Rosebud School of the Arts Blog

EQUALITY WITHIN: Tom Baines Junior Highschool Drama Workshop

2011-07-15T18:02:00.000-06:00

by David Snider

Calgary drama teacher Rob Daugherty has brought over 1,000 junior high school students to Rosebud Theatre over the last ten years. That’s enough to strike terror in the hearts of most actors, as many experiences with such hormonally-challenged groups prove trying at best. I have a memory of acting in a performance where the stage being was pelted with coins. Our production manager, not unlike a prison warden, stopped the action, came out on stage and threatened to call the show if there was any further incident.

Here’s the difference: Daugherty’s students have a reputation for being some of the most respectful and engaged audience members, and at talkbacks have offered genuinely curious and insightful questions. How could this be? Well, to find out, and quite frankly, to offer some overdue thanks for such loyal patronage, I went to Tom Baines Junior High School in northwest Calgary to give a workshop, and spend the afternoon visiting his classes.

Rob, or “Mr. D” as most of his students call him, is an inspiration to meet. He has built a program that exposes students to the whole of theatre and gives them hands-on experience (a group of grade 7’s were staging an episode of “The Brady Bunch” when I arrived). His class room is a mini-theatre, complete with costumes and props, flats, light grid, curtains, and a sound system. The walls are decorated with giant movie posters and images from big productions the school has done (remarkable to see at the junior high school level, and daunting to imagine what Mr. D’s daytimer looks like). I also learned, by seeing a tattoo on his calf of a Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet, that he has a movie-grade Stormtrooper uniform and belongs to a group called “501^st Legion”, a global non-profit group of Stormtroopers who make appearances for charity work.

I could tell from listening to his teaching that he has a rich knowledge of the craft, but even more importantly, that he is a living example of a creed he created for the Drama Room: “Equality Within”. He explained that the intrinsic value in connecting students to theatre is to form a community where everyone receives and gives unconditional acceptance of each other. I was amazed to witness about 70 students throughout the day (and a pretty even balance of boys and girls) risking being themselves, and celebrating each other.

The workshop went well, meaning the 30 or so students were engaged, I wasn’t at a loss for activities, and we found a few moments of theatre magic. After a quick lunch at the corner Chinese restaurant, I returned to watch two groups of grade nine students present their final projects: original musicals. Yep, they wrote a libretto, composed music, produced, directed, teched and performed a fifteen-minute piece, one about bullying called “Victimized” and the other called “Jr. High School Musical” inspired by Disney’s secondary-level version. Rob has been told by high school teachers that such a project is expected of grade twelve students, but he says “Students will rise to whatever bar you set for them.” The pieces were clearly victories for the performers, and the classmates gave specific feedback to each other of what they thought was “strong” in the work.

The days’ gem, and answer to the mystery of the “how can they be such great audience members?” question came from hearing Mr. D. tell his students that the audience’s job is to “give yourself away to the story and actors and production elements.” He had equally-wise advice for the players, saying at performance it’s time to trust the work, and let go of control. Now I know why his students have been such fabulous audience members at our shows. They aren’t just “being quiet and paying attention”. They give themselves away to the story we tell in the theatre, and to the experience of being in our community.

Before I said “goodbye and we’ll talk soon” Rob gave me something to bring back to RCA. When his students finish their Rosebud field trip, he has them write him a letter about their Rosebud Theatre experience, from getting on the bus to bedtime. He gave me five of his favorites. Two highlights include: being in Rosebud was “fun, peaceful and very interesting school” and “I really loved how much art was in Rosebud, and would love to go to their school of performing arts.”

Rob told me he could take the students to other theatres like Theatre Calgary, but he chooses Rosebud year after year because it offers a “total immersion experience in theatre in such a unique setting. “ To me, that’s a great compliment, and tells me our “Drama Room” is also a place that champions “Equality Within”.

