Addition: An Unconventional Love Story - The Blog

Thank You

2009-08-29T12:30:00.002-06:00

Thank you to everyone who followed us through this journey and helped make Addition: An Unconventional Love Story the success it is. As for the play itself, I intend to do some revisions and I want for it to have a life of its own beyond this one run.

In the meantime, if anyone is looking for some more queer theatre in Edmonton, I will be directing a production of Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey at the Walterdale Playhouse in February 2010. Auditions will be this October, so watch out for the notices to be posted.

Take care!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Logan's Run

2009-08-29T12:28:00.000-06:00

Man, I can't believe it took me all summer to use that pun as a blog post title. Anyways...

As y'all are no doubt aware from the lack of posting on everyone's part, the show happened. Once we got into the minutiae and the day-to-day Fringe stuff of running, handbilling, touting, postering, anxiously poring over reviews, seeing other shows, working and copious amounts of drinking, there simply wasn't much time to be updating a blog that, well, a rather small percentage of our audience would be reading. So we all just kinda threw ourselves into the show instead.

And now it's all over.

For all intents and purposes, we've put the show to bed. The set's been disassembled, the costumes are scattered across several closets, the venue has turned back into a loading dock, the lines are being forgotten as we speak. We've done the post-show-wrap-up, the cast party, the card exchange, the goodbye hugs. We'll be meeting up at some point to sort out cheques, but that's just business stuff. We've put the show to bed.

I can't speak for all of us, but for me, just basing off my own experience? Best Fringe show ever. Not to denigrate stuff I've done before, but there was an energy about Addition: An Unconventional Love Story that was just so present, so casual, and so easy. It wasn't work. I mean, yeah, it was work, but it didn't really feel like work. It was a simple, lovable little show that flowed out of us and onto the stage without the messiness and insanity I've come to associate with Fringetime. Maybe I was blind to a bunch of the craziness going on in the background, but I don't think so; I really feel like this show... clicked. It's a happy notch on my resume.

But we're done. 6.5 hours of show. 15.5 stars from the four papers that reviewed us. Two onstage nosebleeds, nineteen other Fringe shows seen, eight hundred handbills, not counting the black-and-white ones. Countless hours of rehearsal, three actors, two crew, more total time spent kissing/groping/caressing boys than I have girls in recent memory. Six shows, five quiches, hundreds and hundreds of satisfied audience members, one smile still on my face. You don't need to be a professional to know that these numbers make for some good Addition. (Oh jeez I am SORRY for that pun, but seriously; someone had to make it.)

We're all going our separate ways now; we've all got different arts things we're setting our sights on, some starting almost immediately. I can't shake the feeling, though, that we'll all always have the memory of an awesome summer putting together a show that, by most scales of measurement, turned out to be pretty kickass.

And when it gets remounted for the national tour, it's gonna have a couch, right?

David Johnston
Actor (Logan)

Reviews from Edmonton Journal and See Magazine

2009-08-17T21:50:00.005-06:00

As I'd mentioned, all was quiet on the print media front since Friday. That certainly changed today when not one, but two new reviews for the show came in. I have to say, the Edmonton Journal review was an unexpected surprise.

Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Kathleen Bell - See Magazine

[★★★1/2 out of 5]
Can three people exist together in a loving relationship? I mean, that sentence doesn’t even sound right — we are so used to “relationship” referring solely to couples, not threesomes. But writer/director Justen Bennett delves into the subject matter with wit and open-mindedness. Unlike your traditional romance, Addition goes sex first, love later when long-term couple Ben (Robert Medeiros) and Logan (David Johnston) pick up Daren (Richard Lee) at a bar and take him home for a ménage à trois. As a result of too much chitchat outside the bedroom, the three form a bond that goes far beyond the proposed one-night stand.
However, Addition has the same fault as most conventional love stories, in that it doesn’t take its story past the point of promises and sweet kisses. I was left questioning whether a threesome could really last forever, or even for any time at all.

And now, the Journal:

Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Iain Ilich - Edmonton Journal

[★★★★1/2 out of 5]
Sharp, witty writing and engaging actors make Addition: An Unconventional Love Story> a solid Fringe choice for those looking for a smart, sexy romantic comedy with a refreshing twist.

Ben and Logan, a cute gay couple in a long-term relationship, are searching for something new to spice up their lives now that romantic evenings of Scrabble no longer satisfy quite like they used to. Out of the blue, Logan suggests a bit of fantasy fulfilment: ask a third guy to join them for a night of passion. While initially skeptical of the whole threesome thing, Ben is won over, and they sheepishly take their manhunt to a gay club. Within short order, along comes Daren, a buff young university student they convince to go along for the ride, even though they don’t seem entirely convinced that they should be doing this. All doubt is cast aside back at their place once Daren removes his clothing, and the trio gleefully sprints to the bedroom.

That’s when the twist comes in... and it all unfolds wonderfully from there.

There are a few slightly flubbed lines here and there, but the delivery is lightning-quick and the script is great.

Needless to say, I'm very delighted with the latter.

We only have 3 shows left! Get your tickets at the Fringe box office!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

More Online Reviews

2009-08-16T10:57:00.006-06:00

To give you all a little update, we've had two fantastic performances and we're gearing up for our third, tonight at 10:00p! If you haven't seen the show yet, come on out! We'd love to see you there!

Since I posted the review from Vue Weekly, we haven't had any new print media reviews. Hopefully something will be coming out soon and once it does we'll be letting you know!

In the meantime, I've been alerted to a few other reviews that have gone up. Here are a few from Twitter:

evanmudryk @CanadianDijon "Addition" was really funny and you and the entire cast were fantastic. Great writing too.

stormbrew #yegfringe rankings so far: 1. Lovehatekill & Addition tied, 2. Douche//Awesome, 3. Sex-Bot, 4. Bashir Lazhar

alexiskienlen Saw two really good plays last night- El Dorado and Addition an unconventional love story. #fb

There's also a local blogger who reviews shows and Addition: An Unconventional Love Story showed up on their blog with a ★★★★★ review:

Addition: An Unconventional Love Story - ★★★★★

Addition tells the story of a young gay couple who decide they want a threesome to spice up their love life. The scenario gets a little out of hand, though, as they dive down the rabbit hole of polyamory into what they hope is a stable 3 person relationship.

The really brave thing about this play, is how it diverges from most media about alternative relationship structures by being a relatively light hearted happy story. My experience with stories about this sort of thing is that they tend to be morality plays.

It’s also interesting that the play is centered around gay men, as I think the standard image of a multipartner relationship tends to involve one-man many-women. It’s in danger of falling into the trap of perpetuating notions of gay male promiscuity, but manages to avoid it through the earnest nature of the characters. They never seem to be slutty, they just seem to have fallen into a new form of monogamy by accident.

Generally, I’d be a little more down on this play for its possibly over-optimistic ending, but in this case I feel it’s justified as a balance against other shows, movies, and plays I’ve seen about this subject. It’s really nice to see a lighthearted approach to it.

Also worth noting is the comedic performances by all the actors involved. You can tell there’s a certain rawness to their performances, but again the earnestness of the actors makes the sometimes nerdy humor (two of the characters are LARPers, for example) come off really well.

