ATP magazine 2014

2014/2015 SEASON

LIVE

Venus in Fur | Pizza, Cocktails and Talkback at the ATP Exchange Series | It’s Not Supposed to Look Like Hard Work

Manon Beaudoin is Some Charlotte | New Canadian Plays Butcher and The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst Backstage in the ATP Set Design Workshop | How to Cheat at Celebrity Hors d’Oeuvres

Bring the stage to your bookshelf.

This fall, Coach House Books invites you to get hooked on Governor General Award–winning playwright Nicolas Billon: pick up a copy of Butcher, his claustrophobic and brilliant new play, premiering this fall at Alberta Theatre Projects.

Playwright Nicolas Billon

Butcher: a new play by Nicolas Billon Premiering at Alberta Theatre Projects October 14–November 1 Available in print and ebook format this October, from Coach House Books An old man in a military uniform and a Santa hat is dumped at the police station. He doesn’t speak English, but a lawyer’s business card is baited on the meat hook that hangs on his neck. As a lawyer, a police officer and a translator struggle to unravel the truth, they uncover a past that won’t stay buried, and a decades-old quest for justice that must be served. Haunted by the trauma of a hideous war crime, no one is who they seem.

‘Billon is an original and exciting voice.’

– Atom Egoyan

Fault Lines: Greenland – Iceland – Faroe Islands Winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama Billon’s trilogy of plays uses intertwined monologues to tackle, with wit and dark humour, our yearning to belong to something larger than ourselves.

Available from Coach House Books www.chbooks.com We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts through the Governor General Literary Awards Promotion Grant.

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CONTENTS 2014/2015 SEASON

Welcome

p. 5

The Exchange

p. 6

This Season at ATP

p. 8

Saddle Up Anyway Meet an anonymous ATP donor.

p. 9

Along Came a Spider p. 23 Getting Charlotte’s Web off the ground—literally.

Profile of Producer Dianne Goodman p. 26

Steven Dietz and Becky’s New Car Notes from the prolific playwright.

Vanessa Porteous on the 2014/2015 season Some Assembly Required A behind-the-scenes photo tour of the ATP set design workshop.

Karen Hines and the Clowns of Horror p. 28 A conversation with the playwright, performer and Mump and Smoot director.

p. 10 Create Me p. 30 A timeline of the many versions of Venus in Fur. p. 12

Profile of Executive Director Vicki Stroich

p. 32

p. 14 How to Cheat at Lawson Lundell Celebrity Hors d’Oeuvres p. 34 Tips from expert cheater Mike Morrison.

The Making of a Canadian Play p. 18 The Enbridge playRites Series introduces new plays Butcher and The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst.

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 3

2014 -15 SEASON SUBSCRIBE NOW • 5 PLAYS AS LOW AS $135

ATPLive.com • 403.294.7402 Venus in Fur

by David Ives September 9-27, 2014

A Tony Award-winning smash hit on Broadway Enbridge playRites Series Of New Canadian Plays

Butcher

by Nicolas Billon October 14–November 1, 2014 A new political thriller from the winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Drama CNOOC Nexen Family Holiday Show of E.B. White’s

Charlotte’s Web Adapted by Joseph Robinette

November 27–December 31, 2014 An inspiring tale of friendship is spun to life with an aerial acrobat as Charlotte

Mump & Smoot in “Anything” Created and performed by Michael Kennard & John Turner

January 20–February 1, 2015

Presented by ATP & One Yellow Rabbit as part of the 29th Annual High Performance Rodeo Enbridge playRites Series Of New Canadian Plays

The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst

by David van Belle & Eric Rose In association with Ghost River Theatre

February 24–March 14, 2015

Based on the true story of an unimaginable journey

Becky’s New Car

by Steven Dietz April 7–25, 2015

Ever felt like your life needed a major tune-up?

WELCOME—TAKE A SEAT Hello, and welcome to this peek behind the scenes of some of the exciting contemporary plays we’re cooking up for you this year at Alberta Theatre Projects.

At ATP we love a good conversation.

That’s why we’ve worked together with RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions to bring you this publication—so we can share some of the stories behind the stories in our 2014/2015 season. I hope you’ll enjoy getting to know some of the people involved a little better. I’m sure you’ll be curious about all the back-stage craftsmanship on display.

Vanessa Porteous Artistic Director

Our plays this season are friendly and funny, passionate and profound. As always here at ATP, they are meant to be relevant to life as we live it today.

ATP’S ARTISTIC VISION Our aim at ATP is to make life more beautiful by creating and producing great contemporary theatre from Canada and beyond. Our work is about what’s now what’s new and what’s next. In the welcoming oval of the Martha Cohen Theatre, right here in Calgary, we stretch as deep as life, as wide as the world.

So let us know what you think.

Come on down and join us for a play or two, and attend one (or all) of the events in The Exchange, our fun, friendly and lively series of exchanges around the shows, where audiences and artists meet and mingle to explore and celebrate the themes of the plays and the art of live theatre. We look forward to seeing you!

Vanessa Porteous Artistic Director

Publisher: Alberta Theatre Projects in partnership with RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions Editors: Kelly Phelan, Kara Sturk & Veronica Reeves President and CEO, RedPoint: Pete Graves Director Digital and Marketing Solutions: Anders Knudsen

Managing Editor: Miles Durrie Associate Editor & Staff Writer: Julia Williams Contributing Writer: Laurel Green Photographer: Jared Sych Production Manager: Mike Matovich Account Manager: Mark Hogan Printing: Transcontinental LGM

On the cover: Amanda Lisman as Vanda in Venus in Fur. Costume and make-up design by Jenifer Darbellay Alberta Theatre Projects Martha Cohen Theatre 220 9 Avenue S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 5C4 Phone: 403-294-7402

RedPoint Media & Marketing Solutions 100, 1900 11 St. S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2G 3G2 Phone: 403-240-9055 Fax: 403-240-9059 redpointmedia.ca

Statements, opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

Copyright 2014 by RedPoint Media Group Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher.

