Sad......

I was hunting around on the internet for something, which led me to think of looking up something else, and finally in a roundabout way I ended up at the newish fan site for Outlander, the "Viking Meets Predator" film that Darrell and Dave had been making specialty props for.

However, after poking around there I also came up with photos, (of EXTRAS mind you) in costume. So sad. Yes, often extras are just texture in the background, and you don't see the details. But I don't think I wanted to see these details! They look like [bad] SCA costumes, the ones that have been dumped in the Gold Key, when their owners moved on to better...

http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude/blogger/3857/1565/1600/Outlander%20Extras%202.2.jpg

I'm sure (hoping and praying) that there will be better out there. After all, the costume designer on this film, Debra Hansen, who I knew from last century, also did Beowulf and Grendel, and while the women's costumes on that were...shall we say...odd?, on the whole the costuming wasn't truly offputting and wrong. (Well, except for the women's costumes. Maybe Deb has a mental block about women in history?)
Admittedly, this *IS* a 'science-fiction' film, not a historical film, so I have to cut them a bit of slack. But still, how it looks, and how much I can believe in how it looks has a strong impact on how I actually view and enjoy a film...

Well, have to wait and see, I guess.

Anti-V

Ghost of Christmas....?

The phone rang yesterday evening.

When I answered it a small voice said "Hi, Mom...."

Of course, I promptly replied "I think you have the wrong number", and they
just as promptly hung up.

nah, I'd have noticed something like that along the way...

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Breaking with Tradition?

Or maybe just not going where habit wants to take you?

For a bunch of my adult years, I've been trying to create some Christmas
traditions. I had some a couple of decades ago. Admittedly they were simple
post-University ones. Not major hand-on-able traditions. And since I don't
have kids, and the cats don't care, I don't suppose I really need a legacy
to pass along.

Instead, my Christmas traditions since the 80's seem to have become more of
a struggle with time, made complex by my paranoia with winter. When I worked
in the advertising agency, Christmas was synonymous with year end (although
the varying clients had year ends scattered throughout the year) and usually
merely meant more, more, more in terms of last minute work. The more
responsibility I had in the department, the more frantic that last minute
chaos became.
And while I'd moved to Ontario with my own 'tweak' on Christmas
entertaining, which involved some festivities (and food) on Solstice, I
started to run into competition for the date. So, that fell by the wayside.
But because I was so busy, eventually, with the agency job, I got over
worrying about that.

And when I got married, I sort of envisioned that we'd start our own little
round of traditions. Except that at first they involved fitting in with our
other friends and hobbies. Which was okay. But when we moved away from the
city, that fell by the wayside too.

And every Christmas we end up trying to coordinate some get-together with
his family, but that involves enough brothers that it's seldom concrete or
planned very far ahead. (And is at the very teeth-clenchiest time of the
driving year!)

So, really the only Christmas tradition we seem to cling to, is
food-related. And even there, we're negotiable. Some years I've cooked a
duck. (We have a real fondness for a duck!) More often than not, we have NOT
done a turkey. Until recently, there weren't a lot of turkeys that were
two-person sized. And while I don't mind leftovers, in fact, I could get a
lot of enjoyment out of them, most turkeys just seem way too huge.
But chicken or turkey, if that's what we have, we've always stuck to our
favourite route: sage stuffing with nuts and raisins, and now cranberries,
gravy, mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. [sigh. When I think of how much
Dad loved brussel sprouts when we were kids, and how often they were served,
and how much I hated them!!!]

I suggested this year that maybe we should be wild and crazy. And even if I
roasted a chicken, if maybe we should just be untraditional, and do
something different.... (I can always do it again, the way we're used to,
for New Year's!)

I think, when I started the conversation, he got a bit nervous... but when
I finished my proposal, he seemed up for it.

