Dearly Beloved, We Gather Here to Say Our Goodbyes....

Tonight I went and saw a reading of Bertolt Brecht's 'Galileo'. It was at Convocation Hall.

Who says people don't go to the theatre anymore? Apparently they just don't go to theatre in theatres. Put it in a lecture hall and you will get yourself quite a distinguished crowd.

My new friend Jordan was there, and he said it was kind of like attending theatre church. It really was. There were so many people there I've looked up to for such a long time, and I really did come to worship at their shrine. It definitely felt like I was paying respects to people that I admire, and the place was so big, it did have that cavernous, church-y feel.

Plus the chairs were uncomfortable.


So many good actors! Ann-Marie MacDonald, Daniel MacIvor, Fiona Highet, Caroline Gillis...it was kind of amazing that they amassed this kind of cast list. It really could become some sort of regular thing: massive plays that are rarely fully staged because of their size or complexity or whatever, read by the best people. That sounds like something, doesn't it?







There are famous people in this picture, but you'll have to take my word for it.




I first read 'Galileo' in undergrad, and thought I would hate it. I had some longstanding Brechtian hatred, and I don't know what it was even based on. Mostly that his name sounded like some kind of sound you make when you have a lung inflammation. And that everything I had heard about him sounded boring. But I loved reading 'Galileo'. There is so much passion and excitement and beauty in that play, both inherently in the subject matter, about the rediscovery of where we are in the universe and what that knowledge means, and in Brecht's writing. It's very funny, outlandish and real at the same time. I then fell back off the Brecht wagon, only to go wayyyy back on after I did 'The Ark' at the NAC and got the chance to read a ton of Brecht. Man, I want to be in a Brecht play so bad. I think he's great. Most of the time. I was reminded tonight of what a good play it really is.

As much as I saw lots of friends and people I love, I saw some enemies too. I've avoided quite a bit of theatre in the past few months because of these enemies, and the way they make me feel: that I don't deserve to see shows because I don't deserve to be a part of the Toronto theatre community, and I am not allowed to be there. But again, a reading from the book of my new friend Jordan said that every time I go to one of those things, I win. That was encouraging. Have to keep fighting.