Heart-Strings

Some Winnipeg Reviews...

2010-07-22T03:45:00.002-04:00

...from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Winnipeg Art Examiner and UMFM.

Winterpeg

2010-07-20T12:20:00.007-04:00

Halfway through our run in Winnipeg and having a fantastic time! Ran into the Raging Grannies on our way to a show the other day and stopped for this publicity shot...

(NB: the raging grannies is a movement of feisty old gals who dress eccentrically and sing funny, satirical, left-leaning songs about the state of the world to the tune of popular diddies. Fantastic.)

Other highlights: "Confusion Corner" in Osbourne village (literally just a really, really confusing intersection with a sign reading "Confusion Corner" - took us three tries to make it through in the right direction); great performers, fantastic shows; finally getting the hang of flyering lines and pitching the show (thanks to the overwhelmingly friendly and courteous Winnipeg audiences - unlike their at worst scowly and at best suspicious Toronto counterparts, these Fringers say things like "So, tell me about your show..." I'm sorry, what?!) Finally, maybe the best part of Winnipeg is our venue because...

We can SEE our audience!! This might sound crazy, but all tour we've had stage lights blinding us throughout all different parts of the show. I felt lousy and disconnected but couldn't figure out why. Then Winnipeg, by sheer, beautiful, intelligent chance hands us a dance venue where the lighting grid is stacked with back lights, and only a few front lights as necessary. Suddenly, there is the audience, and we can see them and feel them and respond to them and each and every show once again takes on a life of its own based on the character of its audience. I can't tell you what a relief, transformation, and revelation this has been for me! YES!!!

Ottawa Tonite Heart-Strings feature!

2010-06-24T00:22:00.005-04:00

Follow this link and scroll down for Heart-Strings promo video clip/interview featured on Ottawa Tonite.

2010-06-22T14:51:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning Tanya spoke on a discussion panel led by Lise Ann Johnson of The Great Canadian Theatre Company (gctc) here in Ottawa. The topic was the fringe's role in helping to create new kinds of theatre.

Tanya explained that it was helpful for artists experimenting with new forms and new ways of creating because in commercial theatre they would be obligated to produce work that would be guarenteed as commercially viable. She also mentioned that the rehersal process, and justation period for a piece in commercial theatre would be 3 weeks.

Heart-strings has taken a total of 5 years working progress to become what it is now, were we not afforded the time to create by the ontario arts council or if we would bound by a 3 week rehearsal period; it would be impossible for us to create this show as it currently exists. Thanks to the fringe, our little show will continue to grow as we perform across the country to different audiences which will give way to new experiences for us as performers.

Thanks to the Ottawa fringe for offering this forum for us to participate in. Thanks to all the fringes for all your hard work and continuing support of new theatre!

Poster Saga Part II (and then some)

2010-06-21T23:34:00.009-04:00

I won't bore you with all the brutal details, but our ongoing poster saga became nothing short of hilarious today when a simple 15-min drive to pick up the posters turned into two and a half hours stuck in rush hour traffic. The best part was when we decided to give up and go home, knowing that Laura could bring the posters to our show tonight. Ten minutes back in the opposite direction we get a text from Laura: "Are you guys still coming here? My friend can't make it tonight so I'm coming to your late show tomorrow instead." We missed dinner and nearly our show. Though I must say, I was completely wrong about Amy's directional skills - she navigated the hell out of this city today! And we rocked out to Led Zeppelin and Radiohead to keep our spirits up!

For me, last night felt like one of our best shows ever. Tonight one of my worst. If you ever want to completely annihilate your ego, become an actor. All you can do is keep letting go of everything, good and bad. You start letting that shit get to you, you'll lose your mind.

This picture is a painting the illustrious Sarah Furlotte (set/costume designer of Heart-Strings) painted ages ago when we were first creating the play and conceptualizing ideas. We miss you Sarah!!

U-turns and other twists of fate

2010-06-20T18:46:00.012-04:00

Montreal post-beer tent meal of choice: Pabst's Blue Ribbon and a Giant bar of swedish chocolate!

