July 26/07 Café

July 26

After our performance tonight, we went to Freeman's again. To cool down and refresh. I solicited comments from all of DaPeeps and a couple of DaPatrons who were present. Here are the results...

Please leave a thought/comment about tonight's Café for the blog:

Andrea and Eric's Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, after being prepared for five months was finally performed! Also, for a final hurrah, too late to make a difference, Kim tried to teach Chris what a boilermaker is - Eric

Kim just made an awesome speech about how wonderful the past seven months (of the Café) have been and how much she'll miss us when she's away for the next few months. What is she talking about? We'll miss her - who's going to do all the DaPoPo scene content?!? Keelin and Chris have been assimilated well and I was my usual busy self ordering people willy nilly! Oh, and Keelin and I remounted a scene from a Fringe show (Lear's Daughters) we did last September and I finally got all my lines right (sorry McPhee!) - Andrea

Andrea got her lines right - Keelin however didn't. Some day we'll both get it right and then the world will end. I had a great time belting my lungs out, particularly while getting my frustrated actor demons released with "Broadway Baby." Loved the crazy busyness - although poor Patio Table 1 ended up getting me for all but one of their orders. I did my best to bring variety - the beauty of the Café - being eight people at once at the drop of a hat. Going to miss these next two months, playing only one role in one show, with lines that I have to actually get right, is going to be odd. - Keelin

What can one say about a Café in which you have Elvis, sex behind a curtain and spaghetti eaten off a beautiful woman's arm? That it rocked, basically. That's about all. - Chris

What a rush! This was a great Café. Lots of monologues, scenes, music and an exclusive cult happening of Pasta Bolero. Kate and Petrucchio by Andrea and Eric was dynamic. I loved reciting love poetry to Ivan and thanks to Meghan and Gina for bringing a wonderful group to perform for! - Sher

I loved watching what my fellow improvisers did with the "I am Canadian" monologue from Four Actors in Search of a Nation: Kim did a funny interpretation as an immigrant waitress using the Canadian flag prop as an apron; Sher was a spellbinding magician making things apear or disappear with the flag; and then Eric switched gears completely, wrapping the flag around Sher's head and barking the lines at her as a torturer - it was chilling and brilliant. - Mike

We believe that intimate theatre captures the patrons' attention, like when we were brought sonnets and happenings and a scene from The Sex Play. The personalized feel of the order is appreciated . On that note, the big musical numbers are also immensely enjoyed. Highlights of the night for us: Very intimate "Farewell to NS"...awww! as well as the Geographic happening (Fugue aus der Geografie). Thanks for another awesome evening! - signed with a drawing of balloon, heart and shooting star - Meghan and Gina (Third-time DaPatrons)

Note from Kim to Garry on sheet of paper: "Garry (If you don't do it now, you won't!!)"

Garry would not be pushed to write his thoughts at the time. He was enjoying the social time with the people around him. As well he should. That was the moment we were in. The Café was past. And so am I. For a little while anyway.

I spent a good deal of time in the back room doing performances for multiple tables who had ordered the same item. I thoroughly enjoyed opening the whole Café with a robust rendition of DaBig Ensemble number "Molly Mollyz." Other yummies: giving some very intimate monologues, silliness with James and the Giant Peach (with sensory stimulation), and an extraordinarily sloppy and salivacious Pasta Bolero. This was a great night to end my run at Café DaPoPo, or perhaps I should actually call it starting my hiatus. It is other engagements that will keep me away, nothing else. These monthly performances have been like a ride at the carnival: novel, thrilling and exciting. Sometimes scary and nauseating but only for that brief moment as you hover at the top of the drop. And after the drop? Possibilities. Always and many. And now it's time for a slightly different attraction. I hope I don't vomit. - Kim

July 19/07 DaPride Café

It was a sizzling time at Mollyz Diner on July 19 as the gang - a mix of Café veterans and newbies - threw down a new menu in celebration of Halifax Pride week. Keelin Jack and Chris Ferrill joined Garry, Sher, Eric, Andrea Mike & Kim in the Café kitchen to cook up a GLBT (Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Transgendered) Feast.

