Happy 200th Anniversary, Pride and Predjudice!

Greetings All,

Today is the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen's beloved novel, Pride and Prejudice! Haven't read it yet? Well, you're a couple of centuries behind, but thankfully you can find a free copy here in various formats. Happy reading! (I think I may flip through a few pages this evening just to get a little re-acquainted.)

As for my projects, ending 2012 with Robin Hood's Rebellion was a lovely treat. My cast and crew did a lovely job, the Centaur staff was wonderfully helpful and the children in our audience were extremely well-behaved! (Quite a positive experience!)

I have started 2013 taking some classes and lending a hand with other people's works, rather than my own. However, I have been entertaining some charming little ideas for my own projects - I'll let you know if any of them get me into mischief.

Best,
Tali

People and Projects

(Image credit: Christina Garofalo)

Dear Readers,


Things have been a bit busy the last little while as I have been working on some other people’s projects.

However, I do have a few things of my own in the pipeline, including Robin Hood’s Rebellion, which has been selected to be a part of the Centaur Theatre’s Saturday Morning Children’s Series. I will be posting up more details soon. There are several things to do and to take care of and I am looking forward to it!

Cheers,

Tali

Ceremonies and Sayonara

Good Day,

We had our last show yesterday afternoon and it was fun. I have been lucky to have some very receptive audiences, which was simply delightful!

Thanks again to all the FRIGID New York volunteers and staff for taking such good care of me. Also a many, many thanks to my venue technician, Curtis Overacre, for being so helpful, thoughtful and just plain awesome! And, of course, thanks to Sandrine Lafond (Little Lady) for being my stage manager. (Little Lady has been given an additional show on Tuesday. Check it out, if you haven't already - It's fantastic!)

Last night was also the closing ceremonies, I was delighted that Afternoon Tea With Jane Austen won an Audience Choice Award. (Thanks to everyone who voted for me!)

I was also a finalist in The Happiest Medium's Rock Paper Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH! I am happy to report I trounced The Terrible Manpain of Umberto MacDougal. (Sorry, Umberto, but if it's any consolation, Jane Austen wrote about Manpain - Particularly in Persuasion, one gentleman gets dumped by his fiancee and another has his fiancee pass away, that's pretty Manpain-ful!) I then faced off against Fear Factor: Canine Edition and triumphed again. Next came the final round, against Infinitum/Finis. We stood alone under the spotlights, the tension was palpable, the crowd was chanting! After many matching throws against my "variant humanoid" opponent I was finally defeated. Well played, Dex. Well played.

Thanks again to all the FRIGID staff and participants. It was a delight meeting you all and also thanks to my director, Bruce Lambie. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it to New York, but his contribution to the show was invaluable!

Soon it will be time to head home. I guess I'd better start packing!

Best,
Tali

Tuesday on the Town

Greetings,

Wow! The run is half over already. I have been fighting off some savage New York cold virus (Jane was sounding a little like Leonard Cohen for a while) but I think I am finally making headway with medication, lozenges and spicy Indian and Japanese food. (Huzzah!)

I have also, of course, been checking out other festival shows. (I am up to 13 now!) And enjoying the sights and sounds and tastes of New York. (Is it me, or is there really a cupcake shop or a taco truck on every corner?)

As well, the delightful people at the Fourth Arts Block filmed a brief FAB Minute interview with me, check it out here: http://www.eastvillagearts.org/frigid-fab-minute-tali-brady/ (Thanks to Hannah at FAB for making this happen.)

Cheers,
Tali

New Amsterdam and New Acquaintances

Greetings,


I have made it to New York safe and sound and have been preparing for the show, doing last-minute printing, picking up a few things and I even found Jane a new frock, far lovelier than the last one – I shall be “unbearably fine!” (Many thanks to Hilda at Creative Costume Company for taking such good care of me.)

I have also had the pleasure of meeting some fellow artists and the FRIGID New York staff. Last night was the opening of the festival and I was delighted to see four shows.

Today is the tech rehearsal and I am looking forward to doing some work in the space and seeing the lighting set-up – it has been a while since I did a performance with an involved lighting plot – and I find Bruce`s design really helps to set the mood.

After that, we open on Friday!

Cheers,

Tali

Commercials and Comedy

Hello again,

I have been keeping busy with several projects, inlcuding getting ready for the upcoming FRIGID New York run. Also, of course, I have been preparing promotional materials, including this brief video:
 

Thanks to Daniel Torchinsky for his video directing and editing expertise and to Constantine Kourtidis for a memorable cameo!

Also, tickets are on sale! To reserve on-line please visit: http://www.frigidnewyork.info/Show.aspx?id=22

Cheers,
Tali

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