If I have one complaint, it was that the venue is new and the acoustics weren’t quite worked out yet. The fridges off in the corner kept kicking in and interfering with the vocals of the performers. This seems to have been fixed in shows I’ve seen since then at this venue.

We've also had a few new reviews at the Fringe Theatre Adventures - 30 Second Reviews website and theEdmonton Journal Review Site, so hop on over to check those out! And if you've seen the show already, leave us a quick review! Every bit helps!

Now it's back to the Fringe to see some shows (finally!!) and do some handbilling for tonight's 10:00p performacne of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story. Get your tickets!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

First Print Media Review and Patrons Reviews

2009-08-14T14:17:00.004-06:00

I'm delighted to share with you all the first print media review of Addiiton: An Unconventional Love Story. It's from Vue Weekly.

Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Alexis Kienlen

[★★★★ out of 5]
Local playwright Justen Bennett creates a believable, funny and sweet story in this tale of a loving gay couple who decide to bring a third to their bed. This play is a complete treat. The script is snappy and the plot moves along at a rapid pace. Characters are fully rounded and have discussions that let their nerd flags [fly] as they discuss Star Trek, board games and role play. The actors seemed a bit nervous on their first night, but by the end of the run should be able to deliver a top-flight show.

I have to say I'm incredibly pleased about our first print review. If you'd like to read reviews from other patrons who have seen the show (or leave your own once you watch it), check out the following:

Here are some snippets from the Fringe patron reviews:

"Addition takes on what could be a very awkward topic and treats [it] with such human warmth that you could actually see yourself in the same situation."

"As a straight guy, going in I did not know what to expect [...] but Addition was much better than I could have envisioned. The humor is sharp and clever, the emotions real and relate-able and the story touching and clever. [...] It was one of the most enjoyable plays I've been to in a long time."

"Addition exceeded my expectations (and they were high). Justen has written a hilarious, touching and identifiable play with very real characters."

"Addition is relatable to everyone, gay or straight, monogamous or otherwise."

"Believable and thought-provoking"

"I saw the play last night, and am still grinning."

There has been a great response and we will continue to do our best and to earn even more positive reviews from patrons and media alike.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Twitter Reviews I

2009-08-14T07:27:00.005-06:00

Less than 12 hours later and already a few reviews are sneaking in on Twitter! Take a look at a couple more of the <140 character reviews of the show:

@mustbetuesday: saw Addition 2night &enjoyed it a lot! It was really funny&cute&nerdy. With hot shirtless men. I recommend it! #yegfringe

@VictoriaHSE: I suggest that every1 go see Addition: An Unconventional Love Story@ #edmfringe #yegfringe this weekend. Bloody Brilliant.

The next performance is tomorrow (Saturday, August 15) at 2:15p! Get your tickets!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Opening Night

2009-08-13T22:00:00.002-06:00

Suffice to say we had an excellent opening night. There was a nice-sized crowd with tonnes of laughs throughout the show and some loud applause for the actors at the end. So, great job to Amanda, Richard, Robbie, David, Lib (sound tech), Chris (light tech), and the FoH and bar volunteers! Afterwards, I had a few people approach me directly to congratulate all of us on a fantastic show. So, yes, come out and see Addition: An Unconventional Love Story! It's already passed muster! Get you tickets through the Fringe box office!

We've already had our first review! On Twitter, user @stormbrew says: "Addition was really good. Geek humor + exploration of alternative lifestyles ftw."

There you go, folks!

And, to all of you who've seen the show tonight, first of all, thank you! Second, if you have the time and inclination, please feel free to put up a review on the Fringe review site and/or the Edmonton Journal review site. It would really help us in bringing in the audiences.

Woo! One down, five to go!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

"First" Fringe

2009-08-13T00:54:00.002-06:00

This is a post I just wrote for the Show You Our Blog site connected with the Edmonton Fringe. Right now the post is pending review (standard procedure for all new posts), so it may not be quite up yet when you read this.

Enjoy!

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This is my first Fringe. Okay, so technically this is my third Fringe, having acted in a Fringe show in both 2005 and 2007. This is, however, the first time I have directed a Fringe show. It is also the first time I have written a Fringe show. It is the first time I have directed a show I have written in the Fringe (or anywhere). It is also the first time I've produced, designed, marketed, and all those other things, a Fringe show. That adds up to a lot of firsts. What all these firsts tend not to add up to, however, is buzz or excitement. This makes for a steep learning curve.

I'm Justen Bennett and I'm directing Addition: An Unconventional Love Story at the Edmonton Fringe. As I said, I'm swimming neck-deep in a sea of firsts and trying to doggy-paddle my way over to the sweet, promised beaches of Audienceland. Sometimes I feel as though I'm making excellent headway and the shore is coming closer than ever and other times I feel as though I can barely keep my head above water. Allow me to explain.

I am not a Belke, Hagen, Craddock, Schmidt, or Lemoine. I have no place in the Edmonton theatre consciousness with a list of known and respected past work. Addition: An Unconventional Love Story is my second play. As a director, while I've directed a few productions, only one has actually been reviewed. It was the first production of Mockingbird Close by Trevor Schmidt back in 2008 and, while praised, the only quotes I can pull are "well-explored" and "one of the most gripping one acts I've ever seen." There are no well-known actors in this production, but all are talented up-and-comers. Finally, we have not toured the show (I said it was a premiere) and have no reviews from other Fringes to buoy us on our way. All of this has meant a vigorous start from the ground-up that has taught me so much.

Right now, on the eve of the show's premiere (Thursday, August 13 @ 8:00p, for those curious), my worries aren't about the acting, writing, or directing. I know we have a solid show with a skilled cast and a script that, in previews, at least, has had audiences constantly engaged and laughing. My worry, as I'm sure all theatre artists have, is "who will see this show?" How will we stand out amongst the cacophony of posters, handbills, starred reviews, and sound-bites? With hundreds of other performances, how will potential audience members avoid missing out on a show they may enjoy? That has been the bulk of my work these past few months.

I said earlier I learnt a lot on this process, thus far. I've learnt the value of sponsorship, helping to generate interest and reach out to potential theatregoers who may otherwise get overlooked and provide an otherwise unaffordable presence through targeted advertising. I've connected with places like Gaywire and Team Edmonton to help get the word out with interviews and newsletter mentions. I've even learnt a bit about selling my own show and embracing its various themes and potential audience pulls. That has to be one of the more useful pieces of knowledge I've picked up.

Depending on who I speak with, Addition: An Unconventional Love Story is one of many things: a sex comedy; a new work; a local production; queer theatre; littered with jokes about the Jonas Brothers, Paris Hilton, and Edward Cullen; littered with jokes about Patrick Stewart, She-Ra, and Dungeons and Dragons; about polyamory; a show with partial male nudity; or a love story. I'm sure in speaking with more people I'll discover the play is many more things and all of these wrapped up in one. Being in the position of the primary advertiser for a show you've both written and directed forces you to think out of the already-multipled boxes you've used to inhabit the show to explore it in writing and rehearsals, and look at it from not only the view point of 'the audience,' but from the viewpoints of many different audiences, all of whom would walk away loving the same play, but for seemingly-infinite different reasons.