All this while Garry, Eric & Keelin were involved in rehearsing and performing The Pirate Show for Tall Ships Festival; Andrea, Sher & Kim were cottaging; Mike was at the mercy of work schedules; and Kim was also in rehearsal for Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet with Metamorphic.Earlier in the month, we managed to all gather for a vocal workshop. Unfortunately, the guest instructor was unable to make it but it did give us a chance to brainstorm for DaPride Café, play around with music and have some social time together over food and wine.

Keelin & Kim respond to something witty out of frame. See wine glasses foreground.

Eric and Bonnie give the food a good going over.

Andrea and Sher pretend to work. Note the wine.

Garry trades his pirate sword for a fork

Mike's all business.

From there, there were lots of good ideas floated and Garry morphed those and some of his own into an ingenuous menu. The Tuesday before the Café we discussed the draft menu and drilled down to the final version. More work to be done between then and show time as each performer had the task of researching their own GLBT issues for discussion for "DaBawdy Politic," continuing to prepare selections that were either GLBT-themed or created as well as having a bit of information on all the GLBT creators (composers, writers, poets, etc) that originated the material.

The night of, we had a mostly-hetero but still-appreciative crowd, and a fantastic showing by all our peeps. Chris stepped up with a repertoire of at least a hundred (ok, maybe 6) songs in drag... all with different outfits.

Chris (in a dress) serenades Bob

In fact, Garry and Chris spent the better part of the evening in drag. Guys in a dress. Gets 'em every time. Keelin threw in some Drag King into the "Hot-Crossed Songz" department with a very hot duet of Nowadays with Garry.

Keelin and Garry (in a dress and a wig that got around) performing Nowadays

And she likewise found many ways to use her bank of drama-school pieces and her insane library of Broadway tunes. She belted like crazy!

Garry's bona fide "da po-po" was the most popular body part ordered from DaBawdy Politic and he found airing his cheek (the right one) on the sidewalk patio of Mollyz somewhat... interesting, especially during Pride Week ... though the accompanying discussion of the history and implications of the pink triangle were quite satisfying.

Sher coralled many more secrets in the last dash to fill St. Sebastian's Secretz jar and one of the coolest moments for patrons and performers alike was when we were all gathered on the sidewalk at the end of the night to burn the "shame" secrets and read aloud the "pride" secrets. One slightly drunken patron slurred to Kim after the ceremony: "That was awesome!"

Surprisingly, no one ordered any erotic bedtime stories in negligees. Though Kim did have fun reading a GLBT-themed kids story about two penguin boys who become a family and hatch an adopted egg (true story).

Prepping the door for the Come Out of the Closet photos

Sher's idea to take pictures of people coming out of the closet garnered few requests However, all of us had a go:

The Mollyz servers were run off their feet and had to shoo us out by the end of the night, at which point we all made a direct dash to Freeman's for beer (and wine!), pizza, laughs, a bit of a debrief and plans for next week's regular Café.

June 28/07 Café

June 28

This was Shtev's last café before he moved to France. Our rehearsals beforehand were a great way to spend time together. Shtev and I (KP) worked out the choreography for Mike's cafe version of "The Charleston" and had some hilarious moments doing that. Hot times in the summer trying to rehearse it with the gang at the house Andrea was sitting.

DaBig Ensemble number flambéed a la table

Garry suggested we play with ways to deliver our performances using the table top as the stage vs. us full-bodied actors. To somehow really bring the size of the stage down to the table top: Imagine a scene from "Taming of the Shrew" between a salt shaker and a knife.

Mike serves up a serious monologue mode

The Café itself was a really nice evening. And I mean nice in every sense of the word. Some good friends showed up, along with new faces and although it wasn't packed like last month, it was a great giving/intereacting, not-too-crazy pace (though we do like that as well!).

Sher and Kim finish serenading Keeling with "Well Did You Evah?"

We all had moments of busy-ness along with lulls, but the best thing was that Shtev got to do a wonderful cross-section of the performances he has on the menu. Extra-special because his mum was able to finally make it to a Café.

Paul and Steph enjoy Shtev as Gustav

Shtev had people laughing their pants off as Gustav, thrilled with his newly created Happening, numbers reprised his lyrical piece Stopping, Not Ending from DaPoPo's "Apocalypse 2006" and accompanied so many of us for musical numbers

Shtev, Garry and friend present a DaPretentious Song

Shtev is living and loving in France as I write this and we do miss him.

