writing

E81: Two Birds, One Heather – Time Management for the Multitalented

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fttmk-1353910

Heather Eyman is a fitness coach and improviser among many other things and in this episode, we see the path Heather took to narrow down on what’s important when there isn’t enough time to do everything and when you’re the kind of person who enjoys the abundance of what life has to offer.

We also ask her advice on how to fix Nick’s darn back! Find out what kind of tips she offers Nick, and all of us when it comes to making deposits into your body bank. (That’ll make more sense when you listen!)

Your Creative Tips

Health and Wellness, Fitness, Improv, Time Management

MORE HEATHER EYMAN:

Brie’s Updates: 

  • Fingers crossed for Hearsay at Hamilton Fringe 2023. (Follow @brieanddave)

Nick’s Updates:

  • Stay tuned for book edits and short stories to come!

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.

#StruggleOn

 

 

E80 -Bumps Along the Creative Way

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4jsj8-1302243

Our first episode in over four months! Why the break? Well you’ll just have to listen to the episode and find out. HA! Masters of the tease. 

But really, it’s a doozy of an episode where Brie & Nick dig deep into some real talk about physical and mental health, motivation, relocation and the whole thing gets a little vulnerable.

It’s not all struggle though. There’s life. There’s travel. There’s a mandatory Maron reference! 

Take a listen & let us know if it resonates with your journey.

 

Your Key Creative Tips

Comedy, Writing, Improv, Stand-Up, Performing, Pain Management, Depression and Anxiety, Goals.

Brie’s Update:

Don’t miss the remount of End with a Kiss, this December in Hamilton!

 

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.

#StruggleOn

 

Playwriting Right with Playwright Evie Jones

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5ywbi-121430e

All wordplay aside, this is a delightful and informative episode featuring Genevieve (Evie) Jones, playwright, actor, director and mom of Daphne. Evie’s located in the Niagara Region, and chats with Nick and Brie about starting out her artistic career in Niagara, spreading her wings beyond the peninsula and her parents, and the reason for her epic return.

Evie provides us with some deep insight into how the pandemic has been helpful to herself and many artists in finding focus, and the now existing struggle to maintain that focus as the world opens back up. 

Writers will appreciate learning more about the process of writing and producing live plays in Canada and the evolution of the artist in motherhood. 

 

Your Key Creative Tips:

Writing, Playwriting, Parenting, Theatre, Acting, Directing, Performing Arts in Niagara and Halifax. 

 

Nick’s Update: 

  • Editing
  • Back pain.

Brie’s Update:

RESOURCES:

 

More from Evie Jones

Website: https://genevievejoneswrites.com/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/EvieJones11 

 

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.

#StruggleOn

E73 – Gary Rideout Jr.‘s Habitat for Comedy

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-dkzh8-10f1a98

Chances are if you’ve performed comedy in Toronto, you’re likely one degree of separation from this episode’s guest; Gary 

Rideout Jr., owner of Toronto’s famous Comedy Bar & Director of Business Development at The Second City in Toronto. This episode dives into Gary’s timeline as a budding comedian-turned-business owner and  tracks the many successes he’s had along the way, the struggles that come with taking risks and putting yourself out there, as well as some truly great lessons learned along the way.

With the recent tease on social media announcing the opening of a second Comedy Bar location, on the Danforth, we’re thrilled to get to chat with Gary about his journey in Toronto comedy and his excitement for all that’s to come. 

This is an episode for comedians and for fans of comedy. You’ll see what it takes to create a space for an entire community of comedy artists; how to foster that community and the heights where it can lead. 

KEY CREATIVE TIPS:

Comedy, Writing, Performance, Touring, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Accessibility.

 

Nick’s Update:

Editing again, and prepping for NaNoWriMo

Brie’s Update:

Niagara Falls Night of Art, Improv Fallout back at Mahtay Café, Writing Accountability Partner

 

RESOURCES

Comedy Bar

The Second City

 

Thinking about starting your own podcast? Click HERE to get one free month of hosting.

#StruggleOn

greyscale image of a stop sign with the sky and phone lines in the background.

