Last night we opened Jess Curtis/Gravity's Intercontinental Collaborations 4 at CounterPULSE. The show has come together quite nicely. The space reminds me of the Back Space Theatre at 7 Stages so pre-show I started having deja vu of productions with Synchronicity. I really appreciate the community spirit at both venues and there is a homey quality that was nice to experience again. During the run of the show, I have shifted slightly from Production Manager to running crew since they needed an extra pair of hands on the deck. Or with the small theatre feel I was doing a little of both. It's nice to be so hands on. Jake Nelson, the lighting designer and Rosamund Grimshaw, the stage manager have been integral to the project. They have both gone over an above their regular duties. Both of them share my feelings about supporting the artistic goals. In fact, Jess commented that he rarely feels as supported on his projects. It made me realize the importance of a strong ensemble and clear communication.

I knew this week would be crazy, but I decided to help a fellow MTC teaching artist out by subbing her class. I usually teach on Wednesdays, but I also took on a Thursday class. I was not excited about driving into the city from the North Bay after the class to get to the theatre, but once I breathed through parking anxiety, I was fine. It also gave me a chance to process the two classes. 

Since I've taught on the University level for the past 2 years it has been a huge shift to teach 6-9 year olds. The discussions and analyzing that I loved in my college classes must be replaced with more and more play. I usually bring a large arsenal of stuff with me and have an opportunity to try a bunch of exercises. See what does not work, and which exercises get the kids to say, "Again, again!" The younger students are a strong barometer of what works an what doesn't. Losing one students attention is not bad, but once you see that you have lost most of them, you must move on. 

As I look at the job postings, classes for this age group seem to come up the most. So, now's the time to hone my knowledge of creative play and get these little bitties started on their theatre education.