Natasha - The Artist

I finished writing my first script for a feature film and I realized that I absolutely love writing (I kind of knew that before, but now I’m sure). When my head doesn’t get in the way and I write from the heart, I can write for hours. I just finished my script and I am already thinking about the next one I will be writing. I am also thinking of how to direct the film I just finished writing. So, I think I will simply jot down my new ideas and concentrate on directing first.

I know my film will be produced AND distributed AND be very successful. I feel it in my gut. I have never directed before, but for some reason, I just know I am directing this feature film. I see it clearly in my mind and my heart. I just have to convince a producer that I can do it, and do it well for that matter. I will do that by developing the storyboard!  

Gotta go… I’ve got a storyboard to do!

Revenge of the Hunted, a film by Aaron Floresco of Past Perfect Productions, was chosen by the “Run for your Shorts” film festival in Canada’s National Capital Region to be screened tonight, the last night of the festival.

I play the lead - Karin, a twenty-something woman who tries to move on with her life after getting out of an abusive relationship. Her ex, Ryan, doesn’t want things to end and moves along with her every step of the way. Trying to ignore Ryan while on a date, Karin decides that she must confront her stalker.

I saw the film for the first time as it was screened on Monday of this week, at the ACTRA - Ottawa gala, where someone pointed out that the film reminded them of the style of David Lynch — true! It was difficult for me to judge the film, as I wasn’t really watching the film or listening to the dialogue, but mostly listening to the audience’s reactions. People laughed, gasped, became quiet and started breathing again. This film contains everything.

If you would like to attend the screening, the details can be found on the festival’s Web site: http://www.cineo.ca/.

The show eMOTIONal ended last Sunday. Like after every other show I’ve done, I’ve been kind of depressed this week. Wondering what the next thing is going to be. The work I did on this show was intense, not just acting wise, but I did all the graphic design for it too. It was fun, but I’m on a down this week with much less work to do.

I did practically nothing the past few days, trying to think of a project I could undertake. I thought of it yesterday morning: I am publishing a book. Within the next few weeks, I’ll have my book finished and ready for publishing. Some of you might say: “you can’t just finish a book in a few weeks!”. But you don’t know my idea! Ha!

Oh, and I want to paint a lot more too… I sold three paintings during the show last week. Yeah!

On a completely different note, I had my scene study class on Monday night, in which I discovered that I have a bitc# hidden inside me that I love but I am scared to show. She came out in class, now I can use her in my work. My teacher also made me realize that being a Francophone (from Quebec more specifically), I have an outgoing, loud and unapologetic personality that is missing when I am working in English. I try to become a true Canadian Anglophone — quiet, conservative and subtle. That not being my true personality, it makes my acting untruthful. So, I really have to think in French and speak in English — which I have ironically been told before, but have ignored it from fear of being “too loud”. But that’s what makes me “me”. I can no longer ignore that.

So, on to the next thing… finalizing my book while I keep going to auditions, promoting myself as an actor, painting, doing design work… Much better than working 8 to 4 for the government!

Breathing Time Productions

presents

eMOTIONal

…an electrifying soirée of art, music and one-act plays…

Plays:

WOMEN IN MOTION by Donald Margulies
(Starring: Natasha Jetté & Claudia Jurt)

SPECTER by Don Nigro
(Starring: Miles Finlayson & Tommie-Amber Pirie)

BENCH SEAT by Neil LaBute
(Starring: Alan Jeans & Meghanne Kessels)

Director: Claudia Jurt

Tickets: $12.00 (adults), $10.00 (students/seniors)

Location: Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave
(Library, Elevator ‘A’, 2nd Floor)

Opening Night: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 @ 8pm
Show 2: Thursday, November 15, 2007 @ 8pm (Pass-the-Hat)
Show 3: Friday, November 16, 2007 @ 8pm
Closing Night: Saturday, November 17, 2007 @ 8pm
Matinee: Sunday, November 18, 2007 @ 2pm

Tickets can be purchased at:

Arts Court (2 Daly Ave.) front desk 613.564.7240
OZ Kafe (361 Elgin Street) 613.234.0907
At the door

Note: All art on display at the show will be available for purchase!  SOME OF MY PAINTINGS WILL BE FOR SALE!

Info: 613.565.2107

http://www.BreathingTimeProductions.com

Breathing Time Productions‘ presentation of Fat Pig by Neil LaBute just closed this past Saturday August 11 in Ottawa. I was Production Coordinator for the show. I had an amazing time. I worked with a fantastic cast and crew. I had been dreaming for years and years about making this kind of art and here I was doing it. It almost felt surreal to me. And how amazing to work on this particular play.