Stop Doing the Thing

Well hot damn, this took a turn. I’m always using my busy schedule as an excuse not to blog. Well, that’s not so much an issue now, is it? With Covid-19 spreading like wildfire (another very serious problem we’re also still facing globally), there seems to be nothing to do BUT write.

Or so I thought. But you’d be amazed all the stuff you can do instead of writing. I’ve managed to get all my physical receipts ready for tax time. Not enough, so I organized my husband’s too. I’m learning to teach improv online. (Yes, and… it’s gonna take some adjusting!) I’m sorting through junk drawers (and bags, anybody else got junk bags from moving so often?) I’m cleaning this and sanitizing that. I’m taking naps. I’m meditating. I’m watching way too much Netflix.

So here. Gah. Here I am, keyboard. Let’s type.

2020 was gearing up to be great and fun and BUSY:

  • I was about to teach more improv than ever before.
  • Improv Niagara had just secured a second monthly show, which was to take place in downtown Niagara Falls.
  • IN was about to make a huge deal about our 2nd Birthday Fallout show.
  • I was starting to get corporate gigs.
  • I was getting better at Pilates (ie farting less)
  • I’d received a newfound confidence from performing The Vagina Monologues in knowing a) I can, indeed, memorize big chunks of text b) I can, indeed, rock full-faux leather performance attire.

The last month of February was BUZZING. I’m telling you, BUZZING. A huge Improv Niagara event in Niagara Falls, followed immediately by two sold-out, explosive performances of The Vagina Monologues at Camp Cataract.

And now it comes crashing to a halt. No more shows. No more events of 250 people or more. Wait, now it’s 50. OK I get it. No more events. Gatherings = virus spreading. Non-essential services must cease.

Yes, of course, for the best. We must do our part to flatten the curve and keep as many people safe as possible. And yet, it is an adjustment. I guess at least with improv, we’re good with making those.

New Episode of The Constant Struggle Featuring The Dandies’ Dale Wells

Our latest episode of The Constant Struggle podcast is up and this time, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dale Wells, improviser and co-founder of The Dandies & Holodeck Follies.

http://theconstantstruggle.podbean.com/e/e12-follow-your-passion-with-dale-wells/

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Dale speaks about the benefits and challenges producing live comedy shows in Toronto. We talk about the history of Star Trek improv in the city, about geek culture, and about his show; Holodeck Follies, kicking butt at this year’s FanExpo. Dale and Nick chat about what it’s like to be a Dad artist with a day job. We bring up his love of singing and the various ways in which improv can bring joy to your life.

What a positive guy!

***
With GREAT shout-outs to:
ANDIE WELLS
NATASHA BOOMER
ROB ARISS HILLS
THE 404s
GARY PEARSON
MARK LITTLE
KEN HALL
ALAN LEIGHTIZER
TODD VAN ALLEN (COMEDY ABOVE THE PUB)
GILLIAN ENGLISH &
TODD GRAHAM
***
 Be sure to follow The Dandies on Twitter @TorontoDandies & catch the next edition of #HolodeckFollies at Geek Hard Live!
#StruggleOn everybody!

Episode #10 with RYAN HUGHES is UP!

http://theconstantstruggle.podbean.com/e/e10-hurricast-with-ryan-hughes/

In this episode, Nick & Brie chat with actor, writer & improvisor Ryan Hughes about some of the struggles he’s currently facing in the pursuit of his art.

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Dis Ryan!

Ryan speaks of a few pros and cons of the day job, and what happens when it’s gone. He discusses issues of confidence and mental health. We also delve into a deep discussion about women in comedy and *~*GASP*~* even feminism!
***
With GREAT shout-outs to:
CARLY HEFFERNAN
JESS BEAULIEU & NATALIE NORMAN (THE CRIMSON WAVE)
CATHERINE MCCORMICK
DANIELA SAIONI
ILLUSIONOID
***
Be sure to check Ryan out on Twitter @ryanfhughes & his improv troupe
Peggy Molson @peggymolson
Peggy Molson are competing in the Big City Improv Festival’s “TKO” tournament. Their semi-final set is at Comedy Bar on Tues. Oct. 13th @ 8:00 PM. Go check ’em out if you’re in Toronto.
#StruggleOn

New Episode of @StrugglePod: E09 – Summer’s End

the constant struggle - banner

http://theconstantstruggle.podbean.com/e/e09-summers-end/

Well kids, summer’s over and with that brings a whole new world of struggles, but not without mentioning the break we took from them during the warm months to relax and refuel the tank.

