 - so much busyness!). Still, it was lovely company  and as always I enjoyed being in the Laurentians by the quiet lake. So much nature to take in. My soul felt good. Yes, it seems SPACE is my summer theme! Now we are August I am ready for the second half my summer. All this cleaning and clearing has served more than a Feng Shui purpose. I have been putting lifestyle systems and strategies in place as I prepare to do something I have never done before - act in a professional theatrical production. Yes, I can add professional actress to my resumé! Here is the deal. Back in February I was asked to audition for the role of The Stripper in the play The Graduate. Besides actors and dancers they decided to open the audition process to burlesque performers which is how they found me. The play features more of an interaction between The Stripper and the character of Elaine than the film does and it is actually quite interesting from a sex work and feminist perspective. After reading it I was quite enthusiastic about the prospect of getting the role but at the same time completely fine with simply having the audition experience. All this mindfulness work I do has me more focused on the present moment and less on worrying about outcomes. The audition did not go as well as I had hoped. I got there early and had wanted to spend 5 minutes doing a grounding exercise. The audition room door was open so when I walked by they asked me in and to start right away. I was a wee bit frazzled - especially when my rose quartz stone flew out of my pocket and across the floor. How to explain that I carry it for its positive, loving vibes. Oh dear. I did the audition which included a 90 second striptease and saying my lines a few times. Afterwards, I chatted about how much I enjoyed the movie and its cultural significance. I have seen the movie numerous times. As I left I felt OK. I didn't beat myself up about my clumsiness. Even though it didn't go as I had imagined it felt like the experience I needed to have, that I was ready to have. Fast forward to May and I am contacted with an offer for the part. Wow. OK. Hmmm. Eeek! Mindfulness practices go out the window. I do lots of pondering about how the production would fit into my life and how I fit into the production (hey, I have had a very public work-life). Mindfulness practices come back to me and I realize they wouldn't have offered me the role if they didn't want me for it. So I accepted it and signed my contract. I even joined Equity (Canada's theatre union). I start rehearsals next week and we open on August 31st. I will write more about the experience in the coming days and weeks. I also hope to write about my thoughts on its themes. While it is a comedy it has some juicy stuff to comment on for a writer like me - sexuality, relationships, coming of age, aging, family dynamics, gender roles, consent and disillusionment. Yes, so juicy! So much to explore and say! I love it! The Graduate A play adapted by Terry Johnson Based on the novel by Charles Webb And the motion picture screenplay by Calder Willingham & Buck Henry Directed by Andrew Shaver With original music composed and performed live on stage by Justin Rutledge & Matthew Barber Starring Luke Humphrey & Brigitte Robinson A SEGAL CENTRE PRODUCTION August 31st, 2014 – September 21st, 2014