SElkie Wife Post Mortem Report

The Event and Proposal

Over all The Selkie Wife was a grand success! I knew from 2010 that I wanted to do this play and those gut feelings didnt change even as time moved forward. The Selkie Wife details are as follows: Production Company: Show: Location: Dates and Times: SeeingBlind Productions The Selkie Wife Rosebud Studio Stage, Rosebud, AB November 11- 7pm, 12- 11am, 7pm, 13- 9:30pm

Brief Synopsis This is a two hander, one act play by Vancouver playwright M.J. Eden. It weaves a tale of love and mystery honoring the culture of costal dwellers. It is the story of man and wife, of wife and sea, of sea and God. It is beautifully told, exploring reality and folklore, leaving the audience wondering which is which. This show is appropriate for teens and up, and has strong language.

A couple things were unique about my show. The author came from Vancouver to be a part of talkbacks. We had three talkbacks for a four show run. They were organized by me; therefore I found that they were slightly intimidating. It was difficult to concentrate after doing a show then being part of the panel to speak and also being the mediator between the audience and team. Next time I would have my stage manager or someone else in charge. Though I dont think there was anyone better for the job then me, being as involved as I was. Now I know what sorts of questions or encouragements to ask to help get the questions moving. These talk backs were pretty well attended and the interest was positive, I enjoyed talking about the process and I believe my team did too. It was a good idea to get my audience involved in my show and have the word spread through their interaction with me through talkbacks. I also did a fundraiser selling soda bread to the local community. The bread sold more than I expected it too. I budgeted for 50 loaves and ended up selling about 40. It increased the anticipation of my show and created awareness about it. During the show run I baked a few more loaves and sold them at the door, I sold only two but its so worth it! People really enjoyed them and I feel that this increased the shows reputation.

Many things changed from my original proposal. I tried a couple directors before securing Deanne Berstch. My first choice was Karl Sine and I took much time to figure out the best dates for the show, myself and Karl before deciding that it wouldnt be possible for us. His thoughts were to do it sometime in January. I firmly believe that my choice to keep the show in Oct/ Nov time was best. Because the time was so close at hand I found that most of my personnel were able to make a commitment right away, whereas looking too far ahead doesnt allow for that. I say this because it was a student project so its priority is lower. No payment. Most of my personnel remained the same; Jesse, Jordan, Chrissie, Byron, Jette, Kendra and Rachel were all on my original list. My lightening designer changed to Zoe shortly after confirming Conrad because he left due to other commitments. I also found I needed to add personnel; Renita, Nathan, Rachel and Cam.

Much of the scheduling changed as well. The primary dates such as royalty, company and design confirmation were pushed later because I was busy waiting on responses and sometimes they were simply forgotten. However everything was confirmed by Sept, which was useful when we began rehearsals in Oct. As well, the original performance dates were October 25-27 which was a Thursday Saturday. These were changed to Nov 18 weekend, and again to Nov 11 weekend. These dates were best because they were in between the opening of the theatre show and the school show and they were on days when Rosebud staff and students could come. Another influence to this decision was Jordans hunting trip in the middle of Oct, which cost us a little rehearsal time.

My original budget was a mess! This was because I didnt use a format. My original budget came out to a total expense of $ 875 and revenue of $ 1500. This changed as well, more on that in Finance.

Box Office
I was fortunate enough to have Norma as my box office lady extraordinaire! The best advice I ever received for this project was from Heather Zacharias and Cassia Schramm. Delegate. I did this and found my project ran so smoothly. Norma was fantastic. I used my own number first and created an email specifically for the show. When Norma got on board I created new posters with the correct information, her home number, and allowed her to take on the responsibility. As a result, I had no idea how many people booked until she told me or I received the list. Of course I encountered what I now understand as the Art Family Syndrome. This is when all your beloveds come to you through all mediums; text, speaking on the street, notes, but never through your box office. As a result I found myself manically texting Norma about last minute bookings to double check if people had indeed booked in. My greatest blunder was not booking in the author, who couldnt get in on opening night! But we shifted some students and made room. It was a great problem to have.