A Crack Between Worlds: Intersession Instructor Maggie Kast

2011-05-06T22:17:00.000-06:00

Here is an excerpt from an Instructor that came to Rosebud this last February to work with our students. This is what she had to say about her time with us.

You can see the full Article at: data.memberclicks.com/site/sdg/Newsletter_Spring2011b.pdf

by Maggie Kast

After a lifetime of teaching, choreographing and dancing in concert and church settings I published The Crack between the Worlds: a dancer’s memoir of loss, faith and family. Professor Jeany Snider of faith-based Rosebud School of Theatre Arts in Alberta, Canada, adopted the book for her course on Faith and Art, and one student was sufficiently moved by the book to write to me. I wrote back, met Jeany by e-mail, and suggested that I visit the school.

The content that I proposed to teach had been evolving from my book, as old and new strands of my life rewove themselves into forms I was just discovering. “Arts as Spiritual Path” a week-long workshop, to Rosebud, and some forty-eight e-mails and sixteen months later, I went there. The plane flew into Calgary, Alberta over an ocean of snow, rivers just shadowed dents in the surface, and roads, lines drawn as though by a ruler, on and on, never turning. Driving from Calgary an hour and a half to Rosebud (one turn), I marveled at the light pouring over rolling hills and shadow pooling in valleys.

On arrival I discovered an almost utopian community. You can walk in ten minutes from one end of the hamlet to the other, and teachers and staff know each of the twenty-eight students intimately. Students, faculty and community members volunteer to feed visitors like me—a lunch here, a dinner there. Here is life without advertising, billboards, or television. The youngest students told me they’ve stopped using their smart phones except to call home.

I began the week with movement improvisation, and my first surprise was that the students were so free and proficient, so ready to accept each other’s weight and try new ways of moving. They were already incorporating dance and drama regularly in the services of their non-denominational community church.

My second surprise was that despite familiarity with faith in art, some in the class and community harbored doubts about whether artistic symbols could join hands with words to point to the sacred.

The class progressed to work with text, exploring possible relationships between text and motion, writing a body story, and preparing liturgical dance. I look forward to continuing these kinds of exploration at the Glen in June.

On Sunday the students danced about walking in darkness and finding light, and I knew that the glow of this community transcended sun on snow.

The Turn of the Screw: Sneak Peek!

2011-04-21T11:03:00.001-06:00

It's tech week for Alysa van Haastert's Final Project.

Here is a photo from the tech run of the show.

Alysa van Haastert as The Governess Photo by Kelsey Krogman

Midnight, April 21^st...1872
At this moment I am convinced that the governess is crazy! I really do feel like I’m loosing my mind!
It will all be okay! Nathan says.
How? HOW WILL IT? Says I.
I don’t know. It’s a mystery. Nathan says and pats me on my back.

We are about 50 hrs into rehearsals for my final project, opening in 5 days.
It is a tricky thing to be a producer at the same times as an actor. I feel very insecure in the middle of all this. I feel like I can’t really give either role my full ability or attention. I feel like everything is falling to pieces in front of me. I feel like I am stepping over a lot of people and asking much too much of them.
But that’s not true at all. I can see that I am working with incredible people, smart people, creative people. All who are very excited about the little bits of magic that this show is unveiling everyday.
Today, at rehearsal, before our run, I watched as everyone bustled about checking in, brainstorming, setting up. I breathed it all in and then it was time! I stood behind the drape, more nervous than I think I’ve ever been before a show … asking myself “what are we doing? what is my first line? God help us!” But as the lights went down and Nathan stepped out into the darkness and started into the story I wanted to laugh and jump and I got shivers up my back! “Here we go!” I thought! This story is so fun to tell, to live in the center of: always discovering, always learning, always interested. It keeps even me curious along the way, when I know what happens.
This is terrifying and thrilling all the same time.
It’s weird to step outside of it and look at it. But I need to do that to see that it is really a work of art that we are creating. It’ll be a fine line between romantic and out-of-this-world peculiar. We need spunk and mystery in our lives. Keeps it interesting!