The only person I've ever met with a worse sense of direction than me is Amy. (You can see where I'm going with this...) Our conversations in the car usually go something like this:

Amy after bringing down the
impeccable toilet power tower...
Tanya: OK, so, where am I turning?
Amy: Uhh... Laurier
Tanya: Right or left?
Amy: Uhh... left... wait... yeah, left
Tanya: OK... wait - can I turn left here? Oh sh#@! Hang on - f#@$! Sorry! OK...
(a few minutes pass...)
Tanya: So, are we going the right way?
Amy: Uh... hang on... what street was that? Umm... No. No, you're going the wrong way.

I'm pretty sure I've pulled more U-turns in the past two days than most people manage in their entire lives. Yesterday I stalled in the middle of a busy Montreal intersection while attempting a U-turn after realizing I was about to turn the wrong way down a one way street. Viva Veerle! (that's the car's name. it means Battle Traveler.) Don't worry, we made it out in one piece. I blame the mustache. We had just driven by this guy with the most AMAZING mustache I've ever seen in my life. The tips were greased and rolled up into the most perfect tiny golden circles, one for each cheek.

Our other stroke of brilliance this week has been the poster situation. We had to load out all our gear and drive to Ottawa earlier this week for our tech rehearsal while still mid-run in Montreal. We had our posters and flyers all cut and ready to go (special thanks to the gang on St. Hubert for their help!) And then, we forgot them in Montreal. OK, I thought, maybe we can courier them to Ottawa, and I'll see if Laura will at least poster the beer tent and main festival sites for us. So, long story short, the couriers would all take too long, but I eventually find a guy on craigslist driving to Ottawa who will deliver the goods. I ride the subway halfway across the city early one morning and drop the posters and some cash to "Dave" (who coincidentally used to live in T.Bay) in an envelope scrawled with Laura's address. Later on I get a message from Laura - "Posters????" After much cursing, texting, and waiting, I discern that he has delivered the posters, but not until 8pm, long after Laura is able to put them up, and she is leaving town the next day. With no time to poster, Laura assures us she will leave the posters in her mailbox so we can at least pick them up and put them up the day we arrive. Today we arrive in Ottawa and after getting lost and dropping off our gear, set out for her house...which ends up taking an hour to get to because of road closure for a festival. We finally arrive, travel worn, sweaty, and exhausted to find... an empty mailbox!!! Amazing. Turns out her room-mate was thoughtful enough to bring them inside and leave them there for her. Fortunately we had held some back, so we spent the day postering the Fringe sites for our opening TONIGHT. We know for sure my sister and brother-in-law will be there... And maybe some guy Amy met in a bar last night.

Montreal, we are missing you already. Ottawa, please be gentle.

"Tanya Elchuk and Amy Crnkovic could be this year's Montreal Fringe darlings." - MONTREAL CITY & PRESS

2010-06-15T23:31:00.012-04:00

Read the full review at:
http://montreal.cityandpress.com/blog/2010/06/15/fringe-fest-theatre-review-heart-strings

2010-06-14T10:12:00.004-04:00

Click here for the Montreal Gazette on Heart-Strings...

Montreal: The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful

2010-06-14T01:18:00.003-04:00

The Good:

One word: Poutine. Oh, and a few more (Milosz, you better just skip over this part): cute french fry boys who speaks wis ze sexy accent, and addresses the writer as “mademoiselle.” Ooo la la!

A lovely audience tonight, and a little heftier in numbers than on opening, whose members I could count on my fingers (not that it’s the size that matters.)

Shows!!! We are in the company of so many talented performers! “7 (x1) Samurai” sees master of movement and mask David Gaines tell this entire epic tale (complete with a full cast of characters) himself. “A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccough” - a delightful clown piece and really interesting integration of sound and movement. “Wide Load” by Big Moves and “Phone Whore,” both featuring self-proclaimed fattie and phone sex operator Cameryn Moore who is completely at home on the stage, inviting the audience into her world, but not without challenging us too. Made me laugh, squirm, and leave the theatre wanting more.

