GLEBOUS & COMICUS
Glebe Report November 12, 2021
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The Glebe according to Zeus
A GUINEA PIG’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE GLEBE
A Child's Christmas in Wales, Illustration by Fritz Eichenberg
Holiday celebrations this time around
By Eleanor Crowder
How did Christmas in the pandemic unfold at your house? It’s likely to become a storied time: the Christmas that almost wasn’t and then was saved. But how? With us, it was by a shared outdoor meal in the rain. A neighbour’s screened porch, candles, a tourtière and four of us wrapped in blankets over our winter coats. It felt Nordic and brave and put a huge grin on our faces, which countered only being able to see by Zoom. Close-up smiles made it truly Christmas! And there somehow is the essence of Christmas. What makes it special for you? This year, here’s what’s special for us! We can be in a theatre again. Our audiences are masked, vaccinated, careful but revelling in the joy of theatre in company. This year, as members of Bear & Co. working alongside Pierre Brault Productions, we get to welcome you back to the Gladstone Theatre. Consider this your invitation! Bear & Co. will produce Dylan Thomas’ classic tale, A Childs Christmas
in Wales. Actors Nicholas Amott and Rachel Eugster invite you to remember Christmases gone by and to cherish the Christmas Eve hush with the golden glow of candles. We cannot invite you to ring out carols to the rafters, but we can invite you to share the tunes and to hum along! Not a carol sing, but a carol hum! And Pierre brings you his solo rendition of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. His showmanship and wicked twists of humour rival Dickens’ own! Our own Ottawa star brings us a true star turn in this hour-long show. You can see both shows in one night, or enjoy them separately. Each show runs under an hour. They play alternately at 7 and 8.30 p.m. from November 30 to December 18. Tickets and information on livestreams at www.thegladstone.ca. We wish you the merriest of holidays and hope to share this restored pleasure with you. Eleanor Crowder is an actor, director, producer and playwright. She will direct for Bear & Co., and also teaches theatre classes at GNAG. She has very much missed theatre as celebration!
Parts of speech Nouns and pronouns
By Michael Kofi Ngongi Like actors in a play, words in a sentence play different parts. They can be nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions or interjections. These “parts of speech” may be a bit fuzzy in some minds, so here’s a refresher. Nouns are really the foundation of all communication. The origin of the word “noun” can be traced back to the Latin word “nomen,” meaning name. And that’s what nouns are, simply the names of things. And so many things there are, from the concrete and tangible to the abstract and intangible. Rocks, plants, language, time – everything we know and don’t know is a noun. Pronouns serve as proxies for nouns. We call on them whenever a noun risks becoming tedious or tiresome through repetition and overuse. Pronouns can take several forms. They can be personal (I, you, him, her, they, them, etc.) They can be demonstrative (this, that, these, those). They can be indefinite (any, either, many, etc.) They can be reflexive (myself, yourself, themselves, etc.) They can be interrogative (who, what, which, whom, whose). Pronouns are very much in the spotlight these days and have become a hot
topic of discussion, as we strive to be more inclusive and respectful of diverse gender identities. Nouns and pronouns are the objects and subjects of our thoughts and actions. They are the people, places, animals, objects, concepts, emotions, ideas and sundry things around which we construct conversations and stories. Without them, we would literally have nothing, and no one, to talk about! So, three cheers for nouns and pronouns and the fantastic work they do – the pillars of all that we say and do. Join us next time for an action-packed sequel on verbs. Michael Kofi Ngongi is a new Canadian originally from Cameroon, another bilingual country. He has experience in international development and is a freelance writer interested in language, its usage and how it can unite or divide people.
Rodenne snags two prestigious awards: art & film! As one of the world’s most prestigious awards for visual art, the Turnip Prize provides recognition to artists who have devoted hours, and sometimes even days, to a piece of art without the certainty of a sale or even community interest. Sometimes controversial, the prize, sponsored by the Ate Modern, is secretly coveted by even the most selfeffacing of artists. Similarly, Tennis Bienball’s Golden Lion award is internationally regarded as one of the most prestigious awards for YouTube videos or Instaham reels. “No one has ever won both awards in the same year. It’s unheard of,” stated a dispassionate Hugo von Taavi, a renowned (and sometimes disliked) art and film critic from Chelsea, Quebec. “I visited Rodenne in her studio in 2020. I recall with some clarity the strong smell of Tremclad. I was asked at that time to hold Camille up to reach some top areas of the now-famous canvas that earned a Turnip. I shudder to think I was part
of its creation,” offered Taavi with an inscrutable undertone. In an interview in the Gourdian newspaper, Rodenne explained her approach to Instaham reels. “It’s quite challenging, you know, working an iPhone with no thumbs. Sometimes it just drops, but I seem to catch the best footage that way,” mused Rodenne about her winning montage of reels entitled “Fell, Fall, Fallen.” Rumours are swirling on Twigger and Geddit, however, that the real talent lies with Camille and Claudel, not Rodenne, especially given the sheer scale of the painting and the nothumbs issue. When asked, Rodenne’s response is unequivocal: “We’re not a collective, you know.” Rodenne’s winning piece, “The Physical Impossibility of Life in the Mind of Someone Dead” (pictured), will soon be shown at the Glebe Community Centre, and her reels can be viewed on Instaham: @Rodenne_Arteest.
