This week was chock full of very special rehearsals – and not just because we started doing full run-throughs. It was also special because I got to unleash my acting chops in a very important role.

As the days pass, we’re assembling more and more of our sets and props. Performers are running around frantically between scenes, hurrying to change their costumes as our assistant stage manager, Caitlin, thrusts jackets onto their waiting arms and ties their shoes to accelerate the process. But we’re still missing the panels that will form our backdrop. Which means that anything that needs to be hung on those panels must be held by hand for now.

Remember that kid in your elementary school who was cast as the tree in that one school play? Yeah, that was me. Only I got to be more interesting than just a silly tree – I was a human white board.

Read the full article.

Things here at the The Bureau of Bat Shit Crazy are always a little bit…well, bat shit crazy. Last Sunday was our first pants-free rehearsal. Seriously, what Fringe performance would be complete without a little pantlessness?

Yes, every performer gets their own special pants-free moment and this was the first time we actually did the scenes as they were intended: sans pants! Everyone was very brave and I think this rehearsal was a success; I sure know I couldn’t have done it.

Read the full update.

Yet another week of rehearsals down! It’s crazy to think that June has already arrived. In the blink of an eye, it’ll be Fringe time!

The themes of rehearsal this week have been violence and love. Don’t worry, the violence is staged. But the love is real (awww).

It was finally time to choreograph our fight sequence. First of all, Meghan (Ashley) and Ron (Bob Shirley) proved to be quite acrobatic with a lift that wouldn’t be out of place on an ice skating rink (if ice skating involved more screaming and punching, that is.). I must admit, I felt a little anxiety due to our rehearsal space’s low ceilings, Ron’s height and Meghan’s accident-prone nature. Luckily, everyone survived.

Read the full update.

What a month it’s been! May has been chock full of video shoots, promotional planning, fake Facebook fan pages, Twitter account tie-ins and, of course, rehearsal after rehearsal.

The crazy countdown to the Ottawa Fringe starts now, with almost exactly a month to go to the opening night of The Bureau of Bat Shit Crazy – and yet, it’s a miracle if we can get the whole cast and crew to attend a rehearsal at the same time. So far, people have been sidelined by illness, unexpected concussions and trips to England. We like to joke that we’re cursed. Although personally I’m hoping that we’ll at least be able to have the entire cast present for the performances themselves!

Read the full update.