To Career or Not To Career

I "conceived" my first play when I was about six years old. It was probably more of a variety show, but I remember a cape and a top hat. I won a talent show for an act I put together in grade seven and I also failed to stage my own version of Lambert the Friendly Lion. Go figure.

Whilst a student in college, I staged a Laugh-In style show with peers from the Department of Education. And as soon as I graduated, I got a job as a drama teacher at West Van Secondary School and while I was there I staged two large shows for each of my two years there. Each show was an original creation.

I was so not into doing Harvey or some other such Samuel French dated and inappropriate disaster. That is what most of my peer teachers were doing and I loathe seeing kids with grey powder in their hair, looking fake as stink, and trying to act like adults. I wanted my students to speak in their own voice so I led them though processes that brought their voices out. Our shows were popular and well attended.

Then I built a theatre and ran it but all I was, really, was a booking clerk. Except for a show I conceived and produced called North Shore Live. It went on to tour Canada. And then in 1983 I walked away from working in the theatre to work in the visual arts.

Then, ten years into retirement, I write and produce Knock Knock in April 2013 and then two derivative products came out of that show: a script and screenplay called Uncle Gus' Monkey. And the success of the screenplay gave me the confidence to write Trudeau, the Felons & Me. In turn, the success of Trudeau gave me the energy and confidence to write The Hater & the Harridan.

If Harridan goes ahead, it will require that I:

• Engage the enthusiastic cooperation of students in the Capilano College Musical Theatre Program.
• make six steampunk corsets that support manually operated wings
• make a throne and flat embedded with LOTS of electronics
• a Shiva costume with six moving arms
• a nun costume 
• a buddha costume and wig
• a Jesus costume
• two arc angel costumes 

I currently have four display mannequins in my living room. If I do Harridan, I will have ten. So I have pretty much decided that if Harridan goes ahead, that I will get rid of my bed and get a murphy bed in my bedroom so that my bedroom can be more of a studio for me.

Warren came by yesterday after a long time without seeing him. He was disarmed by my costumes and wants to come and do a video interview with me about them. His reaction made me happy that Harridan affords me even greater costuming/wig making opportunities to have fun.

A new career? Designer Chris? Maybe.