Tag Archives: plays

INNOVATIVE & EXCITING A.I. THEMED PLAY BY TORONTO-BASED THEATRE CO. HITS THE FRINGE CIRCUIT

I was thrilled to meet actors/creators Yana Menov and Yuriy Popov of Toronto’s indie theatre group Studio Reflection Theater and was even more excited when they asked me to help promote their current Fringe Festival performances of The Turing Test in Kingston and (next week) London, Ontario. Summer is not the ideal time to present stage festivals – let’s face it, everyone is either up at the cottage or enjoying family BBQs in the back garden and is definitely a challenge to get bums in seats. But these two talented actors have been working hard promoting their shows in person: handing out flyers, putting up posters and burning up social media with photos, videos and promos. Whew, it’s hard out there for an actor!

The Turing Test is a sharp, emotionally resonant, and genre-blending theatrical piece that invites audiences to reflect on what it truly means to be human through a sharp, witty and visually rich exploration of relationships, technology, and identity.

Yana and Yuriy successfully wrapped up their shows at Windsor Fringe Fest about 10 days ago, and are currently mid-run at The Grand Theatre at this year’s Kingston Fringe. Then next week, they’ll be hitting the stage at the Palace Theatre in London. In between performances, I got a chance to ask Yana and Yuriy a few questions about The Turing Test, a look at how Artificial Intelligence could impact our personal lives and how human emotions can impact the inter-species(?) relationship.

Yuriy and Yana, congratulations on mounting the play The Turing Test at the various Fringe Festivals across Ontario. What first inspired you to present the play and who wrote it? 
Yuriy (Y): Thank you! I first read The Turing Test and thought, “This is either a comedy, a tragedy… or both — which means it’s perfect.” It’s by Russian playwright Igor Yakimov, and it’s got that rare mix of wit, philosophy, and emotional gut punches. I was hooked because it’s about so much more than AI — it’s about human connection, which, ironically, is the thing we humans most often struggle with.
Yana (Ya): When Yuriy showed me the script, I was laughing one moment and tearing up the next. The dialogue felt alive, like it was speaking directly to me. And under the humor, there was this tenderness and truth about loneliness, love, and the strange ways we find each other. I couldn’t resist it.You’ve performed The Turing Test in Russian and now have translated the play into English for Canadian audiences with subtitles shown on the screen behind the action on stage. How do you enjoy performing in English…do you ever slip in Russian?
Yuriy (Y): Performing in English is like wearing a suit tailored by a very talented but slightly unpredictable tailor — it fits, but sometimes you discover an extra pocket you didn’t expect. We rehearsed so much that the language stopped being a barrier and became part of the character’s voice. Yes, on rare occasions a Russian word will try to sneak in — they’re stubborn like that. And I’m sure there’s still a Russian accent, but audiences tell us it disappears from their mind after the first ten minutes.
Yana (Ya): The rehearsals made the English feel completely natural – at this point it’s not about “translating” anymore, it’s about living inside the lines. The text is so layered that once you’re in the emotion, the English flows without thinking. We might still have a hint of an accent, but once the audience is drawn in, it’s just part of the rhythm of the play.With so many people concerned about the use of Artificial Intelligence in everyday life, how does the play’s subject affect audiences? Have you received comments from people about their fears of AI?
Yuriy (Y): We’ve had people come up after the show and say, “This is exactly why I don’t trust my smart toaster.” But seriously — the AI element gets people thinking, not so much about robots taking over, but about what makes us… us. Are we really so different from the algorithms we create? Think of it as dessert for your brain — sweet, a little strange, and maybe a bit dangerous.
Yana (Ya): Some arrive expecting a “tech” story, but what stays with them is the emotional side — how easy it is to open your heart to something (or someone) you don’t fully understand. It makes them think about their own relationships. AI just happens to be the mirror we’re holding up.