The Bad:

Parking in Montreal. Last night I shamelessly begged a parking enforcer not to give me a ticket. I actually watched myself hopping from foot to foot whining “please please please please please please please…” all the while thinking, “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.” Long story short: $42 ticket. This is on top of the $50 paid for parking in the previous 24 hours. We’re not in Kansas anymore…

The Beautiful:

When a child smiles it is a direct transmission of Joy. Busking my living statue shtick puts me in mind of this phenomenon as I both receive it from many of the children I come into contact with (the ones who aren’t utterly terrified by a bizarre white-encrusted frozen statue/woman gradually coming to life and making faces at them), and I also have the immense joy of giving this to all the grown-ups enchanted by my act. I am really loving doing this act.

2010-06-11T15:54:00.004-04:00

Celebrating small victories. Our 1-minute promo at the Fringe For All last night went very well - the lights came down and they cut us off at the best possible moment; a much better place, in fact, than my planned ending! The clown gods are smiling upon us. Today's tech was terrific - more than enough time, a really excellent tech gal taking care of us, and backdrop rigged up without any problems and minimal hassle. Solved our white tights problem (the problem being that between snags and stains we go through tights like mad) when we found 10 pairs for $10! My receipt tells me we saved $79, and they're nice and thick the way we like 'em.

And now? Cheap beer and catching a show or 2 tonight awaits! Tomorrow holds more promotion, shows, and our opening night! I'm still asking questions like, "You think this part is too much? Should I cut this line? Is this section too long?" Time to let go and set sail...

Opening up, and letting go... Opening up, and letting go...

Getting the word out in Montreal!

2010-06-10T17:57:00.003-04:00

Spent today postering in the rain! Most businesses on St. Laurent blvd, and Duluth ave were kind enough to let us put up our posters. We found some really choice real-estate as you can see below... We're making a lot of new friends already, and are very much looking forward to seeing some great shows!

Down The Rabbit Hole and Up Against the Wall

2010-05-25T18:37:00.005-04:00

Into our third week of rehearsals and let me tell you the honeymoon is over. I don't mean between Amy and I; maybe between theatre and I is a bit more apt. A good director will push you to your limits and beyond, and let's just say Lila is exceptional. Which means she isn't going to let me take the easy way out. Or turn a blind eye on all those moments I glibly skip over, unsure of where I am or how I'm feeling or how to get from A to B. Theatre is nuts. Art is nuts for that matter. You rip yourself to pieces trying to figure out how the damn thing works, put yourself back together, and then put the whole thing up on display. The scary times are the ones where I'm not sure if I'm going to make it all the way through the reassembly. Or if it's all just too much for this frail human form to handle. Of course I always do. Make it, I mean. What alternative is there? But man, talk about heart-wrenching.

Back Home again.

2010-05-16T22:55:00.002-04:00

I took advantage of the beautiful weather this morning and hiked up a mountain trail in centennial park (thunder bay ON) to a cliff I used to visit a lot in my formative years. It was weird scaling that hill with my combat boots, guitar case in hand; just like the old days. Singing out into that ravine felt great! It was like catching up with an old friend and reliving old memories in a protracted way; that makes the tough times seem comical and comforting in some strange way.
It makes me feel good looking out this window, like I've covered some ground but there's still the excitement of things to come.
If weather permits, maybe I'll make a daily practice out of this.

My Heart

2010-05-16T00:58:00.004-04:00

I know this is kind of Cliche, but as today is the day I had to start this journey and say good-bye to the person who plays my heart in real-time, just deal!

When I was fresh out of art school my creative intuition was shot. I had a lot of pre-conceived notions about the work I was turning out, I just kind of went through the motions of the craft and technique I had studied. I didn't trust myself or my imagination, I had 'learned' to doubt the very impulses that let me to be an artist in the first place.

Then I got to know Myke, who didn't learn to be creative from institutions. Who learned everything he knows by getting his hands dirty, with his German utilitarian spirit he has adapted his skills to make things happen. From writing music, to recording, booking and promoting, graphic and visual design, silk screening, guerilla marketing, ...even a little sewing and t-shirt design! Myke never ceases to amaze me with his on-going dedication to making the things he sees in his imagination a reality.