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 5

A series that mixes audiences and artists to talk theatre and think big

ALL SEASON LONG: BOOK YOUR OWN CONVERSATIONS WITH ARTISTS Invite an artist from the Alberta Theatre Projects 2014/2015 season to visit you and your group at your space.

THE EXCHANGE LAUNCH PARTY

TALKBACK TUESDAY

September 9, 5:30 p.m.

Free

September 16, After the show Free with ticket

Meet the artists, have a bite, raise a glass and then purchase a ticket to the evening’s performance of Venus in Fur.

Join ATP’s Artistic Team for a question-and-answer session with the actors in Venus in Fur.

A series of fun, friendly and lively exchanges around our shows, this is where audiences and artists meet and mingle to explore and celebrate the themes of the six plays of the 2014/2015 season, and the art of live theatre.

Artistic director Vanessa Porteous says The Exchange is an informal mix of long-running, beloved events like Pizza Nights and new experiences. “We want to open the doors wide and make sure that everyone is welcome at ATP, and has the opportunity to engage directly with the plays.”

BLITZ WEEKEND FOR THEATRE FANS

PLAY READING AT ALBERTA CULTURE DAYS September 28, 2 p.m.

Free Hear a reading of an ATP play in progress, The Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz, adapted by Daryl Cloran.

ATP BACKSTAGE TOURS IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Meet the makers and marvelous technicians who bring the plays on our stage to life.

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See the world premiere of Butcher and go backstage at ATP for an immersive weekend of conversations, new play readings, parties and the famous Blitz Pancake Breakfast.

TALKBACK TUESDAY

September 11, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE DONORS-ONLY EVENT

Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat with the artists of Venus in Fur, hosted by artistic director Vanessa Porteous.

October 2

October 21, After the show Free with ticket

Join Butcher playwright Nicolas Billon and director Weyni Mengesha for an indepth discussion about political theatre.

Join ATP’s artistic team for a question-and-answer session with the actors in Butcher.

THE WINES OF ATP September 17, 6 p.m. $25

September 13 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Free – reservations required

October 17 to 19 $100 (includes a ticket to the opening night performance of Butcher)

ATP’s official sommelier Michael Bigattini hosts an exclusive wine tasting inspired by our 2014/2015 season.

October 16, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat with playwright Nicolas Billon, hosted by ATP’s artistic associate Laurel Green.

TO BECOME A DONOR contact Sybil Choles, Development Director, at scholes@ATPlive.com

AFTERNOON TEA October 26, 1 p.m.

Free with ticket Journey deeper into the world of Butcher with ATP’s artistic associate Laurel Green, and enjoy gourmet tea from Tea Trader and a treat from Patisserie du Soleil before this matinée performance.

DINNER WITH VANESSA: DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE DONORS-ONLY EVENT

TALKBACK TUESDAY

FOR MORE INFORMATION about these events visit ATPlive.com or call 403-294-7402

November 3 Join artistic director Vanessa Porteous and select guest artists from ATP’s 2014/2015 season for a five-course meal prepared by River Café chef Andrew Winfield.

GREEN ROOM AND DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE DONOR-ONLY EVENT November 8 Go behind-the-scenes during a rehearsal of Charlotte’s Web.

January 27, After the show Free with ticket Join ATP’s artistic team for a question-and-answer session with the actors in Mump & Smoot in “ANYTHING” with Knooma.

KY

BEC H T I W

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE DONOR-ONLY EVENT

April 15, 6:30 p.m. $25

February 5 Learn more about the incredible true story of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst, who entered a solo race to circumnavigate the globe in his trimaran boat.

ATP’s wine and spirits expert Michael Bigattini creates an exclusive evening of signature cocktails inspired by the characters in Becky’s New Car. Drinks will be served pre-show, at intermission, and after the play in a toast with the cast. Delicious hors d’oeuvre and dessert pairings will also be provided.

November 27, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat with set designer Anton de Groot, hosted by artistic director Vanessa Porteous.

FAMILY HOLIDAY PARTY December 6, 4:30 p.m.

Free with ticket Celebrate the holidays at ATP with a pre-show party, including face-painting and theatre games.

February 26, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat about The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst with the artists involved, hosted by executive director and production dramaturg Vicki Stroich.

RAUCOUS CAUCUS EMERGING ARTISTS ASSEMBLY February 28 & March 1 $80 (includes a ticket to The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst)

January 22, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat with the artists behind Mump & Smoot in “ANYTHING” with Knooma, hosted by producer Dianne Goodman.

ALL SEASON LONG:

INTERACTIVE GUIDED TOURS OF THE ATP VENUE

Early-career theatre artists unite for the fifth annual Raucous Caucus weekend, featuring behind-the-scenes discussions, hands-on workshops, parties and networking events.

TALKBACK TUESDAY March 3, After the show Free with ticket Join ATP’s artistic team for a question-and-answer session with the actors in The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst.

April 9, 6:30 p.m.

Free with ticket or Pizza Night subscription

AFTERNOON TEA March 8, 1 p.m.

Free with ticket Journey deeper into the world of The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst with ATP’s artistic associate Laurel Green. Enjoy a cup of gourmet tea from Tea Trader and a decadent treat from Patisserie du Soleil before the matinée performance. Free with your ticket to this performance.

DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE DONOR-ONLY EVENT March 26 Join ATP backstage and get a first-hand look at where the sets and props are created.

Papa John’s pizza and an informal chat about Becky’s New Car with the artists involved, hosted by artistic director Vanessa Porteous.

TALKBACK TUESDAY April 14, After the show Free with ticket Join ATP’s artistic team for a question-and-answer session with the actors in Becky’s New Car.

SPRING FLING! April 19 12:30 p.m.