So, that is the question keeping me awake right now, after midnight, the night before my "first" Fringe show premieres. This is a question with an answer I can't create or control on my own. As playwright and director, I've created and controlled many answers to many questions along this process. I'm confident in what I've done and what we've done as a team. I'm used to control and this, this huge, incredibly important element to the production's life, "who will come?," is beyond my control and though I and my team have worked (and will continue to work) long and hard to try and get the best possible answer we can, we're not the ones who, in the end, make that decision to buy a ticket. We'll push through to handbill and shout out our name, good reviews or bad, high attendance or poor, but I will also hope, and hope hard, that my team will have the opportunity to show this work of which they're so proud to as many people as possible and that those who see it take away with them a wonderful, fantastic experience.

I'm sure this is what we all hope and I'm likely not the only one wide-awake right now, kept up by this question with an answer out of our control, "first" Fringe or fifteenth. So, to the rest of you who may be awake, I wish you sweet dreams, great reviews, and long lines at the box office.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Premiering Tomorrow!

2009-08-12T12:21:00.003-06:00

Addition: An Unconventional Love Story is premiering tomorrow night (!!) and it's incredibly exciting. This will mark only the second time I've ever seen a play I've written go up on a stage in front of people; actual people! It's an honour in so many ways. This is also the first time I've directed a Fringe show, so that adds to the excitement even more.

In light of the show's upcoming debut, I wrote a little note to the members of our Facebook group and thought it appropriate to share some of said note here.

---

I just want to thank you all for supporting us up to this point. It's very difficult for a new show with a cast and crew who are up-and-coming and relatively fresh on the scene to get any attention. To those of you who've been reading our blog and keeping up with what we've been doing, we really appreciate your support.

If you have the opportunity today, please try to help us out by heading over to the Facebook event page and clicking that little 'Share' button on the right-hand side of the page. Post the event to your profile and let your friends know about this play. The show premieres tomorrow and every little bit helps!

You and your friends can even come together! Remember, our venue, the Fringe Cabaret, is air-conditioned and will be serving alcohol before and after every show, so you can sit back and enjoy Addition: An Unconventional Love Story around a table with your friends, sipping a cold beer or glass of wine.

If you haven't had a chance to check out our blog recently, we've posted the last of our video interviews with the cast and crew, plus even more behind-the-scenes tidbits and info for you to enjoy!

To give you all another update, we had a great preview at Play Nightclub on Sunday with fantastic response! The audience was laughing the whole way through and more than a few people came up to us afterwards to say they couldn't wait to see the whole show. With an engaging story and tonnes of jokes about everything from the Jonas Brothers to Edward Cullen to Patrick Stewart to She-Ra to Dungeons and Dragons, everyone who spoke with us was looking forward to seeing more!

So, if you still need to purchase tickets, head on over to the Fringe Box Office (@ the TransAlta Arts Barns) or go to the Fringe Box Office website and make sure you've got your seats booked.

Take care and we look forward to seeing you at a performance!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Fundraiser and Blog Article

2009-08-10T23:05:00.004-06:00

The fundraising at Play went really well! We made a nice amount of money on Saturday and on Sunday we had a very receptive audience. There was lots of laughter and much positive feedback about the excerpt we performed.

It's was a great show and we're looking forward to having a full audience for the full show starting Thursday! Buy your tickets early!

Also, I stumbled upon a really great blog post about polyamory that's definitely worth a read! Enjoy!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Tech Rehearsal

2009-08-09T01:39:00.005-06:00

Today marked the final full rehearsal and our only technical rehearsal. While our rehearsal space was wonderfully large, the acoustics left much to be desired and we're ready to move on.

As for the tech rehearsal, we had only 2 hours but they were used well. It was smooth from start to finish and we finished the work we needed. Plus, our techs, Lib and Chris, seem pretty awesome.

The show is definitely ready for an audience. Buy your tickets now through the Edmonton International Fringe Festival Box Office Website!

Remember, if you want a preview, come to the official fundraiser! As a bonus, the cast of The Most Massive Woman Wins, another Fringe show, will be performing as well!

Here's the info once more:

The Official Fundraiser for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Hosted by Play Nightclub (10220 103 St.)

Sunday, August 9, 2009
Doors Open @ 8:00p
Performance @ 9:30p
Ticket Draw @ 9:55p
Cover: $3

Come join the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story for their official fundraiser event at Play Nightclub, just in time for the Fringe! Try a special Addition-themed shot, chat with the cast and crew of the show, and enter to win a pair of free tickets to one of the performances! Plus, you get the fantastic opportunity to watch an excerpt from the play itself! We'd love to see you out there and appreciate your support!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

How We're Making Out

2009-08-08T09:29:00.001-06:00

"We have some rules... The first is no kissing."
-Ben, Addition: An Unconventional Love Story

I'll talk about this once and then not again, because it's not an issue for me outside of the five seconds way back at the beginning of the process when I wasn't sure how it was going to work out. I think every actor goes through periods of pause, just questioning their boundaries when something like this happens, and how far you're willing to go for the sake of theatre. All the time this happens, and the only time it's a big deal is when... someone decides that it should be a big deal.

So: there is kissing in the show. For whatever reason, I have not really done onstage kissing before, a couple of cheek pecks and motherly forehead kisses notwithstanding. I just never got the roles with the puckerin' up, and now I have one. (And there's a good amount! Seriously! There are some points in the script where the stage directions just become one steamy make-out after another, and... oh, dear, that description just sold ten more tickets, didn't it?) But my point is that for most actors, noting that there's kissing in a play would be like noting that there's dialogue, because ultimately it's a standard theatrical tool and that's that. Sure.

As I said, though, this isn't too much of an issue. I'm pretty sure Richard and Robbie have done smoochy-smoochy shows before, so it was just potentially me, and... well, I decided that it didn't have to be a big deal. Surprise surprise: it wasn't. I remember back at the beginning of the blocking rehearsals, Robbie and I were stepping through our motions with cheek-pecks, and Justen tactfully piped in with one of his notes that he'd like to see, "at some point— not necessarily today, but bear in mind at some point— a couple of those kisses might be in the vicinity of the mouth, perhaps?" (Translation: More tongue, boys!) Right there and then, Robbie and I took thirty seconds to make your standard intimacy agreement; agreeing that we're going to leave our outside stuff at the door, agreeing that in here we’ll go to whatever degree we need to make the show the best it can be, no embarrassment or anything… and that was that. And yeah, we both knew each other well enough at that point to know that we wanted to make the show the best it could be, and I'm sure we guessed the other wouldn't be embarrassed, but, well, this is one of those cases where it’s good just to articulate it. In any case, two minutes later we were lip-locking, and then one of us threw in the package-groping, and that's just scene one, so by the time we got to... huh, there's another five tickets right there. I should remember this marketing strategy.

But yeah, leaving your emotional baggage and hang-ups and preconceptions and whatever behind when you step into a character can be the hardest part of a process; once you get over that hurdle, then you’re in the clear and can go to levels not accessible before. I suppose for me it wasn't even an "I have to kiss boys!" thing, (which: …whatever. It's slightly stubblier, I guess? That's about it.) so much as it was just apprehension about the intimacy and the closeness we were going to have to get to. And since I’m a bit shyer in my personal life than my theatrical extravagance often lets on, and when you’re knocking on these doors with new, scary people, it can all seem a tad intimidating. (Though I suppose that can make the intimacy agreement part easier; not having a history with co-actors can make it easier to isolate the emotional stuff. Benefits either way. Also, calling our cast and crew 'scary' now would just send me into fits of helpless laughter.)