Kim and Shtev perform an excerpt from Apocalypse 2006

During the whole thing, Andrea - who was more lulled than the rest of us - slid into backstage wrangler mode and kept us on track with orders in and out and priorities. What a huge help!

Bedtime story for patrons Lee, Meghan, Gina, Michael & Elizabeth (+friends)

And a professional photographer, Rob Fournier, was in attendance and took some fantastic candid shots throughout the evening. All of the photos on this post are to his credit. Thanks Rob!

Garry leads the monologue series from "Four Actors in Search of a Nation"

We've been asked by our main man at Mollyz, Doug Melanson, to put on an extra cafe next month for Halifax Pride Week. DaPride Café it is! July 19...

May 31/07 Café

May 31

A busy Café this month. Sher was finishing her run of Blood Wedding, Pip is still doing follow-spot on Beauty and the Beast and Steven is working evenings to save money for his summer in France. So Ivan Frisken (from DaPoPo's The Modern World, The Sex Play) came on board to swell the ranks with Garry, Eric, Andrea, Mike and Kim. We had a new Queerified Combo on the menu and a special "Carolin's Combo" for our friend Carolin Anthes who was at her last Café before travelling and moving back to Germany.

We had a large attendance again, which is encouraging. Logistics still are a challenge, especially regarding getting all orders satisfied in a timely manner, seating and reservations, "back stage" shuffling. All in good time, my dears. As long as people still are having a good time, having a good experience... all in good time.

Ivan and Garry as Juliet and Nurse

Some thoughts about the night from the cast:

Mike: It was great to see both returning regulars and new faces at the May 31 show. The highlights for me were the enthusiastic response to our new Big Ensemble Number, which we had put a lot of work into; somehow pulling off the Fuge Aus Der Geographie without getting off track as we usually did in rehearsals; and doing "Famous Blue Raincoat" as a special request for Kevin and Annie. I felt bad for the people who had to wait a long time for their order because it was so busy, but overall it was a good night.

Kim: Eric and I finally had stuff ordered that we've had prepped for months: scenes from All's Well That Ends Well and The Sex Play. It's very satisfying to be able to do the things you're ready to do. On the other hand, it's a bit freaky to do the things you aren't quite as ready for! Case in point: I learned Shtev's part in "The Mad Tea Party" in a matter of days. It's almost entirely in German. I do not speak German. I was, frankly, stressed, but our lovely patrons were forgiving of my horrendous accent and miraculously, without actually rehearsing with the others, we did a good scene. And - drumroll please - I sang a non-character song solo. That's huge for me. Right before I started, I had the feeling of being on the edge of a cliff about to jump off. That's the Cafe thing. It's so great for a performer... There's a push to "do." The opportunity to try. Possibly fail. Try again... fail better (an idea unabashedly adapted from Samuel Beckett). Or to just enjoy the enjoyment of the souls around you for those wonderfully chaotic 3 or 4 hours.

April 26/07 Café

April 26 (posted by Garry)

Sadly, this was my (Garry's) first full café experience since January, having missed February's (to attend my father's funeral in Berlin) and most of March's (to perform in Metamorphic Theatre's "Creatures of the Moment"). I had learned more about the goings-on at Mollyz through Kim's blog entries than on the floor. I missed the formative runs with the current DaPoPo troupe: Kim, Andrea, Eric, Mike, Shtev and our new 'chef' Sher.

Garry muses at the Shakespeare workout

Most wonderful was my discussion with Robin Metcalfe about Shakespeare sonnets; the intimacy of slow and intimate Show Tunes for two corner tables; and this month's reprise of Pasta Bolero with Kim, splattering our unsuspecting audience with mustard and pasta goo.

Aforementioned goo

Prior to the performance, Lee J. Campbell led us through a rigirous and honest look at our Shakespeare sonnets, monologues and scenes. I've always wanted a core group to evolve and train, improve their craft, and here it was. Also, most wonderful!

Kate and Petrucchio kick it at the Shakespeare workout

Lee J. Campbell shares Shake's secrets

We welcomed our first guest artist, our 'Special of the Month': Alex Derry with "Ululation Installation -- or: U and I" (reading of texts using exclusively one vowel... ah, that's as hard as a bad bat whack, and always as bad-ass). Another debut was Dustin Harvey's one-act "The Canon" which Kim performed for the first time at the writer's table.