I hope that with this show I am able to fearlessly tap that imagination and follow it to that new plateau of discovery. I also hope our audiences are willing to discover this plateau with us, I have a feeling that it's a world we all know even though we may not fully understand it.

Thunder Bay Tour Kick Off!

2010-05-13T19:49:00.001-04:00

Heart Art

2010-04-14T12:22:00.010-04:00

Seems heart obsessive art runs in the family. Painting by the effervescent Jennifer Elchuk (aka Opal). And a poem, compliments of the late great Charles Bukowski.

The Laughing Heart

your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is a light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
be on the watch.
the gods will offer you chances.
know them.
take them.
you can’t beat death but
you can beat death in life, sometimes.
and the more often you learn to do it,
the more light there will be.
your life is your life.
know it while you have it.
you are marvelous
the gods wait to delight
in you.

Anatomy Lesson #1: Vessel

2010-04-09T01:38:00.006-04:00

ves·sel

–noun

1. a craft for traveling on water, larger than a rowboat; a ship.

2. an airship.

3. a hollow or concave utensil, as a cup, bowl, pitcher, or vase, used for holding liquids or other contents.

4. Anatomy, Zoology. a tube or duct, as an artery or vein, containing or conveying blood or some other body fluid.

OK, it's not quite a boat or an airship (if only!), but it will be containing and conveying us and our gear cross-country this summer.

Deposit down. Pick up Tuesday. The illustrious Gary Magwood will be transporting me to its current destination somewhere in the vicinity of Belleville after I return from an open training at the magnificent Double Edge Theatre in Massachusetts this weekend. Gary Magwood is an ex-race-car-driver/environmentalist/community organizer/all round good guy I first met a few years ago in Peterborough when I sat on his lap during one of my shows ("Bound," the short solo show that seeded Heart-Strings). A few weeks later he drove me to Montreal at a moment's notice when I finagled my way into auditioning for his friends at Caravan Stage. This is a really neat company of crazy circusy musical gypsy thespians who travel around performing from the deck of their tall ship (now that's a vessel!) I didn't get the part because they cut it from the show. (At least, that's what they told me.) Double Edge Theatre is a profoundly unique company and centre for experimental physical theatre training and performance I interned with in the fall. I'm extremely excited to go play with them this weekend. A fellow ex-intern (the spectacular Joanna Caplan) and I will be driving down in her car, Uncle Darcy.

Now say your prayers and keep your fingers crossed that my plan to strap the gurney to the roof of this sucker works out...

heart-strung: hitch-hiking encouraged

2010-04-03T12:48:00.007-04:00

Hearts. We've all got 'em. (Don't we?) No one knows what to do with 'em. (Do they?) But at least we can still laugh about it. (Can't we?!) OK, truth be told, love still sometimes feels like a deep vacuous pit of existential angst full of vicious piranhas bent on ceaseless torturous torment and destruction, shredding our tender souls from the inside out!!! BUT... we can still laugh about it. And we do.

It used to be I made art to figure things out, assuming I would go through this deep, exploratory process and come out the other end with a pearl of wisdom that would tie all of life's problems up into a neat succinct little package. I could present the work, pat myself on the back, and get on with life (new-found knowledge intact).

Now, I'm down the rabbit hole. The questions only lead to more questions, or the same questions from a myriad of new perspectives. The search is for answers, or at least insights, but also for the form of the questions, in language and in theatre. It is (to further tire an old cliche) a journey, not a destination. The point is not to give the audience the answers, but to take them along for the ride. Tell a story. Share some findings. And as for getting on with life, more and more it becomes a process of feeling my way through the dark, one foot in front of the other. The trick is to keep moving forward, instead of wasting time straining to see or digging through your pockets for a lighter.

Enough with the ruminations already. This page is offered to fans of the show, present and potential, to share information and developments as we embark on our Canadian Fringe Festival Tour 2010. Come on along for the ride. Expect the unexpected.