Second Year of Theatre School

I haven't written in such a long time because... Theatre School.

Now my last post was last May which was about the time I finished up my first year of theatre school. My first year of training was coming to an end and I was feeling good about the work I had created with my ensemble, but it was summer!!!!

I saw so much theatre, I worked a ton of hours at silly part time jobs, and I went to London, England with my best friend Jessica Goddard. So Summer 2013 treated me very well.

By the Autumn I started my journey in the dark tunnel of second year at Humber College's Theatre Performance program. I wrote in my journals throughout the year how it was not a dark tunnel and how the faculty should stop referring to second year like that because it was such a negative image... BUT SECOND YEAR WAS A DARK TUNNEL.

It was so dark, sometimes I didn't think I even existed or would make it to the exit. We just did so much through the semester, I'm surprise nobody evaporated from exhaustion. We trained in the studio to find the play with our vocal technique and electrify our dynamic alignment, physically.

But besides the training we stared workshopping pieces. We worked with:
Nancy Palk on The Machinal
Kelly McEvenue on The Beaux Stratagem
Alex McLean and Marissa Zinni on Orestia
Kennedy C. MacKinnon and Thomas Hauff on Twelfth Night and A Comedie of Errors
Marie Beath Badian on The Fight.

So yeah... we were basically working on an entire season as if we were part of a professional theatre company. But this is why I love my training at Humber, its practical. Its so similar to what to expect in the real world, from rehearsing classic shows from Shakespeare or Contemporary Dramas or devising as a collect collaborative.

Now that its summer and a full year has cycled through I am so happy to be moving on into my Third Year at Humber. Next year will be stressful and informative and fun, but before September arrives theres a lot that needs to be worked on and I've never been as excited to read, research, train and observe as I am right now.

This summer is going to be different then last. For instance I said goodbye to Walmart last summer and now I'm currently a Barista at Starbucks. I am also continuing my teaching at StageCoach and will be playing Mary Poppins alongside my beautiful head teacher and my rugrats. And this year, I'm excited to be part of Theatre Relay's project.

Its a collective collaboration among 8 artists who have each created solo work to be performed by another artist in the company. I'll post more information about it later, but this work is something that excites me and I'm so stoked to be part of.

And although I am not going to London, England with Jessica, or anywhere exciting this summer, I'm still seeing theatre across southern Ontario; venturing to Shaw and Startford to see some great productions and I'll also be digging through Fringe, Summerworks and Luminato to see some new works.

So I'm back and I'll be writing every Monday and Friday on various topics including Theatre, Music, Movies, Travel, Community and anything any of my followers may want to read.

With love,

Lisa Alves

The Great Anticipation for Gatsby

I am so excited for the 2013 premier of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire.

Here's the trailer - Gatsby Trailer

I love the book, even though I don't call myself a Gatsby Lover Fan Girl. I appreciate the heart wrenching story of Gatsby and Daisy. I am also enthralled by the lavish parties that are told in the story; they seem top notch classy!

I had a couple of concerns when I first heard that this film was in production. My number one worry was Baz Luhrmann himself... or more specifically his directing approach. Two years ago I really did not like his movies. Romeo and Juliette didn't make my heart weep, Moulin Rouge! made me roll my eyes, and I fell asleep through Australia. From those observations, I thought Baz Luhrmann was a cheap director (and I don't mean pinching pennies cheap). What I mean and what I thought was, he didn't understand the stories he was telling. I felt they were all over the place and out of touch with humanity. I mean in his past three prominent movies they all started farcical and ended the story in such a melodramatic way that it made my eyes roll. At the age of 15, I thought I knew how stories were to be told and I was certain that Baz Luhrmann had it all wrong.

UNTIL my very good friend Jessica Goddard went through her obsession with Ewan McGregor. She watched every movie of his and found all his sexy quilt pictures. When we discussed Moulin Rouge, being the open minded Libra that I am, I decided to give Moulin Rouge! one more shot. I kept in mind that Baz Luhrmann had a different approach, but I also followed the story, score and characters in detail.

After my viewing the film on my last attempt to understand where this director was coming from, I FINALLY GOT IT! Baz Luhrmann's films are not like Scorsese's, Spielberg's, Eastwood's, Lynch's, Polanski's (even though I know they are all very different, they are also all different from Luhrmann). Luhrmann isn't even on the AMC's top 50 directors list. But I feel he falls under all those classic film directors and directors that take the theatrics, music and details very seriously.

What I found after watching Moulin Rouge!, Luhrmann seems to be a director that hones in on the classic reason why film is made; to entertain. That's why music and theatre really hit it big at the turn of the century a hundred years back. People have always wanted to escape in the culture of the arts to be entertained, to realize something they might have or have not before, to revisit the times when they've smiled or cried, to follow a character's journey.