Statistics: # Of Tickets 143 at 10$ $1430 # of Comps Average House Size Average Percentage Revenue for Average Theatre Seat Cost for Average Theatre Seat Margin for Average Theatre Seat 20 41 63% $ 10 $ 6.36 $3.64

Royalties
Royalties were pretty informal because I know the author and the play has never been published. We decided at 200$ for the royalties which ended up being paid to Mary via e-mail transaction after the run of the show. There was no written contract only communication between Mary and myself.

Personnel
Cast Muirin Murphy Driscoll Murphy Children Musicians Amy Burks Jordan Cutbill Tavia and Keria Bertsch Nathan Schmidt, Rachel Peacock

Crew Producer Final Project Advisor Director Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager Child Wrangler Set Design Set Build Scenic Painter Costume Design Sound Design Light Design Amy Burks Mark Lewandowski Deanne Berstch Jesse Anderson Renita Hamm Cam Berstch Chrissie Muldoon Byron Lindsey Cheryl Daughtery Jette Brown Rachel Peacock Zoe Burnham

Student Design Mentor Jerod Falhman Marketing Manager Amy Burks Box Office/ Front of House Norma Roth Volunteer Crew Grace Malmberg, Caleb Gordon, Geordie Cowan, Sarah Robertson, Jenny Daigle

I found that my personnel were at the top of my priority list most of the time. As I said earlier I was eager to give out positions and my team was phenomenal at taking on their roles. However this being said, it caused some tension as well. Having Deanne as a director caused mild anxiety because she had high hopes and demanded things that were outside of my vision such as having children perform. I found her ideas challenged mine in a good way, making me really think about my decisions as a producer. The play was very personal to me off the top and I found the closer we got to opening the more precious I became about decisions and that I tended to take everything personally. This was a good challenge for me to face and I believe overcome. I did end up making calls then going back and changing my mind to suit the story rather than myself. I did say no to having children but after thinking about it I knew my gut feeling was to have them, and I believe that was the better choice. The fact that my cast began with two and expanded to six was interesting, I wouldnt change it at all, but it meant I gained people in the cast and had to sort scheduling around them. Nathan was the most difficult. He was up for the role of Driscoll but because he was cast in May and Joe I let that idea go, only to have him as a musician! I found working with student designers particularly challenging. This was because they added a little more work for me, ensuring they had a mentor, both chose Jerod. I also became very aware of my role as mediator, because Deanne would bring a lot of her worries about them to me. I was frustrated by this because I am just a student myself and it was extra pressure to try and deal with professional demands on students with limited experience and conflicting visions. As well I had to deal with personal issues with my designers, namely Zoe. This caused undue stress and frustration, leading me to think that I wouldnt work with her again because she is unpredictable. However she did a beautiful job and she is very capable lighting designer. In the end I know I chose the right people for the show in spite of our roller coaster rides. Jesse was a God send. She took on more than her fair share of the show and was always organized, confident and capable of any task she needed to do. She was excellent in being an emotional hand to hold for whoever needed it. I would have her on any team I work with. In future I would avoid working with more than one student on a project. Casting Jordan Cutbill in the role of Driscoll proved difficult because of my personal history, and that added to my taking everything else personally, but it was a hill I was able to climb and conquer. He was enjoyable to work with, an intelligent, passionate actor. The whole team pushed me in increasing my knowledge of my own jobs in the process and challenging my skills in professionalism, acting and leadership. I was a little disappointed in the lack of volunteers I got from the student body. The enthusiasm was higher during the beginning stages of the show, however my lighting and riser crew ended up being team and staff members. Though it didnt really affect my work, it affected my moral of the students and my desire to work with them.

CONTRACT BETWEEN (Sample Contract)

SeeingBlind PROUCTIONS and Box 654, Rosebud, AB T0J 2T0

JORDAN CUTBILL Address: Postal Code: City: Telephone:

AGREEMENT: Work Area: Theatre Department Head: Amy Burks

SeeingBlind Productions will receive the following service: a) Actor in The Selkie Wife by M.J. Eden b) to attend all rehearsals, as agreed on by actor and production team c) to be available for talk backs as agreed on by actor and production manager

PAYMENT: Payment for the above noted services to be made as follows: A post-show cast and crew party along with Amys love and gratitude given to the best of her ability.