What is my point from all this? Enh, just an observation that, unlike many problems, theatrical awkwardness can be averted merely by everyone involved deciding that it isn't actually awkward. What I know is that we can all now approach the physical handling of each other in a very cavalier manner, and that's a good place to be in; light-hearted, recognizing in some minute way the potential weirdness of the situation and then shrugging it off because it's so not worth worrying about. Thus it can lead to Robbie and me having conversations about nailing the timing of unscripted entrance smooches, or how he can most expediently begin undressing me onstage, or "I feel when you grab me by my shirt-collar right here— like that— then it's a little too aggressive, so if you hoist me up by my waist like this" and yes, these all happened, and in the low-key, straightforward (no pun intended) manner that they needed to. It's like how porn stars probably operate. Thus, I am officially slightly more porn-star-y. Hey, I knew I was doing something with my life this summer.

David Johnston
Actor (Logan)

Interview with Richard Lee (Daren)

2009-08-06T19:53:00.002-06:00

We interviewed the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and asked them each four questions. Here is the final interview with Richard Lee, the actor playing Daren. Watch the end for a surprise from Richard!

Thanks for watching these videos! Keep reading the blog for more updates and we look forward to seeing you at a performance!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Gaywire Interview

2009-08-06T19:38:00.004-06:00

If you didn't get a chance to listen to the CJSR interview live, you can stream it online at the Gaywire homepage!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Booze and Interviews

2009-08-06T16:19:00.002-06:00

Today was the venue tour. It looks like it'll be a great space. Unfortunately they were still building it for the tour today, as they're running a little behind. The good news is that, form what the techs told us, there will be a staffed bar at our venue! So, if you come and see Addition: An Unconventional Love Story you get to enjoy an awesome play while sitting back in a an air conditioned venue with a drink in your hand!

Tune in to CJSR (88.5 FM) on your radio or listen live through their website tonight at 6:00pm MST because I'll be interviewed about Addition: An Unconventional Love Story on Gaywire, Edmonton's source of indie news and entertainment for queers and allies!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Fundraiser @ Play and Other Sponsorship Information

2009-08-03T01:16:00.008-06:00

Here's some important information for anyone who's unsure about whether they want to see the show or not (though, really, you know you do) or anyone who wants to come out and show their support for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story. I now have the details for the fundraiser event I've been alluding to these past few months.

The Official Fundraiser for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Hosted by Play Nightclub (10220 103 St.)

Sunday, August 9, 2009
Doors Open @ 8:00p
Performance @ 9:30p
Ticket Draw @ 9:55p
Cover: $3

Come join the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story for their official fundraiser event at Play Nightclub, just in time for the Fringe! Try a special Addition-themed shot, chat with the cast and crew of the show, and enter to win a pair of free tickets to one of the performances! Plus, you get the fantastic opportunity to watch an excerpt from the play itself! We'd love to see you out there and appreciate your support!

On another sponsorship-related note, the web ad for the show is now up on the GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine website and our print ad is in their August newsletter! You can check even check out an online preview!

I also want to give a belated shout-out to Team Edmonton for including us in their recent newsletter, the Alberta Plawrights' Network for the mention in their Fringe program ad and in the upcoming newsletter, and the Walterdale Playhouse for the ad in their upcoming newsletter.

The cast and crew also want to give much, much thanks to all of you who have been spreading the word about the show on your own. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising a show can have, so we thank you greatly for all your continuing efforts!

Finally, tune in to CJSR (88.5 FM) on your radio or listen live through their website this Thursday (August 6, 2009) at 6:00pm MST because I'll be interviewed about Addition: An Unconventional Love Story on Gaywire, Edmonton's source of indie news and entertainment for queers and allies!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Interview with Justen Bennett (Director/Playwright)

2009-08-02T12:53:00.002-06:00

We interviewed the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and asked them each four questions. Here is the interview with Justen Bennett, the Director and Playwright for the production.

Keep watching for the rest of the videos to be posted in the near future!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Cuts

2009-08-01T17:05:00.002-06:00

Today was an interesting day. The show has been running over time for a while. Just today we've been able to bring it back to just barely within the 65-minute slot we have at the Fringe. Rehearsal today was really tight and I don't know how much more time we can cut off the play, taking into account we need some buffer room to account for laughter and potential mishaps.

In light of the tight run-time, I made the decision to cut some small sections at the beginning. This was especially hard because I know that in the next version, the piece itself should actually be longer (potentially two acts). The sections I'm snipping will be put back in the script after our run, but given the Fringe's very strict guidelines on adhering to one's run-time, it had to be done. I even have another small section in the back of my mind in case further cuts are required.

These have been the most difficult cuts to make because I've already spent time with edits and, while they aren't essential to the plot, they're nice character sections that help give the audience a stronger sense of Ben and Logan's relationship.

In other news, details on the fundraiser next weekend are almost fully confirmed. I just need to hear back on specific times so I can begin promoting it. Also, a quick shout-out to The Travelling Tickle Trunk, a fantastic company that has contributed to making the upcoming fundraiser just a little bit more fun. Tonight, I'm hoping to work on the sound design I've delayed too often for my liking and tomorrow I plan to post the fourth of the five cast/crew interviews.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Songs of the Logan

2009-07-30T17:46:00.002-06:00

So one regular feature that we haven't been telling everyone about is our usual post-rehearsal routine. It's called the Carry Rehearsal Furniture Back Up To Justen's Apartment routine. It's pretty much what it sounds like. Our esteemed director has begun bribing us up there by showing us some of the show's awesome in-progress media stuff each time- posters, photos, handbills, press releases, and recently, a music playlist.

I mention this last one because, after scanning the thirty-odd songs that are under consideration for the show, I realized I... have a very different musical bent. Like, not even in the same zip code. Not in a disliking way; (the snippets we heard were catchy and fun and I very much approve), but the style of music that fills my iPod airwaves is... just so different that it'd be very weird to think what the show would sound like if I was doing the music for it.

With that in mind, I'm sharing something I've been assembling for the last month or so: Logan's Playlist. Behold a smattering of songs from my music library that represent bits of his general personality. Now, this isn't the music he personally listens to, (though I'm reasonably confident he does listen to Matthew De Zoete). They sort of chart his progress through the play, and sort of not; it's not verbatim, and it's not perfect, but what I know is that if you diagrammed these tunes on a grid, there'd be a tiny area of overlap, and he'd be somewhere in there.

The selections, like my iPod, are eclectic; I've got everything in here from Newfie folk rock to Christian punk to light country, but it's a very fun set; I've been using it as my morning workout / travelling music for awhile, and it's uplifting and fun enough to not get dull. It's not music from the show itself by any means, but it's a small window into where I'm going with this guy.

(I considered doing a write-up of each track to explain why I chose it, but I decided it'd be better just to let the songs sell themselves. Enjoy!)

Knock Yourself Out (Jon Brion)
Why we're put in this mess is anybody's guess;
It might be a test. Or it might not be anything we need to worry about.

Bite My Tongue (Relient K)
Sweepin' up the seconds that tick off the clock,
Saving 'em for later when I'm too ticked to talk,
And I need some time / to search my mind,
To locate the words that seem so hard to find.