Where did you both train for acting? Did you meet in acting school or on the stage?
Yuriy (Y): We’ve both been fortunate to train with highly skilled professionals in the drama world – people who really pushed us to grow and challenged us to think differently about performance. We actually met while working on another production, which is the actor’s equivalent of meeting in a foxhole: you learn a lot about someone when you’re both trying to remember your lines and not fall off the set.
Yana (Ya): Yes, our first meeting was in a production where we barely had time to say “hi” before being thrown into intense rehearsals. It felt like being tossed into the deep end — only the water was pure emotion, and you just had to learn to swim together. After the current run at the Kingston Fringe Festival, you head off to London, Ontario, next week to their Festival. Any expectations of a new audience? Is the London Fringe already promoting ticket sales?
Yuriy (Y): In Kingston, the best “marketing advice” I got from a professional artistic producer was: “If you want more people at your show, go to a pub, have a beer, talk to people, and cry that you came for the Fringe but nobody showed up. People here have big hearts — they’ll feel sorry for you, and the whole pub will follow you to your venue. Just make sure you negotiate with the management so they can bring their beer along.”
For London, we’re hoping we won’t need to consume quite that much alcohol to fill the seats. We trust people will see the audience feedback on our Instagram and be curious enough to check it out. And yes – tickets for London are already on sale. But if all else fails… we know which pub to start with.
Yana (Ya): Kingston showed us how open-hearted Fringe audiences are — sometimes all it takes is an honest conversation to make a real connection. For London, I hope curiosity will come from the buzz, from friends telling friends, and from those little glimpses we’ve been sharing online. There’s something magical about walking into a theatre expecting an unusual story.

You have a special one-night-only performance of The Turing Test in Toronto happening in September. I gather it will be staged in an intimate studio space north of the downtown – do you anticipate a longer run closer to downtown Toronto sometime during the winter months?
Yuriy (Y): That’s the plan. The September show is a “stress test” for the play – small space, close audience, nowhere to hide. If it goes as I expect, a downtown winter run will be the logical next step.
Yana (Ya): I love intimate spaces because you can feel the audience breathing with you. It’s electric. And yes, I’d love to bring it downtown — the more chances to share it, the better.

Any other projects in the works?
Yuriy (Y): Plenty. After seeing other Fringe shows, we’ve been buzzing with ideas. You see another actor do something brilliant and think, “Yep, I’m stealing that… respectfully.” Between that and our own original concepts, our plate is full. Plus, we’re part of other theatres’ productions, so sometimes we’re not just cooking the meal – we’re also the surprise ingredient.
Yana (Ya): And in the middle of all that, we’re rehearsing two completely different children’s plays – one a traditional piece, the other a fully interactive show where the audience becomes part of the story. It’s like switching between a classic novel and a choose-your-own-adventure book. Keeps us on our toes… and slightly sleep-deprived.

How can people follow you – do you have a website or social media?
Yuriy (Y): We’re easy to find — search studio.reflection.theater on Instagram or Facebook. You’ll see our adventures, behind-the-scenes moments, and the occasional teaser that makes you go, “Wait… what on earth are they doing on stage?”
Yana (Ya): Social media is the best way to follow us — see show clips, join the conversation, and occasionally catch a late-night philosophical musing about theatre. We promise, it’s more entertaining than your average bedtime scroll.

Thanks Y & Y – so if you live in the Kingston, ON area, you only have a couple more performances, but if you’re a Londoner, you can catch several performances at The Palace Theatre – see details below. Tkts avail. here: https://palacetheatre.ca/london-fringe/ 

CANADIAN ACTOR/WRITER/FILMMAKER BOBBY DEL RIO CONQUERS COVID PRODUCTION LOCK-DOWN BY CREATING MULTIPLE FUTURE PROJECTS FOR FILM & TV