TIMELINE: Services are to be completed by: November 13, 2012 (Closing Night) Payment to be completed by: December 05, 2012 ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS: Be. Dance sometimes AUTHORIZATION: Dept. Head Artist Dated this Day of , :

Marketing

Marketing was a challenge for me; I did not feel confident in what I was doing, because I wasnt even sure what marketing was about. What stuck with me was something Mark explained, Marketing is finding out who might be interested in your product and letting them know about it. I also found that using themes from my show to promote excitement worked extremely well too. My best marketing tool was myself, my excitement about the show and my constant chatter proved to be very effective! I began by listing anyone who I thought would be interested and came up with an extensive list. Most of these were covered in my attempts to contact them all, some were missed, such as; group websites, Red Hatters and local pools. This occurred either because I couldnt locate contact information, or I covered the in a different way, or they became obsolete. For example, my posters went up in many other public places in Drumheller if not the pool. As well, in the end, the Red Hatters were not a priority in contacting and I dont mind that I didnt because the show sold well through my other groups. My tools were; contacting different groups directly, poster/fliers, a Facebook event, PR notices and word of mouth. Posters proved to be tricky because I needed technology and knowledge I did not have to complete the process so they were finished late in two bunches. Some posters had different box office information which didnt affect the process majorly but could have if it was a bigger show and posters were used more by the public. If I did this process again I would either choose a poster designer AND editor or someone who could do both. I would have scheduled proof reads and I would have had more time/help to distribute. I would have had more fliers on hand as well to hand out to people I spoke to. My most successful marketing tools were word of mouth, my soda bread fundraiser, the Facebook event, and having Heather as my PR lady. I was able to share my project at the Rosebud Country Inn and at Siennas fundraiser which helped promote my show. Facebook really connected people here and abroad and helped the word spread, not only through me but also through my team. The soda bread brought people into the spirit of the show and served as a way to connect and be reminded of upcoming performances. Heather was a great resource because she is known and writes very well. My show ended up in the Calgary Herald, as well as the Strathmore Standard, which was great!

Immediate Release

Wade deep into the soul-stirring mystery of The Selkie Wife

She'll always be longing for the sea... and the sea will always want her back.

Rosebud, Alberta (October 24, 2012) The middle of the Albertan prairie seems an unlikely place to mount a show steeped in the solitary beauty and rugged strength of Canada's Atlantic seashore, but this hasn't discouraged Rosebud School of the Arts student Amy Burks from producing The Selkie Wife, a bold modern-day fairytale by Canadian playwright Mary J. Eden. Inspired by the ancient Irish folklore of the Selkie - a mystical creature that has the power to shape-shift from seal to human The Selkie Wife follows Driscoll Murphy, an Irish-Canadian fisherman living in Newfoundland and his wife, Muirin, whose strange and changeable ways challenge his reality and exacerbate their tumultuous relationship. Is her dark side the manifestation of mental instability or is she haunted by an otherworldly secret? In either case Driscoll loves her passionately and will do anything to keep from losing her. Amy knew immediately she wanted to produce and act in The Selkie Wife as her graduating project at Rosebud School of the Arts after she saw a staged reading of the play at Rosebud's Budding Playwrights Festival in 2011. Says Amy: I was drawn to the relationship between Driscoll and Muirin. Their love ebbs and flows like water, and is ultimately something neither of them can hold on to. She felt empathy for

Muirin, a woman who is struggling to find meaning in her life and turns to nature for some sort of relief. . . . I think she is a woman who is very real somewhere in all of us. Helping her bring this project to life is a committed team of RSA Instructors, Alumni and fellow students, including a duo of live musicians whose haunting celtic-inspired music will transport you to the misty shores of Newfoundland. This beautiful story of love, longing and identity was written by Mary J. Eden for a playwrighting course through Rosebud School of the Arts, taught by Internationally produced and award-winning Canadian playwright Lucia Frangione. Says Lucia Ive been teaching this course for seven years now and when I read the first draft of this lush, sensual, witty and sorrowful story, it really quite literally took my breath away. . . . [Mary] is one of the most textured and soulful emerging Canadian playwrights Ive come across. Following the enthusiastic reception of The Selkie Wife at Rosebud's Budding Playwright's Festival, Mary produced its Canadian Premiere at the 2011 Vancouver Fringe Festival where it was an immense success both with critics and at the Box Office. She will be back in Rosebud this November to cheer on Amy and the SeeingBlind Productions team, and will also participate in talk-backs along with the cast following each performance. The show runs approximately one hour. Due to strong language as well as some violent/sexual content The Selkie Wife is not recommended for children under the age of 15. Parental guidance is advised.