Don't miss this ghost story playing at the Akokiniskway Gallery in Rosebud, Alberta.

Playing Monday April 25 at 2pm & 7pm

Tuesday April 26 at 11:05pm

Wednesday April 27 at 5:30pm

Call (403)677-2531 for tickets

All tickets $10

Emerge!

2011-04-10T17:46:00.007-06:00

With the coming of April comes an event hosted by Theatre Alberta called

EMERGE

A two day event in which the new group of theatre students from all over the province are loosed upon Alberta and the theatre world.

We're sending these three lovely actors.

Heather has been seen as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof, Mary in Mary's Wedding, Antonia in We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! and Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden and is currently starring as Lilia in A Bright Particular Star; all for Rosebud Theatre. Heather's final project for Rosebud School of the Arts was a production of The Diary of Adam and Eve adapted by Mark Bucci in which she played Eve.

Cassia has been seen as Antonia in Man of la Mancha, Oliver Twist in Oliver!, Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, Auntie Hannah in A Child's Christmas in Wales and is currently starring as Jenny Ward in A Bright Particular Star; all for Rosebud Theatre. Cassia's final project for Rosebud School of the Arts was a production of Daniel MacIvor's play You Are Here in which she played Alison.

Alysa has been seen as Auntie Bessie in A Child's Christmas in Wales, Elsa Barlow in The Road to Mecca and is currently starring as Kate Terry in A Bright Particular Star all for Rosebud Theatre. Alysa is in rehearsals for her final project for Rosebud School of the Arts; The Turn of the Screw a ghost story in which she plays The Governess.

We are proud of you and wish you all the best!

The Triumph of Love Opening!

2011-04-08T15:09:00.010-06:00

So after much rehearsal and laughter, The Triumph of Love opened to a very warm audience on Friday. Full of fun characters and a romping story line that will keep you guessing til the end.

Please find yourself some time to check it out.

You can see our event info at

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=195150793852571&index=1

Photo Credits: Kelsey Krogman

Triumph of Love Sneak Peek!

2011-03-26T17:11:00.012-06:00

We got some pictures taken at our last run thru of Triumph of Love just to wet you whistle!

Leontine (Laura Gillespie) is wooed by the disguised princess (Jesse Anderson)

The disguised princess Phocion with her disguised servant Hermidas (Natalie Gauthier)

More Wooing

What does the gardener want!? (L-R) Natalie Gauthier, Amy Burks

Showing off!

Philosopher Hermocrate (Nathan Schmidt) sees through the disguise

Harlequin (Matt St. Jean) says too much!

Check back for more photos.

Two weeks til Triumph of Love opens on the Studio Stage in Rosebud.

All photo credits: Kelsey Krogman

Become a follower of this blog and stay current with all the news coming out of RSA

Songs for a New World to Open

2011-03-23T16:39:00.006-06:00

Here are some words from 4th year Mentorship student Sienna Howell-Holden on her upcoming final project production.

Well here I am a little under one month from opening Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown, the show that will (hopefully!) be the final project that propels me towards graduating from Rosebud School of the Arts. It has been a really encouraging experience so far, with the team that I have assembled working really hard to get this project off the ground. With only three rehearsals under our belt we are ahead of the eight ball, having more than half of the show blocked. There is an infectious energy in rehearsals, with people bringing their talent and creativity to the process. the music is so Challenging! by far the hardest music I have worked with. But we are climbing the mountain slowly but surely with grit and determination. Another thing that has been interesting so far is wearing both an actors cap as well as a producers. It's been a great learning experience attempting to juggle both and know when to put each cap on, sometimes more successfully than others!

Songs for a New World will open

April 18 at 7pm and will also run on

Tuesday April 19 at 11am and 7pm

April 20 at 10am and 7pm

Check out the facebook event at www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171385552908961 for tickets.