Several years ago, I was thrilled to work on promotions and PR for filmmaker friend Bobby Del Rio‘s feature film The Market and I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the impact the film has had on so many of the actors involved, especially now that there is a distribution deal in place to take the film to viewers across the globe…and that my fave streaming platform, Amazon Prime, now offers it as part of their catalogue. One good thing about quarantining is that it’s given us plenty of time to watch tv and discover all manner of films, documentaries and tv series.   I reached out to Bobby to see how he’s dealing with the production “lock down” and was pleased to hear how well he has been handling these past 6 months both personally and professionally. This is what he told me….headshot bBobby, it’s been several years since we worked together on your feature film The Market, and you recently landed a distribution deal for the film so how did that come about and what countries can now view The Market?   Thank you for your help, Glenda. You were an important part of our team that helped us get here!
The distribution deal came about while talking to my friend Rebeka Herron about another project. When I mentioned I thought the unfortunate economic collapse was a very relevant time to release my feature film about a Wall Street conspiracy theory, she certainly agreed and offered to distribute the film through her Parallel Universe Pictures. They have been amazing to work with. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime in the US & UK. In Canada, we’re on Vimeo on Demand. The Market poster (2)From watching all your social media posts, I gather you’ve been very busy writing, directing, acting…can you share any news of upcoming film/tv releases?  I really appreciate the support, Glenda. I’ve been blessed to stay busy during a difficult time in our industry. My next project is The Kult, a web series I’m co-writing with Megan Laursen. We created it together, Megan is directing, I am playing one of the lead roles. We have assembled a brilliant cast of stage and screen veterans, and will be announcing production details in the coming months… We’re looking at early 2021, and I’m incredibly excited about it.
Megan Laursen is a 22-year old prodigy who has become my writing partner and main collaborator. She will be directing some of my feature screenplays, and I am attached to star in a few of her films. You will hear her name again and again, and it’s my true pleasure to work with such a talented artist at the beginning of her bright career. I am also working with filmmaker Paul Persic on a new feature film. Paul is actually our DOP for The Kult, and a talented director himself. He is yet another young, prodigious film talent that has an incredibly bright career ahead of him. Megan, Paul and myself have a really great synergy that is yielding a large number of film projects at a very high skill level. It’s humbling and exciting to work with (and learn from) artists half my age.

How have you navigated the Covid production shut down? Has this given you the time and space to focus on your writing?  While Covid has certainly created many challenges, it has also been a blessing in disguise for me. I learned how to edit, launched a couple of podcasts, polished some scripts and binged historically great television franchises like Lost and The Sopranos. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have never been so busy in my entire career! I have been offered lead roles in SEVEN different projects, and have many other projects in development as a writer.
While many of my projects are on hold from a production standpoint until after Covid is over, many are in pre-production. I anticipate an INCREDIBLY busy 2021 – starting around spring/summer. While the quarantine year has been challenging, I think it’s been a very important time for contemplation. I view our industry in a period of calm before the storm…

Back in 2017, you presented your play, Professionally Ethnic which was, in fact, written a decade earlier. Considering the timeliness of the subject of diversity in film & tv, do you have any plans to put the play on film? Due to many geopolitical events, my play Professionally Ethnic has certainly been getting attention. I have been working extensively with director Rouvan Silogix for an extended theatre run and also a film adaptation! While theatre has been hit harder than film during the pandemic, many discussions are ongoing. Since writing is a major part of my career, I have actually found myself MORE in demand as a writer. While many production challenges continue, development opportunities abound. Rouvan is one of my best friends, and a truly brilliant artist. While we don’t have official release dates on anything related to Professionally Ethnic yet, we have a few strong possibilities on the horizon for this particular project… My hope is that an analysis of race politics will bring us all closer together as human beings…EthnicYou were also a recurring character on the hit web-series My Roommate’s an Escort (2017-19) – did that experience inspire your own web-based creativity? How do you see the future of traditional network tv vs. web-based or streaming platforms for entertainment delivery?  Playing SAM in both seasons of My Roommate’s an Escort taught me a lot. While I was the creator & showrunner of IRL the Series (sold to Bell Media) before I worked for Katie & Trish as an actor, I certainly learned a lot from the Escort experience. It’s amazing how voraciously an audience is willing to consume a web series if you have the right product.roommateAs for traditional network tv vs web-based content, the lines have blurred. I personally do not see a difference between conventional television and shorter-form content. I think the viewer has shifted their thinking to that of patrons in an art gallery: While some canvasses are large and some are small, they are all ultimately still viewed as different paintings. I think that is how movies/tv shows/web series/streaming platforms/etc. are now seen: as simply different styles of content – all equally relevant, though unique in their own ways.
Ultimately, the audience is looking for a well-crafted story, told by skilled artists. I simply focus on telling my stories the best way I can with the resources available to me. That strategy has consistently yielded positive results for me my entire career. I do my best, and constantly seek to improve. Everything else is out of my control…