Free Our springtime wrap party is a chance for everyone who has bought a ticket to a show in ATP’s 2014/2015 season to share favourite moments.

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 7

THIS SEASON

VENUS IN FUR

BUTCHER

Directed by Tracey Flye A Tony Award-winning smash hit on Broadway September 9 – September 27, 2014 This titillating tour-de-force masterfully explores the art of role-playing—both onstage and off. A young actress has her heart set on landing the lead role in a new play based on the classic erotic novel Venus in Furs. During her audition, armed with a bag of tricks, she and the director enter into a charged game of cat and mouse where the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex, start to blur. Venus in Fur is a whip-smart adult comedy that challenges our ideas of sexual conventions and gender roles.

Directed by Weyni Mengesha A new political thriller from the winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Drama.

October 14 – November 1, 2014 Who is the Butcher? At a Toronto police station, a mysterious old man is found wearing a foreign military uniform and a Santa hat, with a meat hook dangling around his neck. As a lawyer, a police officer and a translator struggle to unravel the truth, they uncover a past that won’t stay buried, and a decades-old quest for justice.

Haunted by events a world away, no one is who they seem to be.

By David Ives

MUMP AND SMOOT

Created and Performed by Michael Kennard and John Turner

Directed by Karen Hines Music by Greg Morrison Presented by Alberta Theatre Projects and One Yellow Rabbit as part of the 29th Annual High Performance Rodeo January 20 – February 1, 2015 Canada’s hilarious—and notorious—Clowns of Horror are back with their first new show in four years. Returning to their roots, this devilish duo tries to survive in the chaos of a nightmarish world. They topple every taboo, mock every sacred cow and leave you wanting more.

You’ve never seen anything like them. Not to be missed.

Advisory: Not suitable for children

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By Nicolas Billon

THE LAST VOYAGE OF DONALD CROWHURST

By David van Belle and Eric Rose

In association with Ghost River Theatre Based on the true story of an unimaginable journey.

February 24 – March 14, 2015 A visually stunning multimedia journey into deep waters. In 1969, British amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst seemed poised to win a solo, round-the-world sailing race. Suddenly, he went radio silent. Weeks later, Crowhurst’s boat was found, hundreds of miles off course and with no sign of its captain. Only his logbooks remained to tell the tale of one man’s desire to win at any cost. From the award-winning company that created The Highest Step in the World (Enbridge playRites Festival, 2010), comes this dazzling and imaginative new play about the art of deception.

How far would you go to win?

E.B. White’s

CHARLOTTE’S WEB

(Adapted by Joseph Robinette) Directed by Vanessa Porteous An inspiring tale of friendship is spun to life with aerial acrobat Manon Beaudoin as Charlotte – and live music!

CNOOC NEXEN FAMILY HOLIDAY SHOW November 27 – December 31, 2014 Wilbur is “SOME PIG”—at least that’s what his friend Charlotte the Spider thinks. When she discovers that this young runt might soon become supper, she weaves a plan to save him and wins a blue ribbon at the County Fair along the way. Join all your favourite barnyard characters for this heartwarming story, based on the beloved children’s novel by E.B. White. It’s a hoedown for the whole family.

Recommended for age 5 and up.

BECKY’S NEW CAR

By Steven Dietz

Directed by Glenda Stirling Ever feel like your life needs a major tune-up?

April 7 – April 25, 2015 Becky Foster is running on cruise control in this hilarious, life-affirming comedy. With a marriage that’s stuck in neutral and a mediocre day job, she dreams about shaking up her humdrum routine. But when a handsome billionaire sweeps her off her feet and offers her the keys to a whole new life, Becky must choose which route to take. Roll the top down, turn on the radio and buckle up for this laugh-out-loud joyride through the twists and turns of one woman’s midlife U-turn.

SADDLE UP ANYWAY ATP’s most steadfast (and anonymous) supporter on giving, fear and the importance of Canadian theatre The first play Mr. X saw in Calgary was Chekov’s The Seagull.

He says he fell asleep halfway through. It wasn’t until he started attending ATP performances in the mid-1970s that he found something on stage that inspired him, and he’s been coming back ever since.

tually see what it does for other people, you cross over to a point where you become wiser for the gift of that money. John Wayne said, ‘I’m afraid, but I’ll saddle up anyway.’ I say, give more than you think. Give more and see what that does. You will find your joy grows exponentially.”

“I saw ATP evolve with Michael Dobbin [Producing Director from 1983 to 1999]. He was larger than life, and had amazing charisma. Here was a guy making something out of nothing and punching way above his weight. I could relate.”

After 40 years, the relationship between ATP and Mr. X is one of the most enduring in Calgary’s culture scene. It seems likely to last for many more years—but don’t expect to learn Mr. X’s identity anytime soon. To him, giving is its own reward, and he’s happy just to be a member of the theatre audience. “It’s a parade. What’s a parade if there’s nobody standing on the street corner? I’m just grateful that the parade is going on.”

Mr. X found the launch of the playRites Festival in 1987 particularly exciting, not only because of its creative possibilities, but because it was a way of exploring what it means to be Canadian. “It speaks to our identity. It’s a huge effort to understand who we are.”

As his relationship with ATP deepened and broadened, Mr. X has supported the company in a range of ways. Not only has he been a key donor for many years, he has encouraged other donors to follow his example.

“A lot of people will not give because they’re afraid of that money leaving them with nothing tangible in exchange. When you follow your money and ac-

“It’s a parade. What’s a parade if there’s nobody standing on the street corner?”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 9

STEVEN DIETZ & BECKY’S NEW CAR Five essential facts about Steven Dietz’s play, Becky’s New Car, with notes from the playwright

1.

BECKY’S NEW CAR WAS ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED AS A BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM A HUSBAND TO HIS WIFE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PLAY ABOUT A WIFE WHO IS CHEATING ON HER HUSBAND. SD: There were no parameters set for the play other than a request that it be a comedy, if possible. I know that Benita Staadecker, who received the play as a gift, connected with Becky right away—her life, her choices, the road ahead. That was a relief to me, as you might imagine.