Mary's Wedding

2009-10-20T20:47:00.002-06:00

It's not often that a person gets to be a part of a project that resonates deep in the core of their being. But when the perfect match does come along it announces itself with a resounding “Yes!” ringing out from the soul. For me the perfect pairing came in the form of a show, Mary's Wedding, by Stephen Massicotte. It is one of those miraculous projects that causes my heart, mind and soul to celebrate the truth and beauty of life with a sort of joyous rapture. It has been nothing short of a gift from God. I knew, from the moment my hands began to lower the script after reading it for the first time, that I must be a part of this show.

You can imagine then the celebration and relief with which I received the news that I had in fact been cast to play Mary. I was, in short, ecstatic. Following quickly upon the heels of this exultation however, was a realization that because this story was so dear to my heart; because it harmonized so well with my own beliefs, passions and convictions that I felt as though its truths somehow laid bare my own soul, my own inner most fears and desires; because of these things I realized that it was desperately important to me that I succeed in telling this story and sharing it with the audience. And that is when the terror set in. It was the terror of somehow failing to honour this amazing story, and the very real history and humanity that it represents.

This terror plagued me for a number of months until the rehearsal process began, at which point it doubled in intensity

We worked hard, and I learned. Oh Lord, how I learned! I learned by hearing and internalizing the insightful and wise words of our director Morris Ertman. I learned from watching and analyzing my dear cast mate, Karl Sine's, process of creation. I learned by taking in and letting go. I learned, I learned, and I learned. And at the end of each day I arrived home exhausted, collapsed on the couch, and with wide eyes staring at my husband asked, “What have I gotten myself in to?”

In all truth, the rehearsal process was actually quite wonderful. I had the privilege of spending every day with Morris Ertman, a man who instills in me a sense of awe; Karl Sine, who is not only a wonderfully talented man but a dear friend to both me and my husband; Alysa Van Haastert, who is such a beautiful young woman everyone should be so lucky as to spend 8 hours a day in her company; and Justin Born, who I am so proud to have known since our first days together as Certificate students, 3 short years ago.

Opening night swiftly arrived, and not since my wedding day have I been so terrified and overjoyed all at once. I took the stage trembling, fearful that I was about to make a gigantic fool of myself. But I soon discovered that audiences love and believe in this story and its characters just as much as I do. And though the terror is still there to some degree, I look forward to each and every show. It will be terribly sad when our little team finally has to say goodbye to Mary and Charlie and Flowers. But we will leave knowing that we have been blessed to be a part of something truly wonderful and what's more, devastatingly beautiful. And who can ask for anything more than that?

Heather Pattengale

Christmas and New Year's

2009-01-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that it has been quite a significant amount of time since my last blog. So here we go…the third instalment.

Let’s see, the date is January 15^th. The lush green from the summer has gone away to be replaced with deep snow and cold, cold, cold! I would like to say that it’s unusual, but that might just be me complaining. Well it does mean that I can hole myself up in my house a little longer and I have a little more time to get things done. Having time is nice as I was quite busy this Christmas.

For Christmas I had the pleasure of being assistant stage manager for Christmas on the Air. What a great thing to be a part of! I had the privilege of working with six talented and dear people. I revelled in the colour of the people and all the colours the show offered: Sylvia in snow white blue, Kitty in sultry red, Yolanda in captivating emerald green, Danny in earnest orange and Percival in classy black. During the show the cast would crowd around a microphone and all their costumes would compliment each other in a Christmas version of a rainbow.

It was strange to do the Christmas show right after Halloween; however at the beginning of November Christmas was anticipated with a freshness that is sometimes hard to find when December finally comes around. And that was when I entered into the whirlwind of another show. This time I was on the other side of the lights. I was very, very busy but to be involved was nice and I didn’t mind the busyness.

The last performance (always a bittersweet show) was very touching to me. I felt a such a wonderful closeness with those six people; a thing that was sometimes harder to find in the larger group like the thirty or so people who were in Fiddler on the Roof. The cast stood round the piano and warmed up, the stage management team stood with them. We all just looked at each other and laughed and smiled. I think they felt as endearing towards me as I felt towards them and that is a special feeling.

