State of the Person Address – August 2011

Life keeps rolling forward!

With a future move to Vancouver on the horizon (without a job or a place to stay yet in place), my needing to leave the house I’m currently living in right in the middle of Victoria Fringe, my pushing to spend valuable time with people in Victoria before my soft exit, and all my many theatrical ventures, life is full and busy and excellent.

Here’s what I have on my plate:

• BFA: The Musical! – I am directing this show as part of the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival. It is a fun, silly musical surrounding graduates with shiny new Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees coming to terms with the fact that having a degree does not make you immediately a ‘local celebrity’. The show comes complete with a brilliant seven person cast, a fine tech crew, original and local music, dancing, large props, and much silliness. It is a blast to work on.
  • Venue: Venue 8 – Langham Court Theatre, 805 Langham Crt, Victoria, BC
  • Map: http://tinyurl.com/LanghamTheatre
  • Show times:
    Thursday, Aug. 25, 9:30 p.m.
    Saturday, Aug. 27, 9:45 p.m.
    Sunday, Aug. 28, 7:45 p.m.
    Tuesday, Aug. 30, 5:45 p.m.
    Friday, Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m.
    Saturday, Sept. 3, 5:30 p.m.
  • Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221027037942418

William vs. The World – A few new venues opened up, which has let me sneak in my one man show into The Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival!

• William vs. The World is a hilarious, geeky adventure surrounding that narcissistic guy at the hobbies store who knows the world revolves around him. With Chuck, his trusty cactus, at his side, William is happy… until – to his horror – a woman falls for him, the All-Spark fails him, his life falls apart, and William loses himself in Bat Country. Through it all, he may become a better person. Maybe.
• Previously work-shopped through UVic‘s Festival for Innovative and New Drama (FIND) and performed at this year’s UFV Director’s Festival, William vs. The World layers references to He-Man, Transformers, Spider-man, Serenity, The Ghost-busters, and pop culture with a frantic, manic character study of a man desperately clinging on to a life that may not be as grand as he suggests it is.
• Venue:Venue 12 – Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) – 1701 Elgin Road, Victoria, BC
  • Map: http://tinyurl.com/Willvst​heWorld
• Show times:
  Thu, Aug 25 – 8:30pm
  Fri, Aug 26 – 7:45pm
  Sat, Aug 27 – 6:00pm
  Thu, Sept 1 – 5:30pm
  Sat, Sept 3 – Noon
  Sun, Sept 4 – 5:30pm
• Event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=249348868426429

Sonnets for an Old Century – Completing my triumvirate of Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival shows, as of a few days ago, I am Stage Managing this show, written by José Rivera, a two-time Obie Award-winning playwright and Academy Award-nominated screenplay writer. Which is pretty darn sweet.

• I am delighted to get to work again with so many great people in Victoria’s acting community, from Holly Jonson, to Mily Mumford, to Shaan Rahman, to Bill Nance, to Alan Penty (who also features in BFA: The Musical!).
• Venue:Venue 8 – Langham Court Theatre – 805 Langham Crt, Victoria, BC
  • Map: http://tinyurl.com/LanghamTheatre
• Show times:
  Fri., Aug 26, 5:45
  Sat., Aug 27, 7:45
  Sun., Aug 28, 9:45
  Wed., Aug 31, 9:00
  Fri., Sept 2, 5:30
  Sun., Sept 4, 12:45 pm
• Event Page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139905722760543

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – Come drink tea with the Mad Hatter!

• Share his journey into Wonderland – and his descent into madness – in an overly, underly, and aroundly eager show full of storytelling, songs, audience participation, improv, silliness, gravitas, and grins. Whether it’s your unbirthday or your actual one, this is one show it would be mad to miss!
  Tea is provided, but if you can, please bring your own cup.
  
• Venue: Studio 1398 on Granville Island!
• Show times:
  Fri Sep 09 = 22:15 to 23:05
  Sat Sep 10 = 16:30 to 17:20
  Sun Sep 11 = 13:00 to 13:50
  Mon Sep 12 = 18:45 to 19:35
  Thu Sep 15 = 20:30 to 21:20
  Sat Sep 17 = 20:00 to 20:50

• Good Night Harold! – A night of long-form improv from some of the cast of Sin City Improv!
  • Venue: Intrepid Theatre Club
  • Show Date: August 5th
  • Event site: http://culturevulturevictoria.com/good-night-harold/
• Theatreshorts – Possibly my last Victoria Theatreshorts!
  • Venue: Victoria Event Centre
  • Show Date: August 21st
  • Event site:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151589644918808

    

• 4Villains.org – Acting in roles for the 4Villains webseries/organization. Thus far, I have played Master Malevolent and The Green Gear for them.
  
  • Venue: www.4villains.org
  • Show Dates: The first episode should go up by the end of the year.
• PirateAdventures.ca – Acting and improvising as a pirate, leading children and adults on a pirate adventure based out of Fisherman’s Wharf. Currently only for one or two days per week.
  • Venue: Fisherman’s Wharf
  • Show Dates: Intermittent shifts until I leave town in early September.

• Unsound Innocence – Acting as a lawyer in a shortish film by HTVBC– excellent and crazy Hungarians who run a non-profit film company in their spare time. We wrap shooting on Saturday, hopefully.
  • Venue: Film Festivals
  • Show Dates: Unknown!

• Steinway Grand – Also with HTVBC, this one will be a huge and exciting acting challenge for me – acting in a two-hander film.
  • Venue: Film Festivals
  • Show Dates: Should start filming whenever I can jump back to Victoria in Sept/October, I assume!

• Vancouver Young Playwrights Competiton / IGNITE! 2012, for The Romantics – I won 1st prize with my play, The Romantics. The prize comes with mentorship by a Vancouver playwright from November through March, and a performance in the festival come May.
  
  • Venue: Probably The Cultch.
  • Show Dates: Performs in May of 2012.

• Auditions, auditions, auditions! – Auditioning throughout Vancouver and Victoria. Many ferry rides, trying to secure something, acting-wise, for beyond September. No luck thus far. Which is to be expected. I need to work more on my auditioning prowess.
  
  • Venue: Mostly Vancouver.
  • Show Dates: Never ends. NEVER, EVER, EVER.

The future beyond September is a blank slate, but the next month and a half will be a wild, exciting adventure! Writing, acting, directing, and stage managing for Victoria Fringe (spread over three shows)! Performing a DIFFERENT show for Vancouver Fringe (why, Andrew, why?)! Looking for work and a place to live in Vancouver!

Life is joyous, hectic fun.

Cheers,
Andrew Wade

Related articles

• State of the Person Address – May 2011 (adewade.wordpress.com)
• Predicting Future Careers (adewade.wordpress.com)
• The Director’s Epiphany (adewade.wordpress.com)