Blog - Page 3 of 17 - Adrianna Prosser

Western: First Draft

Some of you may know I love the Western genre, so much so that I had a few cosplay photoshoots with RainyFresh Photography. I have been working on a one-act play for Whisky Ginger Collective theatre festival in March 2019, and it’s been a slow process. Full of procrastination and doubt, but after a few months I have a first draft AND a title:

“Scarred Leather” comes from a keyword search, themes exploration, and phrases around my story. It alludes to weather beaten chaps, worn saddles, sun burnt and scarred skin is the life of a cowgirl. But it also speaks to how the past leaves a mark on the present.

The audience warning so far reads “use of gunshots, foul language, and R’lyehian. Vengeful Gods may be invoked.” Here is a sample of it:

Now to give it a rest and then re-read for a 1.2 draft then it’s off to beg for eyes on it to see the holes I can’t see because I’m too close to it. Welcome to my process for playwriting.

The Producer’s Hat

Adrianna Producer, Theatre 22 November, 201824 November, 2018Eldritch Theatre, puppet, Red Sandcastle Theatre, theatre 0 Comment

A few years ago I started working with Eldritch Theatre and it was magical – no really there was actual magic! The creatives in Eldritch Theatre are pretty stellar and even though I’m the Marketing Monster and Producer, I’m still made to feel a part of the creative team.

This year we have a smash hit magic/horror/retro-sci-fi/sexcapade/puppet space adventure! And I took the set stills for marketing (eep!) and I made the opening credits, inspired by the 1930’s Flash gordon serials:

There have been great reviews, great fan feedback, and the houses are always bursting with laughter (and people! We keep selling out!) So as a Producer this is making my heart happy, and as a theatre creator it’s making my heart explode because we need more risk taking, more ridiculous, more PUPPETS in our lives.

I hope you get to see it – and because I’m the Producer I’m going to share a secret with you… “Comic Horror” is the discount code for $20 anytime tickets and there is always PWYC Sundays that you can book ahead!

www.eldritchtheatre.ca/tickets

Happy intergalactic space travels!

Join me next month for Suicide Loss Survivor Day

Adrianna Ramblings 5 October, 20183 November, 2018mental health, stories like crazy, suicide awareness, suicide prevention, workshop 0 Comment

Some of you may know I am a suicide loss survivor, and some of you even know I am a safeTALK trainer. It would be amazing to have you at my first public workshop this November 19th for Suicide Loss Survivors Day at Red Sandcastle Theatre in Toronto.

I will be leading the workshop, and Jason Martorino, a teacher and Distress Centre volunteer with his ASIST, will be on hand to help those who may feel triggered or need a moment with someone who has crisis intervention training.

This workshop is for those who want to help those around them by being alert to signs of suicidal ideation, and want to learn how best to help those who need resources to help them stay alive. I like to think of it as suicide prevention first aid: you are the first responder, and you will help keep them alive until you can connect them to a resource that will help keep them alive.

Details:

safeTALK (suicide alertness for everyone) Workshop with Stories Like Crazy

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

Adrianna Acting, Beyond the Stage 19 September, 201819 September, 2018anne bonny, pirate, pirate festival, stage combat, talk like a pirate day 0 Comment

One of my fondest memories and best acting gigs I ever got was playing Anne Bonny in the Toronto Pirate Festival between 2006-2008. I got to swashbuckle, carry an axe, wear fun costumes, and pretend my red hair meant I was Irish.

Before smart phones and before social media this video was taken of myself as the irate Anne Bonny and the now Artistic Director of Dauntless City Theatre Scott Emerson Moyle.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! Yarr I be missin the golden age of my piracy days 😉

World Suicide Prevention Day 2018

Adrianna Everything But the Cat..., Mental Health Advocate 10 September, 201810 September, 2018photo, Photos by Joh, suicide prevention, workshop, world suicide prevention day 0 Comment

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and as a suicide loss survivor I would like to share some resources and thoughts around the subject.

First, the photo above was taken by Joanna Haughton as part of her Strength in Vulnerability photo-series. Here is what she wanted to share about it:

Strength in Vulnerability. The moments of our greatest strength are those we are most vulnerable. We think strength is hard, but it isn’t. That’s weakness. Strength is found when we are broken, when we let all our defenses down, and find that after everything we still stand, love, and live.
I started this series a couple years ago. Finding people willing to be totally open has been hard. But I feel this needs to be shared and can’t wait anymore.

I thought it a fitting day – Suicide Prevention Day to start to share this series. Because we all need help sometimes, we all need love, and support. And sometimes we don’t have the strength to do it alone.

I am happy to share my story in hopes it will help others through Stories Like Crazy, my co-hosted mental health podcast with Lori Lane Murphy. I live with anxiety and situational depression each year November hits as that was the date when my brother took his life in 2010. Each year I find new ways of managing and dealing with the anniversary of his death, and each year I try to spread awareness and resources so others can be alert to suicide in their community. So today of all days I would like to give you places to learn from and lean on when dealing with suicide:

Me: I teach a workshop called safeTALK https://www.adrianna-prosser.com/safetalk-trainer/ and I would love to take your group of 10-30 people through the steps of being alert to suicide in your community and what you can do to help prevent it.

Keepsafe connections: this is from my workshop and GTA specific: https://www.adrianna-prosser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Toronto-Keepsafe-Connections.pdf

Ontario wide connections:http://ospn.ca/index.php/helpful-links

I am planning on a safeTALK workshop in November to commemorate Andrew’s passin; let me know if you would like to be notified (in comments below) as I have about 12 spots this time around. Time and location TBA – but definitely in Toronto and most likely November 19th.