The Selkie Wife runs November 11 at 7:00PM, November 12 at 11:00AM and 7:00PM, and November 13 at 9:30PM at the Studio Stage in Rosebud, Alberta. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 403.677.2015 or emailing seeingblindproductions@gmail.com.
Cast & Creative Team: Cast: Muirin Murphy, Amy Burks; Driscoll Murphy, Jordan Cutbill. Musicians: Harp, Rachel Peacock; Violin, Nathan Schmidt. Creative: Director & Choreographer, Deanne Bertsch; Costume Designer, Jette Brown; Set Designer, Chrissie Muldoon; Sound Designer, Rachel Peacock; Lighting Designer, Zoe Burnham; Props, Kendra Hutchinson; Set Builder, Byron Linsey; Scenic Painter, Cheryl Daugherty; Stage Manager, Jesse Anderson; Assistant Stage Manager, Renita Hamm. -30For more information and/or interviews, please contact: Ms. Amy Burks, Producer, SeeingBlind Productions, (403) 820 -0098, seeingblindproductions@gmail.com

Rosebud, in the middle of the prairies, might seem an unlikely place to discover a great fish story, but thanks to Rosebud School for the Arts student Amy Burks, thats about to change. For Burks graduating project, shes producing The Selkie Wife, a modern-day fairy tale by Canadian playwright Mary J. Eden. The play is inspired by an ancient Irish folk tale, about a mystical creature that has the ability to shape-shift from seal to human. The Selkie Wife follows the journey of Newfoundland fisherman Driscoll Murphy and his wife Muirin, as they attempt to forge a very unlikely relationship. There are four shows scheduled, from Nov 11-13 at the Rosebud Studio Theatre. For tickets and show times, call 403-6772015 or e-mail seeingblindproductions@gmail.com. Read more

:http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Quest+theatre+founder+returns+road+roots/7514059/story.html#i xzz2DXVOrx3p

Maritime fairytale comes to Rosebud

Shannon LeClair Times Reporter When one thinks Alberta one doesnt think about the rolling seas and the high cliff walls of the ocean. But that is exactly what Rosebud School of the Art (RSA) student Amy Burks is hoping people will envision with her final student project The Selkie Wife. The tale was written by playwright Mary J. Eden and was inspired by the ancient Irish folklore of the Selkie. The Selkie is a mythical creature that can shape-shift from a seal to a human. The Selkie Wife tells the tale of Driscoll Murphy, an Irish Canadian fisherman and his wife Muirin. I was drawn to the relationship between Driscoll and Muirin. Their love ebbs and flows like a tide, and is ultimately something neither of them can hold on to, said Burks in a press release. Burks felt empathy for Muirin, a woman who is struggling to find meaning in her life and turns to nature for some sort of relief. I think she is a woman who is very real somewhere in all of us. Eden wrote the play for a playwrights course at the Rosebud School of the Arts. RSA alumni, fellow students and a duo of live musicians will help Burks bring her production, and Edens words, to life on the Rosebud studio stage. The show will run for one hour beginning with a 7 p.m. show on Nov. 11. The following shows are Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and on Nov. 13 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling 403.677.2015 or emailing seeingblindproductions@gmail.com . Due to the strong language of the play and some violent/sexual content, The Selkie Wife is not recommended for children under the age of 18.

