Uh, Im not sure if I mentioned this, but the opera Im going to tonight is at the Estates theatre, which is where Don Giovanni premiered, which means Im seeing a Mozart opera in an opera house that Mozart was in.
Is it completely nerdy that this ABSOLUTELY THRILLS ME?
more than that, do I care if its completely nerdy?
The answers to those questions are are yes and no.
IM ABSOLUTELY NERDILY THRILLED!

ok, curtain in 30 minutes. Ive got to go

Love love love love love
Dani

Dani Solo and opera

Ok, so I promised myself that I would sit in an internet cafe and blog until I felt content and not rush myself, and so this might turn out to be a novel. Know right off the bat that there will be no rhyme or reason to this, and a lot of jumping around will occur. Kind of like how I always am. You have been warned.

I just bought an opera ticket for 50$. At the estates theatre. For the Magic Flute. In the centre. OF THE THIRD ROW. How insane is that? Third row centre for 50 dollars. A bit steep in some respects, but really, how can I go wrong. I also found out that there is a version of Dr. Faustus being presented in a catacomb somewhere in Prague, which I will need to go see. Upon further research(passed on to me by my mom) I found out that the conductor of the other opera I saw is pretty world famous. Also, the creators of it are some of the most famous names in Czech theatre, I am going to try again, on a night where one of the writers is acting. Naomi and I had a bet about the amount of curtain calls - I won- it was 6. Its insane.

Yesterday we didnt go to the cubist exhibit, but we did end up renting a row boat and going on the Vltava. Peter is a rower, and Adam and I are sort of afraid of potentially tippy things near large bodies of water, so it was an adventre. Peter and Adam are my two new czech canadian friends - both of czech parentage, but both go to queens. YAY TRANSLATORS.

I moved in with my family yesterday and it went well - this blog is not that long, because I keep on getting distracted - darn you gmail chat!!! I have pictures in my gmail account, and I am desperately trying to post them on here, soon, soon.

The family move went well, there is an obscene amount of food in the house, which of course isnt in the least bit surprising. I am going to the cemetary where my grandparents and aunt are tomorrow, which will be potentially emtional. The aunt I am staying with and I were both nervous about the move, my cousin was there to translate the initail move in yesterday, and once she left we sort of found away. Language dictionarys dont work so well, because it takes FOREVER to find the right way to say something.

I tried doing laundry today but couldnt for the life of me figure out how to use the washer, so I just did stuff by hand, which was totally fine because I had a radio. Which means I had INCREDIBLE 80s music, and a little mika and some "to the left, to the left". It was nice to wake up this morning and not have anything to do but what I chose to, and to have a flat to myself. I discovered that there are some flats in Prague that yuo can get for 250$ a month, including bills. Prague is becoming more and more appealing.

I need to look through my journal, and see what Im missing, because Im sure its tons. I saw a ferret on the tram the other day, which made my heart smile. This place is amazing - so many flowers - I see so many people with boquets everyday - I think thats what Vancouver needs more of. People buying boquets for their houses and to give to other people, because really, who doesnt like flowers?

Ok,
Ive been here much too long.

Love love love love love to you all

Dani

The being open theory works. Met two canadian Czechs at an art opening yesterday - we are off to another exhibition - cubism in the prague castle(not that the prague castle itself is cubist, just that there is an exihibition of...o Im sure you all figured that out already anyway). I think I will be leaving Prague July 6, for Vienna, then up to Frankfurt. I think Im typed that already.
Ok
I need to run

love love love love love to you all
Dani

Hellos and goodbyes

Time is short, yet again, but I need to write at least something, because it has been so long. I hope to have more time in the coming days.

A quick run down - we went to Cesky Krumlov and saw a BEAUTIFUl baroque theatre.

Its hard to write details knowing how little time I have - needless to say - Jackson and Naomi are both either in Vancouver, or on Planes there - so their adventure is done. We had a fabulous time, and Im sure they have many stories to tell you all over a drink(although drinking 4$ vancouver beer may be hard after the 1$ czech beer).

