What a week.
It was a great run at The Arts Project. Solid audiences. Laughter. Tears. Applause. People really embraced the show. Many people told me how moved they were, how they laughed, how they cried. It was wonderful to hear.
While working on the script, Peter (my director) encouraged me to reveal pathos with the humour. I wasn't so sure whether I was prepared to go to darker places on stage. I also didn't think I had the dramatic chops. Honestly, I always viewed myself as a writer/performer, never an actress. I was at Rogers TV for an interview last week, and when I saw this decription of me on their run sheet ("Robyn Israel, actress"), I did a double-take.
But by week's end, as my confidence grew, I started to realize that I was capable of handling dramatic material. For the last show, I didn't hold back. I really allowed myself to feel my pain, and took my audience to a very raw, real place.
Peter reminded me that if you can do comedy, you can do drama. I thought of one of my favorite comediennes, Andrea Martin, who can make me laugh just by her facial expressions. I have also seen her do drama, and she is wonderful. Talk about a role model.
So now when I try to sell the show to other markets, I have one more adjective to use: poignant.