It's hard though. Hard to break from habit. I thought to myself, hey, maybe
I can track down enough info about that turkey that Jed Bartlett was cooking
on West Wing, that he called the Butterball Hotline about. Maybe I could do
that! I thought that surely in an internet search I'd find the recipe. Or
someone's interpretation of the recipe. Nope. A few incomplete quotes was
all I could find. Then I thought, no problem, I'll watch the episode, and
make notes of everything said on the subject. Nope. Season 2. We've loaned
seasons 2 to 6 to a best friend. But not one who just lives down the street.
(Not that you get many friends living down the street when you live in the
country!)

Anyway, I got a small turkey. (So small, actually that all the recipe info
I can track down doesn't even recognize it as a real turkey! Recipes for
cooking a turkey BREAST speak in comparative terms!)
And I thought I'd brine it. And do a sausage stuffing with cornbread.
(Maybe next year I can actually get Jed Bartlett's recipe....) And make a
different kind of gravy, with rosemary and sherry. And mashed sweet
potatoes.

Of course, this is weird and scary and will probably make it an even
whackier Christmas than I usually have.
But there's always New Year's. I can make it the correct way on New Year's
if I need to. We like roast chicken. It won't be a hardship!

But it does feel a bit like preparing to jump off a cliff! That's West
Wing-like....

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The Weather

The fallback topic of conversation for polite Canadians everywhere...

But goodness, is it ever freaky!

This year we had an early and solid onset of winter. And it grudgingly
retreated. Then we had another pummelling, and a backing off. And for the
bulk of the production time for 'Twas, it was pretty amazing. (Not I want to
run out and play amazing, though there were a few nice days, but definitely
easier for commuting to the theatre shops. Though there was some pretty
impressive fog.)
Then, as we rolled into the final moments, the preview day, and the day of
opening, (with its extra school matinee), it got all crappy. Opening day
dawned (?) after a night of freezing rain. I managed to get out of our area,
and in Shelburne, instead of ice it was rivers of rain gushing down the
streets, but freezing rain again in Orangeville.

I'd really planned to get the show going into the matinee, and then head
home for a nap, a shower, and to wash my hair, before donning clean, and
preferably spiffier clothing for the opening performance.
Instead, partway through my wrangling that morning's choir into costumes, I
was told I had a call from home about the weather.
Darrell said it was worse, and if I got through, I might not get back, but
that our power had gone out around 11 am.

Hence, even if I made it home, there'd be no shower and hairwashing. And I
might miss the opening. (Note: last year I missed the opening of the
Christmas show, Kringle's Window, because we had a major snow storm happen
around 5 pm.) So, instead I opted to hang around the theatre, sew some more,
go to the dollar store for a towel and shampoo, and the thrift store for a
new shirt.
And as it turned out, Darrell did make it down for the performance. And we
made it home. But while I was sleeping out the weekend, our world vanished
under a layer of white. Deeper and deeper, until my regular snowboots didn't
quite cut the mustard.
And there we've been since then.

I was quite excited this week when we had enough of a mild break that the
poor crunkled up ice-coated trees melted enough to stand up again.That's
been a week and a half of touching toes. Most of ours are young and
flexible enough to have bounced back. Literally. Though there's been a fair
bit of damage to the older trees around here.

And today when I got up, the temperature is 5.6 C above! and the feet of
snow on the deck have dwindled to a couple of scruffy clumps. And the fields
out the windows are brown again. Well, brown and white. I won't exaggerate,
but still, from a wasteland of winter to be back into fall? That's
impressive. Mind you, it sounded like it was raining a lot of yesterday
evening. (All this metal roofing is a giveaway!) And rain would have helped
the process a lot!

And not that I put unswerving faith in the weather office, but they have
been continuing to predict an unusually mild weather curve for the next week
or so....

Not that it ever seems to feel warmer indoors. Why is that? Anyway, here's
hoping for a brown Christmas. Be almost like taking an exotic holiday!

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A review!