The Saturday night before the show ended was another memorable time with that group. It was a cast party of sorts, really we were content to sit and hang out. We entertained ourselves with various methods, one of them being throwing boiling water into the air and watching it evaporate before it even hit the ground. Yes it was that cold outside, but it was a very cool effect. We all oohed and aahed. Next we watched the animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. We all huddled on the couch and thoroughly enjoyed the film. We were all so tired but we preferred to just sit rather then leave each others’ company.

And then came a much needed Christmas break which brings me to the present time period. At the moment I am in Limbo. Thankfully I have not entered into the same madhouse that I left on Christmas Eve…I have been given a bit of repose. Troy Women rehearsals as well as a few final projects are in full swing but the marathon doesn’t truly begin for me until February. We are two weeks away from the international theatre trip to London. We are also going to Dublin!!! I have never been to Europe before and I am very excited. So far every theatre trip had been great so I wonder what surprises are waiting for me on this one. And after that, another show: Lettice and Lovage. More rehearsals, more theatre, more life!

Happy 2009!!

Kendra Hutchinson

Mentorship Level 2 student in Acting

Bottles, Pantaloons, and a Proposal

2008-08-15T17:36:00.005-06:00

Laughter is quite a phenomenon. Making thirty people in a cast sincerely laugh together after all these shows is one thing, and even greater is making two hundred and thirty audience members share the same laughter. It has been an interesting week of performances for me and I am sure that there are others who share my views. In Friday night’s performance I was constantly in tears and wondered just how closely the audience was looking at my red rimmed eyes and if what I was doing was in the moment or masking something.

But then came Saturday’s performance and what a fun day that was. The wedding scene in Fiddler is one of my favorites in the play…maybe it’s because it is long and eventful. There are all sorts of things that happen, dancing, big “noddings of the head”, wailing, the bottle dance, singing (of course), people getting beat up and heated arguments. You’d think this would be enough to keep me entertained but this story constantly provides even more. During the bottle dance our men line up proudly and then proceed to show us how well they can balance a bottle on their heads. As the women watching we are very impressed by this.

It started when Tevye dropped his bottle. Of course we have to make a bid deal about dropped bottles. There are lots of groans and hand waving, laughing and pointing at the person who somehow messed up. So the bottle was dropped, a few moments later I hear a great deal of laughter. I look up to see Tevye, his face turning a deeper shade of crimson, frantically clutching the waistline of his pants. His pants were falling down in front of a full house! It didn’t help that the men were about to be on their knees in a climactic impressive choreographed moment. If the pants were about to fall down nothing would stop them when they were all spread-legged on the floor. The audience could not miss this and neither could we.

Moments like that you really have no choice but to laugh along with the rest of them instead of pretending that it’s not happening. And it was really funny. Tevye finally had to leave the stage when complete dropping of his pantaloons seemed imminent. He left with as much flourish and poise for the circumstance and we laughed again.

I do believe that the audience appreciates us more for that and this was not even the end of the merriment. During intermission there was a marriage proposal in the audience. The man even sang “Wonder of Wonders, Miracles of Miracles” to his sweetheart, with a voice worthy of the show. The rest of us peeked through the curtains from back stage to see this real live performance and we too were caught up in the happiness. That tiny opera house is a gathering of many people and for a few short hours we share something. Two hundred and sixty people laughing at the lead who did not tie his pants up and smiling at the girl who is now engaged, is in my opinion a great way to finish off the week.

To Life! Once again,

Kendra Hutchinson
Graduate of mentorship level one

To Life!!!

2008-07-14T17:58:00.004-06:00

Alright here it is…the student summer blog. I am supposed to tell our readers out there the details and adventures of my summer spent in this tiny town of Rosebud. I am backstage writing this, and the enthusiastic clapping of the audience can be heard as our men boisterously sing L’chaim. We are already at the halfway point of our show run [of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF].