I've found a fond admiration towards Baz Luhrmann because he has brought a type of theatre to film. He has also has a keen ear for music and the story it can tell, by itself or woven within the movie. So I can definitely say I have found major respect to this director. My concern has flown out the window.

Check out this interview he had with Florence Welch in Interview - Baz and Florence

My one other concern was ... I hate to say it... Leonardo DiCaprio himself. Don't get me wrong, I've loved him in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Basketball Diaries, Aviator and of course Titanic. But I find that in the majority of the roles he plays, it has always been Leonardo DiCaprio, not J. Edgar, not Frank Abagnale Jr., not Cobb. That's not to say he's a horrible actor, he is a very fine and crafted one. The thing is that he is recognizable, which is a good and bad thing. And when it comes to Gatsby, I'm nervous.

When I read The Great Gatsby I found myself forming a character that resembled Jude Law. Now give that a second if you know the story... now put Jude Law as Gatsby... It makes a lot of sense. SO MUCH.

BUT we have Leonardo DiCaprio as our Gatsby. I do like him and I hope he does a knock out job. I will keep an open mind when I watch the movie... I am just voicing my concern.

AND HEY! I changed my heart for Baz Luhrmann, it can happen again for Leo as Gatsby in my head.

What I am REALLY EXCITED about is Ms. Carey Mulligan as Daisy. To me, I think she's perfection and she is going to bring so much to the character of Daisy. When I ventured in the novel with my fellow peers, many people dislike Daisy and thought she was evil and vile and just a down right wrenched woman. But I found myself sympathizing for her and rooting for her because she's such a complexed character, just like Gatsby, and I think she's over looked. That being said, I hope and I do have a very good feeling that Carey Mulligan will bring a warmth and touch of humanity to the role of a not liked character.

I am also very excited to see what the rest of the cast has up their sleeves including Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, and Isla Fisher. I feel like there is a great crew behind this production and its going to fly.

The last thing I want to mention is the soundtrack this movie has. Jay-Z, The XX, Gotye, Beyonce, Jack White, and Lana Del Ray have all collaborated with Luhrmann and Craig Armsrong to create a beautiful framework for the the story. AND DID I MENTION THAT FLORENCE WELSH ALSO WROTE A SONG THAT IS UNBELIEVABLY PERFECT FOR THE STORY? I think I'm more excited about Florence's Over the Love Song then the actual film... But you have to watch this to understand why - Great Music is Timeless

After a very long awaited premier, I shall be viewing this much anticipated film tomorrow with my friends as we sob and laugh and be the fan girls we tend to be. 

I'll post my thoughts of what I thought of the movie after in some form. 

I hope to hear from you what you think pre and post movie!

With love,

Lisa Alves

HUMBER COLLEGE PRESENTS * Shadow Play: The Peter Pan Variations *

The educational institution that I have been attending has been getting ready to graduate 12 so very talented actors. The Third Year Theatre Performance Program has definitely gone out with bang this year. Their final collective project is held at Back Space in the wonderful Theatre Passe Muraille. The Back Space Project allows the emerging artists to create a show based on a variety of literature and a final collaboration within the Theatre Performance and Theatre Production program. 

I had the pleasure of seeing my mentors put on a brilliant piece of theatre on for the supporting full house. The combination of song, movement, storytelling all came together in a beautiful story that intertwined the stories of Peter Pan and Lord of the Flies. They were graduating theatre school/college students that transformed into children on stage. 

The interesting thing that I observed was how much of the training, what I've experienced at Humber, I saw in my cohorts performing on that stage. I saw a load of Contact Improv technique, Physical Theatre, Vocal Training (Speech and Singing), etc. I was sort of looking out for the training, because I love seeing it applied to performance work, because that's what the training is suppose to help the artist to do. 

Overall it was the most attractive show I've seen to date and I urge people to try to get tickets if they can. There are two more performances left! Please support these artists and enjoy a spectacle of a show. You will want to fly out of your seat with them.

You can purchase your tickets by clicking this link! Arts Box Office

With love,

Lisa Alves

Spent

A 2010 Dora Award-winner and a hit at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was originally produced by Theatre Smith-Gilmour, TheatreRUN and Why Not Theatre.

Well this play certainly has a great reputation already! Spent was created by four artists who are really impacting Canadian theatre; Dean Gilmour, Michele Smith, Ravi Jain and Adam Paolozza. I might have a bias due to the fact that Gilmour was my Neutral Mask instructor last semester, but in all honesty this play was full of life and energy. 