2.

AT TIMES, THE AUDIENCE IS INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN BECKY’S DECISIONS. SD: That’s something I stumbled onto, which turned out to be crucial. How do we get and keep the audience on Becky’s side? The direct appeal to the audience—and their complicity in her actions—turned out to be a way to do that.

3.

DESPITE BEING FOCUSED ON THEMES OF DECEPTION, BETRAYAL AND LOSS, BECKY’S NEW CAR IS A COMEDY. SD: In a play like this, humor is a tactic, not a goal. What underlies the comedy is a great deal of loss and worry and ache—the daily challenge of living. I’m hoping we invest in the people in this play because we are rooting for them, not simply because they are saying funny things.

4.

IN THE PLAY, AN OLDER CHARACTER DECIDES NOT TO SHATTER A YOUNG COUPLE’S IDEALISM ABOUT ROMANTIC LOVE. SD: You can give someone your advice but you cannot give them your knowledge. You can’t put age or experience on them. They have to get it themselves, just like you did once. The crime would be to somehow stand in the way of youth, or try to preempt the particular way our hearts are charmed (and, yes, broken) during those years.

OTHER STEVEN DIETZ PLAYS • Burning Desire (1987) • Halcyon Days (1991) • Foolin’ Around with Infinity (1987) • To The Nines (1991) • Ten November (1987) • Trust (1992) • God’s Country (1988) • Lonely Planet (1993) • Happenstance (1989) • Handing Down the Names (1994) • After You (1990) • The Nina Variations (1996)

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• Private Eyes (1996) • Still Life with Iris (1997) • Rocket Man (1998) • Fiction (2002) • Left to Right (2002) • Inventing van Gogh (2004)

5.

DIETZ HAS BEEN A PLAYWRIGHT FOR THREE DECADES, AND HAS BEEN NAMED ONE OF THE MOST PRODUCED PLAYWRIGHTS IN NORTH AMERICA. SD: I would like to think that my plays are diverse enough to reach many audiences, and that they touch a chord of recognition or surprise with a variety of audience members. I remain interested in passion, deception, identity, friendship and a variety of political matters. Our writing is such a potent roadmap of our lives. I’m startled by where I’ve been and curious to know where I’m going.

• Last of the Boys (2004) • The Spot (2004) • September Call-Up (2005) • Yankee Tavern (2007) • Shooting Star (2008) • Rancho Mirage (2012)

“I’m hoping we invest in the people in this play because we are rooting for them, not simply because they are saying funny things.”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 11

PROFILE

A FULL, RICH JOURNEY Artistic director Vanessa Porteous on the 2014/2015 season and what it means to be alive right now

V

anessa Porteous studied to be an actor. To her, it was a way of pushing open the door to the place where she wanted to spend her life—the theatre.

But acting was not to be her chosen role.

“I was always more interested in the overall picture, the full story of the play and how we tell that story to an audience.”

After her student days, Porteous became a respected dramaturg and director. She has been a member of the artistic team at ATP since 1998, and became artistic director five years ago. That means she’s the first and final word on each theatre season at ATP, responsible for selecting a series of plays that are at once engaging, relevant and thoroughly entertaining. The picture doesn’t get much bigger than that.

Porteous believes an ATP season should be a journey for its audience, a way of expressing and experiencing the way we live right now. The 2014/2015 season mixes contemporary plays, with some, like Venus in Fur and Becky’s New Car, being well known and widely produced, along with brand new Canadian plays Butcher and The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst. Family-friendly play Charlotte’s Web will run through the holiday season, and then ATP welcomes a new show from the notorious (and decidedly grownup) Canadian clowns Mump and Smoot.

“There are so many kinds of thoughts and feelings we have as modern human beings.

I want variety in the season so the audience

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can have all kinds of different experiences.

I want the audience to be able to go on a full, rich journey through the season.”

This season, the Martha Cohen Theatre will be a site of horror and hope, deception and ambition, violence and love, acrobatics and absurdity. Stories will play out on the barest of sets and through the most intricate of multimedia performances.

Porteous observes that ATP has always been the place in Calgary where people come to see new things. She has never shied away from theatrical challenges and has faith that ATP’s audiences share her risk-taking spirit. “I long for very truthful stories that take me into the heart of issues we don’t always explore. For me, that’s part of the art and entertainment of theatre.”

As ATP enters its 42nd year, Porteous is excited about what the future holds. “I’d like us to be at the heart of a citywide conversation about what it means to be alive right now. Theatre has always been a place that you go with your community to see a story that means something to you, that opens your mind to new possibilities.”

“I long for very truthful stories that take me into the heart of issues we don’t always explore. For me, that’s part of the art and entertainment of theatre.”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 13

SOME

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED A photographic tour of the ATP set design workshop Not far from the ATP offices in the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts is a large room full of fabrics, wooden structures and metallic tools. This is where all the sets and costumes for all of ATP’s shows are made. Take a visual tour of the space where engineering and art merge, with comments from award-winning set, projection, stage and lighting designer Scott Reid.

Over 60 full- and part-time crew and staff

300 volunteers 14 | atplive.com

“Most of the time the physical world lays the foundation and the emotional world is the design.”

80 per season +artists

“Sometimes great things turn out when all the pieces don’t fit the way you think.”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 15

“Set designers and costume designers start from the same place: the concept and the script. The script might have the palette and/or a time period, but we have to work together as things develop to make sure we end at the same place.�

40K+

audience members

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7000

students and youth come to see ATP shows

“I have done such a variety of types of shows.