The More Boys I Meet (Carrie Underwood)
Cheap date, bad taste, another night gone to waste,
Talkin' bout nothing in so many words.
It's not like I'm not trying;
I'll give anyone a shot... once.

Not On Fire (Matthew De Zoete w. Jenn Grant)
If these walls had ears, why would they listen in
When there's no kissin' in here / and nothing that you desire?
Oh my love... we're not on fire

Morningside
(Sara Bareilles)
I need to let go / need to want to keep letting you know
That we both have a reason to follow
Long as we let this lead,
I'm barely breathing.

Hold On (KT Tunstall)
Searching the land for a hero of a man,
You say I need more than my fair share of attention,
But I think you know that just isn't so.

A Perfect Day(Matt Hires)
So let's not walk away / from the one thing we know is great;
Life can trip you up
On a perfect day.

Second Chance (Faber Drive)
Instead of holding you, I was holding out,
Tried to let you in but I let you down,
You were the first to give, I was the first to ask,
Now I'm in second place to get a second chance.

Pressing On(Relient K)
To go back to where I was would just be wrong,
So I'm pressing on, pressing on;
All my distress is going, going, gone.

And last but not least,

The Entire Movie Soundtrack from Josie and the Pussycats
(2001)
Why do you do what you do to me, baby?
Shaking my confidence, driving me crazy?

David Johnston
Actor (Logan)

Interview with David Johnston (Logan)

2009-07-29T10:51:00.002-06:00

We interviewed the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and asked them each four questions. Here is the interview with David Johnston, the actor playing Logan.

Keep watching for the rest of the videos to be posted in the near future!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Tickets Are On Sale!

2009-07-28T13:07:00.004-06:00

Tickets are officially on sale for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and all other Edmonton Fringe shows!

There are 3 ways to buy a ticket for the show:

Online: Edmonton International Fringe Festival Box Office Website
In-person: Fringe Festival Box Office - 10330 84 Ave. (in the TransAlta Arts Barns)
Ticket Hotline: 780.409.1910

General: $12
Student: $10

Venue 5 - Fringe Cabaret
10330 84 Ave.
(North end of the TransAlta Arts Barns)

Performances

Thursday, August 13	8:00pm
Saturday, August 15	2:15pm
Sunday, August 16	10:00pm
Tuesday, August 18	4:00pm
Thursday, August 20	6:15pm
Saturday, August 22	Noon

We'd love to have a blockbuster start to our performances, so if you can come to the Opening Night performance (Thursday, August 13 @ 8:00p), buy your ticket for then! If not, we'd love to see you at any of our other performances, too! Feel free to buy two tickets so you can share the experience with a friend!

As a bonus, the venue has air conditioning, so not only do you get to see a fantastic show, you also have an opportunity to escape some of the summer heat!

We're looking forward to seeing everyone out at Addition: An Unconventional Love Story, so get your tickets now!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Media Photos and Other Updates

2009-07-28T00:59:00.001-06:00

We've been keeping quite busy with rehearsals as of late. Tomorrow night (well, technically tonight, given that it's after midnight) will be the first off-book day. The actors have all been excellent so far about doing portions of the show off-book all on their own initiative but now that security blanket is going away. It'll be a little rough at first, as with any show, but once we push through the memorization that's when the real show can finally start to come out.

Outside of rehearsals, promotion of the show has been progressing nicely. We've been working with our sponsor, Play Night Club, to confirm the final details of our fundraiser there on the evening of August 9, 2009. Also, if you take a chance to visit our Flickr photostream you can see images of some other things that haven't even been posted on the blog, like the GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine print ad, the ad for the Walterdale Playhouse Members' Newsletter, and the front and back designs for our handbills.

Though, probably the most interesting things added to our Flickr photostream lately are the official media photos for the show. Enjoy!

L–R: David Johnston (Logan), Robert Medeiros (Ben), Richard Lee (Daren)

L–R: David Johnston (Logan), Robert Medeiros (Ben), Richard Lee (Daren)

L–R: Robert Medeiros (Ben), David Johnston (Logan), Richard Lee (Daren)

L–R: Robert Medeiros (Ben), David Johnston (Logan), Richard Lee (Daren)

Standing: Robert Medeiros (Ben)
Sitting L–R: David Johnston (Logan), Richard Lee (Daren)

For all photos:
Photographer: Justen Bennett
Photo Editing: Tess Chappell
Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Interview with Amanda McLeod (Stage Manager)

2009-07-24T08:02:00.003-06:00

We interviewed the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and asked them each four questions. Here is the interview with Amanda McLeod, the Stage Manager for the production.

Keep watching for the rest of the videos to be posted in the near future!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Interview with Robert Medeiros (Ben)

2009-07-20T22:32:00.002-06:00

We interviewed the cast and crew of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story and asked them each four questions. Here is the interview with Robert Medeiros, the actor playing Ben.

Keep watching for the rest of the videos to be posted in the near future!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Behind the Scenes: Media, Rehearsals, and Design

2009-07-19T12:31:00.004-06:00

The show's been moving along very well so far, in all aspects. Rehearsals have been going very well and yesterday we had our first rehearsal since the Nextfest reading with every actor and crew member. Both Richard and Amanda were out-of-town for varying periods, so it was fantastic to have everyone in one room again. In terms of our rehearsal progress, we're currently ahead of schedule which is always a nice place to be. I've been involved in a few shows that have much last-minute scrambling in order to get everything done, so to know that we may have a little bit of buffer room helps me feel more at ease.

Outside of rehearsals themselves, much hard work has been going into preparing the advertising for a show. It doesn't matter how good a play is, if you can't find ways to let people know about it you won't have an audience. If you've been following the blog and the Facebook group, you'll have seen some of the media that Tess has created for the show. Much of my time outside of rehearsals has been spent co-ordinating these efforts by providing feedback, writing press releases, and passing on deadline information, among other things, in my many ongoing conversations with Tess.

About the only other main thing aside from rehearsals and advertising has been design. The set's been established for quite a while, but we've been taking steps on our props, sound, light, and costume design. I've starting some preliminary sound designs and on Tuesday we'll be looking at potential costume pieces. Props have been ongoing since the beginning and we have a basic idea for lighting already. It's a lot of hard work and long hours that get put in to a show, but it's certainly all worth it.

Also, while I was doing some research for the press release, I found a great blog called Polyamory in the News. It collects articles from all over the world about polyamory. There are some interesting reads in there and I'd recommend checking it out.

So, as you can see, Addition: An Unconventional Love Story is moving along at a great pace. I hope you've also taken a chance to read David Johnston's blog posts on here as well. He talks about the show from the perspective of an actor and, unlike me, who has been thinking about the show since before I put the first work on paper, he has a fresh view on Addition that's really interesting to read about. And, if you haven't already, we'd love to see you join us in the Facebook group and please share this blog and the group with your friends, so they can learn more about the show and come see it at the Fringe Festival!

Stay tuned for more media and fun behind-the-scenes information to be posted in the next few days!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

The Nosey Neighbour Factor

2009-07-14T22:38:00.001-06:00

In my opinion, every love story has conflict that results out of a factor I like to call ‘What Will The Neighbours Think?’

This is a measure of conflict and worry in a relationship stemming exclusively from an outside source; moreover, we’re not talking direct intervention here, but more of an emotional or expectational wedge that’s driven between people, simply based on their speculations of… well, what the neighbours will think of their doings.

