NO PIZZA NO CHIPS NO BEER

05/26/2019 - 06/02/2019

I had decided to do a one person show a while ago.  People had been telling me I should do it for years, and after seeing two members (Jill and Franco) of my improv troupe (Pepperoni Pizza Cats) perform theirs in the Fringe festival, I was truly inspired.  I played with these folks often and it gave me the courage to think: if they could do it, maybe I could to!  They both gave such amazingly brave performances and their material was so personal and touching, it begged the question; what will my show be about?  Then my little brother died and all bets were off.  I was lost deep in grief and mourning for a long time and chose to not work on anything save for my day job to pay the bills, family and improv for self-care and therapy.  After many months of 'soul searching' and reflecting on my entire life, I realized that I have an unbelievable amount of stories involving significant amounts of blood.  A 'blood-line', if you will, that ran through my story like a river. 

Blood = family = life = death. 

In a while, I began to think about doing my show again.  This time around I knew I had to tell the story of my dearly departed brother Harold and all of the blood we had seen.  I spoke with my mom and my sister to tell them my intentions of sharing Harold's story and got their blessings.  I then spoke with a friend who I very much wanted to help direct the piece, they were 100% into it and then 100% flaked out.  This, coupled with the fact that I couldn't land a Fringe lottery spot, seemed to simmer the idea again.  It wasn't until I shared the idea with my dear friend Dana Puddicombe, that I realized I didn't need anything but the desire to share my story to start planning a show.  I'm a performer, she's a performer/director, we both produce shows all of the time, she loved the idea and was willing to direct, what more did we need?  Dana has a theatre and stage acting background and an amazing eye for narrative.  We sat down and got to work on mapping out the structure of this show, Dana knows all kinds of writing/performing devices and gave me some homework assignments to complete before our next meeting. 

I became more involved with The Bad Dog Theatre Company after being invited to join the cast of their Featured Players Ensemble and knew straight away that was the space to perform this piece.  Bad Dog is a very special and inclusive theatre run by and populated with kind and caring people.  I reached out and inquired about dates to a warm reception and am currently waiting for a confirmation on some timeslots in mid November.

We're really going to do this! 

Shit, we're really going to do this.

It's time to get to work.

After years of neglect and lack of discipline I find myself very out of shape and the heaviest I've ever been (220lbs!).  If I'm going to pull this off, I'm going to have to get in shape and put some power back into my body.  I decided, after procrastinating for so long, to use this piece as the opportunity to switch gears and truly start living again.  I want to own my story.  I took the girls (my wife Kendra and I have two beautiful daughters together: Adeline, 5 & Violet, 1) out for 1 more fish and chips dinner followed by ice cream (of course), drank a bottle of wine, and started writing! 

I decided to start this blog as a companion piece for the show to keep tack of my progress and help organize my thoughts.  I know this show will be a milestone in my life and I want to do anything and everything I possibly can to make it special for Harry.  He meant the world to me, and I know he'd appreciate this artwork hung on his legacy in hommage.

He deserves it.


On Monday I was hungover and late for work...
(my hands are sore from the repetitive motion of driving and I've been experiencing muscle spasms)
On Tuesday I started this blog and set up social media accounts for 'blood' on all platforms, then I rehearsed with Pepperoni Pizza Cats and rested...
(pain in hands/physio appointment booked for Friday)

On Wednesday I went back to the gym...
(I felt the burn!)
and then I volunteered at Bad Dog's Combustion Festival...
(hands feel better after the gym)
On Thursday I got paid and bought a pemeal bacon sandwich at St. Lawrence Market...
(diet starts on Monday)
On Friday I wrote...
(physiotherapy session was strange; dipped my hands in hot wax, wrapped them in parchment paper, put them in oven mitts - for circulation + a deep-tissue ultra sound for concentrated healing)
On Saturday I did chores & played in Combustion Festival at Bad Dog Theatre...
On Sunday I went back to work...
and wrote...
(my hands feel good)

NO PIZZA NO CHIPS NO BEER