Volunteer & Employment roles including:

Kidsfusion Artist Facilitator, House Manager during Milkfest, and other front of house roles including Hat Check girl during Laurie Anderson's show, ha.

One of the Funnest Gigs I Had at Harbourfront

was being volunteer for Kidsfusion during Milkfest, when an artist facilitator called in sick (he checked with me the day before) and I got to fill in.

Then, when Milkfest returned I got booked and paid as an artist facilitator.

TO MAKE ROCK AND ROLL WITH KIDS AND RECORD IT ON GARAGE BAND. sooooooooo fun.

the newsletters are just great lately -- with video clips and a really slick look. i wish it had a way i could easily forward or share with friends, inviting them to subscribe.

it was at Harbourfront i first heard the song "you sleep, i'll drive." luther wright did it, and i have since seen the actual authors of the song sing it at riverview. this morning i heard a live version by kd lang and melissa ethridge on the cbc.

it is sooooooooo romantic. no wonder everybody sings it!

and yet more coolness

now available at Harbourfront:

http://wirelesstoronto.ca/

Memories:

I was just thinking about how Joel Plaskett has duct tape on his guitar. I liked his phrase "drop lyrics on you."

I could swear it was him and the Emergency band I cut off on my way to see that very show, while I was singing, out loud "its almost summer, yeeeeeeeah..."

Incidentally, they turned out to be just-as-fast-as-me-walkers I cut off in vain.

Does CBC know enough about Harbourfront?

Other adventures in the 3 levels of cold, glassy lobby at Harbourfront Centre Theatre included doing front of house renditions of the on-stage performances, as they were broadcast from the stage through out the building. Because we all worked it so much we were crazed of it and we knew the material so well, that as a crew, we couldn't resist participating. And, the music of voices of that show were really awesome. Even ours! I watched the show as staffer at least 20 times, most often with a stage side seat as orchestra usher. No one wanted to go in after the show had been extended again, and I didn’t mind so I never rushed to work in those days.I remember one time I walked in to the foh shift late, interupting the meeting coming in the patron door and taking off my walkman headphones to exclaim that "this Ben Harper album is GREAT!" and asking the kids if that is a dobro he's playing or what? Aaron spoke up before the manager could tell me off for being so rude and thereby introduced me to the Hawian instrument that is played on your lap called a wise-en-born. Smarty pants. Lindsay was always trying to work beside him so she could grill him on English Literature questions and sometimes I eavesdropped on those... and, I remember actually what a good worker he was too. I miss Aaron. And Lindsay. Too bad we all got better jobs...I am sorry to say when he told me he got to play sometimes with Royal City, or that I would like the work of his friend Nathan Lawr I didn't yet know those names. But, I still instantly valued his opinions and way of explaining things, so, clearly, I have great taste. I was always trying to work near him so i could grill him with guitar playing questions. Maybe someday, we'll get to hear him play.

Was it at Harbourfront I FIRST heard of the artist who knitted a tea cosy for a house (among other antics)?

signed,
eavesdropping at the Albion

that %$#@ late newsletter!

today's rant is that i have already committed to teach my voice to the bone the day of the workshop, i can't go. if the newsletter had arrived BEFORE now, would i have been able to attend??? nevermind marketing suggestions about focusing more in the future with the newsletter. right now i am feeling like sending in a customer complaint!

Podcasting 101

Make your voice heard!

Let our experts take you through the steps to create your own podcast.

April 21 Saturday

10am - 2pm

$40

newsletter feedback sent:

i would appreciate more news of events more in the future, so i can plan in advance for them.

i have heard through other sources about an event in May at the Enwave Theatre. also, maybe the newsletter could announce or comment on sponsorship changes? it might be of interest to other patrons and would certainly please the sponsors!

finally, i just wanted to say that the redletter also got me interested in some harbourfront events before i rec'd the official harbourfront newsletter. so, word of mouth is clearly improving...

signed,
harbourfront programming fan

Pony rides? At Harbourfront??

i didn't even know there WAS an orchard. whoo hoo, check this out:

HarvestFest at Harbourfront Centre is back!

Music
Foot tapping Celtic fiddlers Fig for A Kiss and Gypsy Jazz strummers Club Django.

Quilt Show
An exhibition of traditional and contemporary quilts from the Waterloo County and Area Quilt Festival.