I will miss the two of them, and am interested to see how I go on my own, as Im sure many of you are too. Im not necessarily an alone person, so here is a life lesson that I am going to learn fast.

O, last night Naomi and I paid 2.50 each to see a Jazz Opera at the National Theatre, which sort of changed my life. I know what I want to do and what will make me happy, and its that. It was directed and designed by Milos Forman and his two sons, and was AMAZING. More about that next time.

I am now taking the blog over as my own, as my adventure is just beginning. I have another 2 months over here, and who knows what will happen.

Right now I am with Julek and Maureen for the evening and tomorrow I move in with my czech speaking family. I am scared, but I know I will have a ball. As it stand now, I am going to move on to Vienna on July 6th, and then up to Frankfurt on July 8, where I will meet Darren Boquist, who is coming to adventure with me for two weeks. We will then go to stockholm, london and brussels in about 8 days, and end up in amsterdam for a while, and then possibly go to paris. Then Darren will leave, and Ill have a month to wander europe.

I am in love with Prague, and this place is wonderful. The next week will be a challenge, but an adventure - and it is nice to know that I have Maureen and Julek here when I need them.
Open heart, open soul, open mind - as they say - thats what will get me through.

That being said, they are taking me to an art opening tonight, so I must run.

O, the closing line of the show last night was - the theatre is beauty- how right they are.

In case anyone was wondering, I have the best job in the world!

love, love, love, love, love to you all!

Dani

Thank you John Howard

My head should not hurt this much.

Thanks to the Australian Government I enjoyed a night of drinking on the town in Prague last night. We(myself, and my two, very good australian friends) found a bar and then a night club and downed many a beer, and some traditional czech shots. The Australians are being pretty much completely funded by their government and since it was a night of "research" for my friend heather(whom we all call charli) the government picked up the bill. Funnily enough, the decor in the club inspired Charli's Don Giovanni design, and she nailed down her concept on the tram today.
It was a fabulous night, and as a lover of bad 80s and early 90s pop I am in heaven here, because you hear it on every street corner.

The absinthe liquer is what did us in. It wasnt the real stuff, but it still tastes like burning. And makes your head hurt the next morning.

We had decided it was time to leave when we looked out the window and realised the sun was up. Charli has an extra bed in her hotel room so I crashed with her, and then got a fabulous breakfast care of the ibis hotel this morning.

This is what happens when two girls, one of which has czech blood and the other of which has hungarian gypsy blood, go out together in Prague. Alot of scamming for free stuff.

The two of us went to the Kampa Museum and art gallery, which is the gallery of modern art in Prague and which is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. Although the headaches made it more painful than it should have been. We then wandered up to the PQ, with ice creams in hand, which helped the heads, and I just heard a lecture about the history of costumes in the czech republic, which julek was translating

It is wonderful to find people that you can comfortably walk in silence with, and who think so much like you. Charli and I are soul sisters, I seem to have a few of those around the world, and its amazing how they find me and I find them.

I am an extremely lucky little gal.

The comment about americans in the last post, as Im sure you all realise, was born out of frustration. They really arent that bad :P.

There are vans outside the pq that run on canola oil and that are retracing the steps of st.cyril, stopping in various cities and talking to the locals to research language and do performance pieces born out of what they learn.

Have I mentioned that I adore prague?

Love love love love love to you all
Dani

Vast generalization -
Every American thinks that we say eh or aboot. Truly. They also seem to think that them giving us fruit is more important than us giving them soft lumber, energy and water.
We can get fruit elsewhere and we can grow our own.

Just an observation...

Getting into sold out czech theatre 101

How to get into a sold out show in Prague when you don't have reservations -
By Dani Fecko, as demonstrated by Charli from Australia and Dani, last night

1.) Call ahead to see if show is sold out, or just get tipped off, so that you know for sure going into the box office.