As I look back I realize that I have been fortunate to do many that have brought me great joy.”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 17

David van Belle & Eric Rose (top & middle) Nicolas Billon (bottom)

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THE MAKING OF A CANADIAN PLAY Three Canadian playwrights on the complex and frequently surprising process of creating a new play

T

his season, the ATP Enbridge playRites Series of New Canadian Plays debuts two new works. Both address themes of deception. Both mash up traditional and non-traditional theatrical elements. Both are intricately plotted and present rare challenges to their performers and directors.

Yet the two productions are vastly different. Butcher by Nicolas Billon is a thriller that places a cop, a lawyer and an unidentified man together in a police station. As events unfold and twists unfurl, it becomes clear that no one is quite who they say they are.

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 19

BUTCHER

By Nicolas Billon Directed by Weyni Mengesha A new political thriller from the winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Award for Drama.

The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Eric Rose and David van Belle is based on the true events of Englishman Donald Crowhurst’s attempt to win a round-the-world solo yacht race. It’s a deeply complex multimedia production, where the actors vie for stage space with projectors, moving parts and a documentary crew.

That’s what the plays have become. But where did they begin? How does a play happen?

Here are the playwrights on their own words, in their own words.

October 14 – November 1, 2014 ON THE WRITING PROCESS AND SURPRISING ONESELF NB: “The play was outlined to within an inch of its life. The outline is terribly boring because it just goes, “This happened, then this happened.” But by doing that, I can track the “who knows what when.” When writing, I follow the outline, but I’m not dogmatic about it. One revelation in Butcher came as a complete surprise to me.”

DVB: “We begin our creative process in kind of a laboratory environment. We get a team of people, performers, designers, and we play for a few weeks. We went through two workshop processes without any words written down. When it came to writing the play, Eric

“In Butcher what I hope to do is raise some questions around the idea of justice and revenge. I was very careful not to provide any answers.”

— Nicolas Billon

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and I went to a cabin in the foothills and spent six weeks just jamming it out and crafting the scenes. In that process, I tend to write the words and Eric tends to craft the visual images.”

ON MADE-UP LANGUAGES AND OTHER GRAND AMBITIONS For Butcher, Billon had a phonetic language called Lavinian developed. When the language is spoken in the play, it is never translated for the audience.

NB: “I knew I wanted an invented language, because that language would be neutral. This wasn’t about picking sides in a conflict. Also, there’s a specific monologue in the play that I did not want to be spoken in a language that someone could understand. I took my cue from Greek dramas, where violence always happens offstage. We receive the violence of what he’s talking about without receiving the details or the meaning. That’s where the impetus for having an invented language comes from.”

Rose and van Belle are co-artistic directors of Ghost River Theatre, which is developing The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst with ATP. ER: “We are a company that punches way above our weight class and we imagine impossible ideas. One of the massive technical challenges in the piece is creating a sustainable broadcast system to create no-latency live-broadcast video feeds on stage. And we’ve actually found a way to do it. At its core, Crowhurst is the story of a man who dreamed big. This is an incredibly complex and difficult production—we’re striving to do something very risky.”

ON GREEK DRAMA AND TRAGIC FLAWS NB: “In some ways Butcher is structured as the Oresteia. When I knew I wanted to do a play about crime and punishment in a sense, I knew Greek Drama and the Oresteia was the best starting point.”

ER: “When Crowhurst came up against a problem, he always managed to find a way over top of it or underneath it. I think what we see is a man who is used to being able to find his way through based on his wits,

not his financial means, and I think that plays into the structure of the story acutely. It’s like that tragic flaw you learn about in high school literature.”

it afterwards, but that support is most necessary in the most risky phase of the development of the piece.”

ON GETTING INVOLVED WITH ATP NB: “I really wanted to work with Vicki [Stroich], who I’d met at the Banff Centre for the Arts. I asked for her to be the dramaturg, so she was brought on board a couple

ON THE WHOLE POINT NB: “In Butcher what I hope to do is raise some questions around the idea of justice and revenge. I was very careful not to

”At its core, Crowhurst is the story of a man who dreamed big, and this is an incredibly complex and difficult production—we’re striving to do something very risky.”

— Eric Rose

of years ago to work on the play. That’s how it got on ATP’s radar, and it turned out ATP was very interested in doing the play.”

DVB: “With The Highest Step in the World [a play Rose and van Belle presented as part of the 2010 Enbridge playRites Festival] we came to ATP as independent artists, and ATP gave us progressively more support.

This time, they actually came to us and dived in head-first.”

ER: “[ATP’s support] was a significant leap of faith that doesn’t always happen. Many organizations would wait until that first production happened so they could support

provide any answers, because I don’t know that I have a solution. I can just point to the places that interest me. I think the most terrifying monsters are terrifying because they’re human, because they had a mother and a father.”

DVB: “We know we have a good idea for a show when we have a compelling story and inspiration for a compelling way to tell it. You’re seeing an image and at the same time how that image is being made. For me, this is a way of connecting this story that happened in 1968 to our contemporary lives.”

MAKING LAVINIAN hen Nicolas Billon decided it would be necessary to create a language just for Butcher, he wasn’t sure where to start. How do you go about commissioning a language?

THE LAST VOYAGE OF DONALD CROWHURST

By David van Belle and Eric Rose In association with Ghost River Theatre Based on the true story of an unimaginable journey.

February 24 – March 14, 2015

CREATIVE MARRIAGE ric Rose and David van Belle are frequent collaborators and co-artistic directors. While they have a great deal in common, including each being new parents, they agree that their creative compatibility is a result of their differences.

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E

“I basically just Googled people who are specialists in Slavic languages and asked them who I should speak to. Two or three of the people I emailed said I should speak to Christina Kramer, who is the head of Slavic languages at University of Toronto. I called her up, told her who I was and what the project was, and I met with her. She was really tickled by the idea. That’s how it came about—I just asked!”

Rose compares their relationship to a marriage. “There’s something about David’s and my energy that allows us to take the best of each other and sharpen it. It’s rare. It’s not without strife and challenge because we’re very different human beings, but in that striving to bridge the gap between us, something else occurs. And that something else is our creative pursuit.”