Originally when faced with the 90 performances that were to take place this summer it seemed like a huge mountain to climb. However here we are half done and it seems that another month and a half may not seem so bad after all. It is actually a joy. Yes the songs get stuck in your head and the mercantile gift shop has a habit of playing the soundtrack so the songs echo through the hallways of work and on our thirty degree days that stage is an oven. But I cannot deny the happiness I feel to be a part of such a story. Who wouldn’t want to spend their summer being in a show?

And at this halfway point what have I learned? I have learned to let myself feel, laugh or cry because the show calls for both and even after all these performances I am not beyond being moved. I am constantly surprised at what this show brings forth. I know how to gage the audience. Going to work right before the show does have its benefits, it means I usually get to see and talk to most of the people we are performing for.

I have learned other things as well, things that our patrons are not aware of but in our every day life is essential. I know that the bottom step on the ladder stage right squeaks loudly when stepped on and therefore have the habit of skipping it. (Of course this being said someone might have fixed the step and I would never know!) It is interesting to watch the rest of the cast and their habits. I have started to become familiar with them whether it is the Constable reading on the couch, Perchik contemplating backstage or the fascinating conversations next to the costume repair sheet. Some of the topics we have covered so far include hypnotism, relationships and underwear. I guess this first blog is to tell the world that I am having fun, that I love being a part of Fiddler on the Roof and there are more entries to come.

To Life!!!

Kendra Hutchinson
Graduate of mentorship level one

Highlight Reel: When the Sun Meets the Earth

2008-04-29T13:07:00.003-06:00

So we opened April 11!!!! After a week of late – like 11 PM ish – rehearsals we went into opening feeling prepared and nervous, but so ready to no longer be in rehearsals while also doing full time classes! So we are off and more than half way done our run of When the Sun Meets the Earth.

Let’s see, the highlight reel… opening was good, we had a smaller crowd then I would have liked but they were blessed by the show. Thursday (April 17) was a rough show – first show back without rehearsals and such, we all took it as a hint to work a little harder and we have. Allen (the author) came out on April 19 to see the show. He was not really what any of us expected….he was younger than I thought he’d be. And so funny and genuine about our performances, hearing gifts like this from the author of a show you’re working on is a rare and precious gift, and is probably something I will treasure for a long time.

A little boy about 4 came earlier to see the show with his mom. He loved it. But something that he said struck me – he looked at the abuse of the daughter (who I play) in such a child like way that it brought me to tears; he said “The daddy broke the little girl’s heart, and then she forgave him! ” I often have a hard time looking at that scene and wondering how Marianne could forgive her father so instantly…but I got my answer, from a child non the less.

On Thursday April 24 I had a special blessing. There was a little girl, who was handicapped, deaf, and in a wheelchair. She LOVES conflict. In the first scene I have with Scott I have to bend over the edge of the stage and this little girl reached out to me and tried to touch me, it threw me a little, but throughout the show she was kind of an inspiration to keep going for it. She squealed with delight nearly every time I spoke.

April 25 was a spectacular show for the whole cast, we brought the energy and played the lines and the audience responded with loads of laughter and tears. Saturday's show came with the most drama. About 15 minutes into the top of Act Two, the show had to be stopped because there was a medical crisis with one of the audience members, we held for what felt like forever…but finished the show.

Dressing room goodies: Nathan smacking his head on his chair and having a goose egg for the show (this was caused by Angus and his black face make-up), Aaron and his itchy beard, Jonathan's inability to do his own hair, boobs in the face, the charcoal, there are numerous other dressing room shenanigans but here is just a nibble. Needless to say between our backstage antics and this wonderful, blessing of a show….COME SEE IT. There are only 3 more shows left and tickets are selling fast. Blessings….