FINANCE
The Major differences that occurred in finance were that my expenses went way down- hurrah! I had budgeted $200 for set which ended up being about $23 instead. The net, floor and all the boxes were donated and I only paid for the ropes that hung the net. Costumes were budgeted at 50$ which ended up being nothing because we pulled or brought in everything from home. The cost of printing posters and programs went way down as well, and the driving wasnt accounted for since there was no extra driving done to distribute. Concession cost less than I expected and the Rosebud Country Inn paid for all soda bread ingredients which essentially covered all my cost and made me money from sales. The only amount that went up was miscellaneous which I budgeted for 30$ but since I had a fair profit I thought I could put some of that money toward my poster designer. We had originally come up with an alternative payment plan. Other than the Inn I had donations from Doug Wade, Rhea Warhol and Paula Furfaro. All the money went to the same spot but I put Rhea and Paulas donations into the bread fund which allowed me to have a couple loaves to give away for free without loss which helped promote the show. And of course I count time and resources as donations since they saved me a huge amount of expense. Cheryl Daugherty, Byron Lindsey, Deanne Bertsch, Jordan Cutbill, Judith Buchan, Rosebud School of the Arts, and Jesse Anderson were major contributors. As noted earlier I did have a finance discrepancy when I was counting the profits and found $43.90 missing. This could be due to numerous reasons, Im assuming there was probably a miscount somewhere in the transition between Norma and I and unfortunately I dont think there is any way I could track it.

Financial Report for The Selkie Wife

Last Updated: 26/11/2012

Budget as of Oct 12/2012 Revenue

Ticket Sales
-number of people -ticket price 1 -number of people -ticket price 2 -number of people -ticket price 3 $ $ 0 $ $ 75 10.00 0 $ 0 $

Actual $ 1,040.00
$ 1,430.00
143 10.00 20

Difference from Budget

1,561.45
$680.00 68 20 0 ($140.00)

$521.45

750.00

Concession Sponsorship

$ $

140.00 150.00

224$= float

131.45

($18.55)

Expenses
Set Costumes Props Lighting Sound Hair/Make up FX Royalties Script Purchase Honouarium (aka Party!) Rental Marketing Ticket Printing Programs Concession Travel Miscellaneous $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 200.00 50.00 30.00 52.50 200.00 20.00 107.50 150.00 50.00 100.00 50.00 30.00

1,040.00
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 38.00 52.50 200.00 14.00 56.09 15.00 44.72 100.00

520.31
$200.00 $50.00 ($8.00) $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $6.00 $107.50 $0.00 $93.91 $0.00 $35.00 $55.28 $50.00 ($70.00)

$519.69

PROFIT/LOSS

$ 1,041.14

$1,041.14

* Used bread sales as float but after tallying tickets sales minus amount of bread= - $43.90 (??)

TIME LINES
Time lines and schedules were the single most difficult part of the whole process. Fortunately most of this occurred at the beginning with some issues at the end. So most of my project was relatively stress free!

Mostly everything ran according to the schedule. Things came late in October when most of the shows business happened. Posters were a couple days late because of problems with editing the poster. Bios were much later than scheduled because I had some tardy team members. As well the painting of the floor shifted considerably from the 30th of October to 7th of Nov. This was due to the resources I had. The lino was donated and Cheryl volunteered to paint it, this meant that it needed to work with her schedule and this worked best for her. As well our tech week was pushed later then spread out because we needed to rejig lights and speakers and had no crew. This was very stressful and was definitely not an ideal learning experience; however I did learn a lot. When there is no time to make mistakes I tend to learn faster. Other events on my schedule such as make-up stock check and haircuts were overlooked because we didnt need them. Our set never needed to be built, so most of those dates werent needed either. One thing I overlooked was scheduling talkbacks, which I would most definitely schedule so I, and more importantly, the rest of my team would know what was happening. As well there was the matter of trying to schedule around everyone. I brought in Renita as ASM because Jesse couldnt be at some Wednesday and Thursday rehearsals. This ran smoothly, though I felt that Renita was overwhelmed by the task and didnt really want to be there which was hard on my moral. Nathan couldnt be there a lot since he was in another show, we did manage to get him in more rehearsals then I expected which was great. Jordan was also gone for a week or so, we knew this from the beginning and planned for it so this didnt have much effect.

