Look at her guest hosting the chappelle show! There she is!  

You know who else I love SO MUCH? Sarah Silverman. So goddamn funny. Download her roasts of Hefner and Pam Lee, and you will pee your pants.  

and then boygroove opened

and i wasn't there. I would like to describe the hazy recollections through my massive hangover,
( I did get a bit drunk here, in celebration, but my hangover is small and manageable) but since I was not there, I can only hit you with some excerpts of emails I received from participants and various spies I stationed.


like my friend Erin, the publishing queen of Toronto:

Hey--Just wanted to tell you again how much I loved the show last night. It
was really excellent. The guys did a great job. It's a great show, you're brilliant! The theatre was so packed that people were standing in the back. Great audience response and I'm sure that the
clapping would have continued if they hadn't turned the lights up right
away. People were laughing, clapping along with the songs, cheering, etc.
Singing the songs in the bathroom afterwards... (I tell you, the bathroom is
where it's at.) The poster/programs look great too, although your name should
be bigger. :-)

Most of all, to you, congratulations. This is an amazing opportunity and
it's absolutely well deserved. I wish you could have been there last night.

Tell me when you'll be in town. I'm leaving tomorrow and I'll be back late
Monday, May 8. Maybe I can bring Karen to the show when you're here.

Lots of love, E.

ps. Oh yes, there were loads of media people there too. Including Canada's
Us weekly, the Weekly Scoop.

pps. I had no idea the boys sang the national anthem at the Jays game on the
weekend--hilarious!!

and I got this from one of the investor guys, who has been kind enough to update me from time to time on the goings on of the goings on.

HI Chris, just a quick hi;

Here's the first review of last night's opening review in the Toronto Star:

**** FOUR STARS !

Not bad for a brand new show.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1146088215109&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630

Last night was terrific,full house and great time. 85 minutes of pure fun. Besides the Star, the Sun, Globe & Mail, National Post and Eye were there as well. I'll forward their views when printed. The boys worked their tails off. We set up a 'sign station' in the lobby that the teens (as well as a few women) used for their signs in the show. The place rocked. The sound tech still has his work cut out for him but everything, including the projections worked well. There was praise to go all around - Aaron's songs and sound-props, your writing . . especially your writing. Personally, I want to say that I marvel at some of the remarkable things you do that expose so much, so simply ( like my favourite . . "whatchamacallit. . . gay."). You're good.

There was great constructive feedback too, but that's for another show another time. . . now I have to go sell tickets . . .

Let me know when you're back in town. .

Regards, Jef


And just so you know, in the Toronto star, four is the most you can get. Just so you weren't like where's the other star, like my parents, when i would get a test back and they'd be like, where's the other 20%, when I already had to cheat to gt the 80? Parents, you know? Anyhow -

This is from Beth, the stage manager.

Hey guys!!

Well, we are opened!! Thank GOD!. It took until 7:10
to get the lighting/sound/video to be in a place where
things were ok to start, but we got there. I had a
couple of GREAT phone conversations with Macri and
most stuff got figured out. A full show report will
follow tomorrow, but I'd like to think the worst is
over, people are drinking their faces off and the
crowd absolutely LOVED the show.

We all felt your love coming from so far away and know
that we all wish you were here. Again, I will update
tomorrow, but everything is going to be ok.

B


So that was the boygroove opening, as far as I know....

Is it cool to be star struck in your very own country? Maybe not. But Scott Thompson rules. Let's hear it for the boy. 

posting without

So what does one say when there is nothing to say?

When the shows are going fine and the gay rap is being written, probably will be done by deadline.

Scott Thompson is coming to the opening of my show in Toronto, and I won't be there to claim my rightful place as his BFF. Too bad, in a ton of ways.

I am a bit jealous of the guys in the show. Last night they had MTV drive them around partying, as they went from place to place, followed by cameras. Last Sunday they sang the national anthem at the Jays game. They are getting the full star treatment. While I am here in Edmonton. Opening windows and rearranging my 10 inch justice league action figure collection, complete with a tiny ATOM, as well as the rare WONDER WOMAN figure, but still lacking the even rarer HAWKGIRL figure. (too late, you missed my birthday)

I feel as though, in many ways, BoyGroove is passing me, its creator, by. As I wave at it from my lawn chair by the highway and hope for a big cheque.

