Oh, what a lovely show!

My big news of 2009 was that I got engaged.

Wheee!!!

Ahem. As I was saying, the big news of last year was my engagement. However, before Phil proposed I was already over the moon about something else that has now been pushed to second place in the highlight reel of my life for 2009. But second place or not, it was very exciting when I found out - and continues to be now.

Last fall I was asked to perform with Soulpepper Theatre Company in its 2010 season. For audiences, Soulpepper is where you can see the best classical theatre in Toronto (and arguably all of Canada), and for artists it's a dream contract. To work with such a prestigious company is an honour.

We started rehearsals for the show this week. It's called Oh, What a Lovely War!, and is a musical satire of the first World War. With Albert Schultz directing and Marek Norman as our music director, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. Right now we're doing table work, and learning all the beautiful war-time songs in the score (Keep the Home Fires Burning, Roses of Picardy etc.). The show runs from March 11th till April 10th and you can buy tickets here. It's going to be a good one, folks.

In other news, you may have been bombarded by my latest commercial already, but if not here's a link to my CRA spot. File online and on time, people!

Step we gaily, on we go...

Picture it: Christmas day, close to midnight. A tree with coloured lights, me in my glasses and pj's, and a dashing young fellow with a diamond ring. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my proposal story.

Phil and I met 12 years ago when I was a student of the University of Toronto Theatre and Drama Studies program, and he was one of its alumni. As far as I can remember, our paths didn't cross again until I was a Facebook newbie in early 2007 and noticed I'd been poked (remember when people used to do that?) by Philip Sullivan. This started a long thread of friendly emails, a few ultimate frisbee games, and that was pretty much that.

...until last January when we ran into each other at a show. And went on some dates. And later went to New York city together. And spent time with my family at the cottage. And hung out with his mom and sisters in Toronto and Montreal. And he let me sub on his softball team. And he came to see my gigs. And we watched sports highlights together and I actually liked them. And we ate a lot of ice cream. And he held my hand while I stumbled on ice skates. And we fell in love.

And now the real adventure begins...

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street.

Everyone has their favourite Christmas movie and mine is the 1978 Sesame Street Christmas special, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Finding this clip made me very happy this morning:

My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding

I was introduced to David Hein just over a year ago at a singer/songwriter night hosted by my friend Grant Tilly. One of David's most memorable songs in his funny and entertaining set was My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding which is BASED ON TRUE EVENTS. Amazing. Last summer I saw that he had turned the song into a show for Fringe Festival, and low and behold Mirvish picked it up this fall. Don't you love a happy ending?

I saw it last Thursday and was fully charmed. David himself narrates the play, which is essentially the ol' girl gets divorced - moves to Toronto - becomes a lesbian - rediscovers Judaism - marries a witch story. The usual. It was light and funny and charming and smart, and also had several lovely sentimental moments that made me tear up a bit. Shut up.

Go see this musical. It will make you smile.

An actor's day on a commercial shoot.

7:30am

I don't have to leave the apartment till 9am, but I need the hour and a half to wake myself up and eat something and go over my line. Yes, my one line. I do some dive bombs, mouth stretches and tongue twisters in the shower and silently chide myself for warming up as though I'm about to recite three hours of verse in iambic pentameter in front of an audience of thousands.

9:00am

I leave the house without any makeup on, knowing that if anyone asks me where I am going they'll be appalled to learn I'm about to be on camera.

10:00am

I get off the bus in Pickering and go to hail for a cab, only to realize there are no cabs to be seen and, of course, why would there be? Everyone in Pickering has a car. I find the number of a cab company and all is well, but even so I'm secretly wishing I'd had the gumption to request a pick-up and drop-off, since we weren't shooting in Toronto.

10:40am

I arrive on set and I'm early. Great! But then the thing happens that always happens on a commercial set. I'm not sure where to go. There are dozens of men (and, like, two women) walking around taking care of technical things (lights, sound, equipment) and they're really not interested in me until I'm actually on camera.

My first order of business, I know, is to get to the hair and wardrobe area where (usually) two women will clothe me and make me up...but they're always a little disappointed to see me because they're probably working on someone else and there is NEVER enough room in the wardrobe and makeup trailer for the wardrobe and makeup, let alone my whole body and my purse and clothes, and my puffy winter coat and my personality.

I successfully locate the trailer. The unique and exciting thing about this particular wardrobe and makeup trailer is that it also houses the bathrooms which we have to use, as the one inside the house at the shoot location is off-limits. The benefit is that you're working, but you also kind of feel like you're on vacation while using the airplane-esque cramped toilets. The bummer is that all the air from the bathrooms is wafting into the hair and makeup section at all times. I notice that the makeup area actually smells worse than the inside of the bathrooms themselves.

