Pictures, in no particular order

Red Bull crashed ice

Pet therapy

Parliament, attempt 4

Marion bridge

The Audience, rotation imposible

The BodyGuard

Countries Shaped like Stars

American Idiot

Carmen

Avenue Q

Colony of Unrequited Dreams

The Aviation museum 

Post Marion Bridge

Hello theatre-ites,

This show felt like a serious case of déja-vu. Our past experiences are said to influence our perception of any new experiences we have.  Mine was influenced by a play I worked on last year. Crimes of the heart by Beth Henley  has similar plot and characters to that of those found in Marion Bridge. Three sisters reunite to cope with the bedridden state of a family member. Tho the characters were going through different things they are similar archetypes.

I thought the acting was stellar, the set was minimal yet well done and the jokes were quick witted. The only thing I didn't get was the transitions, they seemed overly complex and I didn't think they added anything.

Overall I enjoyed it but I couldn't help but feel like I've seen it all before.

Have an awesome rest of the semester.and good luck on exams.
Elyse

pre show: Marion Bridge

Hello World,
This post will be regarding Marion Bridge. So close to the end of the semester expect a lot of posts coming out soon to finish up anything that has been sitting in my drafts folder. Please enjoy!

This is my first time at Ottawa little theater and I have very few expectations regarding the performance. I'm seeing a mostly unknown show at a mostly unknown theater but I'm excited every time I set foot in a theater.

I heard in class that all the actors and crew for this production are volunteer. This raises the debate of passion vs paid actors who are paid have the background and training but then sometimes not always lose sight of why they're there. Actor who are not paid my not have all the skills associated with theater but they always are driven and love what they're doing or they wouldn't be there.

I think the outcome of this debate varies case by case and you’re never quite sure which side the production will fall on until you see it. I'm excited to see where this one falls so break a leg to all and enjoy the show.

Have a great day!
Elyse Hodgson

Pet therapy: Merged

Hello world!

I'm back writing about an unorthodox theatrical event, pet therapy.  Pet therapy takes trained animals and puts them within reach of people who need them.  I have been to one pet therapy session before and the reactions of the types of people in the room are not only unique but evolving. The handlers are calm and collected watching out not only for themselves but for their pets.  The second group to watch are the participants. They are eager or nervous but they wear their emotions on their sleeves.  They have all chosen  to be vulnerable and accept that those around them will be the same. The last group to watch are the animals themselves.  The one I have attended was with dogs, who each behave differently.  Some were relaxed and simply lay down to enjoy the attention. Others are curious and explore the room and try to meet everyone.

Due to each of these factors each session will be different and I look forward to getting back to you on this experience.

After:

This session was completely different form the last.  The first difference is that this one was done with rescue cats instead of therapy dogs This change up the dynamics as unlike dogs, Cats refuses o sit still and be pet instead one hid in the back of her cage and the other kept attempting to escape.   This changed the atmosphere of the room instead of the comfort of petting animals we were laughing together collectively. It was therapeutic in it's own right.

I want to take a second and acknowledge the amazing work that J's animal rescue does.  They rescue animals and place them in caring foster homes insuring to vet any candidates for adoption. So thanks to them for their great work.      

Thanks and keep up the great work helping animals and people

Elyse

Colony of unrequited dreams : Post

Welcome back!
(Wow sorry This post took so long)

Looking back on a play is always a pleasant experience. Whether I enjoyed a show or not I always love looking back on them and remembering all the good bad and the ugly of show. I enjoy in a lot of shows each year so the highlight reel of my memory of each is only the scenes that truly captivated me with either how good or bad they were.

One scene from Colony of Unrequited Dreams that I remember clearly as if it were yesterday is the war of the written word scene, in which Smallwood and Feilding dance with word as their swords.  The stage was bathed in yellow light and fog. the two began on opposite sides of the stage sitting at their desks and recited the articles they were writing. they steadily pick up in intensity. They circled each other until they met center stage. The scene was captivating and so unique in comparison to the other stage arguments I've seen.

The true mark of a show is it's lasting effect.  This one showed me something I had never seen which means it will be remembered.

Thanks so much,
Elyse

After Parliment

Hey theatre nerds,
Wow this was a struggle, all starting weeks ago. It took 3 weeks to visit parliament. I tried for three days in a row, the first it was closed, the next it was full so I contacted my MP about a ticket, but it ran at a different time on Fridays so I couldn't go. Then they were out for a week, so the third week I tried again, and this time I finally saw what all the fuss was about.

Both sides behaved like children attempting to ignore, tease and enrage the other side when they did not agree. They only cared about what they had to say and refused to hear opposing opinions. The behavior was unacceptable for a 5th grade classroom I was slightly shocked that it was common place for politicians.  

It really makes you question the ability of our leaders. We should have a group of people who question each other but overall are working towards the benefit of the people not their own agendas.

Overall quite an unpleasant yet eye opening experience.

Have an awesome day,
Elyse

Merged post: Aviation and Space museum

Hello everyone,

I was super excited to visit the Aviation and Space museum, as these were the kind of places my Dad used to take my brother and I when we were very young.  My mom worked from home so she was with us all the time, when I said young I meant so young we hadn't started school, we spent all week with her but my Dad was out from very early in the morning till late at night and we would only spend an hour or two a day with him. However, on the weekends he would go a little crazy come up with cool things to see and do. Some were parks that looked like castles and others were open house adventures. He's a mechanical engineer and would always explain how the train engines or the cool cars we saw worked. Going to this museum felt like something we should have done together, which would have been hard as he is back in Erin, so I was very nostalgic about seeing the planes.

I had high hopes for I am now older and have studied combustion engines and drag force and would understand the choices made by developers in each case, but like most things with me things did not go according to plan. I had wanted to take a tour, which the website had specified ran between 8:30-5:00, turned out to run twice once at 8:30 and once at 2:00 so arriving at 10 was a bad idea.  We decided to stick around for the 2:00 tour, but it was canceled due to a concert from the Centralaires Concert Band.  So no tour for me but I got to see a lovely concert where they played the usual military marches, selections from Fiddler on the Roof and the Sound of Music, along with Amazing grace and a swing jazz number.

I was skeptical at first, as military marches are not really my style of music but they played a selection from many genres and I quite enjoyed it.  Music tells a story even without the words present.  When the swing song started I got up and danced. Though it was just me dancing it was still fun.

So it wasn't the day I was expecting, nor was it everything I hoped for but it was fun.

Have a great day,

Elyse