A Little Life, Stealing Venus, dancingmonkeyboy!, Down the Drain, for the love of god…, JEM ROLLS off the tongue, The Best of the Pajama Men, They Went Another Way, Drama Queen, Legoland, 87% True: The Lies That Bind, JESUS IN MONTANA: Adventures in a Doomsday Cult, SPLIT SECOND, Luggage: A Circumstantial Collision of Parallel Expositions, The Excursionists, Zombies, This Little Piggy is Classified, Love Is Chaos (Secret Cabaret)

If my tour were a movie, it would have ended right after my sold-out show.  In reality I had one more show – Sunday at 1:15pm.  I had twenty or so people, maybe more, which wasn’t bad for that rainy and cool early afternoon.  There wasn’t the excitement of selling out or the fun of the party crowd audience that I had a few shows before that, but it was a well-attended, well-received show.  Anything after the night before was the icing on the cake for me, and that was a good way to end the tour.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around, running into people, seeing a couple more shows (including The Excursionists at 11pm), and seeing people off at the Fringe Club later that night.

In less than twenty-four hours I will be on a plane heading out of Vancouver.

It seems like it was a year ago I was in Toronto.  Even Saskatoon seems like a long time ago.  There is a very weird concept of time that happens while on tour.  I probably would never have understood it unless I experienced it myself.  Time seems to stretch out.  I guess that happens when you’re living with different people in different cities every two weeks and continually meeting new people and having new experiences.

I have to say that I paced myself very well throughout the tour.  I never got tired of doing the show, and I maintained my energy all the way to the end.

Now having said that, I’m happy to be done!!  Thank you to all the performers, festival staff & volunteers, hosts, and people at home who have been following along with me on my journey.  Thanks again to Gabe for crafting the show with me.  People finally got it, Gabe!  Hooray!

Most Frequently Asked Question:  Will you tour next year?

Answer:  Yes, I would like to.  Right now I couldn’t see doing another six-city tour.  I don’t know how many cities I would do (three?), or what show I would tour with.  It will depend on several things.  Some of it is completely left to chance, with whether or not I get into certain festivals.  At any rate, I have not gotten tired of touring at all.  So much to do between now and then!

This concludes the 2006 Rebel Without a Niche Tour Blog.  Forty-one shows – New York, and then my actual tour: Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Victoria, and Vancouver.  Hope you enjoyed it!

Yes, here in Vancouver I sold out my very first show on tour, and I thought that ship had long sailed after Edmonton.  This was my next-to-last show and finally, FINALLY it happened!  If there is one thing I learned on tour this year, it’s that you never know what’s going to happen – for better or for worse.  Tonight one of the kind people who are putting me up during my stay said, “Maybe we’ll see you on Broadway.”  Usually I would laugh that off, but then I thought, “Who knows?”  Anything can happen, really.

Things can really turn around.  And then turn back around.  And then back around again, and there you are!

So how did I finally do it?  My show was prime time at 9:15pm on a Saturday night.  Still, this hasn’t resulted in a sell-out before for me.  I was flyering a lot and some performers were mentioning my show as one of the shows to see in their end-of-show plugs.  The press has been, for the most part, ignoring my show, but the reviews I had gotten have been okay.

Here’s one thing that helped:  While having English tea with Fringe Queen Alex Dallas at the Cat’s Meow, “Excursionist” Jonah stopped by and told me it would be a good idea to go flyer the line-up for Colossus, since many of those people would not be getting into that 9pm show, and my show was right next door and starting at 9:15pm.  Jonah is a good person to listen to because he knows how to do a successful show.

I had no more flyers, so I just talked to the people lined up to see Colossus, which was clearly going to be sold out.  I convinced many of them to come see me.  When it was clear that they wouldn’t be getting in, I actually walked some of them over to my venue to buy tickets.  I finally had to go to my venue and saw…

A line-up…

For Rebel Without a Niche !

I took pictures.  I will post them on my website when I am home and settled.  The venue captain announced that “the show was officially sold out.”

I officially went upstairs to the dressing room and almost cried.

The show went very well.  The only thing was that in my opening song, I somehow ended up repeating the first half over again.  I guess they thought that was how the song was supposed to go, and they applauded at the end.  After that the show was smooth sailing.  I think I will get rid of those troublesome songs.  Afterwards people told me how much they liked it and someone called it “amazing.”

Now this is a good way to end a tour!  It was fun to see some performers afterwards and hear them cheer when they heard the news.  There’s something very Rudy about the whole thing, you know?

One more show – Sunday at 1:15pm.  Closing party that night.  Then Tuesday I leave Vancouver.  It was a worthwhile stop on the tour.  My sixth city in Canada and my first sell-out this year.

It was a very fun show, but I have to say that all my Vancouver shows have been clicking rather well.  I was able to get some feedback from some performers afterwards.  Some of it was familiar.  “Lose the songs” was a new one, but appreciated.