I missed Pip (although she joined us as a patron mid-evening).

Sher and Mike have some improv fun

The challenges remain: how to quickly follow performance with performance, how to track seven performers and two score patrons; how to 'serve up' performances in often close, cramped settings; how to rehearse the unrehearsable.

We have said -- sometimes with excitement, sometimes in despair -- our work often places us in previously untried theatrical situations. This could be be said of the audience, too, I suppose. The Café, then, continues in good DaPoPo tradition: much to be savoured, much to be learned.

March 29/07 Café

March 29

A quiet night on the audience front at the Café. It's interesting, we always hear that people want to come or they are going to come, and then we don't see them. Anyway, lesson learned. More publicity, more strongarming, etc.

Sher Clain joined us for her inaugural Café. She's been studying in the PreProfessional Training Program at Neptune Theatre School (Garry's one of the instructors) since the fall and she was the only one of her class who jumped at the offer to join our merry band of players when Garry said we were looking for a few warm bodies.

Sher takes notes as Eric explains the ropes

Okay, he didn't put it that way. But we were hurting this month, because Pip got a job (in her field, yay! Pip!) as ass't stage manager - or some other title don't quote me - for a production at Neptune; Andrea is in London temporarily - mainly to research for a play she's writing but probably she's also having some fun times too; and Garry couldn't come 'til late because he was doing another show called "Creatures of the Moment" with Metamorphic Theatre (http://www.metamorphic.ca/). Not that Shtev, Eric, Mike and I are not EXTREMELY capable, but ... you know.

Eric, Sher, Shtev and Kim working Da Big Ensemble number in rehearsal

Vanessa Furlong also hopped on board some time around Monday. She works at Grafton Street Dinner Theatre right now, and they didn't have a show this Thursday. Steven knows here from Bishop's days. She has a vast repertoire of Broadway tunes, does a kick-ass musical improvisation thing and also paints, so the "Add Art to any order" was extremely do-able this month.

Pushkin interrupts our musical rehearsal

In retrospect, it seems Eric and I scrambled a lot to get new things on the menu, make sure a lot of old things were still fresh and in the end, hardly anything was called for. However, I can't complain. There was a really good vibe in the diner for the first few hours when it was only half full ... I think all the performances that went out there were seen, heard, absorbed, enjoyed by everyone. Like they were all there together, but separate. Ah. My powers of description elude me. ANYWAY...

Best things of the night:

*Performing Emmett Williams' "Four-Directional Song of Doubt" for Garry Kennedy and Cathy Busby. We used the sounds: Da The Po Ter Po and Em Love with Mett for in their rendition which was mingled with another performance for an adjacent table involving plastic noisemakers for one direction and farm sounds for the other. So, at least from my side of the metronome, it was a great sequence of utter sincerity and playfulness. LOTS of laughs during the noisemakers' iteration as Eric had an uncooperative kazoo that refused to make any noise other than a miserable drone. We were entirely concentrated on the tables that had ordered the piece, but there was an incredible hush in the café for the whole performance. See above note about the vibe of diner-wide intimacy.

*Carolin and Paul coming AGAIN. I think they get the award for biggest (or most consistently attending) fans. They wanted the next installment of Urban Mysteriez, which was cool, but of course, half of the cast wasn't with us, so... next month guys!

*Doing sonnets and Apocalypse for part of the cast of Creatures who came after their show. A couple of us are going to see them perform tomorrow night, so it felt like sharing good things with people who get to share back another time.

*Vanessa's improvised song.... crazy beautiful.

*Pasta Bolero! Garry tossed out a couple of performances after he arrived and we were called upon for Pasta Bolero. So it has finally had it's Halifax debut. There's a lot of opportunity for this piece to be different every time, so there's life left. Can't wait to do it again! With relish - and I possibly mean this in the condimentary sense.

*Sher discovering that doing a sonnet through a puppet is strangely grounding.

*Eric's rant about sock puppets, actually using a sock puppet for part of it. Inspired!