It is a nice day, however, and my work goes swimmingly.

ennui is a funny thing, not just in its spelling, which is hilarious, but in its random ability to strike even when the going is good.

damn you ennui!

Times like this, I must avoid being a spoiled North American and remember how much more meaningful the good moments would be if I were suffering hunger or dodging landmines, instead doing pretty much whatever creative project I want whenever I want.

They say that most unhappiness can be chalked up to fatigue and fear, and I have a fair amount of both. Perhaps a nap and some yoga. Oops, nope. I must instead write more gay rap. It does present some really specific challenges.

ie - rap being so tied to drug culture - how can I say that someone is stoned for being gay in other countries without being mistaken for high?

and - many many words rhyme with gay, but how much is too much water drawn from that well, in the course of a 70 minute opera?

pretty specific right?

i came here today to spit the facts
jill the jacks and tear up the contracts
and ax a few questions of the man upstairs
bout why my people been caught unawares

And i did, you know. That's why I came here today.

who'd've thunk i'd write this much gay rap

I guess I suspected I might, when me and the N Dogg decided to pen a gay rap opera.

Luckily about a jillion things rhyme with gay.

We got us some braggy battle rap, like:

ripped like paper, polished like a gem
I am here to introduce my man feminem
Cutting up rhymes like a karate jig saw
Pitching phat words like a gay south paw
Rapping up verse like liberace’s piano
He’s a blessing and a curse, going mano a mano
So step right up if you wanna get hurt
Fem will tear you a new one, serve you up like dessert.

and some sensitive pseudo-art rap, like:

Like a puzzle that’s missing a piece
Like a coiled tension
In need of release
The peace they feel in each others arms
The perfect silence
The protection from harm
The club goes away
It’s just the two of them
Moving rhythm to rhythm
God’s only men
On the earth
Not living in sin
but in perfect compliance with the desire within

stay tuned for violent gay-angster rap. Cocksuckas comin' atcha!

and then some time off. man i need a couple days off.

Times like this, I like to think of myself, cause I would not like to be as famous as those other two guys, because there would be even more bullshit then I get now, and in that spirit, I think I'll take tomorrow off work. 

Times like this, I like to think of Tom Cruise. He got really famous and joined a crazy religion that he likes a lot, and got other people to join, just be virtue of his fame and cheek bones. He's not that good an actor, but he is one of the most famous people ever, and one of the world's oddest celebrities, even in today's climate when the bar is extemely high. Way to go Tom.  

At a time like this, I like to remember John Lennon, who got really famous, and loved his girlfriend, even though she was a destructive, crazy, backstabbing bitch who made John impossible to work with. Remember John Lennon. That guy did what he wanted. 

hey diddly dee

an artist's life for me.

so I am home from my 36 hour trip to Toronto, where I saw the better part of every T shirt on Queen St with my friend M to the R U B. We brought tons back for the boygroove guys to wear and the liked almost none of it. In the end we turned it over to a designer, which is never a bad idea.

So I had my dates wrong and thought BG previewed in Toronto last night, being Wednesday. I thought it opened this Friday. Thankfully, it does not preview until Friday and then opens the following Wednesday, which is a giant relief. More time in the theatre for the polishing and priming of our lil opus, and that is all to the good.

If you are in Toronto, you might have seen a BoyGroove poster fall out of your Now Magazine as you looked for the horoscopes. That's because 150, 000 of them went out inserted into Nows, which was then, and yet to the past, remains the future. Also the Toronto Star put in a great piece on the cover of their What's On section, and the BoyGroove.ca went to over 300 hits a day. So things are looking good. fingers crossed!

So now I am knee deep in gay rap with my man Nate to C U C K, which we will be dropping at the Springboards festival, a very civilized event which we are sure to offend. An even more conservative theatre has expressed interest in Calgary, which just goes to show how much people want to hear other people rhythmically swear.

Life remains crazy busy, and I look forward to having some time in early July to hang around on my couch and ignore the fantastic weather. I want to get high and watch movies. I am tired of being so multitasked and effective, and stressed out.

Also, I think I have a meeting at 11 tommorrow, but I can't for the life of me think with who?

If I have a meeting with you tomorrow, can you call me?

Faithless opens tonight

And a good time will be had by all, who had a good time. Check out www.theatrenetwork.ca for info. RFTers can hit me up for comps! Wish us luck!

and this is the poster pic for the Ganza this year. I loves it. yes I do. 

