2015 - A look back

A quick look back at twenty-fifteen.  

Career


This year I decided to place most of my focus on training for film & television. I have always wanted to perform for the screen and I figured now was the time to get started. I got new head shots, signed with CUE Agency, started auditioning in the local film/tv industry, and have been training under one of Vancouver's most highly regarded teachers. Film acting demands a level of naturalism and authenticity that I can't get enough of. McIlroy's class is intense. Once he has seen what you are capable of he sets the bar there and won't let you go backwards. He demands a reverence to story, in-depth substantiation, specificity, and truthfulness. He has also helped shape my view of what it means to be an actor in every day life through a commitment to developing a compassionate imagination. My acting has changed and I will be studying with him further.



I found a play a few years ago called The Stonewater Rapture. It is a dark coming of age story that asks hard questions about religion and sexuality. My friend Kayla and I used a scene from it in an acting class and Kayla decided to produce it as her final apprentice show with Pacific Theatre. She brought me, my roommate Phil, and his company Clockwork Theatre on board. This show was a challenge and I loved every minute of it. Here is an interview I did about it.

As usual I spent time volunteering for different theatre companies, participating in script readings,  putting on events, and working as a simulation actor. A definite highlight was working with Osimous Theatre on Bob Frazer's experimental production of Vincent River. The concept was to stage a show with actors who had never rehearsed together. I was a part of the rehearsal process and helped the women prepare for the live production with actors they hadn't met before. It was a masterclass in spontaneity.

One night I was at the pub with a bunch of friends and I told them an embarrassing and ridiculously stupid true story about getting my mouth caught in a car window. My friends Gio and Holly had been thinking about filming a web series reenacting true stories with their friends, sorta like Drunk History, and this motivated them to make it a reality. We've been working on My True Story on and off this year and it is gonna be pretty darn funny.

I still need a few elective credits to graduate from UBC. I emailed one of my former acting profs and he brought me on board as a writer/assistant on this feature film project. The final year acting students brought in different characters and we crafted a bunch of improvisations and created a story structure. We wrote scenes based on the improvisations and then shot the film. It is called Love, Approximately and will be released late January or early February. I have always enjoyed writing and writing for this medium was a thrill. I may need to put  more focus here in the future...


Cave Canem

The highlight of my year has been my new living arrangement called Cave Canem. My buddy Brandon and I had been living in a tiny basement suite, John Voth had been lonely in his one bedroom apartment, and Phil was sleeping on a couch. We decided to move in together. We found a large eccentric 1970's house with a huge rec room, five bedrooms, a yard, shop, hot tub, and tons of room. Shortly after we found our fifth roomie Nathan (through a rigorous interview process) who has turned out to be a legend.

I was sorta nervous about living in a house with five dudes.. that is a lot of dudes, but it has ended up as the best choice ever. We have so much fun. We laugh all of the time. Our stupid costumed house parties have been a hit. I look forward to going home on a daily basis.

As John says "I do all of the regular day to day things as usual but now I get to do them laughing."




Family 

My little brother Javin got married! I think he's just trying to make me feel old.

My sister Meisha is in school for Esthetics and is absolutely killing it. She is the youngest person in her program and is the most requested student the school has had in seven years.

My mom started working in a school for children with Autism. She is such a great fit for this type of work. Over the years she has put on countless children's Christmas productions and was determined to do one with her students. She pulled it off and had a teary eyed Mother tell her that her child had never been in a concert until that day. Go Mom!  

Other Highlights

I got a job at one of my favourite bars in Vancouver, The Marquis. It is a rad pub tucked away in central Vancouver that has a great staff, good food, and awesome drinks. My friends come in all the time and the money is good. It is also working well with my ridiculous acting schedule.

I spent my Christmas going back to my roots. I met the Gillies boys and their crew in Edmonton for the opening of Star Wars (like old times), drove up to Fort Mac to see my brother and my best friends  there, and then flew to Prince George to spend Christmas with family (and Michael Wood). It was a much needed trip.

Looking ahead

I am looking forward to 2016. There is some exciting stuff in the works:

Love, Approximately will be released Feb 1st. 

We will continue to work on My True Story for a youtube release sometime this year.

Our 2014 production of Gruesome Playground Injuries is being remounted by Pacific Theatre as a part of their main stage season in April. The entire team is on board and everyone is excited to jump back into this peculiar tale. A far fetched dream come true!  Info & Tickets available here.



The last couple of years I have been reading characters in developing plays for Pacific Theatre's playwriting group. Through this I have learned a ton about story structure and the writing process. One of my favourite scripts to come out of this group is A Good Mother by Kathy Parsons. Pacific Theatre is staging this play in the spring as a workshop production and I have been cast as the young protagonist. Info & Tickets available here.