Sammantha Isaman
Mentorship II Student

The Countdown Begins

2008-03-31T17:46:00.004-06:00

So…we open in two weeks. That seems just a little terrifying at this point, but manageable somehow!!! It will never cease to amaze me how different the process of putting up a Theatre 359 show is from main stage. But as much as it is drawn out and the process feels like it takes forever, it seems to bring us together for one common purpose… let's just be better!!! Act better, don’t be so shit-tastic . This show has so many elements that just keep getting added in… the musicians came this weekend… they were AWESOME and it was way less painful than I thought it would be to place them in, they just kind of fit with us (YEAH Aaron and Angus!!!). The run was really good compared to last week's… Paul actually smiled and people laughed, instead of just the big “Oh crap, we’re screwed!” – NO COME, IT’S GOING TO BE GOOD CAUSE WE’RE BETTER NOW!!!! So needless to say let the countdown begin….11 days until opening and 5 more rehearsals.

Bring it on...

Sammantha Isaman
Mentorship II Student
Acting in When the Sun Meets the Earth

NEW YORK, NEW YORK...

2008-03-14T13:33:00.003-06:00

Posing in the heart of the Big Apple: Kelsey Krogman (top left), Megan Craig (top right), Belinda Jackson (bottom right), Sammantha Isaman (bottom left), photo credit Paul F. Muir.

We escaped the Alberta deepfreeze just in time to find the weather in New York quite warm, despite some rain and snow. Our time there was spent seeing shows and the sights (like the Mac store on 5th Ave.), and participating in workshops. We audited some classes at HB Studios, home of the quintessential acting textbook Respect for Acting, and saw a play there, Lilian Yuralia, which was like watching a master class in Uta Hagen’s acting principles. We learned some basics of the Alexander Technique at the Neighborhood Playhouse, Sanford Meisner’s school for acting. We revisited some of the scenes from last spring’s Studio Stage production of As You Like It at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.

In Toronto, we had the opportunity to explore text and movement under Gerry Trentham’s guidance again; he led an Intersession class with the Mentorship students last spring in Rosebud. I took in some fabulous shows, like David Mamet’s hilarious new play November, about a president on his way out of the Oval Office, and The Seafarer by Conor MacPherson, about two brothers playing cards with the devil. I returned to Rosebud, inspired to play and explore within the work ahead of me.

Kelsey Krogman
Mentorship II Student

Welcome to the first-ever RSA Blog!

2008-02-29T11:10:00.003-07:00

So, here's an odd thing...not only is this the first-ever RSA blog, but it's also my first-ever blog! Yes, it's true, Paul F Muir has never blogged in all his forty-something years of running around on the planet...until now. So it seems somehow fitting that my first blog is an RSA blog. So, I still don't really get what a blog is. I've read a blog or two...I remember when Jordan and Eben (former RSA students) went on their big sailing adventure off the coast of Florida, they had a blog, and it was great to hear about their escapades and misadventures as they happened. Maybe that's all I need to know...maybe a blog is just a cool way of saying "journal" or "diary"? I can live with that. And I do like name...BLOG! Very fun!

This RSA blog will be a way for the world to get an inside peak on life in Rosebud. Students and staff will be assigned to blog many of the various activates, shows and events connected with Rosebud School of the Arts. For instance, a student may be asked to blog about the rehearsal process of an Opera House or Studio Stage show, about a specific class, and of course about our Theatre Trips to London, New York, and BC. A director might also be asked to blog some these things from his/her point of view. There will likely be entries about all the other events here in Rosebud like the Budding Playwright's Festival, Choir Concerts, Student Showcases, Final Projects, Performance Nights, Risk Nites, and even the ever popular 15 Minutes of Fame Festival.

So, if you're into knowing what life in like in Rosebud, this is a blog for you to keep an eye on. Stay on top of things in this little hamlet and keep checking back as often as you like.

Thanks you Rosebud School of the Arts for forcing me to stay current and write my first blog!

Go with God!

Paul Muir
Education Director