The Friday Five, February 24, 2012

Five Reasons Why We're Stopping The Friday Five

Your worst nightmare has come true. The gates of hell have swung open and flaming horrors scream through your mind, devouring your happiness, your sanity, your very will to live. Where once you had faith, there is now only darkness. Where once you had strength, there lies a broken child. Where once you had hope, there sits a steaming pile of hopeshit. The Matt and Kyle and Matt Friday Five has come to an end, and with it, the end of all things. Why? Choose one of the answers below. 

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

The Friday Five, February 3, 2012

Five Reasons Why The Friday Five Is Always Five

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

1. A regular room has six surfaces, the ceiling, the floor and four walls. The stage of a theatre has only five, the ceiling, the floor and three walls, the fourth wall has been removed to allow the audience to experience the magic of theatre. Whenever you say "five" to anyone, this is immediately what they think about, so it was a no-brainer to have a list about theatre be comprised of five walls, oops I mean five entries (sorry I accidentally wrote "five walls").

2. It was almost called "The Friday Six", but everyone was worried that it might be misinterpreted as a blog about Satan, since six is the first of his three numbers (the other two are also six, his number is six six six or 666 or six6six). 

The Friday Five, January 13, 2012

Five Ways To Trick People Into Thinking You're A Good Theatre Actor

Don't know how to act? Don't worry! These five indispensable tips will not only get you through your next production, they'll earn you an armful of accolades and a hospital bill full of broken legs!

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

1. Obnoxious Vocal Warm-Ups

Before every show, make sure to slowly walk around the stage ("explore the space") while humming, popping, screaming, barking, singing and generally being a loud nuisance. Why should you be the only one suffering for your art?

The Friday Five, December 16, 2011

Five Ways to be a Good Scene Partner

There are a lot of unwritten rules of theatre etiquette, especially when it comes to performing a two-hander. Here are five ways to ensure a solid and lasting relationship with your scene partner. 

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

1. Learn Your Partner's Lines

This is useful so that you can silently mouth them in time with your partner as they deliver them. This way the audience is impressed that you know both your own lines and your partner's. Also, it makes you look like a big stupid who isn't paying attention to what their mouth is doing during the scene and it throws me off when I have to look at your idiot lips mouthing my lines, Mark.

The Friday Five, November 25, 2011

Top Five Ways To Promote Your Play

Let's face it, theatre can't compete with videos of cats on the Internet. A thirty second clip of a cat falling asleep has ten million views, and the last theatre show I was in struggled to fill a house of one hundred. Perhaps the problem lies in promotion. Most theatre shows with a small to medium sized budget will do little in the way of advertising, since most of their funds will be spent paying the cast and crew, then burning what remains in a holy effigy to the God of theatre, Ed Mirvish. But fear not! I've compiled a list of five ways to advertise your theatre show without breaking the bank. 

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

The Friday Five, November 4, 2011

The Five Best Animals to Bring to the Theatre I love going to the theatre, but it's extremely difficult for me to leave the house without my cat. I immediately miss her smell, her saucy saunter, her occasional throw-ups. What if she does something cute while I'm away? Who will be there to take a picture of it and then post that picture to the internet with a hilariously misspelled comedy caption? Solution: I've started bringing my cat with me to the theatre. Here's a list of five other animals that I guarantee will improve your theatre-going experience.  By Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

The Friday Five, October 14, 2011

Five Comments Actors Love To Hear After a Performance

Just saw someone you know perform in a play? Struggling to think of something to say about it? Well turn that struggle upside down into a smile, because I'm coming to your rescue with five foolproof comments that will leave the recipient thinking, "Wow, this person's comment was so good that they should consider writing an article about how to talk to actors after shows and then post it on the internet."

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

The Friday Five, September 23, 2011

Five Theatre Superstitions Explained

The theatre has a storied history of tradition and superstition, with most contemporary theatre companies still abiding by age-old superstitious practices. Many would call this kind of behaviour childish or naive, and many more would probably call it superstitious, traditional or age-old. Before you start throwing around hurtful labels, join me on a journey into the past as we uncover the truth behind these hugely stupid delusions.

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt and Kyle and Matt

The Friday Five, September 2, 2011

Five Interesting Places To Perform Theatre

If you've ever seen a live theatre show, chances are good that it was in a building designed expressly for live theatre shows (it may very well have been called a "theatre"). How boring! How unimaginative! How expected! 

by Kyle Gatehouse of Matt & Kyle & Matt