internet in australia

I thought the connection in Pakistan was slow.

stuff

A little personal blogging as I wait for videos to upload. I’m having a decent time here but am a little tired of festivals.

The latest I’ve stayed up is 11:30 and I haven’t had coffee and only 3 beers in the week we’ve been here, which, for a festival, is pretty good. I get up at 7 or earlier everyday and go for a walk and workout in a park with my red surgical tubing thing that I bought in Toronto or with some Tai Chi. All this is keeping my spirits up.

I’m getting work done on a novel that I’ve been working on for a while so that feels really good. I’m avoiding the artist’s lounge except to upload stuff because artist lounge=alcohol and I want my body to feel good over the course of these last 40 or so years of my life.

The editing and posting of the videos and photos takes anywhere from 3 to 8 hours a day but I’m enjoying it. I’m thinking of this blog as part the performance. Hello to everybody who is reading it and thanks. Hello to brother Troy, Eva and Magda.

I do get nervous that I should be schmoozing with presenters etc. but I just can’t bring myself to hang out there, I’m much happier blogging, sleeping, walking and writing. I miss my friends.

Making the Awards

Today we dipped 41 trophies into a chocolate/wax mixture and then decorated them with random crafty stuff: ribbons feathers, glitter, stars. It went off without a hitch; no sinks were clogged this time (sorry Parkdale PS).

The big issue today was all about eating chocolate. Everybody wanted to. It was torture: the smell of melted chocolate was strong and it did look so tasty but because wax has a higher melting point, even if you dipped your finger in and put some on your tongue (I tried), the wax would immediately harden and you tasted nothing. Hahahahahaha! So DIABOLICAL!!! Chocolate that cannot even be tasted!!!! MWA HA HA, I AM AN EVIL GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

photos of the awards to follow

the State Theatre

We saw Max in the State Theatre, which a very large schwanky place. We were supposed to be announced in the theatre, which would have been terrific, but there was some last minute switch and we got announced in the lobby. We’ve only been announced in the theatre once – last night – and it went really well, everybody enjoyed it, I think, the kids and the audience. But, it’s arguably a lot to ask of companies but, on the other hand: get over yourselves, it’s only art; this is FOR THE CHILDREN!

Trouble

We got in a little trouble. Wendy Housten and Tim Crouch both had concerns about the kids making noise during their shows. There was a fair bit of rustling at Tim’s show, some of the kids looking at the festival program, checking out future fare. With Wendy, I only recall a bit of whispering but, as anyone who has ever been onstage knows, the only thing actors like to hear is laughter and, if the time is right, a few sniffles. Whispers are simply a no-go. I was surprised Tim had as issue, since he seemed like the kind of performer to be able to tell people to shut up, but, then again, his show is complex and fast, and perhaps he didn’t want to bias the jury against him

MAX

The show by Batsheva featured about 10 dancer: 5 female, 5 male. And those kids could move. There was a lot of light, some loud sounds, counting in another language, some head shaking, moving with sound effects, far-out music and some falling over.

inside the State Theatre

This is where we watched Batsheva's Max. Plush-o-rama.

doing the evaluations after Batsheva

randomnessositiveness

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

after some flipping through the festival program during the show (it was a boring performance, in Louis's defense) the jury is instructed to act like adults and suck it up. It breaks my heart that such young children are being exposed to the hellish truth: bad theatre HURTS.

fake paparazzi

Interview with The Age, national newspaper