It is Saturday afternoon here at the National Arts Centre and the cast of East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon is still in rehearsal hall A, soon to be joined by five stiltwalkers. Down the hall in rehearsal hall B, a large chorus rehearses something serious and classical. Very big art is being made here all the time.
Earlier this afternoon, the whole East/West company gathered at the Fourth Stage to hear Randi Helmers (NAC resident artist) tell her version of the famous folktale. Her partner Rob Clutton accompanied her on bass, and while she narrated, she painted the story on a large white canvas. The room was packed with parents, kids, and Norwegian Embassy delegates, all in Randi's storytelling thrall (Randi will be remembered by Caravan audiences from Cyrano of the Northwest and The Ballad of Weedy Peetstraw).
The week's highlights:
Meeting the local teamsters (French!) and teams (Percherons and Belgians!)
Snow on the first day of rehearsal.
Attending Frida K., by Gloria Montero, starring Allegra Fulton and directed by Peter Hinton.
The costume, prop and carpentry shops: wonders to behold, and the people who work in them are so skilled and generous and professional. Norman and Claude from wardrobe and Paul and Victor from props are making the show more beautiful than ever this second time round.
Walking the route in the Arboretum in 23 below. Just kidding. But it will be so beautiful.
In general dear readers, it is going very well here in Ottawa, at the National Arts Centre. Next week we start the move out onto the site, and we will have more news and more pictures of that. Stay tuned...
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