Now, this doesn’t have to mean actual, literal neighbours, (though if you’re doing Three’s Company, then it probably does.) Rather, the ‘neighbours’ can refer to any outside force, group, family, friends… basically, anyone whom the subjects of the love story are influenced by, and anyone with the power to change their minds simply by existing.

Romeo and Juliet, for instance, is basically all about the What Will The Neighbours Think. Left to their own devices, those crazy kids would run off and elope in Act II, and there’d be a whole lot of awkward standing around and head-scratching for the second half of the play, because the leads are off canoodling in Venice or whatever. But because of the high WWTNT value, they’re forced apart, then together, then apart, then there’s a lot of stabbing and poisoning and everyone dies. (Sorry if I spoilt the ending for you, but… it’s Shakespeare. Nine times out of ten, ‘Everyone dies’ is practically the subtitle.)

The antithesis of WWTNT is of course conflict that’s generated inside a relationship, problems and issues that the involved parties are forced to accept aren’t anyone’s fault, just… bad stuff that happened, or people drifting apart, or disagreements of a sort that you can’t blame on the neighbours. Inter-Relationship conflict is harder to quantify because it’s messier, and because it can’t be personified through a wacky-Kramer-buddy bursting in and tsk-tsking at the goings-on.

I don’t think, overall, one form of conflict is always better than the other; going through my favourite love story movies, Brokeback Mountain is almost solely about what everyone might think of Jack and Ennis, whereas The Notebook quietly brushes away its WWTNT trappings to let Noah and Allie realize that they’ve got their own screwed-up problems to deal with regardless of judgemental mothers and hoity-toity society lines. And I love both films, because you can get wonderful conflict and drama out of either aspect, as long as it’s painted properly. On the whole, though, I think I prefer Inter-Relationship conflict, because most of the time the WWTNT can be quietly defused with the equivalent of saying ‘I don’t care what the neighbours think’ and that’s that. IR conflict can’t necessarily be swept aside, and most of the time, there’s more generated from that.

Addition is interesting (and unconventional!) because there’s a very low WWTNT value; part of that’s because we couldn’t afford to pay extras to come in and be our Mr. and Mrs. Roper. But even the offstage folks in the script are pretty open and nonjudgmental; the closest we get to a nosey neighbour trope is Daren’s landlady, who… is kind of awesome, honestly, and has a wonderful moment we hear about midway through the play. But aside from that, there’s no one to really stand around and clutch pearls and whisper to each other that they don’t know why those three young men are spending so much time together in that little apartment, my word, Alice, it’s immoral is what it is. Shame! Not much of that going on in the script.

Sure, there’s some subtle WWTNT stuff going on; Ben and Logan mildly worrying what everyone will think of their thing with Daren, Logan’s persistent curiosity about how Daren’s family regards him, the unspoken fear of how the whole shebang would function in society if they just came out in the open as a threesome… for the most part, though, the conflict is very internal, as the trio bounce off one another and try to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong and who’s scared and who’s confused. A lot of that, I think is that with a three-way love story, you can have multiple viewpoints and ideologies, and you don’t need the constant interruptions of the neighbours to generate conflict; there’s plenty to debate already. It’s why Closer works so well; it plays the emotions of four people up against one another, and that’s enough drama to keep the story going for awhile.

But let’s open this one up to discussion: what are your specific/favourite love stories with odd levels of WWTNT? How do they work or not work for you? Which style of conflict generation do you prefer? Are there any glaringly obvious facts I’m misplacing? And really, what will the neighbours think about all this?

David Johnston
Actor (Logan)

The Official Poster

2009-07-13T20:18:00.007-06:00

Finally, after weeks of anticipation, I have the final poster design for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story! Thanks to Tess Chappell for her fantastic work thus far on all our media!

Please, as with everything we post on this blog, leave us your comments. We love reading them!

The official poster for Addition: An Unconventional Love Story
Designed by: Tess Chappell of TC design
Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

How Far? Productions Logo

2009-07-07T21:53:00.001-06:00

Tess Chappell, our wonderful graphic designer from TC design, has been working diligently on all of our media. She just finished putting together the final logo design for How Far? Productions. Here's a snapshot of the logo in-progress and the final project.

The evolution of the logo for How Far? Productions
Designed by: Tess Chappell of TC design

The official logo for How Far? Productions
Designed by: Tess Chappell of TC design
Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

My Life In Four Cameras

2009-07-06T19:00:00.002-06:00

“You’ve got yourself a real nice place here.”
“Glad you like it. You know, we couldn’t decide whether to buy a house or a condom.”
“…”
-Hi Honey, I’m Home! pilot episode

The last bit of advice that Justen gave us before we headed out from our last rehearsal before the Nextfest read was “Think sitcom-y. Think those rhythms and timing, and play with that.” Now, at the time, I was slightly offended, because I was all up in my Comedy Is Serious zone, with a side of I Am Doing Important Acting Work, So I Better Do It Properly. The more I think about it, though, the more right his suggestion was, on a lot of levels.

Hi, I’m David Johnston. I’m playing Logan in this production of Addition, and as I told Justen early on, I’m a writer/blogger myself, so I jumped at the chance when he opened the blog up to the rest of us lowly flesh puppets. I wanted to talk about something that’s been growing on me more, and more as I work on the project: viewing Addition as a sitcom.

Not just, of course. I’d rate the play 80% comedy, 20% drama with unusually raised stakes in the tense moments, but in all fairness, that’s the approximate ratio of most of your standard Friends or That 70s Show memorable episodes. From the second it opens, with a darling little I Love Lucy-esque moment that the characters correctly identify, diagnose and mock as being hopelessly kitsch. Except they’re both guys, so instead of your Ricky Ricardo character coming in and smooching your Mary Tyler Moore, character, he’s going after the Fred Mertz, or the Dick Van Dyke. (Claim your punchline… now.)

Continuing on, there are more broad set-em-up-knock-em-down jokes than I can count, at least three instances of someone barging into a room without knocking with hi-larious consequences, bad puns and extended metaphors out the wazoo and one clever moment involving a surprise costume change that only works if I am a complete dunderhead and cannot see what’s happening two feet behind me. There are moments of joke, pause and beat that you can just hear a cheesy canned laugh track going insane at. (Though live audiences will also respond, I’m guessing.) Most of the action is centralized in one location (Ben and Logan’s living room) with only a handful of scenes showing the outside world, and the time-frame is alternately simplistic or spelled out clearly for the audience to see. There are sitcom-y touches sprinkled throughout the play, subtly inviting the audience to a simpler, broader time.

And what I like about the script is that, yes, it’s that, it’s not just that; it doesn’t rely only on any of the obvious stereotypes for the humour, and it doesn’t take itself so seriously that we can’t laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Ben and Logan and Daren demand to be taken as real people coping with a realistic situation, no matter how witty and acerbic the dialogue gets, no matter how mildly contrived the resolutions are, no matter the plot twist that get thrown their way.

There isn’t anything wrong with that; one thing I’m amused at in rehearsals is how well the broad sitcom timing works with both comedic and dramatic moments. You can be serious and thoughtful while playing to four cameras; you can make the cheap jokes and the clever jokes all at once, and no one will think any less of it. The play continually straddles that line, and I love it for it.

