November 2013 – Page 2 – Lucia Frangione

Pace

We just finished 6 days in a row of twelve hour days. For me, however, it’s been thirty five days in a row with no break: my “days off” reserved for writing and prepping a class to teach, mothering, cleaning, doing laundry and feeding the Algerians. I slap make up over the bags under my eyes, tease my hair up into a fabulous beehive and off we go for a matinee. And in my head I remember pace: no time between the ends of their sentences and the beginning of mine. No time to breathe. That’s excitement, that’s comedy. Suck…

Behind the Scenes of Except in the Unlikely Event of War

It’s opening night tonight for Sean Devine’s new play that I have the pleasure of being in. We had a preview audience last night. It went very well. (I knew it would because I figured out my hair do. It’s all about the hair for me. This was my first beehive). We are rather tired after a series of ten out of twelves – so I am grateful for this “sleeping in” time this morning before opening. Last night my fatigue showed only once when I had to list twelve psychologists, sociologists and physicists in a row and I got to…

Show Hair

One of my favourite things about being in a show is having the luxury of sitting at the make up table with a head full of hot rollers and apply my make up. I love having that hour and a half to physically transform into someone else. In this case, someone who obviously spends more time on their hair than I ever do. I love applying make up and feeling those little brushes across my skin. They caress every crinkle, curve and smooth plain and there’s an acceptance. “This is what my face looks like, now, at this age.” And…

My Poppy

I trundle out of the grocery store with all my bags and pass a fitness club that an effective graffiti artist, with one deft slash, renamed “Fat World”. Fat world indeed. North America, anyway. We suffer from obesity and apathy. Big fat babies. The grocery bagger boy had a poppy and I did not. Not by choice. I just didn’t happen to bump into a noticeable distributor. The controversy over poppies makes me as fecking impatient as the controversy over Christmas. People died so we could live. Jesus died sharing the concept of compassion and the Bigger Life. This turkey…

Algerian Belly Dancing

My Algerian girls are fasting again today. Before bed, they are singing in the other room, I think it might be a prayer. It’s a sweet sound. A couple of weeks ago it was Haha’s birthday. Facebook let me know, otherwise, I don’t know that they would have told me. Haha is not one to call attention to herself. She’s very modest… Well, Nora and I do some last minute surprise planning and we bake a cake and prepare a nice lamb halal dinner and get Haha a present of a scarf and mitts (welcome to Canada’s winter) and Nora…

Some Great Theatre in Vancouver to Nibble On

This is a good month for theatre and new plays! First though, let me say, for the general audience, Mary Poppins at the Arts Club is probably going to be lovely and fun considering the very talented cast. Any time you get a chance to hear SJ Hosie’s and Katey Wright’s sweet voices: take it! http://artsclub.com/shows/2013-2014/mary-poppins The work at the Richmond Gateway is well on its way to becoming important and relevant enough to cross the bridge for. Check out the highly acclaimed Dora award winning play, Crash: Nov 14-23 Gateway Theatre 6500 Gilbert Rd., Richmond, Richmond Gateway Theatre presents…

Biker Dudes

Across the street I see a clump of young men smoking outside a very hip bike shop on Gore. If I squint from the distance they look like a scruffy pack of orphans from the Dirty Thirties wearing their dead Daddy’s pants five sizes too big. One of them even has his Dad’s jacket that he wore during the war. The other is wearing his mother’s modest hoop earrings INSIDE his ear lobes. They’re all drinking five dollar coffees, leaning against their five thousand dollar bikes and I’m wondering, “where do they get the money to look so poor?” …

Something in the Water

Sometimes I just want to buy a chunk of land up North, raise fainting goats and chickens and grow out my leg hair. I’m allergic to water. I knew it was something ubiquitous. More specifically, I am allergic to the sulfites in the water. Never dawned on me until tonight. I’ve been allergic to sulphites since I was little and I do check processed foods for additives and such and know the usual suspects, but it never dawned on me that those bastards would stick it in my water too! Not only is it found in mineral water but also…

Link to Dave The Flooring Guy

A little Christmas video from last year! http://bcove.me/irkr9y6b This is the Dave the Flooring Guy story I told at the Flame. I’m heading into tech week with Except in the Unlikely Event of War – so forgive me if my posts are a little spotty this week. Cheers! Lucia

Mary had a Little Lamb

It was Nora’s first piano lesson today. She comes home with her little music book and looks down at my keys in dismay. “But Mommy, our piano doesn’t have numbers!” I assure her it isn’t broken, we just need to start at middle C. She doesn’t trust me much at all (what do I know? I’m a pleb. I don’t play.) …until I guide her little fingers to the spot, she presses the first keys and her face lights up with joy. Yes. That sounds familiar! She proceeds to play Mary had a Little Lamb NON STOP for the next…

Month: November 2013