The first time I read Fat Pig I thought I was bored half way through. Urrgh, not another thing about society’s judgment of what’s different. After attending the first week of rehearsals, I found out I was not bored at all; I had been shutting myself down to not be affected by my strong feelings for the subject matter. You see, what was affecting me the most was that the actress playing the overweight lead character, Helen, is a good friend of mine. I had been listening to her for months make comments about how she felt judged by people because of her weight, how she felt like hiding, how when she would pick-up McDonald’s at 1:00am to keep her weight up for the play she would stop eating at a stop light so the person in the next car would not notice… Not being overweight myself, having never experienced being overweight, I always thought she was just being dramatic and her lack of confidence made her see things in a negative way.

I was resisting writing about this. I am grieving. Deeply. I have been since the first week of the show and have been ignoring it until now. Seeing people’s reactions to the play, reading this particular review (http://www.cityjournal.ca/article-128371-REVIEWFat-Pig-cuts-close-to-the-bone.html – unfortunately, the article is no longer on the cityjournal Web site), seeing how difficult these roles are for the actors, has affected me. It has opened my eyes to this cruel world. This world is CRUEL, hurtful, mean, … Why is this world cruel? Because this world is SCARED. Scared of dying, scared of abandonment, scared of famine, scared of poverty, scared of being alone, scared of not being loved, scared of failure, …  We listen to people who feel the need to control. Why do some people need to control? Because they are scared… of all the same things. It’s a vicious cycle.

I am grieving. Grieving the fact that I have ‘ignored’ this cruelty since my birth. Ignored my friend thinking she was being dramatic, when in reality people are afraid of her, of what she ’as fat’ represents. I am sorry C.

Why hasn’t this hit me before? I already knew about fear and it’s consequences. So why this? Now? Because this realization has reinforced my purpose.  Working on Fat Pig has helped open a handful of audience members’ eyes about fear and cruelty. It means that I can keep working on projects like this, projects that can contribute to changing the world. It means that if I write from the heart, like LaBute, about these kinds of subjects, I can change the world.

Ottawa, July 21 2007 : Cow. Slob. Pig. How many insults can you hear before you have to stand up and defend the woman you love? From August 1-11 at the Studio Léonard Beaulne, Ottawa’s Breathing Time Productions will approach that very quandary with Neil LaBute’s critically acclaimed Fat Pig, which takes an unflinching stab at our public perception of beauty and makes one wonder if love needs society’s blessing to be complete.

Director Michèle Lonsdale Smith (Artistic Director of the Lyric Stage Project in Vancouver and director of A Winter Tale – winner of Outstanding Canadian Feature at the 2007 ReelWorld Film Festival) takes the lead with an all-star cast of talented locals, consisting of Corry Burke, Jared Côté, Claudia Jurt, and Dani Kind. In contrast with the new cinematic hit, Hairspray, Lonsdale Smith believes that LaBute’s play shows the unfortunate realities of not fitting the status quo. “I am fascinated by our universal and debilitating fear of being alone, of being ousted from the tribe and, because of this, how easily we oust the ‘different’ regularly and without conscience, so as not to experience that terrible fate,” says Lonsdale Smith.

In Fat Pig, Tom (Côté) surprises even himself when he falls for Helen (Jurt), a bright, funny, sexy young woman who happens to be plus-sized - and then some. Forced to explain his new relationship to his shallow (although shockingly funny) friends, he finally comes to terms with his own preconceptions of the importance for conventional good looks. Neil LaBute’s sharply drawn play not only critiques our slavish adherence to Hollywood ideals of beauty but also boldly questions our own ability to change what we dislike about ourselves.

Founded by local actor and entrepreneur Jurt, owner of A.C.T. and Ottawa casting, the company is dedicated to rejuvenating today’s audiences by presenting challenging and thought-provoking works by both new and established artists. And it took quite some dedication for Jurt to play the eponymous character in this particular show.

“When I first decided to do this play, I was already statistically ‘overweight’ and have since gained close to 50 lbs. to really ‘fit the ‘role’!” explains Jurt. Breathing Time Productions presents Fat Pig from August 1-4 and again from August 7-11 at the University of Ottawa’s Studio Léonard Beaulne, 135 Séraphin Marion. All shows begin at 8pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. There will be a special Pass-the-hat night on August 2 and all tickets on August 7 are 2 for 1. Tickets go on sale at noon Friday, July 20, 2007 at Beaded Dreams (426 Bank St.) and Oz Kafe (6-361 Elgin St.)

For more information, please call 613-565-2107 or visit http://www.breathingtimeproductions.com/