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 21

E.B. White’s

Charlotte’s Web (adapted by Joseph Robinette)

Directed by Vanessa Porteous An inspiring tale of friendship is spun to life with aerial acrobat Manon Beaudoin as Charlotte – and live music!

November 27 – December 31, 2014

Wilbur is “SOME PIG”—at least that’s what his friend Charlotte the Spider thinks. When she discovers that this young runt might soon become supper, she weaves a plan to save him, and wins a blue ribbon at the County Fair along the way. Join all your favourite barnyard characters for this heartwarming story, based on the beloved children’s novel by E.B. White. It’s a hoedown for the whole family.

Recommended for age 5 and up.

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ALONG CAME A SPIDER How ATP built a web and got Charlotte’s Web off the ground

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anon Beaudoin was tentatively cast as Charlotte even before Charlotte’s Web was confirmed for the 2014/2015 season.

That’s how far in advance you need to work when you’re programming a production that requires a performer to spend most of her time in midair.

ATP’s artistic director Vanessa Porteous reached out to Beaudoin on Skype and the conversation intrigued both of them. “[Porteous] was looking for somebody who has aerial skills and can act. I am a graduate of the National Circus School and I was a co-creator of Cirque Poule—I’m always curious to learn new things.”

Beaudoin was eventually cast as Charlotte, the clever spider who befriends Wilbur the pig and literally saves his bacon in E.B. White’s classic children’s story.

She says aerial work is always exciting for audiences, and bringing Charlotte’s Web to life in this way is a particular joy. “I have three daughters of my own and Charlotte’s Web was read many times in my house. I want the audience to love Charlotte and remember the show.”

Best known for creating unusual theatrical experiences for adult audiences, including the highly respected wordless play, The Overcoat, all-woman circus troupe Cirque Poule and the massive Cirque du Soleil production Michael Jackson One, Beaudoin says the common element in all her work is movement. “Movement is like music—it has all the suspense, tension and emotion that music carries. It is rhythm. It is animal.”

If Beaudoin seems serene about taking to the air, it’s because she and the show’s technical team have gone

ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 23

24 | atplive.com Photo courtesy of Manon Beaudoin

“I lose a lot of sleep over this,” says technical director Karen Goddard Hermanson. She’s joking. Kind of. When you fly a performer, the element of risk is enormous, and minimizing that risk requires a lot of attention to detail.

Beaudoin and two riggers, Michael King and Eric Hindley (the people who do the heavy lifting) have developed a system of simple signals to help coordinate their movements.

Goddard Hermanson and King both performed detailed hazard assessments, both at the initial workshop and for the full production. Performances have been rehearsed, but so have worst-case scenarios, such as what to do if Beaudoin’s lift line becomes tangled in other set equipment and what to do if she should lose consciousness in the air. They’ve considered the possibility of falls, collisions, muscle strain and rope burn.

For Goddard Hermanson, the process is familiar. She oversaw similar rehearsals for last season’s production of Around the World in 80 Days, a show for which the company flew three performers using a single, motorized rig. Initial discussions for Charlotte’s Web also benefited from Beaudoin’s previous involvement with ATP, performing aerial work at the Martha Cohen Theatre in Flying Blind for the 2002/2003 season.

Photo by Stefan Makwana

Goddard Hermanson says one of the key challenges in developing this show was devising an interactive spider web, allowing Beaudoin to behave in as spider-like a manner as possible. “She needs to spin

Photo by Stefan Makwana

to enormous effort to ensure the production—especially its aerial component—will go off without a hitch.

around and be upside down and crawl around in it, and she needs to bounce off it.” Working on prototype webs created at an aerial workshop in spring of 2014, riggers King and Hindley worked with Beaudoin to develop her movements.

The first web didn’t give Beaudoin enough surface to play with, so the riggers recreated it with structural lines and ropes woven through to mimic an actual spider’s web. Later, they realized they needed a heavier gauge of rope; the one they were using was too stretchy and began pulling out of shape as Beaudoin worked on it.

King is responsible for lifting Beaudoin vertically, and Hindley handles the tagline that helps with side-to-side movement. Goddard Hermanson is pleased that the show will have the same riggers throughout the production, and that King and Hindley have been involved since the beginning. She says it can be a challenge to find people who have not only the right expertise, but also the right temperament to work so collaboratively. Developing a trusting relationship between all crew members is essential.

“For Charlotte’s Web, if somebody feels that something isn’t right, [Beaudoin] doesn’t fly. If anyone feels something is unsafe, they are fully backed up, and that can include somebody simply feeling something in their gut.”

Goddard Hermanson is doing all that she can to ensure the production goes as smoothly as possible, but even she admits that perfection is unattainable—and even undesirable. “Nobody wants to see something dangerous, but audience members love to see when small things go wrong, because it reminds everybody that they’re watching live theatre.”

SPIDER PLAYS BANJO t is both apropos and slightly confusing that the composer for Charlotte’s Web is named Spider Bishop. His involvement began when artistic director Vanessa Porteous was initially exploring the possibility of using live music in the show, and the first music he created became the basis for Charlotte’s web-crawling and flying. “I could imagine her upside-down, dropping from the rafters of the barn, and Wilbur’s sense of wonder.”

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Bishop wrote the show’s music for a six-string banjo, which he chose for its extended low end and versatility. “Neither of us were

THE LIFT MECHANISM he more effortless it looks when a performer floats from the stage, the more technical effort was likely involved. What exactly is necessary to get Charlotte from the boards to her web?

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• Charlotte (Beaudoin) wears a harness specific to inversion choreography, with carabiners and a swivel. Because the harness is such a specific piece of equipment, the performer is responsible for sourcing her own from a company specializing in aerial work.

• A counterweighted pendulum lift mechanism, static kernmantle rope, counterweighted line and secondary tagline.