So in conclusion, Addition is your big ol’ wacky gay sitcom, and I think it’s important to view it occasionally in those terms. Specifically, it has become my ongoing quest to convince Justen that there’s no way the play can move forward if we don’t have 1) a door (for slamming and entrances and huffy exits) and 2) a couch (for lounging and leaping and sitting and living on.) Come on! What kind of sitcom doesn’t have at least one couch somewhere? They’re great! Right? Guys? Anyone?

Hmph. I’ll be in my condom.

David Johnston
Actor (Logan)

Photo Shoot Outtakes

2009-07-01T17:39:00.014-06:00

During our photo shoot on June 20, we ended up with a few pictures that maybe won't be making it into our press kits. We figured while we work on touching up the press kit photos and preparing them for print that we would share some of the outtakes with all of you! Enjoy!

L–R: Robert Medeiros (Ben), Richard Lee (Daren), David Johnston (Logan)

Standing: Robert Medeiros (Ben)
Sitting L–R: David Johnston (Logan), Richard Lee (Daren)

Standing: Richard Lee (Daren)
Sitting L–R: Robert Medeiros (Ben), David Johnston (Logan)

Standing: Robert Medeiros (Ben)
Sitting L–R: David Johnston (Logan), Richard Lee (Daren)

For all photos:
Photographer: Justen Bennett
Photo Editing: Tess Chappell
Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

New Sponsor

2009-06-25T07:38:00.003-06:00

I just want to welcome our newest sponsor, GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine! We're very excited to be working with them and ask that you take a moment to check out their website.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Performance Times and Venue

2009-06-23T22:30:00.011-06:00

Here's an announcement many of you have been waiting for: we now have our official performance times and venue for the Fringe! Without further ado, here's the information:

Venue
Venue 5 - Fringe Cabaret
10330 84 Ave.
(North end of the TransAlta Arts Barns)

Performances

Thursday, August 13	8:00pm
Saturday, August 15	2:15pm
Sunday, August 16	10:00pm
Tuesday, August 18	4:00pm
Thursday, August 20	6:15pm
Saturday, August 22	Noon

Tickets may be purchased starting July 28, 2009 through the Fringe Box Office at the TransAlta Arts Barns, by calling the ticket hotline at 780.409.1910, or on the Fringe Festival website!

Since one of our performances is on opening night, it's a great chance to start the Fringe off with a bang by catching Addition: An Unconventional Love Story!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

A Busy Day Before the Break

2009-06-20T17:55:00.004-06:00

Today was a busy day for the show. In the morning we had our media photo shoot. This involved a lot of dressing and undressing in a space with floor-to-ceiling windows and one security guard who popped in to investigate why 3 men were dressing and undressing in a space with floor-to-ceiling windows. Once Tess gets back from her trip and has some time to edit the photos we took, we'll post a couple here for all of you.

This afternoon Addition had its reading at Nextfest. Thanks to Steve Pirot, all the organizers, the cast, and everyone who came out to the readings, especially those of you who gave feedback on the show. The cast did a fantastic job and we received a lot of great feedback.

I'll be working hard in the next few days to incorporate what I can before our main rehearsals start on the 30th. We have a 65-minute slot at the Fringe and right now we're running at 60 minutes. I don't think I'll be able to incorporate all the feedback I'd like, simply because of time constraints, but there are some great ideas I'd like to do what I can with.

Also, I want to give a shout out to everyone involved with Edmund and Cadaver, the other two plays that read today. Great job to you all and break legs at the Fringe!

Right now the cast are on a bit of a break until the main rehearsals begin. Tess, Amanda, and I will be working on script changes, unit breakdowns, rehearsal scheduling, media kits, photo editing, poster design, ads, and all that other fun stuff in the next little while. Not much of a break for us, but it'll be a great time working on all those things.

Welcome again to anyone new who may be following us here, through our Facebook group, or both! Continue to stay tuned for more updates and behind-the-scenes looks at Addition!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Pride Parade

2009-06-14T16:35:00.003-06:00

IMG_3599
Originally uploaded by Addition2009

Welcome to everyone who has made their way to our blog from the Pride Festival. Don't forget to check out Addition's Facebook group for updates and discussion.

Yesterday, we handed out mini-cards to nearly 500 people at the Pride Festival. I've posted a sample so you all can get a chance to see one of the things we've been working on.

In other news, rehearsals are going well and we're all looking forward to the read at Nextfest on Saturday at 1:00p at Conrad's Sugar Bowl. Hope to see some of you there!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Cast Changes

2009-06-04T21:28:00.005-06:00

Firstly, congratulations to cast member Mark Vetsch who has been offered an incredible opportunity this summer to be part of the National Artists Program. Unfortunately this means he's unable to perform in Addition.

Secondly, what a great opportunity to introduce our newest cast member, David Johnston! David will be taking over the role of Logan and we are all very excited for him to join us. Our first rehearsal with the new cast went well, even though I accidentally went overtime, due to being confused about scheduling. I can honestly say I've never done that, but it will certainly not happen again. Thankfully, everyone involved seems to have forgiven me, so we're good.

So, yes, we are very excited to be working with David and incredibly proud of Mark for having this opportunity. The Nextfest read is in just a little over 2 weeks and we're moving on ahead!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

First Rehearsal

2009-05-31T18:12:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the first read-through. It was held in my apartment, generally not the best rehearsal space, but that was the only time we should have to use it.

I have to say our first rehearsal went quite well. Everyone is starting off with a great level of talent and wonderful attitudes and I only look forward to the rest of the process. For the next couple weeks, we're concentrating on rehearsals for the public reading at Nextfest. Then, after a brief hiatus, we'll gear into full-fledged rehearsals for the big performances at the Fringe Festival.

Looking forward to being able to give you guys more background info as our rehearsals go and some other points of view on the process.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Nextfest Reading

2009-05-26T22:25:00.003-06:00

We just got word of the official details for the first reading of Addition to be held at Nextfest.

So, if you want a sneak-peek at the show, come on out!

Saturday, June 20 @ 1:00pm
Conrad's Sugar Bowl
10724-124 St.

Admission is free and we'll be looking for audience feedback after the reading. Plus, you can stay for readings of two more great plays!

Hope to see you there!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Selection

2009-05-24T23:06:00.003-06:00

Addition is actually the second play I've written. The first, Selection, will have its world premiere this Wednesday, May 27 at the Walterdale Playhouse.

Selection is a story about desire, religion, and how far people will go for what they think they want.

Show times are:
Wednesday, May 27 - 8:00p
Friday, May 29 - 8:00p
Sunday, May 31 - 2:00p
Wednesday, June 3 - 8:00p
Friday, June 5 - 8:00p

For more information, check out the Footlight Festival page on the Walterdale Playhouse website. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through Tix on the Square.

If you're interested in seeing some more of my writing before the premiere of Addition, I hope you're able to check out Selection.

On another topic, we should have information on when Addition will have its reading at Nextfest 2009 soon. I'll be sure to post that here and on the Facebook group.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Alternative Relationships

2009-05-20T22:07:00.003-06:00

One of the themes of Addition is alternative relationships. Back when I was writing the first draft I had a few friends who were asking about current projects. When I spoke about Addition, I was surprised to learn that a few of my friends I've known for years have been involved in alternative relationships and I never even knew.