It’s ok to not be okay, but it’s also okay to ask for help.
💚

Red Anna… a black and white photography project with Rainyfresh Photography

Adrianna Acting, Print, Ramblings 27 June, 201826 March, 2019black and white, calamity jane, cowgirl, deadwood, photography, photoshoot, Rainyfresh Photography, Red Anna 0 Comment

My talented friend Ryan Fisher of Rainyfresh Photography let me check a bucket list item off my list: being a historic cowgirl. I have always loved Calamity Jane (from Deadwood was an amazing interpretation!) and Back to the Future 3 – heck I live my life in the times of the Gold Rush, but I’m stuck in Toronto 1850s not the Klondike! My costume in this photo-shoot was inspired by Calamity’s classic look from her 1880’s portrait, too. I have been training to be her with stage combat, whip work, gun work, and of course horseback riding.

My friend Phil from Stageworthy Podcast wrote this when he saw the Rainyfresh edit of the photos:

“Red Anna. Some’ll tell you that her hair wasn’t always red. That it turned blood red from the entrails of the men she killed. Others say that it’s red because it was touched by the flames of hell. Still others say that its the dark mark upon her, placed there for some sin too dark to mention. What the truth is, none can say. But she’s earned each and every tale that’s told about her, and more.”

So here is Calamity Jane’s 1880 portrait I used to inspire my costume that I put together myself:

Adrianna Prosser as Red Anna cowgirl circa 1880 And here is Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane on HBO’s Deadwood TV series (which I adore and renewed my faith in great parts for actresses – what a gift and what a stellar performance, you have to see this show!)

Here are some of my favourites, shot at the historic Montgomery’s Inn:

[Show as slideshow]

Find Ryan at:

https://www.facebook.com/RainyfreshPhotography/

https://www.rainyfreshphotography.com/

https://www.instagram.com/rainyfresh/

I’m a Fraggle down at Fraggle Rock

Adrianna Off stage/Off camera, Ramblings 21 June, 201821 June, 2018Comic book, Fraggle Rock, geek, Jay Fosgitt, muppet 0 Comment

I can’t help but gush about this great moment in my geeky life: I am now a Fraggle at Fraggle Rock and part of the Jim Henson universe!!

Did you watch this amazing (Canadian?!) muppet puppet show?! It was one of my very favouritest as a child and it fills me with great joy to be a part of this universe as Pebbles Fraggle:

My nickname is Pebbles, as in Flintstone since birth from my Dad, in fact my little brother Luke didn’t know my real name was Adrianna until he was about 6 years old as he always just called me Pebs. They still do today ❤ so when Jay Fosgitt who is SUPER AMAZING and asked if he could make me into a Fraggle in his Fraggle Rock Comic book debut I was over the moon! Of course she would have big red hair but… Red is already a beloved Fraggle so the name was taken. Enter my nickname: meet my Fraggle doppelgänger Pebbles from Fraggle Rock! I am so excited to have my copy and one day I will have her as a real muppet puppet too.

Thank you Jay for making this little redhead’s dream come true!

Spell Tutor: On Set

Adrianna Acting, Webseries 3 June, 2018geek, harry potter, the spell tutor, Victorian, web show 0 Comment

Adrianna as Dottie Green screen on set of Spell Tutor — Adrianna as “Dottie” in Season 4 of The Spell Tutor

I was on set for The Spell Tutor as the creator Herman Wang asked if I would want to play a Victorian witch, knowing full well that 1. I am a huge geek 2. I am a Harry Potterhead 3. I am a Victorian for most of my time at the museums. So naturally I said yes! I played Dorthy Kelpie, a Victorian woman trapped in another dimension.

This is their final season and it looks like I will be in episode 4 of it. I had my scenes with Parissia played by Alexandra Bayer. I don’t want to spoil the plot but I will definitely post the final result when it airs as I haven’t had much fun with green-screen and this was a treat to do.

Thanks for having me on the show! And congrats on 4 seasons!

Storytelling with Stories We Don’t Tell

Adrianna Everything But the Cat..., Off stage/Off camera, Storytelling 27 February, 201825 April, 2018Everything but the cat, Podcast, stories we don't tell, storytelling 0 Comment

Recently I had the pleasure of sharing a story with Stories We Don’t Tell, a storytelling gathering in Toronto. I like their mandate:

“There are some stories that we get really good at telling, we tell them to our friends, our coworkers, and even strangers at parties. We tell them because they are a part of us, and in doing so they build up our sense of self.

There are also stories we don’t tell, maybe because they’re sad, or weird, or just a little too intimate. These truths are just as much a part of who we are, despite being erased from our day-to-day conversation.

The Stories We Don’t Tell is a monthly live event, held in living rooms across Toronto, and podcast that gives you a window into experiences that are so often left unseen.”

Here’s what I shared (and head over to their podcast to hear more stories!) it’s a piece from my one-woman show Everything But the Cat…

*Content Warning: swearing and talk of suicide

History is Dramatic

Adrianna Acting, Playwright, Print, Theatre 7 February, 2018museums, toronto history museums 0 Comment

One of the many hats I wear is shaped like a bonnet – well, at least that’s my usual hat when I’m at the museums. I am a storyteller and sometimes the story I have to tell is that of Toronto’s history at some of the historic house museums. You can learn about my endeavors on my Historical Interpreter page and see more about my historical dramas built for site specifically on my Playwright page.

The Toronto History Museums and I have a long standing history (pun intended) of creating experiences for patrons to explore history in a different/immersive way. I have created several theatre-in-situ/site specific stories based on artifacts, letters, diaries, and photographs. Here’s my little piece in the museum magazine about it:

So fun! I can’t wait to see what our next creation will be 🙂