Overall I learned the importance and joy of scheduling!! There is far too much to remember so having it all written down was great once it was done. Trying to do it was overwhelming because I needed to plan out 3-4 different departments schedules. What I learned is to work through each one individually to track if everything there. I also know what to look for, what event affects another to make sure that everything goes in the logical order, for example, if I could this again, the floor and set would be painted and onstage before we did lights. It was scheduled close to this progression, but never didnt play out that way.

In Conclusion
I came to this project thinking it was going to be a living hell. Im not sure where I got that impression from. I found that because of the particular play I chose and the crew I chose I had to go through some significant self-examination which was really interesting for me to experience being in a role of authority but be questioned on my integrity. The whole show ran pretty smoothly on account of delegation. That was good advice for me to take and Im glad I did. I found I chose people who even if they were not completely confident in their roles, they were absolutely confident in their work and so the work got done and was done well. Having Jesse on board was great because she filled in gaps. She looked after everybody as stage manager and also knew what to do with lights and was a vital resource. Some problems I encountered were: Lighting Design- Conrad left due to other commitments, fortunately I contacted Zoe and she was more than interested in taking his place Hectic Scheduling Issues- This occurred because I was working with non-students, staff, students from different years, and community members. Deanne formulated a rehearsal schedule to help make the most of the time we had with everyone, it proved very effective

The decision of having Children- Deanne was adamant about having children in the show because it strengthened the storyline. It was a stressful time because it would mean more costumes, people on stage, a child wrangler etc. Deanne covered their costumes, Cam watched them and I found the show became stronger with them. The final tech week(s) - This problem was due to lack of communication on my part about calls, lack of staff to give production hours and therefore lack of volunteers. No crew, no time and too much to do. Zoe and Jesse put in more than their fair share and I picked up the gaps. All cast and crew were wonderful at pitching in with setting the set when we needed extra hands. Same with riser call and speaker hang. I was always by myself but Mark, Byron, Brynn, Joel and Jerod and my dad all showed up and saved my skin!

What did I Learn?

Producing is a very overarching job and though the responsibilities can be handed out, they all still land on you when making decisions. At times it was difficult to understand whose decision was whose. I found that I became frustrated easily when every little question was sent to me, the amount of emails I received! I understand now that it is a very different type of job to acting and you need a different mind-set for it. Acting you are doing one job and you ask questions, receive answers, use what you are given and do as youre told. Producing you are managing different jobs, answering lots of questions, talking about the project to make the best informed decisions, watching the schedule to make sure things are done on time and keeping close tabs on the show as a whole to ensure the tasks are done. For someone who is not inclined to strict organization I found scheduling the most difficult task, and the most rewarding. I needed a schedule, I couldnt function without it, and miracle of miracles the project stuck to it and things came together! I now understand the value of scheduling, and I use it more in my own life. I am primarily an impulsive, resourceful person and these things came in handy! I was able to make decisions quickly when I needed to and help in every facet of the project. Im good with people and this allowed me to secure community help and aided my marketing plan as well. I wasnt afraid to contact people and engage them. This was the most evident in Rosebud where I was able to connect with sponsors and spread the word. I did find that I would fret over my crew or completely forget them! I worried most about Jordan because I spent the most time with him

therefore he was at the forefront of my mind, Kendra was a ghost until props showed up and I remembered she was working for me! Overall the easier jobs to do were the artistic areas such as costumes, actors and musicians or designs. I struggled more with the practical side such as lighting and riser calls and tech issues. I know this is because I am an actor and I know that world better plus Im more inclined to the artistic side of my brain. I came out of the project desiring to do more tech work so I can have a better idea for the future. If I could have this experience again, I would want to focus on doing very technical jobs. I wish that I would have known more about, poster design and printing, the light and sound board, and how to design and build risers. It feels like a lot to learn and I know that I will over time. Because this project was so small and I took care of most of it, it would have been great to have understanding of everything. This would have let me make better decisions faster and more efficiently. I did love the job, and I would do it again, though hopefully will not be in the show as well. I didnt stress over the actor hat/ producer hat business, but I understand now why its important. Its very hard to be at the top and bottom of the show chain. It does split your mind a little. I loved this show. I loved this process. Im very honoured to have been able to put it all together. What an amazing experience!