2.)Show up to the box office 3 to 4 hours before curtain.

3.) Walk up to box office attendant and ask for two tickets under your name

4.)Act very shocked and confused when they say they cant find them

5.)Give them another name to check under, claiming that your friend/instructor booked them for you(in this case, the head of the National Design School in Australia)

6.)All the while make sure one of you is doing most of the talking while the other one pitches to to stress the emtions like shock in awe, because you dont want your stories to cross

7.)When they don't find the tickets or names, act extremely shocked and slightly upset, claiming that you travelled really far to see this show and you don't understand why the reservations aren't there.

8.)Stress that you know it isnt the individual's fault, you were just really looking forward to the show

9.)Ask if there is ANYTHING they can do

10.)Act surprised and grateful when they say they can put your name on a list, in case people with reservations dont show up, and, failing that, they will put you on the floor on a pillow or in standing room.

11.)Thank them profusely, and confirm what time you should show up for your chance many times.

12.)Show up at said time(in this case 10 minutes to curtain). If you want, take a friend and get them to ask for their "reserved tickets" and be shocked that theirs got lost too.

13.) Wait about another 5 minutes, get called up, and then have your tickets sold to you.

14.)Enjoy FABULOUS Czech theatre.

How to see a sold out show in Prague when you DO have reservations.

1.)Show up more than 5 minutes before curtain so that your tickets dont get sold to cheeky austalian and canadian theatre students. Its only fair.

And thus concludes the lesson I learned last night.

O, and theatre here is wonderful - I am loving watching shows in other languages.

I also went to see a Dali and Mucha exhibit in Prague, which was fabulous. Chari(the australian girl) and I ended up finding each other at the PQ and spending a wonderful day together. The exhibit was fabulous, and we were lucky with timing, because one of the most intense rain storms I have ever seen started while we were inside. I started another workshop this morning, which was fun, and which let me play. We were given alot of materials and alot of creative freedom to create whatever we wanted, and it was nice.
Jackson and Naomi and I just went for chinese food. My body has missed Tofu in a big way.
This morning an old czech man started talking to me, until I told him I was english, and then we sort of tried to communicate for a while, as we rode the metro. It was a very interesting experience.

Love love love love love to you all

Dani

Things I have learned -

Zap straps are the universal fix it instrument in theatre. They are universal and universally AWESOME.

Theatre in other languages lets your imagination go wilder than usual.

After seeing a show in Czech, Comedy, Satire, Irony and Deeper Meaning makes a WHOLE lot more sense.

You can spot a theatre person a mile away.

Leggings are god's gift to unpredictable weather.

Beer CAN actually be cheaper than water.

Life is pretty incredible.

Watched a clown show in the middle of Prague yesterday that involved a pineapple being blown up, having rice thrown at me, a barbie being cut up, lit on fire, put into a fish and then blown into the sky, egg shells being hurdled at the audience, Italians in their underwear, and a toy mechanical cat being stomped on. Julek took us to Theatre Ypslin yesterday, which is this tiny theatre in the middle of Prague, one of hundreds it seems like, to see a show that we didnt understand, but all got a lot out of none the less.
I just noticed to time and need to run,

Prague makes my heart sing and my smile last from yesterday to tomorrow.

Love love love love love to you all

Hello all -
This is a rather quick post, as I have to go see a clown show in the middle of prague.
But the performance happened yesterday, and we are all very relieved that it is over, and we just got word that The Odyssey won the Jessie for Best Overall Production for Theatre for Young Audiences. It was a good day.

There is much that I need to write, but I dont think now is the time. It will happen soon.

