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Friday Night at the Rodeo

Posted 2 weeks 21 hours ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

More than a few people in the past two weeks have asked what would be the best show for them to take in at The High Performance Rodeo (HPR). It's not a simple question to answer. With the varied and eclectic mix of options sometimes it's hard to know where to start. And for some people, the issue is knowing which show they would enjoy the most, verses which show they would get the most out of. In the hopes of showing people something a bit out of the ordinary, HPR associate producer Mark Hopkins has created...

Supposed

Posted 9 weeks 21 hours ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

At the Beakerhead party last week I briefly danced with a robot. It's name is Omnibot 2000. While the band kicked out Peter Gabrielle's Sledgehammer and the personalities on stage encouraged the audience to jump in and dance I swung up on the little robot guy and tried to catch his attention. I wasn't sure if he was in autonomous mode or if someone was piloting him at the moment. I knew the software was...

The High Performance Rodeo - A Primer

Posted 10 weeks 2 days ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

For three weeks in January The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts plays home to the High Performance Rodeo, an eclectic and high energy spread of Theatre, Art, and Music. As part of it In the past I've performed from the roof of The EPCOR Centre, delivered lines from the deck of The Martha Cohen Theatre, and danced my ass off to electronic beats in the Centre Court and out in Olympic Plaza. I'm blessed, because I get to be a small part of that festival. Moreover Calgary is blessed, because we get to partake in some...

A Behanding In Spokane

Posted 12 weeks 12 hours ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

The most straightforward thing I can say about A Behanding in Spokane is that I think Ground Zero and Hit & Myth (GZHM) produced a better show than Martin McDonagh wrote. GZHM have produced McDonagh's work before (Pillow Man was awesomely haunting), and both parties are capable of great things, but it's tough to speak about A Behanding in Spokane and not pick at the script. Too often I found myself in a critical mode saying "This conversation just would not have happened." Characters are made...

The Weekend in under 250 - Oct 28

Posted 14 weeks 1 day ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

The Highest Step In The World Ghost River has really stepped up the game in Calgary for devised theatre, which is a term that they use for their process of creating new work. Their play "One" stands as one of my defining theatre experiences, which left me highly affected for at least an hour after taking it in. (I was really proud of how that love letter turned out as well, please give it a read if you have not...

Investing in art

Posted 15 weeks 2 days ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

Be smart with your money. Keep your receipts. Keep track of where the money is going. Budget. Plan to save. Pay debt down first. Pay yourself first. Don’t use cash advances. Pay with cash, not credit. If you don’t have the cash don’t buy it. Choose which items you’re comfortable in cutting back on. If you steal wifi bake a pie or muffins for the person you’re stealing from, leave them anonymously, and don’t hog the connection. Invest. As a sole proprietor there is no one directing up skilling or new training for the staff, or...

Investing in art

Posted 15 weeks 2 days ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

5 Things - Bermuda

Posted 15 weeks 4 days ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

No Pay-As-You-Go Data for your iPhone or Android smartphone. As it stands on the island right now, the only pay-as-you-go data you’re going to get is with a Blackberry. No one will sell me a card otherwise. And sadly no, just getting a Blackberry SIM and putting it in your iPhone will not work. Not with the way Blackberrys work. This also means that global Blackberry service disruption took out the only smartphone I could use on the island. #firstworldproblem They are most likely not honking at you. The Bermudian culture...

It's the lies we tell ourselves - True Love Lies at ATP

Posted 18 weeks 2 days ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

Brad Fraser is doing something very refreshing with his script for the Alberta Theatre Projects season opener, True Love Lies. We often watch TV shows with families struggling to accept the sexual identity of one of their children and it is a plot which can feel dated and shallow. In True Love Lies Fraser spares very little time opening a more modern discussion about sexual identity and the nature of family. Identity, be it...

Failure to Plan

Posted 19 weeks 23 hours ago | By Wil Knoll | Stage Craft

When I returned from Bermuda I had a solid bankroll that could take care of me for a while, an open schedule, and almost nothing planned. For a month I lived by the seat of my pants. I slept in late, lounging with amazing company. I toured diners in Calgary having great breakfasts. Every night was a different event, packed with discovery and laughs. A surprise 3am BBQ, Fireworks, LEDs, Hackers, Water slides, Fringe Festivals, Dinosaurs, Hospitals, Cop Cars, Beers… I ended up in Las Vegas, Drumheller, Edmonton, Vancouver, and a Super 8 Motel in Salmon Arm. But now...