Tales from the Gig Side: 8 Days in an Artist's Paradise
They say do what you know, and as I know a little about a lot of things I have always wondered where my particular set of talents would lead me. This Christmas life delivered me in the most delightfully surprising way with a job opportunity in our country's biggest museum in our country's biggest city as a performer in my own show that I created from absolutely nothing back in January 2015. Sure, there are bigger gigs, longer gigs, more famous/talented people than me gigs, but every single thing about this particular gig was fantastic for the soul reason that I created the work for myself and my work created opportunity.
I have learned that in this world walking through a ready- made open door is easy. Creating your own doors is the pathway to ultimate fulfillment.
~Virginia Cowan (wait- holy moly that's me !)
The feather in my cap with what I have created with Mabel Moon is that although, yes- I get paid at the end of the day, I also get to spend my days with the best thing this world has to offer: Children. I met so many funny, sweet, smart kids in those 8 glorious days at the ROM I really felt the urge to share some of the encounters I had with these amazing little humans during my time there along with some of the hurdles and adventures I had as well. Enjoy !
DAY 1 : So ...That Just Happened
So the Holidays were nuts- and on Boxing Day I had to drive 2.5 hours home alone from Niagara Falls from my In-laws Xmas dinner so I could pack the car with the show stuff and get ready for my first day at the ROM in Toronto. ( I live near Barrie ) I was tired. I was excited. I was in a food COMA. Big time. So I decided to further complicate my life by doing this:
Yeah. That's our post I backed into. Hanging on for dear life to its base that it's NOT nailed too. What does that post support you ask? Oh nothing BIG, just our floating wrap-around DECK and ROOF OVERHANG. The 11:30 pm phone call to my dad went like this: "Hey dad can you come by with a sledge hammer? Thanks. " Dads like those kind of calls. Especially retired ones- it gives them a good story to tell at the curling rink the next day. The best part is he's no longer surprised to get a call like that from me. I'm sure dad's all around the world expect a call like that at least once every 4 months from their daughter. The other weird thing in this pic is the grass. It's December 26th here remember. But that made for fantastic commuting conditions for me for the next 8 days. So I wasn't complaining.
THE SHOW: Don't remember much- still in Turkey coma, but being your own stage manager, parking attendant and sound tech as well as star of your own show can be a bit overwhelming on opening day. Here's the set up below- I did feel pretty danged special I will admit that much. Especially having my first official "ACTORS BIO POSTED ON THICK BLACK BOARD WITH PERMISSION TO PERFORM GRANTED FROM EQUITY " stand. I've never had one, and now I do. That makes me smile inside. Note the red carpet. Better be more of THOSE things in my future ! HOT DANG!
BEST KID OF THE DAY : Each day I performed two 30 minute shows. The second show of the first day I met a 4 year old boy whose name I forget unfortunately. But this 4 year old boy told me right before I started that he just rode a big plane to Canada so he can live here now. Then I did the show and watched his mother watch her boy enjoying himself at my show with tears streaming down her face into her huge smile. Yah. It was going to be an amazing week.
DAYS 2-4
Went great! I had friends come see me, my family as well and I felt like a superstar. In my show I ask the kids what their favorite food is to eat on the entire planet and here are some of the answers: Marshmallows. Kraft Dinner. Pizza. Pretty standard fare - until 5 year old Taya told me her Favorite food in the ENTIRE WORLD WAS - wait for it - CHICKEN. AND. RICE. Poor kid. LOL
This is a pic of how a boy and his little tot sister did their best helping me solve my meteor shower maze....
DAYS 5 & 6
So at this point I've done 8 successful, well-received shows. The morning of day 5 I didn't bother warming up much on my commute to the city as I didn't feel the greatest and my throat hurt, so I wanted to save my voice. That was a mistake. I opened my mouth to sing the first notes in my opening song and nothing came out- well nothing musical anyways. I had lost my voice.
Imagine if you will- you work in an office on a computer and all your stuff is on your computer. Now imagine showing up to work without your computer and 25 bosses sit in front of you and wait for you to do your job. Yah. It's horrific and every actor's worst nightmare. Luckily I still had my speaking voice so I spoke/sang my three songs and barked my way through the rest of the show. It was awful. But after swimming down to Ursula the Sea Witch who traded me tea and lozenges in exchange for a face-paint, by the am of Day 7 I was pretty much back to normal. I should mention the wonderful ROM staff particularly Tijana Bajic, a 4th Year Pol. Sci and History Student at U of T was very sweet and assured me I sounded great...here's us handling it like the pros we are ...
DAY 7 : THE HOLIDAYS ARE ENDING/ BACK TO LIFE REALIZATION SHOW
Now back in my stand up comedy days there were times when you are sure the audience hates you. Luckily most of the time it's in your head and it's your own insecurities you just have to shove aside to do the work. But in the world of children's entertainment you wouldn't think that the same could happen. But it did and it was real. LOL And it happened on Saturday January 2nd at 12:30 pm at my first show of the day. Why? Just re-read the title to this paragraph. It's the only explanation I have as to why both adults and children alike that morning shot invisible death rays at me for 30 minutes. 5 Years ago I would have stopped mid- show crying. This day? Mehh. I'm here for the kids and I've got 3 more shows to do in this run. Moving along!!
Here is a photo of happier times later in the afternoon where I met Sasha (not in this pic) who told me he was Four and Two- Thirds years old and he was going to be a math teacher when he grew up. I believed him until he told me that there were "two hundred one thousand" people that lived on the planet. I suggested to him his numbers might be a bit off but he insisted he was right. Lesson learned: Never argue with a boy who is four and two thirds in front of an audience. You will not win.
DAY 8 : THE END OF DAYS
When this day came my mother offered to come with me and I was relieved and happy she did. The commute to Toronto was long and I was tired. Plus I had a huge load out to do after my last show and the extra help was appreciated. Why does it seem that it's always my mom who is there for me with the really trying stuff? Cause she is. Man, she's great. We are polar opposites in most ways except worrying. We are both expert worriers. But she is also highly efficient- I couldn't have asked for a better last day companion. It is her I have to thank for half the funding to support my show as well as most of these lovely pics you have enjoyed here.
On my last day I was sad to say goodbye to my private green room, where I enjoyed naps between shows, quiet reading and drinking copious amounts of tea. Three of my most coveted past times that are rare with a 3 yr old at home.
My last show - the 16th show was amazing. I was feelin' it- and so was 100% of the audience. The adults liked the humor I had thrown in for their benefit and the kids were actively participating. I love performing and I really enjoy myself while I am on stage. I love catching adults forgetting that they are adults while they watch my show- they even look younger in that moment I glimpse them using their rusty imaginations again - and then I watch the defenses go quickly back in place when they know I've seen them.
I had just gotten into the swing of it all and was just hitting my stride and it was already all coming to an end. But seeing as I just worked through the entire Christmas Holidays and I was sorely missing this little thing ....
...I figured it was all right to let it all go and hope that in the whirlwind that it was that I would retain some of the memory of what a HUGE gig it was for me and what a MASSIVE boost of confidence it gave me to see that I could follow through. There were people in the audience that approached me afterwards and complimented me on my voice, (wonderful) and the show (sweet, amazing, great) and for the first time in my life, because these strangers had no obligation to compliment me- I let myself believe them.
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS THERE IS NO TIME FOR ANYTHING ELSE ~Somebody important
*As an added note I want to mention my fiancee Stephen Dennis who also sacrificed so I could work over the Holidays and to Chris who put my show on the table. THANK YOU !