What I found most interesting about this was not that my friends had been in such relationships, but that it wasn't something they really discussed until someone else brought the topic up. We certainly live in a world focused on couples, so I can understand their reluctance. I'm curious how many people have experienced this, or, if you haven't, do you think you'd be open to it, should the situation arise?

Personally, I haven't experienced an alternative relationship. As to the question of if I would be involved in one, I'm not sure. I'm not the type of person to say 'never,' but I think there would have to be a very specific set of circumstances for that to work with me. Given my personal history, I get self-conscious enough in a standard relationship and I don't know I could handle the worrying and questioning I'd go through in a polyamourous situation. It's certainly an area of human interaction that interests me, though.

So, how about it? What do you all say? If you've been involved in an alternative relationship, what's been your experience? If you haven't, do you think you would?

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Behind the Scenes: Revisions, Set, and Paperwork

2009-05-16T18:54:00.004-06:00

We haven't begun rehearsals yet, but things are still progressing with the show. This week I spent some time on significant revisions to the play. Being a new playwright, this is something that I find difficult to work on. You write the piece the first time thinking you've done what you can to tell the story. The problem is, you know it could be better, so you've got to go back and dig into this thing you thought was complete the first time 'round. You're burrowing into scenes and lines, seeing what more can be added to flesh things out and taking a knife to the bits you thought were needed but are really the vestigial tails of the thing. It requires a bit of a mind shift to accept that what you thought was done really isn't and even if you've already acknowledged it, figuring out what the piece needs to move ahead can be quite difficult, as you have to learn to look at it from more than just the angles you took when it was first written. In light of that, though, a full second draft has been reached and (with possibly a few tiny edits) this is what will be presented at the Nextfest reading.

All the work hasn't just been to the script, though. The Fringe Festival has a deadline this weekend to get in program and technical information, including show length, so I'll have to make sure the final product is as long as I've told them. Wednesday night, Amanda and I hammered out the last of all those details.

Also, I can officially say we have some set. It is in a box on my floor, but we do have the start of a set. Going around to garage sales, Value Villages, and the like, we have now purchased the core of the set pieces for the show.

Despite not having begun rehearsals yet, work is continuing on the show and things are looking good.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Casting

2009-05-07T22:05:00.002-06:00

I am pleased to announce that Addition: An Unconventional Love Story has officially been cast. The list is as follows:

Ben: Robert Medeiros
Logan: Mark Vetsch
Daren: Richard Lee

I am very excited to work with this incredible cast over the next few months. Keep watching the blog and Facebook group for more information and behind-the-scenes peeks into the process!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

Auditions

2009-05-04T22:00:00.002-06:00

We completed the auditions for the show tonight. I have to say that there is definitely a difficult decision ahead of me. Thankfully, it's difficult for all the right reasons. We had an excellent turn-out and the decision is going to be based mostly around who would partner well onstage in these roles, availability, and other similar concerns. There was a great amount of talent that came out so for each role I had a few people who would do excellently in that role; it's now just a matter of getting the right combination. Though it's not an easy decision, that's a great situation for a director to be in.

I plan to have casting completed by Friday and hopefully around then we'll be able to release the official announcement on the cast for the premiere production of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story.

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

The Crew (As It Stands)

2009-05-03T00:58:00.004-06:00

As I write this blog entry, we are preparing for auditions tomorrow (technically today, but for me, 'tomorrow' doesn't start until I wake up). While we've already had one early auditioner, all of the rest will be coming in tomorrow afternoon and Monday evening. The majority of the spots have been filled, but there are still a couple left for any last-minute people who want to sign up. If all goes well, the show will be cast by the end of next week, so watch out on the Facebook group and this blog for an official announcement.

As we approach the start of the process to bring more people officially in to the show, it's a great time to introduce those who are already involved.

Amanda McLeod — Stage Manager
Not only have I known Amanda on a personal level for many years, but I have worked with her often as an actor and she was the stage manager for the last show I directed, Mockingbird Close by Trevor Schmidt. Amanda is just getting started as a stage manager, but she has a great love for the theatre and not only is she organized, but she has a wonderful personality for working with actors.

Tess Chappell — Graphic Designer
Tess designed the poster for another show I've directed, Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight by Peter Ackerman. She'll be designing practically every bit of marketing for the show, including the poster, handbills, and programs. Tess has been extremely accomodating with all my requests for tweaks, changes, and different image formats and sizes thus far, and I'm looking forward to continuing to work with her on Addition.

Justen Bennett — Director/Playwright
Technically my title should also include producer and designer, but those roles feel to me more like the things I need to do in order to focus on the role I'm most excited about: director. As for my story, I graduated from the University of Alberta with a BA in Drama and am gearing toward applying for my Masters in Directing somewhere, sometime soon. I've directed a number of projects thus far, but this is the first time I'll be directing other people in my own work and that's defintiely one of the challenges that gets me excited about Addition.

So, that's it for now. We'll be a rather small production crew and I'm excited to work with everyone on this show (including those who have yet to sign on). Until next time!

Justen Bennett
Director/Playwright

First Post!

2009-04-21T23:52:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the blog for the premiere production of Addition: An Unconventional Love Story by Justen Bennett, produced by How Far? Productions.

The idea for this blog is that as the process moves ahead, we (that is, ideally the director, stage manager, designer, cast, etc.) will blog about the process. That's the idea. It may end up just being me, but I'm hoping some of the other people involved and to-be-involved will be interested in sharing their thoughts as well.

So, why Addition? Why this play? Well, last year I was writing another play that deals with sexuality (Selection, which is set to premiere at the Walterdale Playhouse this May) and a question struck me. I was thinking about polyamorous relationships, how they worked, and I started wondering how something like that begins.

We grow up in a culture that bombards us with images of couplings from the moment we're born; everything seems to be a pair. Images in books and media, even down to things like salt and pepper shakers; we are surrounded by things that come in twos. So, how is it, with all those influences, that something like a polyamourous relationship could come to exist? That's the question I began with when I started writing Addition.

I knew, too, that I wanted to explore this issue in a different way than the topics I was exploring with Selection. So, given that Selection has a large cast and a serious tone, I wanted to look at this new question in a different way, thus the small cast and the overall comedic tone and banter-style dialogue of Addition. After writing the first few scenes, I applied for a spot in the Fringe Festival. Once I learnt I'd secured a spot, I knew that was the place to premiere this work.

Interestingly enough, alternative arrangements have been popping up more and more often in popular culture. For example, check out this article at AfterElton that talks about this Sunday's episode of Brothers & Sisters on ABC. The mother of the Walker clan was surprised by a visit from a character who was previously in an open marriage, and the gay couple on the show, Scotty and Kevin, are presented with the possibility of having a threesome with Chad, Kevin's ex-boyfriend.

I'm curious to know if anyone out there has seen any other references or portrayals of alternative relationships in the media lately? If you have, comment on this post or head on over to the discussion board on Addition's Facebook group and let us know what you've seen or what you feel about the current media's examples of alternative relationships (or lack thereof).

That's all for the first post. Bookmark the blog, add us to your RSS feed, or keep checking the Addition Facebook group for updates on new posts. We hope to add new content about the show (not just blog entries, either) through here and the Facebook group as the process continues.

Justen Bennett

Director/Playwright