New York Show Dates Announced!

Hello All,

I am very pleased to announce my New York show dates for the FRIGID New York Festival:

Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen

Playing at the Red Room
85 East 4th Street, New York, NY (third floor)

Friday, February 24 - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 25 - 3:30 p.m.
Monday, February 27 - 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday, February 29 - 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 2 - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 4 - 3:30 p.m.


Tickets are not yet on sale, but will be soon!


Cheers,
Tali

Relaxation and Revision

I have been keeping busy the past month or so, appearing in four different shows and two film projects. (Whew!) Finally, I have a little time for a breather and to work on my upcoming run in New York City! I am really delighted to be a part of the FRIGID New York Festival! I will be performing my solo show, Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen in February-March 2012. (I have already made some changes to the show from previous incarnations, and I am working on some more.)

Also, I am looking forward to going to New York again. I like saying that whatever you're into, New York has a lot of it - For me, it's live theatre (of course), comedy, museums and, okay, maybe a little shopping!

Cheers,
Tali

Libraries and Literature

I had the pleasure and privilege of presenting Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen at Atwater Library's Lunchtime Lecture Series yesterday. I was delighted to see over 70 people came out to attend my talk.

I had to make some revisions to the show to fit the desired time slot - It was fun to revisit and reshape the material - and to do the show again of course! The Q&A period after that was fun as well (definitely some interesting questions!) and so was chatting with individuals afterwards. Also, thanks to my fellow JASNA members who came to check out the show.

I also want to give a big thanks to the Atwater Library's staff and volunteers for making this possible. And thanks as well to my roadies, Todd and Marina, for helping me with logistics!

Best,
Tali

Planning and Performance

Hello Again,

It was fun to put on my ankle-length dress again on Sunday and join a local group for more Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen. I even ran into a colleague from a show I am working on who was in the audience, what fun!

I am also excited as it looks like I may be be taking Jane Austen to a new city early next year. Details to come. I am also working on some more local dates.

Cheers,
Tali

Tea and Teamwork

Hello Again,

While Pat, Emilia and I were in Toronto for Austen for the Attention-Impaired, we met up with my friend (and speaker and author) Clint Cora to be interviewed for an episode of his Motivational WebTV series. The topic was teamwork - a very important thing indeed! (There are also a few clips from the show.)

Please check out Clint's blog entry about it here:
http://www.clintcora.com/blog/inspirational-women-live-theatre-fringe-festival/

And, of course, the video here:


Also, I am doing a private show of Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen this weekend, I am looking forward to that as well!

Cheers,
Tali

Returns and Recollections

(Obligatory tourist skyline shot taken from the top of the CN Tower)

Well, we're back from Toronto! (Thanks to Pat for helping with the driving!) I loved being in Toronto, but it's also lovely to be back home!


I really enjoyed myself, and I was so please to perform for so many people who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. I really felt like Pat, Emilia and I delivered an entertaining show. It was also a treat to see over 25 shows which ranged from sweet to silly, from giggles to grief. (Apparently, my taste for alliteration is still going strong.)

But, what next? I do have an opportunity or two for remounting the show. I also have a few other projects percolating writing and performing-wise. I also hope to finally finish reading A Game of Thrones so I can finish watching the mini-series. In short, I shan't be bored.
 
Cheers,
Tali

Sunday and Salutations

Oops, has it been a week already?

Well, we were busy flyering, watching shows and, of course, performing our show. We have been getting some good houses and they're laughing, which is nice for us to hear! I have also bumped into a few people who ave told me they enjoyed the show - Even one woman who said she didn't care for Austen, but enjoyed our take on it!

Anyway, we have one more show tonight, and I am looking forward to it, but I will certainly go into Fringe withdrawal again. Oh, well, maybe the best way to deal with that is to start writing next year's show.

I am so grateful to be doing this show with Pat and Emilia, I am having so much fun! One more show to go!

Cheers,
Tali

Sunday and Sensibility

Hello Again,


Wow! We our second show yesterday and we had another great crowd and the show went quite well. The audience was laughing a lot, particularly thanks to Pat.  (I know I sometimes have to try to keep myself from cracking up onstage during some of his antics!)

We also ran into quite a few people afterwards who saw the show and complimented us on it. That was delightful!

We have a few days off before our next show on Wednesday, so we'll have some time to have a little fun, play tourist and check out some shows, but, of course, we will also hand out flyers and keep talking up our show. Let's see how many people we can welcome on Wednesday!

Cheers,
Tali

Openings and Opportunities

Greetings!

Wow! We had our first show last night, we were at about 70% capacity and the crowd was laughing a lot! Pat, Emilia and I all had a great time performing the show and we really appreciated that the audience was so supportive. I really like the performance space, too. It's just the right size and atmosphere for our kind of show.

The show went pretty smoothly, there are definitely a few things we can improve, but I was really happy with it overall. I have to really acknowledge Pat and Emilia's hard work and contributions to the show, this is definitely a team project. (Also, thanks to Costa, for his patient direction and support. And, of course, our ultra-helpful venue technicians Shauna and Kevin.)