So I'm on set at 10:40am and I find the wardrobe woman and she's not ready for me so I go to the craft truck and make myself useful by eating two miniature cinnamon buns. The craft truck is crowded so I go back and sit myself down on the big makeup chair, determined to be ready when I'm needed.

11:05am

I meet the lovely woman they've flown in from Montreal to play my character in the French version of the commercial. She is blonde and skinny, just like the other two French-speaking counterparts I've had this year. I'm sure there's something to this, but I don't know what.

11:10am

Makeup Woman (MW) sits the woman from Montreal down in the makeup chair because she's decided to do her makeup first, and I notice on the call sheet that, while I was called for 11am, they're not intending to have me on set till 2:30pm, after the one-hour lunch break. I settle in for a good hour of magazine-reading (I brought two).

11:12am

A PA enters the wardrobe truck anxiously, asking, "Is Alison ready to go? We need her on set IMMEDIATELY!" to which MW replies, "No! What are you talking about?"

Turns out they're running ahead of schedule (and how!) so I'm quickly ushered into the makeup chair (I'll read those magazines later) and MW, taking the time to scold me for not plucking my eyebrows ("There's no time to do that now!"), starts furiously applying some base. She also tells me I have very thick bangs, which I know but to which I am not sure how to respond. "Thank you?" "Sorry?" I don't know. It reminds me of things I've heard from makeup people in the past: "Your skin is so weird" and, my personal favourite, "You need to wear more eyeliner or people will wonder what's wrong with you."

While MW styles my hair and paints my face, I try to behave and tilt my head when I'm asked, and sit up straight and look down when I'm supposed to look down and look up when I'm supposed to look up and don't freak out when she puts the eyelash curler on my lashes even though I'm afraid she's going to PINCH MY EYEBALLS and once the Wardrobe Woman (WW) asks me if the cardigan she's holding is the one we'd settled on at the wardrobe call and I turn to say yes and am reprimanded by MW who is in a hurry and doesn't have time for my head to be swiveling willy-nilly.

Finally the PA can't take it anymore because the guys on set have been ready for me for 10 minutes and you CAN'T KEEP THEM WAITING so I am whisked to set which is a small room with a desk and chair and computer.

11:46am

Sent back to the makeup chair for more bronzing.

11:49am

Return to set for more lighting.

11:52am

Sent back to makeup.

11:53am

Am told I need to get back on set right away.

11:59am

Sent back to makeup.

12:09pm

Back on set. Realize I don't have my mic on yet.

12:12pm

Friendly guy I recognize from Whiskas shoot puts on my mic.

12:16pm

Back to set. We're ready to shoot.

12:24pm

After several takes, the people from the ad agency decide we need to relocate the tiny bear-shaped paperweight that is being used as set dressing on the desk I'm sitting at. Eight people discuss the proper placement for the bear, and it is decided that it must be moved three inches camera left.

12:35pm

I do several takes in a row, trying to remember all my direction: don't lean in to camera too much, make sure to stop typing before speaking, look into camera before speaking, don't pause too much here, but try to pause a little bit more here, keep that vibrant energy!

1:00pm

I am wrapped for the day after a very quick and painless shoot. The only problem we encountered was my silly wardrobe that kept acting like normal clothing and moving around when I turned towards camera, necessitating a visit from the WW in between every take to add just a little bit more double-sided tape.

1:30pm

Lunch time! Yeah, I know I'm wrapped but I'm not one to turn down a free lunch. The lunch table is covered with warm, delicious catered food and a substantial dessert section, including cheesecake and huge chocolate chip cookies. Important lesson for an actor: do not treat every shoot day like Christmas. There will be more huge slabs of chocolate cake on other lunch tables at future shoots; you don't have to eat everything right now.

2:15pm

Call Pickering cab company to take me to Go Station.

2:40pm

Call Pickering cab company again to see if they've forgotten about me.

3:05pm

Am getting drizzled on and really wish the cab would arrive.

3:10pm

Call Pickering cab company again as producer of commercial walks by, wondering why I'm still there. He takes pity on me and offers me a ride downtown Toronto. I happily accept.

3:12pm

Call Pickering cab company and ask them to cancel my cab. Sense that the dispatcher is pleased he won't be hearing from me anymore.

4:00pm

I'm home and am happy after a fun day of work.