Based on this new feedback, people want to know more about me and what I’m thinking and what I’m going through as I work these jobs.  Why am I putting myself through the process of dead-end jobs?  Also I should play up on the Kafkaesque elements of the play.  Matthew, a fellow performer, said that if I could combine those two things and make them part of the show, it will turn a very good show into a great show.  I can see how that could work, and it’s exciting to see how the show could reach a new level.  It’s awesome to have performers give me those kinds of observations.

I’ve been a student of the Fringe this summer.  In addition to doing my show, I’ve seen a lot of shows, ranging from big hits to shows with tiny houses.  I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t.  I asked audience members how they decided what they wanted to see.  I talked to performers, looked closely at the marketing for shows, and really took in the festivals.  I am now a dangerous man.

I visited the Art Gallery Tuesday afternoon on pay-as-you-can day.  That same day I strolled down fourth avenue and discovered a comic book store that was selling a used copy of the novelization of Oh, Heavenly Dog, which was a movie starring Chevy Chase and Benji.  Well, I guess they wouldn’t have any new copies.  I’m going to put it on my shelf next to A Tale of Two Cities.  I love contrast, don’t you?

My 11pm show on Friday night had a surprisingly decent-sized house, and they laughed a lot.  From what I hear, there is a “buzz” about my show.  Some people I approach say they have heard great things.  To me, that’s a “buzz.”  I am in the middle of my four days off before my last four shows, so perhaps I’ll get good houses as the word spreads!  I also did a live radio interview for CJSF 90.1FM that went well (I’m getting the hang of that) and I recorded a bit for CBC Radio here.  Tonight I’m doing a pod-cast interview in the Fringe Club.

For those who have been reading the whole blog, I need to wrap up a few things.  First of all, my voice is back in full force.  In Victoria it was still not exactly 100%, but here in Vancouver I felt the full range back in action.

Second of all, I indeed have seen TJ Dawe here in Vancouver (I knew him from Saskatoon last year).  He lives here and is spending most of his time writing and reading.  He was aware and amused by how I used his name in my posters in Winnipeg.  We hung out for a while and I’m talking to him about doing one of his plays in New York this coming year.

This is the five year anniversary of 9-11 and I’m in Canada.  And I live in New York, but on the actual 9-11 I was in Texas, starting a tour with the National Theatre for Children.  I felt like I wanted to be there and help out any way I could.

One thing amazing about New York is that usually people don’t talk to people they don’t know or even look their way, but during a crisis situation most people there will do whatever they can to help others.  I was around for the Blackout a few years back, so I saw this first hand.

Here’s something amusing to end with today…

Seeing Rob Gee off, he told us that often he goes into McDonalds and asks to use the bathroom and tells them he’s going to order food, but then he doesn’t order any.  He calls it a “McShit with a side order of lies.”

Writer/Performer Fitzpatrick kept us entertained in this 60-minute one-man show.  This New York-based performer is the stereotype of the smalltown boy that goes to the big city in search of fame and fortune, and ending up trying to survive working at odd jobs.

In this show, he makes fun of all the jobs he had while trying to achieve his impossible dream.  He plays multiple roles from bartender to cowboy to monster, and enjoys what he’s doing.  So does the audience.  A very talented performer, indeed.

This is his second tour.  Last year, he toured with his show, Hooray for Speech Therapy.  Gabe Hakvaag directs his show.

Ed Farolan

Switchback, Pajama Men in Stop Not Going, Cassandra, JOE: The Perfect Man, Pentecostal Wisconsin, The Chinese Clown Cabaret, The Road Less Gravelled, The Big Kiss Off, Tippi Seagram’s Happy Hour

I opened in Vancouver tonight. I’m playing on Granville Island, which wouldn’t mean anything to me if I wasn’t familiar with Vancouver. I’m not, really. This is my first time here. Granville Island is a hip little touristy island here in Vancouver. My show had an audience of three, but in all fairness, all the people I talked to tonight had small houses. One show even cancelled because no one showed up. It’s opening night and it’s a Thursday. I just started promoting, too.

My audience and I had a ball. I can only hope for at least a few people to show up so I can do what I love to do.

This has been a tough tour for me, and I’ve been feeling it lately. The other night I went to bed at 6:30pm and slept for the entire night. My leg has been hurting from the pulled muscle back in April and my speech has been getting worse. I think this is my body telling me that it’s not going to take much more of this.

For that reason, I decided not to read any more reviews. I don’t need any more stress. Then two of my audience members said they came to the show because Colin Thomas liked my show. Excuse me, a reviewer actually liked it?

This guy writes for the Georgia Straight, and I was expecting a hatchet job after hearing things about this paper. Turns out that wasn’t the case. I read the review, and it’s not a good review by any means, however some of his other reviews are indeed hatchet jobs. By comparison my review is actually not bad. That was a surprise to me.