(From the Orangeville Banner)

'Twas -- an enchanted holiday play
In the Spotlight

ASHLEY GOODFELLOW, Banner Staff Writer

'TWAS

THEATRE ORANGEVILLE

If you're willing to open your mind to a tale about Christmas that doesn't
follow the traditional festive story lines, I highly recommend the world
premiere of Eric Woolfe's fantasy-meets-holiday production 'Twas.

Unprecedented and mesmerizing are just two words that define this story and
set it apart from other Christmas classics -- like A Christmas Story and The
Grinch Who Stole Christmas, for instance.

Now, don't get me wrong; those long-running holiday favourites deserve the
accolades they've attained over the years, and they are definitely two of my
favourites. But, I can certainly see 'Twas sparking an entirely new genre of
Christmas plays and movies -- and even, with some time, becoming a cult
classic for the holidays.

'Twas doesn't focus on the theme of belief; none of the characters question
the existence of Santa or the legitimacy of Christmas. There are no holiday
naysayers here.

'Twas looks at Christmas through an entirely different lens.

It makes up a wonderful story about the origins of Christmas and the
evolution of the Jolly Old Elf himself -- and I can guarantee it's nothing
you've heard before. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a journey
you won't soon forget.

In 'Twas, there are clever but subtle references to how many holiday
traditions we enjoy today came to be -- such as hanging stockings, setting
out cookies for Santa, and why the man in red comes down the chimney.

Woolfe does a superb job marrying fantastical features into the story --
such as the squawking, squeaking, sweeping Gargravens (my favourite), the
conjoined trolls, the Bodach and Dogman, just to name a few. Puppets and
masks are a magnificent touch to the costumes -- which are both fascinating
and fanciful -- and help to guide the audience through a story stocked with
characters.

The set is nothing short of brilliant; Steve Lucas deserves a standing
ovation for his inventive and functional design. He takes you from an
orphanage to an impassable ice wall to a castle in the North Pole, all
through smooth, slick transitions.

I have to mention here, too, that the live magic performed in the story by
Darren Keay, who plays Crimson Nick, was an enchanting and exciting
accent -- I know that the children watching will especially revel in this.

Keay, whom I always enjoy watching on stage, is spectacular. He plays the
world's best cat burglar "since the inception of deception." Crimson Nick is
slick and sly but you can always see a glimpse of his soft spot, a twinkle
in his eye. He's absolutely charming, and the audience is immediately taken
with him -- despite his knack for criminal activity.

All of the actors in 'Twas portray multiple characters in the play -- some
playing as many as five, such as Burgandy Cole, who is a definite asset to
this production. Cole is masterful at switching her roles, and always comes
on stage with a fresh and animated enthusiasm.

Also brilliant is Douglas Chamberlain, as the toy maker Pop Hoffman and
Julebukk, king of the thieving elves. Chamberlain is a perfect fit for both
roles, and delivers a flawless performance.

In fact, all of the actors, including the five youngsters, are amazing and
deserve kudos for a job well done. It will be difficult, I imagine, for
other theatre companies to follow Theatre Orangeville's production of
'Twas -- especially in casting.

That said, with a new production, there are always a few wrinkles to iron
out. In 'Twas, I felt the only part that needs work is the way the ending
rolls out; it seems just a little too neat and tidy -- but it's certainly
the ending you want.

In years to come, I predict this play will be very much sought after by
theatre companies across the country -- it will be a holiday staple in live
theatre.

Meanwhile, kids and adults in the Orangeville area have the opportunity to
see it here first.

I say, enjoy an early Christmas gift and treat yourself to the world
premiere of 'Twas. It really is a delight to watch.

'Twas runs until Dec. 23 at the Orangeville Opera House. For tickets, call
519-942-3423.