How can readers follow you on social media?  I have a very active Facebook account where I approve everyone. (This sometimes gets me in trouble. lol) and I also have a growing platform on Instagram (@bobbydelrio) and my Twitter handle is @Bobman

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Thanks, Bobby, and congrats on all the well-earned successes to date and your future gigs. I encourage readers to check out Bobby’s social media for news of upcoming projects and thank you all for supporting Canadian talent.

“THE BABY” opens in Toronto Oct. 15th – Meet the man who plays Mama

Starting October 15th,  writer/director Dan Spurgeon brings his award-winning hit play THE BABY to Toronto audiences and leading the cast on stage is NY Drama Desk Award nominee FRANK BLOCKER (pictured above)  The multi-talented New York-based actor is making his Toronto theatre debut reprising his celebrated tour-de-force portrayal of Mama Wadsworth, the family matriarch of the play who keeps many secrets. Frank’s off-Broadway appearances include the Drama Desk-nominated Southern Gothic Novel, The Deep Throat Sex Scandal, Fall of the House of Usher, and Obie-winning West/East Village Fragments.  Frank is also a playwright (Southern Gothic Novel; Stabilized Not Controlled; Eula Mae’s Beauty, Bait & Tackle; Patient Number; Suite Atlanta; The Wisconsinners; Good Jew; The Call of Cthulhu).

I recently spoke with Frank who shared his thoughts on reprising his now-famous role of Mama for Toronto audiences, as well as his career on stage and screen.

Frank, you played Mama Wadsworth in the award-winning L.A. production of The Baby – are you eager to present Mama to Toronto audiences?
Excited and yet cautious.  She’s terribly misunderstood. To be honest, I do not want my first role in any town to be “drag” – and it’s really not…so there’s that.  You get labeled for such roles.  Fortunately, I am so unrecognizable in the poster, when my sister saw it on Facebook, she asked if I was involved in the show in some way. mama-wailing-smYou’re also a playwright yourself, so how collaborative was the process for creating this larger-than-life character – how closely did you work with writer/director Dan Spurgeon?
Well, there wasn’t a lot of time – we were in a bit of a rush and there’s 11 people on stage – doing a LOT.  But his direction was pretty clear: that we had to fit into the style and world he wanted.  We’re a B-movie on stage.  You want “bad acting” so to speak, but you don’t want it to BE bad.  To put on the proper veneer for the role – I decided I wasn’t playing the role.  Someone else was.  I play an actress who is playing a part:  a b-movie, has-been, aging actress had found herself cast in a tiny theatrical role amidst actors with varying experience levels.  My “actress” would try to put a positive spin on it – if she didn’t have a positive attitude she wouldn’t have survived in this biz… She had a great role in this “Mama Wadsworth”, one of Shakespearean magnitude.  A tragedy!!  This story (to the “actress) is all about Mama…willing to do anything to save her family and yet, like an Elizabethan play, must die trying.  Suddenly, I had the veneer, but the performance was still real and passionate.  And yes, I use every Shakespearean ‘thing’ I ever learned—more so in this than actual Shakespeare.  Enunciation, projection, dissecting each sentence for pace …it sure wasn’t just throwing on 10 outfits for laughs.  Although that’s pretty dang funny.charlies-angels-smAs an actor, there was the same collaboration as normal but as a playwright, well, there wasn’t much to do, say or help Dan with…When Dan asked me to read it, it worked well, in my opinion.  I had seen the movie many years earlier, and I have worked with lots and lots of playwrights, but in this case all I could offer Dan was, “Don’t change anything—maybe punch up a line here or there but you’ll know when you need that.”  It was a smart and fun adaptation in its first draft.  You don’t mess with someone if you think they found gold…I have seen WAY too many people jump into that type of situation, want so bad to be an affecting part of the art, and they ruin the stew.   The best thing I could do for Dan as a fellow playwright was encourage, then shut up.

