Question: What is the wonderful thing about Tiggers, Alex?
So this falls into the realm of the ultra-cool: one of my dearest friends will be a contestant on Jeopardy! The Lovely and Amazing Tigger Jourard -- Trivia Geek, Theatrical Martinet and Stage Manager Extraordinaire -- flies to sunny LA to tape her episode on February 7. And I'm betting that the only way she won't be kicking serious ass is if they decide to bring back Ken Jennings. Even then, Mr. Smartie-pants better bring his A-game.
Read about it all here.
For those who don't know Tigger, she and I were joined at the hip for all four plays I've directed ... and let me tell you now if you're thinking of dabbling in the directorial end of the theatrical pool, you need to find yourself a Tigger to be your stage manager. It helps that she was actually a professional stage manager for eighteen years, before finally leaving theatre for sanity reasons. I met her in winter of 2000 (well, I'd met her before, but only really got to know her at this point) when she agreed to come out of retirement as it were to stage manage a production of Joe Orton's Loot that a friend of hers was acting in. I was playing Hal (the last time I acted in a play, incidentally), and we hit it off immediately. That summer I made my first tentative foray into directing with UWO's Summer Shakespeare ... and I asked Tigger if she would be willing to stage manage.
The conversation went something like this. Tigger: "What play do you want to do?" Me: "Richard III." Tigger: "OK. What story do you want to tell?"
At first I thought the question was a bit wacky. What story? Richard III, of course! But then as I thought about it, it made increasingly more sense, and I realized the depth of this woman's wisdom. And the rest is history.
Here's Tigger relaxing with her hubby Bryan. Please note the Macbeth shirt he's wearing.
Answer: all our love and best wishes.
Question: What are we sending with Tigger to LA, Alex?
Break a leg, sweetie!
5 comments:
Dearest Orson,
You are still my favourite director!! And your production of Richard III beat the doublet and hose off those at Stratford and Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Little R3 tidbit for you:
So there I am at my Jeopardy audition in NYC, after the written test and after the mock game, and we're doing the on-camera interview.
Q: What will you do with all the $$ you win?
Me: Travel to see theatre, with the goal of seeing every possible production of Richard III.
Q: Richard III?! That's my favourite Shakespeare, too!
So I'm taking a stunning UWO Summer Shakespeare 2000 R3 poster as a prezzie. (Yes, Loot went into rehearsal in Nov 1999. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.)
love and huggles,
Elisha
That's so awesome! Congrats Tigger! Sean told me about this the other day (Tigger was also the stage manager, and a damned fine one, in the only Shakespeare production I've acted in and the same one in which Mulligan and I first met) but I don't have an email address or any other contact info for her... in any case, congrats, and you'll have to let us know when it airs! (Mostly so I can remind Sean to tape it since I am without a television down here...)
Awesome!! Congrats Tigger!
Major Barbara remains my favorite production - in part due to the power duo who directed/stage managed. Tigger gave me the most genuine and intense compliment I`ve ever received in my life and now I want to repay her by cheering her on from over the ocean.
Best of luck, Tigs, hope we meet again in a show!
Matt! Only just now realized who the Bullfighter was. For some reason I didn't quite clue in the last time you commented (that pic is a bit small to discern your shining face), but I have looked at your blog once or twice since then.
You don't ask the little questions there, do you? Well, I'll set up a link.
Given the excellent shows you've been in, and the amazing performances you gave, I'm really quite delighted that Major B. remains your fave -- not least b/c it was the one show that came close to giving me ulcers (though your splendid performance was not one of the reasons for that).
Hope Japan is treating you well.
Cheers Chris!
I was notified of your blog by an oddly random email encounter with someone from UWO days. Decided to check it out. Glad I did.
Your posts are like the tangents you sometimes went on during Modern Drama class. Always more amusing than the actual course material!
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