Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

So I debuted my new “Hot Dog Show” almost a week ago at the PNE and have another 12 days of shows to go before things wrap up on September 7th. Bit by bit it all seems to be falling into place. I was more than a little bit nervous about pulling this show off and day one of the Fair things were quite wobbly, but show by show, day by day my confidence with this new show is falling into place and it’s all starting to make sense.

I’ve been describing my experience with this new show at the PNE as ‘New Show Boot CAMP‘ because I get three chances a day to try out new ideas, three chances a day for people to give me feedback. On top of what I’ve been hearing from audience members, I’ve been lucky enough to have the ears and eyes of other performers in this year’s Street Stars Program who have been fantastic about coming by, having a look at where the show is at and where it’s evolving to. I’ve had suggestion upon suggestion given to me and gradually these comments filter down from the intellectual to the practical and more and more the funny is starting to stick to the bones of the show.

Everyday I seem to discover new bits of business and a deeper appreciation of what makes this show work and the bizarre yet very tangible relationship I have with my partner in the show, a six inch long stuffed dog toy shaped like a hot dog that I’ve named William T. Wiener.

Is this High Art? Nope! I certainly wouldn’t describe it as that, but on some fantastic level I’m discovering how to make this show, that has none of the traditional juggling skills that I’ve based my show on for year, work. Better still, I actually appear to be making a connection with my audiences in a way that I never have before. It’s really rather remarkable!

Got a chance to try something new? I highly recommend jumping in with both feet with eyes wide open and enough bravery to get through the first week of the new experience. After the first week it all starts to make sense and becomes a whole heck of a lot of fun well at least this show has for me!