• SteelFlex slings (rated for 3,000 lbs) and four-inch endless ratchet straps to secure the lineset to the grid.

• A web of woven ropes secured by steel supports, possibly backed by a vertically mounted trampoline.

hearing piano or guitar as the main instrument, but we both liked the idea of having the sound revolve around the banjo.”

Early versions of the music were created and rehearsed at design meetings in May 2014, with input from technical director Goddard Hermanson, show techs and set designer Anton De Groot. Bishop says this was essential so that he could find out what would be physically possible for a live musician to accomplish during the show. “When you have 40-foot high webs, flying spiders and banjos, you can get carried away!”

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PROFILE

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IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE HARD WORK A brief history, present and future of ATP with producer Dianne Goodman, who joined the company more than 30 years ago

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ianne Goodman has stagemanaged more than 60 plays and been involved with every production ATP has presented since 1983—she estimates 250 or more.

She’s been honoured by her colleagues with both a Betty Mitchell Award and a Martha Cohen Award, but she believes the best is yet to come. “I don’t know what will happen next—that’s the exciting part!”

Indeed, there’s always something happening.

As producer, Goodman is responsible for securing the rights to all the plays ATP produces. She also works with the director of each project as the go-to person for casting and negotiates and administers artists’ contracts. She compares the process to putting a puzzle together. “It’s probably my favourite thing that I do. It’s a lovely thing to be able to welcome artists into our community and enable them to do their best work.”

The audition process for this season was a particular pleasure for Goodman, who says it’s always impressive to see the level of commitment actors put into their auditions.

“For Venus in Fur we did auditions in Toronto. We asked the actors to read together at a next-day callback, and their chemistry together just gave me shivers.”

pany was still performing at the Canmore Opera House in Heritage Park. Goodman says the 1985 move to the Calgary Centre for the Arts doubled the company’s audience capacity, extended its stage and added perks like a fly tower and a computerized lighting board. “We had all these amazing things at our disposal to create the theatre we were going to create.”

Since then, Goodman has watched ATP grow and evolve, a process she says is essential. “We’ve changed a lot, from doing no Canadian work to creating the Enbridge playRites Festival, through to winding up the festival last year—which I think is a huge sign of growth. A live performance company has to keep changing in order to stay alive. It has to grow with the audience and the city.”

Goodman tends to downplay her considerable contributions to ATP, pointing out that if she’s doing her job well, people shouldn’t be aware she’s doing it at all. “The audience shouldn’t know how long it takes and how many people are involved in putting on a play. It’s not supposed to look like hard work—it’s supposed to take you on a journey.”

“It’s a lovely thing to be able to welcome artists into our community and enable them to do their best work.”

When Goodman joined ATP as resident stage manager in 1983, the decade-old com-

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KAREN HINES & THE CLOWNS OF HORROR A conversation with playwright, performer and director Karen Hines on being the “third eye” for notorious clowns Mump and Smoot

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hen Canadian “clowns of horror” Mump and Smoot open their latest show, “ANYTHING” with Knooma with ATP and One Yellow Rabbit, it will mark nearly 30 years of collaboration between Michael Kennard (Mump), John Turner (Smoot) and Karen Hines—the duo’s director and self-described third eye. Hines, a playwright, performer and director known for her critically lauded Pochsy Plays and Drama: Pilot Episode, shared a few details about her decidedly non-traditional career.

HOW DOES DIRECTING A MUMP AND SMOOT SHOW COMPARE TO DIRECTING A MORE TRADITIONAL PLAY? KH: In so many ways, it’s the same—there’s lighting, staging, props, sets, choreography.

The difference is that with Mump and Smoot the playwrights are embodying their own characters. Mike and John make their own sets, they pack their own blood packs, they carve their own leg stumps. So that’s very different from the more typical shows I’ve directed.

HOW DID MUMP AND SMOOT BEGIN? KH: Mike and John and I all met each other in 1987 at Second City in Toronto, studying comedy and improvisation. Later, we all studied clowning with Richard Pochinko. Mike and John started to develop a very specific style of performance and comedy, and I was always the third eye and the insider.

YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ATP IN MANY DIFFERENT ROLES. YOU SPENT THREE YEARS AS THE ATP PLAYWRIGHT IN RESIDENCE, BETWEEN 2009 AND 2012, AND YOU’VE DIRECTED ATP PRODUCTIONS. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF ATP? KH: My first time there was as the director of Mump and Smoot. I remember thinking that everyone was so laid back, everyone wanted the show to be good. We felt like we were in a class operation, but one that didn’t have any pretentions around that.

YOU’RE KNOWN AS AN ARTIST WITH AN EXTREMELY DARK SENSE OF HUMOUR. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THIS STYLE OF COMEDY? KH: We all had parents who were doctors and scientists and grew up understanding science and medicine in a way that was unsparing to children. We weren’t afraid of those realities. Laughter became a way of releasing whatever tensions those dark realities created in us.

MUMP AND SMOOT FEELS SPONTANEOUS, TO A POINT WHERE SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IT’S ENTIRELY UNSCRIPTED. TO WHAT DEGREE IS THE SHOW IMPROVISED? KH: There are sometimes stretches of pure improvisation, depending on what happens in the audience. That kind of thing can happen, but the shows are very tightly scripted.

They’ll have 150 lighting cues that go with specific movements, music—it’s heavily choreographed and rehearsed. There’s no way we could achieve the heights that we aspire to production-wise and have the shows be improvised. It can even get down to details like, “Smoot bats his lashes three times.”

MUMP & SMOOT IN “ANYTHING” WITH KNOOMA Created and performed by Michael Kennard and John Turner January 20 – February 1, 2015

“With Mump and Smoot the playwrights are embodying their own characters. Mike and John make their own sets, they pack their own blood packs, they carve their own leg stumps.”

