What you missed in the theatrosphere over the holidays

• Obsidian Theatre received Holiday Greetings from Heritage Minister James Moore, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and a guy who better not be The Minister of Spelling.
• Globe and Mail political blogger Andrew Steele declared himself a blogger-not a-journalist in response to his blog being nominated in the Best Blog by a Journalist Category in the CBAs. Several days later, The Supreme Court of Canada overruled him in a ruling that actually used the word “blogger” and afforded all of us on the interweb the same rights and responsibilities as a journalist as Canadian citizens.
• NYC-based theatre writer and artist Dennis Baker reflected on our year-end discussion of the Canadian theatrosphere with an emphasis on what it means to further evolution of the form.
• Blogger Adam Szymkowicz, celebrated reaching his 100^th interview with a playwright on his blog, by snagging an interview with the one and only Adam Szymkowicz.
• Finally, there’s a new theatre blog in Calgary. Verb Theatre started up their own blog on their website. Welcome to the theatreosphere Verb Theatre (and Alberta?). Folks please adjust your blog rolls accordingly.

Theatre is Territory 2.0

So. What the fuck is going on with this blog?

I know.

Things have been a bit slow around here lately. It’s my fault. After more than two years, 426 posts, 78 “10 questions” interviews, and more comments section brawls than I can count, I must admit that my capacity for pumping this stuff out is waning. I still love theatre and theatre blogging. But resources are finite, and there are other projects on the horizon – not the least of which is my role in marketing Praxis Theatre’s upcoming production of Stranger, by far our most ambitious show to date.

That said, I am thrilled to announce that starting next week there will be a new voice, and a new energy in this space. If you’ve been a regular reader or commentor, you already know Michael Wheeler and his frequently insightful contributions to this blog. As a commentor, and occasionally as a guest poster, Michael has been a big supporter of this blog since its inception. He also happens to be Praxis Theatre’s Co-Artisitic Director.

Michael will now join me in the day-to-day posting at this venue. In the spirit of its origins, all posts will continue to be signed “Praxis Theatre”. Some will be written by Michael, some by me. Ultimately, and if we’re doing our jobs, it shouldn’t really matter who’s writing the posts. It’s not about Praxis Theatre or about one writer’s voice. It never has been. We’re interested in the big ideas. In learning more from our industry peers. And in being a thoughtful and relevant part of the conversation. Michael’s a great fit and I thank him dearly for caring enough about this project to step up when it needs him most.

So let’s see where this takes us. For my part, I’m looking forward to continuing the “10 questions” series. I want it to be good. So I may take another couple of months off interviewing to recharge and recalibrate.

Thank you kindly for your patience through this transition. And thanks to everyone who has contributed to this conversation so far. I am humbled by your generosity and wisdom.

Obviously, there is plenty more we need to figure out.

Welcome Michael.