You’ve enjoyed much success in comedic roles, in particular edgy outrageous characters – do you prefer more serious dramatic roles or do you relish the more outlandish characters?
When I was working in NYC, I found that my “street cred” friends—the ones I literally did street theatre with—thought it disturbing that my off-Broadway playwriting debut was for something like Eula Mae’s Beauty, Bait & Tackle…in their eyes, it lessened me.   And of course, the street performers and the comedy folk had a hard time understanding that I was classically trained and even like to do that sort of stuff (sometimes).  Then, when I would go to work and do all that smarty-pants-computer-stuff, they would express shock that I got up on stage at all.  What I prefer is a deep, rich character that I think I can bring something to—particularly the “evil” ones.  Again, horribly misunderstood.  In the evil one’s mind, he/she is desperately trying to make what they think is important change—they are a hero.  Outlandish can be fun—chewing scenery is fun—but it always has to be real in the end or you don’t get a single laugh, a single tear, nor a single care from the audience.  I love this role because unlike many comedic parts, it can become rote and/or just plain easy.  This one requires the utmost attention because with 11 people on stage, things just happen.  Truly, I relish the most impossible roles—or whatever someone thinks cannot be done.  Dan and I talked about this role before he put up the audition notice the first time—we were pretty sure it would work this way, but I know we both had some concerns.SNC_JPAbsolute favorite roles of all time – Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher (absolutely nothing funny in that one) and it was incredibly presentational and artsy; Don Quixote going insane in the Don Quixote Project; and all the characters in Southern Gothic Novel…which is funny, outlandish, and very very physically exhausting.  But yes, Mama is probably up there with them…when will I ever get to say, “You’ve got your fucking tit in his mouth and you call that nothing?” again?

You have also appeared in films and on episodic TV (please feel free to share which ones) – how do approach on-camera roles as opposed to live stage performances? 
Not much on-camera, unless you count all those darned short films.  I was in a Law & Order: SVU episode, I’m at the 3:00 mark in a movie called Thanks for Sharing—at a sex addiction meeting, and I show up in the middle of Tales of Halloween (opens in a few weeks) looking devilish and creepy…as if Satan showed up to watch a nasty fight.  I approached that role like most—had the director tell me what he wanted me to do and did what I could to fit the vision.  Worked well in that case—after editing, the role came out differently on film than what the day’s goal was when we filmed it.  But because I trusted the director, he knew what to do in the editing room and actually made my part shine more than it would have originally.  Also, make your director happy in film or you will end up on the cutting room floor.
But on-camera being different?  Only in that you are being photographed instead of watched by live persons, daily.  In film, show up knowing those lines like the back of your hand because EVERYTHING will distract you.  Plus, when it comes time to actually speak them, it takes all of 2 seconds and a crew of a gazillion people are waiting for you…to do it right and with as little extra takes as possible…because they spent all day and night setting up all that shit! AND you have to be able to do it again, exactly, several times over in case multi-shots are needed, or Murphy’s Law is proving itself with the technical aspects.  You do not want to be the actor who F-ed up the consistency or caused the crew to go home even later to their families.  Efficiency and preparedness makes them all much happier.Cthulhu photo verticalAs you played Mama before, how does this run differ from the LA production – do you plan on bringing anything new, special, crazier to your characterization?
I’m not bringing it…Dan is … He wants me to do a song…
That’s the only change.  Of course, the rehearsal process is needed so I can rebuild familial relationships with each of my “children”—they are all very different and it’s very important for the final product…but changing things or ratcheting up the performance would be selfish and would be a disservice to the show.  I get plenty of focus wearing those outfits and saying what I (get to) say—trying to get more would be criminal—and boring as heck to the audience.  We’re a team on this show and have to be one—and every part is truly a lead, down to the single-line party guest asking a simple question.