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CREATE ME A brief (and mostly painless) history of the many versions and variations of Venus In Furs and Venus in Fur

By Laurel Green

1967&1969 1985 1870

Austrian novelist Leopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch published Venus in Furs, a book about a man who speaks to the goddess Venus about his love for cruel women.

30 | atplive.com

1967 1895

von Sacher-Masoch dies in Germany at age 59. Because of the content of his writing, the term ‘masochism’ is derived from his name.

The Velvet Underground’s debut selftitled album includes the song “Venus in Furs,” inspired by the book and written by Lou Reed.

Low-budget movie adaptations of Venus in Furs are released.

One is an American sexploitation film and the other a supernatural Italian thriller called Paroxismus.

Seduction: The Cruel Woman, a lesbian-feminist film adapation from West Germany, is released.

From the book: “It is my unhappiness that I love you more and more madly the worse you treat me, the more frequently you betray me. Oh, I shall die of pain and love and jealousy.”

From the play: “Every woman wants to be worshipped. Create me.

Ruin me. Annihilate me.”

2010 2011 Venus in Fur, a stage adaptation of the novel by contemporary American playwright David Ives, premieres off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in New York City. The cast features Nina Arianda and Wes Bentley with direction

by Walter Bobbie.

Venus in Fur transfers to Broadway, produced by the Manhattan Theatre Club. British TV star Hugh Dancy joins the cast.

2013 2014 Director Roman Polanski premieres his movie version of the play at the Cannes Film Festival. Set in Paris and shot in French, La Vénus à la fourrure stars Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner and actor Mathieu Amalric.

Alberta Theatre Projects produces Venus in Fur, starring Amanda Lisman and Tim Campbell, directed by Tracey Flye.

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PROFILE

THE ECOLOGY HAS CHANGED Thinking big-picture and launching the Enbridge playRites Series with ATP executive director Vicki Stroich

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icki Stroich came to ATP as an intern in 1999, and when her term was up, she moved to Toronto to take a fundraising assistant position. The following year she got a call from Vanessa Porteous saying ATP needed a dramaturg. Stroich packed her bags.

In the 12 years since that phone call, Stroich has taken on a range of roles, including interim artistic director for the 2012/2013 season. Last year, she landed the role of executive director—a chair she never anticipated occupying when she was pulling up stakes in Toronto and preparing to return to ATP. Stroich says the skill set she developed as a dramaturg is invaluable in her new position.

Both jobs involve close listening, analysis and designing processes to meet specific goals.

They both demand engagement in big questions, a knack for leadership and the ability to read documents closely. “Budgets, financial history, strategic plans—those are the texts I’m now assessing. I feel pretty comfortable, like I’m dramaturging the organization.”

It was ATP’s focus on developing new plays that originally drew Stroich back to Calgary.

One of the big questions she’s addressed during her career has been the future of the long-running Enbridge playRites Festival, which wrapped after the 2013/2014 season.

The festival has become the Enbridge playRites Series, an evolution Stroich says allows ATP to invest more deeply in fewer plays, and present them as part of the main season instead of within the festival format.

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Stroich says the cultural ecology changed during the Enbridge playRites Festival’s 28year run, both for festivals and for audiences. This season’s two new plays, Butcher by Nicolas Billon and The Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Eric Rose and David van Belle, will enjoy more development support and a longer theatrical run than they could have accessed as part of the festival. “It allows us much more flexibility, and to have more meaningful conversations and relationships with playwrights. We can really invest in setting up these plays for success with our audience.”

“Budgets, financial history, strategic plans—those are the texts I’m now assessing. I feel pretty comfortable, like I’m dramaturging the organization.”

The evolution of the festival is part of a larger collection of questions about theatre that Stroich asks daily. “What is the value of what we do? How do we articulate the value of what we do? How do we bring more people to it?”

While Stroich says she doesn’t have all the solutions, grappling with the questions is key.

“We’re changing the way we think about what we can do.”

Photo by Tom Gleave ALBERTA THEATRE PROJECTS | 33

HOW TO CHEAT AT LAWSON LUNDELL CELEBRITY HORS D’OEUVRES

Photo by Cole Grey

Two-time celebrity participant Mike Morrison advises newbies on underhanded tactics

Rules? What rules?

Dominique McCullough-Murray and Mike Morrison

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t ATP’s annual Lawson Lundell Celebrity Hors d’Oeuvres event, local restaurants join forces with teams of local celebrities for a fast-paced, friendly hors d’oeuvres competition. Teams must persuade guests to part with as many tokens as possible in exchange for tidbits.

Mike Morrison, founder of mikesbloggityblog.com and Unconventional Panel columnist for CBC Calgary’s The Eyeopener, has competed for the last two years. According to Morrison, rules fall by the wayside pretty quickly in the heat of competition. “In the first year I tried to follow the rules, but by the second time I knew that there are no rules.”

Here’s Morrison’s cheat-sheet for fellow celebrities.

1. LIMBER UP

“Have a glass of wine before you start.”

2. UNDERSELL

“Walk around casually before the competition and find out how many tokens other teams are charging. Then undersell them.”

3. BARGE IN

“You can’t be shy. Every second counts. Interrupt other people’s presentations.”

4. EXPLOIT FRIENDSHIPS

“In 2014 I was on a team with Neil Fleming and Catherine Ford. Catherine is very regal and she knows everyone, so she was walking up to people and taking tokens right out of their hands. Follow her example.”

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5. KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN

“Eavesdrop on other teams. If you find out another team isn’t offering dessert yet, just swoop in and offer yours.”

6. BE CONCISE

“The chefs have very elaborate names for their dishes, but you have to move fast. Shorten the name of the dish to something easy like ‘nachos’.”

7. TATTLE

“I once saw a team selling before they were supposed to start. So I told on them. To two different people.”

The 22nd annual Lawson Lundell Celebrity Hors d’Oeuvres takes place on April 11, 2015.

For tickets and more information, go to ATPlive.com or call 403-294-7402.

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