*Thea's friends remarking as they left "I hope you're still going to do this in the fall. We're not here all summer but we'll be back!" and then hearing from Thea later that they in Thea's words "were loving it" and said "we can't get anything like this in Toronto." **KP licks finger and makes imaginary mark on imaginary wall**

Another night behind us, hopefully many more before. Who knows what the next one brings? I wish for even more people and more unexpected stellar moments. Twenty-nine days and counting...

Feb 22/07 Café

February 22

Holy mother of "The Show Must Go On!" Our second Café night was coming on smoothly. We had been meeting once or twice a week to bash out new material, rehearse and plan. Then a week before the Café, we learn that Garry can't be with us.

Crap. Er, I mean, no problem. Some valiant cries of "I could probably do that thing..." (maybe doesn't sound so valiant in print, but when you're less than a week to show and people are deciding to pick up even more material... yup) and we had the menu pretty much covered.

So, it's 7 pm on Café night, we start actor service in an hour and we're meeting at Pip and Shtev's to make one last attempt to get the choreography down for the new DaBig Ensemble Number. Oh. And by the way, Shtev just called and he's not going to make it. At all. See he's doing the lighting for the Cirque Siana show and the day has gone to utter hell and he cannot leave.

Uh. Wha'?

Moments to let it sink in. Then, WHAM! Mike is at the keyboard bashing out music Shtev was to play. Andrea is going to replace him in Schroedinger's Cat. We already have MacBeth and Apocalypse doubly covered. Kim still has one improv character. We have enough songs and poetry as well and ... oh crap. The beatnik bongo accompaniament to Eric's pretentious song... Mike again! woo hoo! We have to drop the new ensemble number, but other than that...

Oh. Right. 13 Ways. Ok. Kim knows the ballad and can do it if necessary. Maybe, she thinks. OH! What about the verse that was Steven's. She and Pip can't even think of the first ... wait "Keith with his nose in the air." And then it flows (more or less) and...

..And we're off. It's a busier night at the Café. We absolutely fill the front room and spill over to the back. Some actors are so busy dishing out performances they can barely get back to the tables they're supposed to be "waiting on." (sorry about that Paul!) We get backed up at times but people are generally laid back and happy to go along for the ride.

Shtev's "Happening" happening without him courtesy of Andrea, Pip (oc) & Eric adds art

Our lovely couple from last month has returned and brought friends. They order lots. And they are so fun. More friends of DaPoPo and cast plus some newbies are there. We love our friends! We love newbies! Our 'family' is growing!

Four Actors, Improv and Sock Puppets, oh my! Elvis makes a grand total of four appearances. Why is Elvis so Popular!?

Recent Elvis sighting at Mollyz Diner

And blue smurfs under the Eiffel tower as an improv? ok... More sonnets ordered this month than last but hardly any Shakespeare. Kim presents more last-minute work than stuff she had actually prepared. Pip and Eric jump in for the "add art" feature. Bonnie keeps tabs on everything and encourages us to pick up the pace. OMG!

We go very late again this time. Pip has to pool the last three orders for a bedtime story or we'll never let Micky and Bruce get home (yay! Micky and Bruce!). Midnight and we're on the sidewalk outside Mollyz arranging to meet at 11 am on Monday to debrief and start plotting March's Café.

January 25 2007 First Café DaPoPo

January 25

Our first Café DaPoPo! It was so much fun for everyone. Our inaugural actor complement included the original seven: Steven, Pip, Andrea, Mike, Eric, Garry and Kim. We almost filled the main room at Mollyz and had a bit of turnover of some of the tables. We had originally expected a full house but a reservation of 20 didn't show.

We had certain challenges such as squeezing by each other in the teeny hallway that held our costumes, negotiating what performances should be prioritized and how to avoid utterly destroying a sonnet recitation with a raucous rendition of "Return to Sender."

Many of the people who came were known to us, but we also had several accidentals and a couple that showed because they read about it in the paper. They were absolutely lovely and really were into the whole thing ... enjoying both their own selections as well as the voyeuristic experience of other tables' performances. That's what it's all about.

A sock puppet toys with the hearts of patrons

Bruce and Micky worked the diner and thankfully everything worked out on the restaurant end. We ran over time but everyone was in high spirits and finished at midnight with thoughts of the next Café already in mind.