Aomega - Daniel Nimmo

Dropped the ball a little on the old blog. Been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and now Edmonton Opens tomorrow. New Policy is to largly ignore reviewers, there is only so much interaction that interactive can bear, when the artist (my artist on stage) threatened suicide if he did not get a 5 star review that may have been a little much, note to self…
Had a brutal cold coming out of Saskatoon, but it seems to be on the way out. I will be opening tomorrow night a little below premium efficiency, but along way from the deaths door I was at on monday durring the technical rehearsal.
Have a few new strategies and perspectives going into this run – mostly do to with character focus and commitment – I am committed to the artist, and the aritst is committed to Aomega, and I am, in very short segments laughing at the Artist with the audience, thats is alot of layers isnt it. In winnipeg, I learn’t only to come out of character briefly after freaking out a crowd in an experimental talk back section when I dropped out of charcter and became me, be careful who you let behind the curtain. I rigged the moon and video projector in Edmonton, so the artist has a few more tricks up his sleve in this run, should be fun and keep the techs on their toes. They seem like a nice couple of guys. Really though I was a mess on monday, sweatting, and sick as a dog, I made them keep their distance, I hope I did not pass anything on.
Have a new desctiption for Aomega, knowing what I know now “Aomega parodies a contemporary Artist presenting the debut performance of his self proclaimed masterpiece. Expect expect hillarity, expect the inexplicable, expect the unexpected, unless that is what you are expecting, which is a paradox…oooohhhh.”
I sorted out my batteries and a few other hardware problems this afternoon and have been tweaking the script for tomorrow, tighter and tighter…with any luck.

Just posted two more reviews to Aomega. Nice ones…

Have a big weekend of Duke Dreamer outdoor shows ahead, 4 today, that should be exausting, and looks like I have some battery issues to solve as my cloud battery is acting up – no more Aomega shows till 2.30 pm Monday. That is good because It means I can promote my review and sell tickets in the street shows. that will be an intresting experiment.

Time for some Yoga, Aomega makes my neck a bit stiff…

Just posted complete reviews from Toronto Sun and Eye, on the Reviews page. I am happy with them and had an even better show last night than the one reviewed. And CBC Jeff Schmidt was there, from winnipeg apparently, maybe I will have a good review from there and some bigger houses. It is quite intense this fringe business, media comes, people love, people hate. I have been pouring myself into the project for 8 months now, and it is finally getting somewhere.

I added some material I developed in workshop over winter to the end of Aomega, last night, and it seemed to work really well. the show ran 43 minutes, which is a respectable time frame and actually I really felt the difference, gave time to roll through a couple of phases of energy and rock to a cliamax. Working in this context has been such a great learnign expeience for me so far.

I am going to go and catch the complex and oneymoon tonight, as I have a day of from shows. I have not had many days off in the last month, Oh and I have to send press releases to winnipeg to see if i can get some crowds there…

First festival of 7 back to back. Magnetic North Theatre Festival with Mamelian Diving Reflex. Massive team of technicians and administrators, Darren Odonnel and I on stage. The theatre is looking great, and immersive video environment.

Last session with Jack on Aomega was very productive – made some prudent cuts and clarifications. It has been great workign with him. especailly the gesture work. All up to me now, as the date approaches.

Darren is running through audio on the first half of the script http://www.magneticnorthfestival.ca/pages/programming/monster_makers.html – and we marked the monster walk this morning.

Great set at the clown festival, thursday night, left feeling like a god, till I watched the video, then all the holes jumped out and slapped me in the ego. Spent yesterday reworking the last 10 minutes of Aomega. Nice to see all the Toronto clowns. I could post the video, if windows 7 supported the usb streming function on my sony camcorder—-
Today off to Harbourfront for some Duke Dreamer action. have one intermittent fault in a plane and rebuilt a charger for my ipod shuffle after i stepped on the old one it only works if idont screw the plut together, a tiny sort circuit somethwere, os it is charging my ipod in pieces on the bench now. learnt how at http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/245/94/.
Then Christel and I try our fringe show mashup at Lunacy Cabaret at the Clown festival. 9.30 pm.
Gestures with jack on thursday kicked my arse – but worth it.

Had an intresting showing saturday night, and inaddition to the six Duke Dreamer shows I did over the weekend I was pretty written off physically monday. Went suplement shopping to help the body repair. Physical theatre is…physical.

I have alot of thoughts after Saturdays showing, and will tweak and repeat the material for the spot on thursday night at toronto clown festival. Thanks to Dave for the stage time.

Getting ready for Christel Bartelse to come by this afternoon. We are going to work on our Duo Bit for Lunacy Cabaret satuday night.

Tomorrow a 4 h session with director Jack Grinhaus. I want to focus on the final scene of Aomega, and also some “Gesture” work, a new term for me which seems to mean abstract physical reinterpretation and reinforcement of text. hmm — In in. will find out more tomorrow.

peas out.
d

New material for this years show gets its first outing today in a scratch night at theatre passe murale – “PM is one of Canada’s most senior, established and influential alternative theatre companies. TPM was founded in 1968 … with the radical intention to create distinctly Canadian Theatre.” – hmm, well I am legally and half genetically canadian, and spend half the time here, so I guess that qualifies. Pretty stoaked to get to perform there and at Factory, the other stalwart of Torontonian alternative theater during the Fringe Festival.

The creation procedes has been intense. months in studio with director, video camera and mirrors. I am anxious and excited to see how an audience responds….

With Aomega Premier less than a month away I have a day of memorizing and tweaking the script. Pulled some bits out of the script to work in 10 minute chunks in front of audiences over the next week round Toronto.

Director Jack Grinhaus has been pushing me into new directions, and beyond my comfort zone – and now I am at a place where I am dropping my own background back in. Took a visit to the chiropractor yesterday, Turns out my body isn’t alien, so I wll have to be a bit more gentle with my neck when moving like one.