The entirety of the play was intelligent and poetic while focusing on the greed that resulted in the recent financial crisis. Jain and Paolozza perform about 20 characters from around the world, all by themselves. The use of physical theatre was such a pleasure to watch and probably the best I've seen so far this year. 

This production was so well-paced and explored a great deal surrounding the economy within 70 minutes. 

I also want to highlight the music and the sound that this production used. The selection of songs added to the texture of the piece as well as the changing tones and pace. It was very satisfying. 

I highly recommend everyone to go see the show. The run ends on Friday February 22nd at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, so try an get your tickets at http://tickets.youngcentre.ca/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=6554

Theatre Smith-Gilmour
Twitter https://twitter.com/theatreSG
Website http://www.theatresmithgilmour.com

TheatreRUN
Website http://theatrerun.wordpress.com

Why Not Theatre
Twitter https://twitter.com/theatrewhynot
Website http://www.theatrewhynot.org

Ravi Jain
Twitter https://twitter.com/instantravi

Adam Paolozza
Twitter https://twitter.com/adampaolozza

With love,

Lisa Alves

The One and Only, Bon Jovi

AH! So I went to see the Bon Jovi concert last night at the ACC. I really only went because my mother is a huge fan. But I must admit something... I kind of like Bon Jovi a little too.
I grew up listening to their music and it was very inspiration and fun. They are a great band, and just because their audience attracts women in their mid age range should retract from their great musical ability and amazing stage presence.

They sang their hits, they sang their new stuff, they shook their asses and they put on such a great show.
The tech behind the show was phenomenal! The lighting, sound and even the stage construction was so well structured. It complemented the band and their music so well.
I respect them so much as artists because they've made their own music and after 20 plus years they still continue to do make new music that people fall in love with.
Jon Bon Jovi is the mastermind behind the band owning the name and what not and I was so amazed to see how open he was as a performer. No lip-syncing and no back up singings except for Richie Sambora. Jon was a open and feeding off of the live audience in front of him which has energy to light up all of Toronto.

The four band members have been such honest performers and it so nice to see bands like them having such a long and fruitful career.
This was my second Bon Jovi concert thanks to my mom and it was just as good as the last. I hope to see them when they come the next time around because they never disappoint.

Do you guys have a favourite Bon Jovi song?
Which classic band is your favourite?

You can follow Richie Sambora on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheRealSambora
And you can follow the band on twitter https://twitter.com/BonJovi

Remember to follow me on Tumblr at http://laalvezz.tumblr.com

With love,
Lisa Alves

Musical Start

I grew up with music everywhere.
My mother says that when she was pregnant with me she would put headphones around her belly and  play Sir Elton John for my listening pleasure. I'm sure many mothers do this across the world, and I'm going to say as the baby in the womb, I'm sure it was pretty useful.
When I was learning my ABCs and 123s I depended on song to memorize them thanks to programs like Sesame Street and Barney. (And the sad thing is I still do use the songs to help me out in times of brain fart-age)
By the time I was 6 my parents enrolled me in piano lessons to see if I could become the next great piano genius. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but that's when I began to build the basics of music in my neurological pathways. By the time I was 8 I wanted to be a singer, so along with piano and learned the about my voice. This was extremely beneficial because at 18 I  still go back to recall what I learned from back in the day to help me learn music.
Through my childhood my mother also always had the radio playing in the house. Not the Top 40, but easy rock stations filled the air of our house. In the car, my father would blast the classic rock. From there I fell in love with Billy Joel, Sarah McLachlan, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, The Beatles, Madonna, Rolling Stones and Shania Twain.
From there my musical tastes grew and currently on my iPod I have such a huge diversity of genres.
Unfortunately I stopped taking piano and singing lessons for personal reasons, but it's helped me immensely in my theatre training, more than I could have imagined.

I'm going to pose a question, and feel free to answer in the comments.
Do you think it's important to have a basic music background as a theatre artist? Why or why not?
And how has music shaped your life?

Remember you can tweet me @LAALVEZZ

With love,
Lisa Alves

A Bit About Moi

I'm Lisa Alves and I am currently training to be a professional theatre artist. I currently reside in the GTA and I'm often in the downtown core seeing shows to enjoy and inspire me as an artist. I've basically created this blog so I can spread the word of theatre in the GTA and some thoughts on these wonderful productions and performances put on around the city. 

I won't constantly be talking of theatre, but it will be arts related (i.e. film, dance, music, etc.)

So whether you're a professional artist yourself, training, or just simply love art feel free to follow and visit.

With love,

Lisa Alves

If you're interested please follow on Twitter as well, its never a dull moment

https://twitter.com/LAALVEZZ