Love love love love love to you all
Dani

Woke up to a phone call from Vancouver, and then went shopping with Jackson and Milada for breakfasty foods. We want to bring Milada, our host, home with us. As a present to all of you. Trust me, youd thank us. Jackson and I then went to DAMU which is one of the biggest theatre schools in prague to see their grad show which was INCREDIBLE. While there we happened across an amazing band consisting of an accordian, cello, violin and a stand up bass. The stand up bass player was wearing a cast but somehow was managing to play some of the happiest most, o my god is this happening music ever. I ran into the Ugandan stage manager again, who is a lovely man, and Jackson and I made friends with some Americans, who we might end up going out with tonight. Actually, we might end up going out with about 30 of them. It was great to have a conversation about politics with them, and see what the young people of the us really think.
I have discovered that theatre schools all over the world are the same - full of random bits in hallways, offices that are more like homes, old couches everywhere and creativity that you can almost breathe in.
O Jackson and I then went to charles bridge and I found a czech english dictionary at a second hand english bookstore. Yesterday was also a fabulous day, much of the same morning as Naomi, and then finishing off my workshop and going out with Julek and Maureen in the evening. The might take me to their place in the country when the PQ is over.

I am part of a family that transcends all boundaries. The theatrical family is so world wide, so vast and beautiful and yet so much the same. There are techs everywhere, there are designers everywhere, there are theatre schools in basements and theatre students that work harder than anyone on campass anywhere and there is love of art and thought and beauty and ugliness and creation everywhere. In the end, there is passion everywhere and all over the world there is a family of people brave enough to dive in and follow it.
I am so blessed to be a part of it.

Ha, well that was preachy, but thats what a meal of potato dumplings in cheese sauce, fried cheese, green beans fried in bacon and garlic and potato dumplings will do to you.

Yesterday I watched a man dance with a bulldozer in the middle of Prague.

Life is beautiful.

Love love love love love to you all.

Dani

I woke up today.

I think I've finally adjusted to Prague time. Some time this afternoon, a switch flipped and I realized I was having fun. So here, in point form, are some of the events of my day thus far...

- I was served champagne by a man in a white tux at the Brazil exhibit's opening, and was given two free books.
- Met a stage manager from Uganda
- Saw a performance of a duet for man and bulldozer.
- Read a great quote, "A great booing is a thousand times stronger and nobler than an ovation. Admirers corrupt you."
- Saw an incredible monkey puppet in the Czech exhibit, controlled by three puppeteers with strings and pulleys.
- Saw a student performance from Bulgaria that was incredible (too hard to describe in point form).
- Heard a lecture by an Israeli scenographer (Ronnie something) that was so inspiring.
- Went 'bird watching', which is a runway of sod out front of the building with a woman in a bird costume strutting, and a square of sod 20' away with a lawnchair and binoculars.

Now I'm thinking about fried cheese and beer. And the heartburn it will likely bring.

It feels great to have woken up, and there's so much to soak in!

Naomi

ps... To explain the title of my last posting, it only took us 30 min to walk back.

I want to try to describe ,my day, but don't know where to start.
Im simple terms Im standing in the PQ dripping sweat, I just spent 4 hours walking right across all of Prague with the Serb and Oz(the Oz girl and I both did projects on A Streetcar Named Desire to get into Theatre school and have disgusting amounts in common). We went to a restaurant where we ordered by pointing and hoping for the best(the meals were chicken with peach and cheese, chicken in potato pancakes and fried, and chicked with herbs, nuts and cheese, and were all huge, greasy and delicious). Then we presented our project and got comments from the head of the National Theatre school in Slovenia and a Serbian Architect.
I realised that our group had the most relaxed approach, other groups were stressing out about it, and had been working late.
We were lucky to read a piece of text and let it evoke discussion about our views on world politics, the economic states of our countries, which operas we like the most, the importance of the innocence of children, the best clubs in our city, and really nothing at all.
Thats what theatre is - not stress, not competition, it is bringing people from all walks of life together and evoking thought, friendship and discussion.

Love love love love love to you all
Dani

It's always shorter on the way home

Well, day 4 was one of those days that makes great stories but just makes your feet tired when you're in it.

