As I write this, I am in Small Town, Ontario, Canada - getting ready for the final day of a workshop/lab of Calpurnia by Audrey Dwyer. Remember that play I was in 2 years ago? The one that I was graciously awarded "Best Supporting Actress" by the Toronto Critics? Well, it is being developed with the help of the NAC and Sarah Garton Stanley is directing the 2-week lab. It's been intense and draining BUT all good! Each character has been revisited, text has been rewritten and the story sharpened. What a wonderful experience it is. But I am exhausted! For those who think acting is easy, I ask that you walk a block in my shoes.

Belated Happy New Year and here's to a great decade! Wow. We made it.

Work is abundant and I am grateful. That is all I wanted and wished for; to be able to work - regularly. Awards season has started. I say started as the requests for me to "vote" for friends for numerous "awards" are coming in fast and furious. All I can say to that is if a particular award is won through a popularity contest by asking friends, family and the general public to vote; then, in my books, it is not an award. You get my drift?

Nominations are another thing though. To be recognized by the leaders and peers within an industry is a win in itself. Receiving an award without solicitation is also a win in itself. Just think about it, the definition of award is,  "to give or order the giving of (something) as an official payment, compensation, or prize to (someone). A prize or other mark of recognition given in honor of an achievement."

Now, a popularity contest is defined as a real or attributed contest in which the sole criterion for winning is how many votes one gets, such that the winner is the most liked contestant.

Get it?
See you at one of the shows!