Anyway, I had better get ready for our matinee today. I am looking forward to performing again. It's our volunteer show, today, so I hope a lot of them come to check out the show! I really appreciate what the Fringe volunteers do for this festival - They are an essential part of the festival. (And they're a great source of help and info, especially for someone like me who's from out-of-town.)

Cheers,
Tali

July Preparations

Greetings All,

Sorry to be blogging less than I'd planned, I've been caught up in a few things the past couple of weeks. I enjoyed my Montreal Fringing (as I always do) and I am looking forward to Toronto.

Costa, Pat and I have been working on a few revisions and tweaks, and we are also welcoming out new Rosie, Emilia, who is joining us for the Toronto shows. (Robin rocked as our Montreal Rosie, but couldn't come to Toronto due to some other commitments.)

Soon, we hit the road and take on Toronto. We are hoping to make the opening ceremonies on Wednesday. (The beer tent opens, and postering begins. I'd better have my tape at the ready!) We also already have a few shows we are looking forward to catching. So many plays, so little time...

Cheers,
Tali

Friday Fun

Hello All,

For shows down, two to go. Tuesday had our best attendance so far (and response!) and Thursday had a smaller crowd, but they were very supportive and laughed a lot. (Special thanks go to that gentleman laugher sitting on stage right, near the front.) I really feel like our little team is working together really well and we have found audiences who get what we're doing and are enjoying it - It's a lovely feeling!

In the meantime, I have been meeting people and checking out shows and having a great time. Only 3 more days and then I shall go into Fringe withdrawal. (Well, at least 'till we get to Toronto.)

Cheers,
Tali

Is it Tuesday Already?

Greetings All,

Time flies when you're having Fringe. We have already done two shows! I thought Sunday went particularly well and the crowd seemed quite receptive. I love our venue, it's gorgeous! (And our technician, Rachel, is just plain awesome. When we had an issue with a microphone cord during the show, she sprinted down and set it right in seconds!)

I am also volunteering, flyering and I have also managed to see 16 shows to date. (I am having a great time checking out what my fellow artists are up to. There are some very cool shows this year!)

Cheers,
Tali

Publicity and Promotion

Dear Readers,

Preparations continue, flyers have been printed and I have been flyering anyone in my immediate vicinity. (I took full advantage of the packed patio at tonight's QDF Calendar launch to liberally distribute them hither and yon.) I also have my posters (above) designed by the lovely and talented Josh Budman. (Thanks, Josh!)

We also had the Fringe-for-All on Monday, May 30. I was unable to attend, but Pat, my intrepid partner in crime represented the team. We had two minutes to plug our show in any fashion we wished, so we used a little rap number. And someone just pointed out to me that we piqued at a writer's interest (way to go, Pat!):

http://charpo.blogspot.com/2011/05/news-fringe-for-all-coverage.html#more

Tomorrow morning is our tech run, so I'd better get to bed after I make sure all my props pieces are ready to go. (Now where did I put my checklist...)

Cheers,
Tali

Revision and Rehearsal

Pat Di Iorio as Fred and Tali Brady as Anne

(photo by Chris J. Hing)

Dear Readers,

I'm sorry it's been a while. School, work and shows have been cutting into my blogging time!


And, of course, I am working on my new show Austen for the Attention-Impaired. It opens in a couple of weeks and I am very excited! (For schedule and ticket info, please select "See A Show" from the menu.)
 
However, I am hard at work at my new summer show - I am very glad to be teaming up with Pat - I had so much fun working with him on a recent show, I asked him to be in this one!

I have also signed on Robin as my stage manager/actor. We actually met in a children's production of Peter Pan (CENSORED) years ago. I met up with her again a couple of years ago through mutual friends and I am glad to be working with her again.

Also, Costa is helping me out with direction. He is a great help since he helps to give an outside perspective. (And, he's just really cool!)

My friend Chris also graciously pencilled us in for a photo session, an example of his work is at the top of this entry.

I promise I will keep you a little more up to date on my adventures for the next little while.

Cheers,
Tali

Wanderings and Winterlude

Good Day,

I made a welcome journey to Ottawa this weekend to visit family, check out some of the Winterlude activities and, of course, present Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen.

There was a sizable, responsive crowd. (And clever - They laughed in the right places.) It was great fun! The Jane Austen Society if Ottawa also presented me with a lovely gift: an exquisite multi-coloured teacup.

I was also invited to join a few members for tea and conversation afterwards. It was fun discussing several matters of Austenalia both popular and obscure!

Cheers,
Tali

Ottawa and Auditoriums

Things are proceeding apace. I continue to work on my summer show.

In the meantime, I am revisiting my earlier show,  Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen. I am delighted to be traveling to Ottawa to present a FREE show at the Ottawa public Library. (Sunday, February 20 at 2 p.m. - 120 Metcalfe - Main Auditorium) Many thanks to the Ottawa Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America  for arranging this event.

I am looking forward to donning my bonnet again - And have even procured a new dress for the occasion!

I will also be presenting the show at a private event in April. I shall let you know about my shows as they happen.

Best,
Tali