I have found that the passage of time can become a bit of a blur. Things get mixed around and forgotten. In response to this I am going to write annual blog posts to keep track of some of my personal highlights. Here is 2013!
This past spring I finished the B.F.A.
Acting program at UBC, a comprehensive three year classical acting
program at the beautiful Vancouver campus. I learned so much about
the craft of acting, the art of storytelling, and a whole lot about
myself. I was insanely busy performing in four overlapping
plays (The Duchess, Dancing at Lughnasa, Rhinoceros, and Blood Relations) on top of my final year acting classes and preparation for a showcase at the Artsclub. Along with significant growth as an actor I developed a work
ethic that is going to serve me well. http://www.theatre.ubc.ca
My family purchased an amazing nine
acre mountainside property in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.
Talk about a dream come true. My mom and sister moved permanently while my step dad and brother commute from Fort McMurray. After finishing a show in Alberta last summer I joined the family caravan. This involved a uhaul, a
horse trailer, the vehichles, a horse, two dogs, two cats, our family and all sorts
of luggage on a trek through the rockies. The house is way
up on the side of a mountain near stunning Qualicum Beach and has an
incredible view of the Georgia Straight, four islands, and the
mountains on the mainland. I vividly remember the days when my parents had $200 to their name, when we lived in a camper for six months, shopped at the food bank, or literally prayed in groceries. It's really something to see how things have ended up for my family. Speechless.
As the end of the school year was
approaching I was contacted by a friend of mine who works at Pacific
Theatre about their apprenticeship program. They were interested in
having me in for an audition/interview. In the midst of all my year
end business at UBC I managed to secure a position at PT as an acting
apprentice for their 30th Anniversary Season. I couldn't
have asked for a better opportunity coming straight out of theatre school.
It is a mentorship program for emerging artists that is giving me the opportunity to produce my own shows, build contacts, act, direct, learn promotional skills and the day to day running of a theatre company. Some highlights so far have been helping out on The Foreigner, a hilarious hit show involving a number of my friends, producing, directing and acting in Selections from Autobahn, a small Neil Labute show that I put together, reading scripts for playwrights in the PT Writing With group and getting to know some incredible like minded artists. Pacific Theatre is
unique in Vancouver with it's mandate to explore deeply spiritual
questions while demanding excellence in artistic integrity. It's been
a perfect fit for me. http://pacifictheatre.org
Pacific Theatre also hooked me up with an audition for The Canadian Badlands Passion Play. I was hired, quit my job at Earls, and ended up spending the summer acting in an epic production of the story of Jesus on a five acre natural amphitheatre in the badlands of Drumheller. 12 000 people came! It was a truly unique experience which I often explain as a film set meets large scale professional theatre meets community theatre meets a family bible camp. I lived in a campground for two months and made some great friends with people from the Rosebud Theatre community. There were interesting bonus features as the Alberta floods forced us to evacuate and improvise our accommodation. http://canadianpassionplay.com/
My great grandmother Clara Waddell
passed away peacefully just before Christmas at the age of 93. I was honoured to be a asked to be a pallbearer at her funeral. My mom and I trekked north to Prince George and Dawson
Creek where we met up with many of our relatives. It was great to come together as a family in celebration of the life of
our dear grandma who had seen almost a century of time pass in this crazy
world. What a reminder of the unbelievable family I have and
how blessed I am to be part of such a legacy.
I have spent a great portion of my life
since adolescence wrestling with faith. As a former pastor's kid I am
undoubtably jaded. When it comes to the profound, deep, or mysterious
I tend to move very slowly. The idea of indoctrination frightens me
and I have chosen to be very cautious about 'religious' decisions and
influence in my life. I have attended church only sporadicly and half
heartedly in recent years, always overwhelmed by the many failings of
organized religion. For a long time I have recognized the
significance and importance of christian community in my life but have had very
little tolerance for north american evangelical culture. This year I found an authentic christian community at Artisan Vancouver that
seems to understand the culture we live in, the role of the artist,
the importance of taking care of those in need, and the humility
necessary to live and worship together in community without
traditional exclusivism or charismatic sensationalism. Artisan has become a highlight in my day to day life. www.artisanvancouver.ca
It seems that 2013 has been a rather significant year for me filled with adventures and personal and artistic growth. I'm pumped for some of the exciting things lining up for 2014!
Here are some lists from 2013, they are in no specific order and are definitely missing a whole lot.
Career
Achievements
Rhinoceros @ UBC – Botard
Blood Relations @ UBC – Andrew Borden
UBC BFA Showcase
Finished UBC BFA
program on the Dean's List
Canadian
Badlands Passion Play - James Joseph, etc.
Pacific Theatre
Apprenticeship
The Foreigner @ PT- "Townsperson"/Ellard stand in
Selections from
Autobahn @ PT- Producer/Director/Actor
(Upcoming)
The Seafarer @ PT - Understudy Actor
Old Time Gospel Radio Hour @ PT - Co-Creator
Oleanna @ Havana - Promo sidekick
Gruesome Playground Injuries @ PT - Actor/Producer
Favourite Books I read
The Catcher in
the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Franny and
Zooey - J.D. Salinger
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
What We Talk
About When We Talk About God - Rob Bell
A Casual
Vacancy - J.K. Rowling
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
The Collected
Works of Billy the Kid - Michael Ondaatje
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Favourite Films I watched
Magnolia
Hard Eight
Boogie Nights
The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug (Although as a Tolkien nerd I am very torn)
Prisoners
Captain Philips
End of Watch
Killing Them
Softly
Lars and the Real Girl
Half Nelson
The Way Way
Back
Requiem for a
Dream
Chronicle
Coraline
Good Fellas
Detachment
Favourite Plays I went to
Underneath
the Lintel @ Rosebud Theatre
Hamlet @ Bard on the Beach
How to Write a
New Book for the Bible @Pacific Theatre
The Odd Couple @ Main Street Theatre
Communion @ Ruby Slippers/Pacfic Theatre
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