Family Activities
Other olde time country fair contests include the ZOOM! HarvestFest Olympics, featuring events like the Great Pumpkin Race, bean relay race, watermelon seed spitting contest and apple eating contest. Children can enjoy pony rides through the Harbourfront Centre orchard.

Marketing Suggestion

podcasts could also be mentioned in the newsletter (that just keeps getting better and better, by the way)
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/newsletters/Fall06/Sept_11_2006/index.html

Podcast Marketing

i think the podcasts should walk listeners thru exhibits at Harbourfront Centre.

i think listenership (staff AND patron) could be promoted by posting some signage at the very exhibits to be featured in the next podcast.

Audio Project, Progress + Challenges

1) i have 2 voice memos to throw into the harbourfront podcast effort -- i read a bunch of the signs off the wall regarding current exhibits into my i-talk. since they are always so good and since they are not written up much in marketing materials or ever shown on the website!!!

5:12 'Through the Lens of Now'

5:22 a show of photographs and artifacts of the "crazy house on the street" i.e. how artistic workmanship of singular neighbours, in toronto creates an urban vernacular from shifting contemporary neighbourhoods. my shock and delight (with my own two cents and background stories) is captured on this with a lot of background noise as kid groups went down the hall behind me, because there were 3 "tourist attractions" of areas in the city i lived
1) 77 yarmouth's elephant
2) the spool house
3) and the wedding cake house

When I Was A Recording Engineer:

listen up!!!

Joni, jobs and the cardboard guitar

i decided to get a JOB at harbourfront, even a nominally paying foh gig, because i deliberated SO LONG about spending $350 for an intimate (replete with a chance to meet the artist after the show) Joni Mitchell concert. it sounded so great and i wanted to go so bad. but i just didn't have THAT kind of money to spend on entertainment at the time, so i didn't go...

and since then she's retired from the music biz again right? and this one seems to have stuck too.

but, since missing that show, i was glad to be PAID to be on hand to take in many similarly magical and potentially life altering shows... some of which i wouldn't have even known about, if i hadn't shown up for work.

for example, i remember working in the studio during the vegetarian food fair that turned linds and cath vegan for MOST of the school year, and, i came to see the animal cruelty aspects of the issue clearly for the first time.

i had always felt conflicted because of the economics of meat and dairy, and was well aware of the message i wanted to send with my consumer dollar. but such an animal lover still had not noticed the rest of the reality??? t'was the comics that did it.

in response to an audience member that was criticizing him for making light of such terrible truth, i spoke up and complimented his use of the genre, and said that the humour was exactly what made the unbearable truth suddenly visible for me. and he said "quit stealing MY lines" and everybody laughed.

i think that was the first and only time i ever bought something from a performer while i was working. and i am still delighted with the autograph...

he had vowed never to marry again and his whole world changed in 3 months. she is the most altruistic person he has ever met and he helps her run the often illegal animal resuce out of the tiny nyc apt. when he opened the book to sign it, it already had "to pat burke" in it and he was embarrassed. i said, don't worry, i'll take it and so he crossed it out and put to kim, who the hell is pat burke??? and did a self portrait doodle with a vegan for life t-shirt and firecracker. that was the first and only time i bought something from a performer while i was working a show. he was awesome. a cardboard guitar??? c'mon now.
bizaro.


http://www.bizarro.com/vegan/vegan_cartoons.htm

*
remember when linds couldn't open the dressing room door for the handsome actor because her hands were shaking so bad, and so he had to do it for her?
*
i forget what show it was where the guy said 'all those doors i knocked on over and over? well, i work with those guys now and from time to time they'll say "remember when you first started knocking?"'
*

i went out to admire the rockstarness of mr. michael and davey c at hugh's room, at the boys do girls, and they were up to their own par and a part of a whole great line up, including kurt swinghammer, who i have never seen before.

listening, i was reminded that the sunflower sets for the joni mitchell show on city tv were done by him. a fact shared with me by the nice marketing/media guy at harbourfront (who had been at city at the time), and who went out of his way to enlighten me on the fact that the people "working on these shows are usually artist themselves."

it was good to finally actually SEE kurt swinghammer in action - i LOVE the guitar as percussion tool style. and, how i didn't know his covers were carol king songs! i knew them but to me they felt like james taylor tunes, and was glad to be corrected/again reminded of carole king's power (by a man).