Batmn was laughing too hard to speak, but his agreement is implicit. 

Belinda says the same thing. 

Mark Meer says - go ahead and drink. It's not like it's kryptonite. 

And another one. Hypetastic is my evil rapper charactr. He is based on Eminem. Thus, in the ed, he is not so much evil as misunderstood. And he is my mouthpeice in theplay about why bad artis morally wrong, because, as you know, it is. 

Here is another one. 

this is a fake spin magazine coer I made for projecting in the BoyGroove show. We might not end up using it, so I thought I'd show you. 

My plays are in very good shape

Both of them. The edmonton one and the Toronto, both are looking pretty fing sweet, if I do say so myself. As an artist there is really nothing more buoying to my spirit than the feeling that the work I am doing and contributing to is good. And I really feel that right now.

So don't put me down. I need the mood.

I recently had a birthday. Like yesterday.

The become less and less a celebratory occasion after one is thirty. I am 34 now, so after the next one I will be 35. That's a real adult age. Seems a bit old, considering how many incredible hulk action figures I got around here.

But it was a good birthday, cake and drink and my lovely lovely girlfriend and 6 Feet Under. (I am so much happier than all those characters. It's comforting.)

The only sad thing is people are sad at RFT.

I will do all I can to make it better. I know you'd all like some details, and isn't things that are none of your business what the internet is all about? But no, I am not talking about it here, except to mention my utter commitment to tackling these issues head on, giving a voice, and playing fair with all concerned.

Craddock out.

Here is another shot. Quite a good one too. Check out Matt's abs! 

This is from the new BoyGroove publicity shoot. I must reccoment Klyment as a photographer. He rules. You can check his shit at Klyment.com. 

is it possible to move so fast, you catch fire from friction with the atmosphere?

I am the busiest jerk this side of cheney.

What's more, I am screwing up. I got caught in a rehearsal and did not teach a workshop I was supposed to for RFT. Dissapointed my young charges (again) and stressed myself out even more. I will have to sluff this set off to someone else and come out swinging next month. It's the only thing to do. If anyone I pissed off is reading this right now, i am very sorry.

It will be a good workshop, I promise. Text work and stanislavsky and years of actor training in 4 3 hour sessions, transformative and spiritual in content, as well as being fun and light. A snack that eats like a meal that sits like a salad and is eliminated without waste.

I have a cold.

auditions today

This is always an exciting day. The day when people come and audition for your company, and you get to add new people to an already rollicking performance ensemble. And I am extra excited this year, because the Nosebowl was HOT.

I hear good things about the prospect jammers too, and about the workshoppers as well. So it looks like the hard part will be choosing from the diamonds, rather than the mining itself. This is often the case.

Back when I was running a regular theatre company, you know, that do PLAYS, I would audition maybe 70 people, when I had maybe 4 roles to give, which I already sort of planned to give to my longtime collaborators. And people would be good too. Most of the time.

This business ain't fair, and it ain't pretty.

You have to be more than good. You have to be sane. You have to be honest and nice. You have to be cool. This is a taller order than I would have thought. I know some young people from RFT read this blog. I know many of them are considering a career in the arts. These are the facts of the matter. You have to be an entrepreneur as well as a damn good artist to make it in this business. Being great looking won't hurt either ( I am not). When I was starting out, a lot of people said to me that if there anything else I'd be happy doing, I should do that. Well, we know how that turned out.

But let's look closer at the possible career paths of young people today.

We all like money, and we all want security. But, money is an illusory concern, as it always craves more of itself. And security is a myth in today's economy, no mater what your job.

What counts is happy. What do you need for that?

I need variety. I need to do different stuff, day to day, with a more generalized shakeup every three years or so. Are you like that?

I like going out into the world and hustling up my living. Staking my claims and being hired as a gun. Are you like that?

People like being good at what they do. Are you good at this? How good? Are you willing to work to get better? Or is a career in the arts a dodge from working at all? Nothing is more frustrating, I imagine, than being in the arts and experiencing the sneaking realization that you are just not that good at this...

All this said, look at the next lawyer you see. The next insurance salesman. The next generalized office jockey. How happy are they? Less happy than the average showbiz pro, I am sure.

So, go into the arts!

It's a good job, as long as society doesn't collapse completely.