In this episode, Nick talks about his trip to Chicago, IL with his buddies and Brie mentions her voyage to Halifax, Nova Scotia for the Atlantic Fringe Fest. Both reference their respective cities’ great garlic-bread-type products.
We discuss new and ongoing projects and how to jump back into them now that the colder months are upon us.
Special podcast shout-outs to:

Special Parks Canada shout-outs to:

  • The Citadel
  • Green Gables Heritage Place
  • Province House National Historic Site of Canada

Special Toronto festivals shout-outs to:

And to everything garlic bread, we thank you.

 

Check it out on iTunes, Google Play or at the link right under the banner!

#StruggleOn

Back to Something

Ever notice how new beginnings always surface in September, even though you’re not going back to school? What the heck is up with that?

Maybe it’s because my recent trip out East had a very “wrap-up the Summer” sortof feel to it. And I actually didn’t get much of a summer because I was working pretty much constantly throughout the PanAm Games. So it was nice to get a little summer/end of August break and do a little travelling… and then do 10-days straight worth of performance. (Not really, there was one day where I didn’t perform, but I did 2 shows on another day, so it totally makes up for it.) It was nice to be a tourist and to visit a part of the country I’d never seen before. I got to check off two Canadian provinces I hadn’t yet been to. I’ve now got the ENTIRE East Coast checked off! #PointsMe #GottaCatchEmAll

But then immediately upon my return it was like BOOM: Here’s the shit you put aside the past few weeks galavanting amongst the “friendlies.”  (what I have decided to nickname people from the East Coast.)

All of a sudden I was like: “Oh crap! My contract with CBC Sports is up! I’m unemployed!” Luckily, HR’s wheels were in motion while I was away and have secured me a new position amongst the Corporation’s Communications, Marketing, Brand & Research Department. (Seriously, who wants to talk about how much they hate the unions, because I will kick you in the face to defend mine.)

Show-producer-wise, Exit, Pursued by a Bear came back after a successful Fringe run, with great reviews and lovely audiences to our monthly show at SoCap with TWO paying customers. (I love you Dave & Alanna) and one drunk dude who just kinda walked in and out of the show at his leisure. I don’t want this to sound complain-y. It’s just sortof a matter-of-fact consequence, but now we’re forced to rethink our show. Whether to and where to keep doing it, if we indeed want to keep doing it. It looks like we do. Personally, I get a lot of enjoyment out of being able to perform alongside some of my favourite the troupes and people in the city looking for stage time. And it allows Gill to play together as well, because over the past year of playing together, and certainly after 10 days in a row playing together, I like to think we’ve become a pretty dang good duo. (Now, if our duo could get into a couple improv festivals to showcase it, that would be great.)  <– THAT, was complaining.  (Note the distinction.) 😛

I just auditioned for Toronto’s French improv league: “Les Improbables.” If I make it into that, there go all my Tuesday evenings, which would require adjustments to shows I run and play in, namely “The Drill” at the Second City Training Centre, but also other great shows that take place on Tuesdays at that venue. That’s a big decision to make.

I need to make time to write a potential one-woman show. I want to work on my stand-up. I might apply to teach improv to seniors. It’s GWCI?’s birthday and I need to learn to bake a cake. I want to write my original pilot. I need to write more specs… and on and on and on with the things I still want to accomplish this year.

At least I AM sure about one thing. I am NOT going back to school! (Although, I could use a bit a bit of those deadlines and discipline.)  There should be an app that’ll make me feel horrible if I hand some life project in late. Get to work, nerds!