Diversity (and yet more marketing ideas)

trying to change mindsets in your organization?

i think the way harbourfront centre embraces diversity, in its programming and in its staffing, it is actually an entity that stands for acceptance, understanding, accomodation and inclusion. sponsored programming could be marketed internally to employees.

furthermore, support of such a unique and treasured art centre, in the public eye, would show an environment where all customers are welcomed and respected, and where their needs are understood and then, hopefully, even met.

harbourfront demonstrates beautifully countless ways of exhibiting intelligence, with effective communication and leadership. if you talk about sponsoring their programming, you talk about leveraging and celebrating diversity as a source of sustainable competitive advantage! what a spotlight on an inclusive workplace and an accurate reflection of the communities served!

notes
Harbourfront Centre, on Toronto's waterfront, is an innovative non-profit cultural organization which creates, for a diverse public, events and activities of excellence that enliven, educate and entertain. Working in partnership with various communities, Harbourfront Centre nurtures and supports educational and recreational activity as well as contemporary artistic creation through showcasing Canadian and international talent. Our year-round operation offers some 4000 internationally acclaimed events ranging from music, literary and theatrical festivals to children’s activities and craft workshops. Harbourfront Centre is one of Toronto's most popular tourist attractions, drawing more than 3 million visitors and contributing over $126 million to the local economy annually.

* * *
yes it is true that we haven't had any podcasts since Milkfest.

"In order for us to effectively run podcasts, we have determined that we would need a part time resource and currently that is not within our budget for this year. We did think about bringing on board a volunteer, but we feel a dedicated resource is needed.We do hope to bring this program back next year."

Thanks for your interest and have a good day.

* * *

"I have also included recent marketing materials from Harbourfront Centre. I wanted to share examples of a wide variety of programming I personally continue to be very enthusiastic about and that I also hope may interest you.

Harbourfront Centre’s creative, current and cultural diversity is one exciting and cost effective way I have found to explore The World, through a near to you Toronto location.
*
the HEART of toronto's waterfront.
harbourfront centre is a registered, non-profit, charitable organization operating 10 acres of Toronto's central waterfront.

i LOVE the summer planner centerfold. why didn't THAT come with the e-newsletter?

The FEAR Hotline

416.352.1315 - the place to share your fears.

What scared you as a child? What scares you now? Images – thoughts - moments in your life. By leaving your message, you consent to your fear being used in the up-coming production of Static. We will also share your fear with others around the world via the Static Podcast. The first step to conquering your fear is to admit what scares you...

In Static, diverse artists use light, sound, visual art, dance, and video to explore man’s deepest fears: death, rejection, intimacy, loss and the unknown. A series of theatrical vignettes and interactive installations tell the story of Max and how he loses his ability to fear. Not only does this profoundly change his life, but also the lives of those around him. Audiences will be challenged to explore what it is like to live without fear. Or is fear a necessary emotion to really live?

* here's what i called in?
"I must put my faith in the benevolent universe. What else can I do? I imagine Canadians that have had to walk down the street, civilians in neighbourhoods where bombs are going off in mailboxes. How can I live without ignoring my fear? I will exorcize it on the fear hotline:
1) I am afraid that the lawn mower my new apartment neighbours won’t seem to store inside the shared garage is related to the suspicious boxes she was putting together in there (that she called “luggage”) for her trip to turkey that starts tonight... a shady sounding trip of many delays already. How can I overcome my racist fears about these persons from the middle east, neighbours in the place I ran to feel safe?
2) I am afraid that the guy I am meeting tonight is a stalker or a rapist or abuser that I will be stuck with, or running from for the rest of my life. And, he SEEMS nice enough. Furthermore, how can I learn what signals I am giving out that contribute to the demented patterns I find myself struggling with again and again? This whole fear ties in with my terror that my former landlord is a gangster/biker thug who is now officially out to get me because first I stood up to a sexual predator of a ttc officer he is in cahoots with and then tried to report his wrongdoing to corrupt local cops... and then, fled the area, sneaking off early on my lease. I am afraid I am still in danger of them now. See what I mean? So much to fear. So much fear about it." * * *

More information at Expect
Project Leads:
Laura Mullin and Chris Tolley of Expect Theatre and Spark Productions
Supported by:
Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Laidlaw Foundation and Harbourfront Centre