Afterwards the volunteer house staff presented me with a flower to show their appreciation of having me there. Isn’t that nice? It may be nicest thing that’s happened to me on tour. Thanks! I do think that Fringe Legend/Queen Alex Dallas was a little jealous, though.

After the show, I said to Alex, “Okay, you’ve seen it now. Do you have any idea why I’ve been raked over the coals on this tour (regarding reviews)?” She said she had no idea why, and said that when she was watching the show she, too, was baffled by why I had gotten some horrific reviews. “Even if I didn’t like the show, I would at least give it three stars because it’s well-crafted and you can tell that you are a trained actor.” She did like it very much and her suggestion was to “take things further.” She brought up the example of my Cableresque! parody and how I could take things to that level of extreme.

In Victoria I had people come up to me and quote the show. “I had a dream about you!” “Crawl fish!” A gentleman came up to me yesterday and told me how much he liked the show, but he didn’t understand why my audiences were so small.

Alex said it’s possible that my show is being unfairly compared to TJ Dawe’s Slip Knot, another show about jobs. It’s nothing at all like my show, despite what a reviewer here said. That reviewer said that Slip Knot is a multi-character show. I don’t think that person ever saw Slip Knot because TJ is a storyteller and not an actor who jumps around and does tons of characters like you’ll see in Rebel Without a Niche.

I talked to Shirley last night from Train Your Man, and she, too, offered her support regarding my show and the unfair treatment it’s gotten, and encouraged me to keep doing what I’m doing. It was very sweet of her, really. I have to say the reviews haven’t discouraged me too much, but it disappoints me that they prevented so many people from coming out and seeing the show.

All you have to do is look at the reviews here in Victoria. The reviewer who reviewed my show in the Colonist wrote a review of another show where he said he stopped paying attention halfway through the show. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if your job is to review plays, then the least you can do is do your job and pay attention to the entire play. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for.

Then there is possibly my favorite review, which was the review of the Pajama Men in Monday Magazine. In it, the reviewer said he only wished there were more than five stars to give. The rating they gave it? Four stars. If they made a mistake, can the rest of us add a star to ours as well?

I enjoyed Victoria. People were nice. I had banana bread French toast of the first time. And the second time. Man, that was good. Major props to (I’ll fill in the name of the restaurant later).

Now I’m at the library and I’m going to walk back to my billet’s house, get my stuff, catch a local bus, get another bus that goes onto the ferry, float to Vancouver, ride on that bus to downtown, take another local bus to my new billets, and…

It all begins again.

My show on Thursday at 6:15pm had an audience of four, but we had a blast. I experimented with things and even created a new ending where I crawl down the isle wrapped in the sheet. It was the most fun I’ve had doing the show in a while. I have an 11:00pm show tonight, and I will be flyering to get people in. I do think that there is hope for me here. This is Labor Day weekend (yes, in Canada as well) and my show is about working. So what better way to celebrate Labor Day? All I can do is talk people into coming tonight, create a buzz, and get more and more people into my afternoon shows Sunday and Monday. The “Man” is not going to keep me down. Rebel rules! Support the underdog.

I also have a new marketing campaign. I’m a cult sensation! This is much better than my other idea, which was: I quit! I think my show has had a cult audience and I’m going to start exploiting that and even promote it kind of like a horror movie. I may even dress up like a zombie and flyer people in Vancouver.* It ties in the show.

For bonus fun, one of the venues has its entrance in a courtyard for an apartment complex. Last night five people were quietly sitting in the courtyard before being let into the theater, when a loud obnoxious creep started yelling from his balcony at everyone to “Get the fuck out of the courtyard! The Fringe is over! It’s 11:00!” Now, remember, the people waiting were being completely quiet. The folks walked out of the courtyard and into the theater, but the guy kept yelling and even called one of the women the “C” word. I told him to “have respect for a lady” and that I hoped he was “enjoying the Fringe.” Naturally he just continued a string of F-words directed at me, but what fun! Someone needs to straighten this guy out and, despite the fact that Pippi Longstocking could kick my ass, I’m the guy to do it!

I admit I have a warped perception of reality right now, but you try being on tour for… How long has it been now? Two months. Over two more weeks to go. I bought my plane ticket to leave Vancouver, which will be on Sept. 19.

* Luckily I came to my senses and never dressed up like a zombie.

I’ve had two shows so far.  The first night I was a little unfocused.  I had sucked on Halls right before the show and ended up wanting to swallow throughout most of the show.  Plus I had a cough lodged in my throat, trying to get out.  Not a real fun show to do, and that was the one that critics from two different papers came to.  Last night’s show, on the other hand, was a ball!  It was a small house, but they enjoyed it and there was real good energy.  I wish the critics had come to that one.  Well, actually, I have other wishes for the critics, but let’s be kind, shall we?

I’m out exploring beautiful Victoria now.  I plan to see the gardens and whatever else crosses my path.