The only newness I would like to bring is that of already having done it … the “new” thing would be my previous experience with it and that I can back up Dan should anyone wonder, “does this or that work.”  Cuz trust me, it’s sometimes hard to believe we’re doing this show…it is WHACKED.Baby-in-crib-sm judith-axe-smIs this your first time in Toronto? And if so, any touristy sites or extra-curricular activities you plan to experience?
I plan to take a ferry to Toronto Island tomorrow.  I want to see Lake Ontario in person instead of from the plane (though that was nice).  Dan & Drew aren’t much the nature types and I love that stuff…and without a car, that seems like something I can easily get to and transport myself on foot, bus, train, streetcar and/or boat—a simple yet pleasant adventure.  No, I’ve never been to Canada at all.  Have great friends FROM Canada.  And boy, am I still freakin’ PISSED about Sale and Pelltier and it’s been … what?…. 13 years.  There should have been one gold medal team and it sure wasn’t the Russians!  DAMMIT.  Sorry but that one just gets to me….

Any other comments/funny stories or anecdotes you’d like to share?
I’m 50 and I’ve been doing theatre since I was in high school, so yes, plenty of stories: star run-ins, crazy audience members, totally insane theatre producers, certifiably insane artists…BUT specific to this show:  a full year after we closed it, we were at a party thrown by the Ann character.  One of her friends started talking about THE BABY and asked me if I’d seen it.  I said, “You know, actually, I never did get a chance to see it.”  And they went on and on about it—praising Jana Wimer’s (Ann) performance and ‘that guy’ who played the mother.  They quoted a few lines, and then I said one of the lines.  Took ‘em a few minutes, but finally one went, “Wait.  OMIGOD IT’S YOU! (pokes his friend) it’s him…Her…I mean, Mama.  It’s him…her…shit!  … YOU played Mama, didn’t you?”
After the first few rehearsals here for me the sense of joy and passion from the Toronto cast is very exciting.  That makes this show soar.  And these guys are taking to it like ducks to water.Baby-logo-web-banner

About the Show:
A love letter to the sleazy grindhouse cinema of the ’70s, THE BABY follows social worker Ann Gentry as she finds herself with a very unusual case – the Wadsworth family, whose youngest member, Baby, is an adult man who sleeps in a crib and acts like an infant.  Is Ann on the case to help the disabled Baby escape his abusive mother and sisters, or is her interest in him more… special?  Part bizarre love story, part twisted fairy tale, part mystery thriller and all outrageous and offensive, the ’70s cult film comes to the stage with a story so strange and shocking, you won’t believe it’s happening right in front of you!

What the LA Critics said about The Baby:
“Gleefully perverse with a delicious campiness!”  Paul Birchall, LA Weekly
“The most fun I’ve had at a play in a long time!”  Andrew Moore, Mad Theatrics
and our favourite….. “That was fuckin’ funny!”  Ron Jeremy, adult film legend

THE BABY   http://thebabyliveonstage.com/
Show runs: Oct. 15 to Nov. 1, 2015
The Storefront Theatre, 955 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Showtimes: Tues. thru Sat. @ 8pm & Sun. @ 2pm
Tickets: $20-$25 available from http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2253620logo