It is a radio play that is over 25 years old, yet the artistic producers at Fabulist Theatre in Vancouver, BC believes the themes in Dim Sum Diaries are just as relevant today. Onstage Blog sits down with director Mary Littlejohn to chat about the show.

Set in France, in the 1820s / 1830s (i.e. in the same universe as Star Trek), Les Misérables is a much-loved musical, based on a book which nobody has ever read. It's the story of Jean Valjean, a man who stole a loaf of bread (or maybe murdered somebody), and found a … secret admirer … in Javert. And the whole time, it was just a comparison of Old and New Testament morality.

Alright, here are all of those very weird but kind of wonderful conspiracy theories, explained.

Everyone has been there. 

The show was announced, maybe it was a play you didn’t know or one you loved and dreamed of doing for years, either way, there is THAT role. That role you are perfect for. You are in love with that role. You must play that role. 

I have recently been watching Smash by Theresa Rebeck with my girlfriend and it struck me in two ways. Firstly, Theresa Rebeck is a genius and one of my favorite writers out there. Second… Derek Wills is one of the most charming jerks I’ve ever loved on screen. Three. Three things, then – third being that Smash is one of the most brutally honest dramatizations of…drama. The sometimes cutthroat nature of auditions, the sore feelings afterward, and just how dumb everyone can be during the process because we’re a bunch of weirdos stuck in a single room together for hours.

The naked body.

It is one of the last taboos in American theatre, or in any other form of American art, for that matter. Audience members will gladly accept all of the vulgar language and explicit in the world, but if an actor dares to appear without clothes on for even one short scene, all hell will break loose.

Seldom does the casting of a local production occur and I don't hear about some sort of casting controversy. Every time I'm told of these "atrocities", I tend to ask myself, as well as the person telling me, were you actually screwed over or just didn't get the role?

It happens on almost every production. The final curtain closes, the audience leaves, the tech crew begins to strike the set and most, if not the entire, cast vanishes into thin air. Which, mostly in local or college theatre, leaves behind a small crew responsible for undoing weeks of building, hanging, sewing, etc. If you ever want to find a prime example of animosity between actor and crew, here it is.

Now none of these tech weeks were easy, that I will admit. But are tech weeks ever meant to be easy? Most of the time not. You can only do so much in advance and there are things that you just can’t figure out until you get into the performance space, which was one of the few similarities between the two shows. Neither show could load into the performance space until the week prior to opening.

The use of deaf talent, and hearing actors passing on the roles that have them portraying someone with a cultural background they do not have experience with, is vital when telling stories about deaf culture and in general. Storytelling is vital to the Deaf community and to ignore their contributions and damper the current stunning group of talent would be to the detriment of the theatre community as a whole. 

When on stage or waiting in the wings, it’s business time. But what about backstage in the green room or dressing room? These areas occupy an uncertain space between the world of performing and simply existing as people. Everyone prepares for a show differently, but here are a few general guidelines for establishing a positive green room atmosphere.