Jackson and I went to find the venue where we'll be performing on Tuesday. An hour and a half later, we finally found the place (after asking for directions three times, and stumbling on a Czech ritzy tennis club). It is so perfect for our show. I haven't managed to upload photos yet, but they'll be coming. The place is a museum that used to be a factory or something and we get to use this underground vaulted brick room with weird machinery and a huge pool of weird looking water. It's perfect!

The PQ has been much as Dani described... so much information that it kind of washes over me. Very inspiring and intimidating and terrific.

Yay!

Its 430pm and Im exhausted, but I cant not blog about my day.
I had my first day at the PQ today and words do not exist to explain what this is.
Its
Its

Its something else. I spent the last 3 hours in a back alley pub in Prague with the 3 other people that found comedy in the story I read in my workshop. 2 serbs and a girl from oz who is a fast friend with me. We spoke about clowns, politics, theatre, slang, language, americans being silly, pragu, architecture, and so much more. After the Australian government paid for my beer, the Oz girl and I wandered Prague finding pictures that showed comedy through irony in the architecture and people of this city.
The PQ is life changing. I cant believe Im only on day 2.
Yesterdat we bought 8 large bottles of beer and a bottle of wine for under 10 dollars.
I dont know whether to laugh, cry or sleep.

There is s much more to tell but I think you would need to be here.
None of this is real, and yet this is the most present Ive felt in ages.

Love, love love love love to you all
Dani

O yes
Jackson arrives in about an hour!

Hello all!

Well, Naomi and I have made it to this beautiful city and couldn't be more thrilled about it. We flew over with a good friend, Jay Havens, and the flights went well. During our stop over in Amsterdam we even had time to visit the art gallery that is in the airport.
When we arrove in Prague(and went through the easiest customs ever, seriously, this country is easy to get into) we were delighted to find Julek waiting for us. Julek is a director from Prague who we both worked with at Studio, and who was a huge help in getting us here. We caught a shuttle to our HUGE apartment, and we greeted by the host's son and his three year old son. He had bought us some food to get us started, which was lovely. (Sidenote, even inside, the sweat is pouring down my face - it is super warm here. yes, thats right, super warm)We showered and settled in and the wandered the neighbourhood and met Julek for a drink and dinner, and more drinks. For a HUGE meal, 2 beers and a gin it was about $10. What a deal. Luckily we had Julek with us to keep us out so we could adjust to Prague time and to help us order. He took us to a Simpson's themed restaurant. Sitting in the middle of Prague, hearing nothing but Czech being spoken, eating nothing my starch and meat and seeing the Simpsons hand painted on the wall while listening to the latest of the american chart toppers is quite the experience indeed.
We both awoke in the middle of the night to the birds(normally I would try to be poetic and say the symphony of birds, but really, it wasnt, it was a raquet of a lot of REALLY loud birds right outside our window...luckily we arent at the apartment James(another friend from Vancouver) and all are staying at, as they have a ghost tour that walks outside there window and until the wee hours hear the "ghost" jump out at people and then the approprite sceams...I suppose birds arent really that bad) ANYWAYS, birds at 3 or 4 am and then we fell back asleep. Luckily Naomi was up when she was, because my battery charger blew up and is now a melted mess, so there goes that theory. James called us in the morning and we met him, Jay, Amber, Mariejka, Tammy and Evelyn at the PQ. Getting there involved a walk and a bit of a run around figuring out how to buy tram tickets. The PQ is huge, and I start my first workshop tomorrow. I am in it from 10am until 7pm for 4 days. It should be quite the adventure. We also had 50 cent hot dogs. Yummy.
After that James walked and metroed with Naomi and I back into town, where we left him to go back to his apartment. We went to the tourist traps, and walked across Charles Bridge, then found the TESCO hypermarket where we bought 5$ wine, as well as shampoo, tape and soap. I want to buy shampoo and wine in the same store everywhere.
There is more to tell and this has jumped around alot, but time is running out.
Love love love love love to you all
Dani

Three days to go!

Three days before Dani and I fly out... and so much to do.
Whee!