More snippets about 'Twas

Oh, and another story in the O'ville Banner:

Fantasy meets Christmas in Theatre Orangeville production
Centre Stage

DAVID NAIRN, Special to the Banner

Welcome to the world of Crimson Nick, flying Gargravens, conjoined trolls,
singing orphans, an evil Ice Queen and magical elves!

It's a world in which magical books are created out of thin air, reindeer
fly headlong through the skies of our imaginations and the stage becomes,
well, whatever you want: a forlorn castle somewhere at the North Pole, an
impassable ice wall, a toy shop full of delightful wonders. Our Theatre
Orangeville family Christmas tradition continues this year with the
'fantasmagorical' world-premiere production of 'Twas, written by Eric
Woolfe. It is our dearest hope and wish that this universe, where fantasy
meets the magic of Christmas, will both enthrall and delight you and your
family while warming your heart with the spirit of the season. Young area
acting sensations Elizabeth DuBois (Hockley), Cameron Kennedy (Erin),
Carleigh Knudsen (Orangeville), Hannah Manzi (Tottenham) and Aiden O'Brien
(Palgrave) are joined onstage in this production by Douglas Chamberlain
(Little Women, Dear Santa, Stratford Festival), Darren Keay (Outlaw, Mary's
Wedding) and Theatre Orangeville newcomers Burgandy Code, Mike Nadajewski
and Janet Porter. Order your tickets today by calling the Theatre
Orangeville box office at 519-942-3423.

From the Orangeville Banner

Only now having a chance to start looking for coverage....

This is from the Orangeville Banner on Nov.24th.

"An original Christmas tale
Theatre Orangeville premieres 'Twas

ASHLEY GOODFELLOW, Banner Staff Writer

"Fantasmagorical" is the buzz word for this season's Christmas production at
Theatre Orangeville, the world premiere of Eric Woolfe's 'Twas.

With magic tricks, comedy, romance and fanciful creatures like trolls, elves
and an evil ice queen, the play expertly brings together all of the elements
that make an extraordinary holiday story.

'Twas is a Christmas tale that's never been told before, and Orangeville
audiences will be the first to hear it.

"It's about the evolution of Christmas," says Aidan O'Brien, an 11-year-old
who appears on stage as three different characters.

"It's not like any other Christmas play," adds Cameron Kennedy, 13, who
takes on two of the story's characters. "It's the exact opposite of what you
already thought of how Santa came to be. It's the true story of Santa
Claus."

The story begins when Santa Claus himself is a child, "before he was fat and
jolly," and takes audiences on a whimsical journey on the making of Santa.

It's set in a mock 1930s era -- reminiscent of Dick Tracy days -- while
blending in some romantic trimmings of the 1800s.

Not only is it a story about Christmas, it's a story about love.

"I don't think it really has any slow parts," Hannah Manzi, 12, says of the
pace of the story.

"Well, only in the hot moments," says Kennedy, laughing, referring to the
romantic scenes.

The set, explains Theatre Orangeville's artistic director David Nairn, is
challenging because of the many different locations the play features, like
the top of a castle, the chimney, the evil furnace and an ice cliff.

"We're doing stuff we've never done before," says Nairn. "There will be
sliding walls and things moving -- it's really been very demanding."

The costumes will be spectacular, adds Nairn.

"Everybody will like it," says Carleigh Knudsen, 12.

"Teenagers who might not believe in Santa will learn they should believe,"
says Kennedy.

"And adults might like the romance aspect," adds Nairn.

The youngsters say the best part about starring in a main stage production
at Theatre Orangeville -- besides missing school -- is the opportunity to
work with professional actors.

Each of the five youth take on two to three different roles, and switching
between characters makes their experience more interesting, they say.

And, they won't be the only youth performing in the play.

The TOYS choir, which usually opens for the Christmas play every year, will
be performing in 'Twas.

"The whole first scene is actually built around TOYS," says Nairn. "They are
much more incorporated in the play."

'Twas runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 23. For tickets, subscriptions and information,
call 519-942-3423."