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Vancouver on the Cheap: The Cold Reading Series

If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled "cheap" and the other labeled "awesome", the middle point where they cross over could be labeled "Vancouver on the Cheap".

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If you were to create a Venn diagram where one circle was labeled "cheap" and the other labeled "awesome", the middle point where they cross over could be labeled "Vancouver on the Cheap". In other words, this is a weekly series on things to do and places to go in Vancouver that fall into that magical category of being both cheap and awesome.

One thing Vancouver is full of is artists. From the plethora of people needed for all those movies and TV shows that get filmed up here to the digital artists working away downtown, to the multitude of theatre companies, art galleries, fashion designers, and more, we're packed full of people who create things for a living (or for fun, or while they're earning a living elsewhere).

An awesome side effect of all these artists is that they like to have a lot of side projects, to make their own work, and to try something new, which means you get some really innovative stuff happening. Innovative stuff like the Cold Reading Series.

The Cold Reading Series is a weekly event where actors do cold reads of screenplays in development. A cold read, for the few Vancouverites who aren't trying to be actors or friends with people who are trying to be actors, is when actors perform a script without ever having read it before. It's great because the actors get to practice that little thing called "being in the moment" and "reacting to their instincts", and the writers get to hear their work out loud and gauge audience responses. Then, of course, the audience gets to be entertained by these live, unrehearsed performances.

The icing on this cake? You can go check out the Cold Reading Series at the Backstage Lounge every Monday night for a recommended donation of $5. That's cheap as all get-out!

A group of actors getting ready to read their scripts for the first time.

The Cold Reading Series is run by local actress and producer Lori Triolo, who I got to chat with a bit about the series.

Why did you start the Cold Reading Series?

The Cold Reading Series launched 20 years ago under the leadership of Angus Fraser and Kathy Duborg. In 1993 a lot of us were working actors but were beginning to create our own work as well. Angus and Kathy recognized that the indie scene was starting to come alive and they wanted to create an environment where that work could be nurtured.

Angus pitched me the idea when I moved to Vancouver in 1993 as I had just moved to Vancouver from NYC and Angus spent every Fall and Winter there. We'd both been attending an event every week in NYC hosted by Naked Angels theatre company called Tuesday's @ 9 where they brought the best actors and playwrights in NYC together to share brand new works. Angus thought it could work great in Vancouver and he decided to include film and tv scripts as well. I participated as an actor for the first 10 years and then was asked to take over producing duties which I have done for the past 10 years.

Can you tell me about a particularly memorable night?

In the 20 years that the CRS has been up and running there have been many memorable nights in the 6 venues we have hosted from. We began in an office at Praxis Centre for Screenwriters when it was on Water Street. We crammed 50 folks in there.

We grew and moved to Studio J which was at the sketchiest part of Hastings Street. We had many a hot night there. On in particular that stands out was "Media Night". Angus invited producers from local TV and film to come and hear some new material. Ben Ratner was writing a screenplay for he and I that we read that night. It went over big. After the night we were approached by the proucer/creators of locally shot TV show "Madison" and asked if we would be interested in playing those same roles on their show. Pretty awesome.

Have you seen this as a launching pad for peoples' careers?

The CRS has launched many careers for writers, actors and directors alike. Most of the top working actors, writers and teachers in this city have spent time at The Cold Reading Series honing their craft. A writer will often get introduced to an actor they have never met by seeing/hearing them read and then began to write with that particular actor in mind. It's how many great partnerships were formed over the last 20 years.

What can a "regular joe" (someone not working in film, TV, or theatre) get out of this night?

The CRS is also a big party every week. The audience is a huge part of this event as it is designed for the writers to hear their words out loud and get instant feedback whether that be a laugh or a sob. The writer gets a feel for how their dialogue is working in front of a captive audience.

If you are a "Regular Joe"/non-industry type looking for a good time its a great event and a great venue. We are thrilled to be partnering up with The Backstage Lounge on Granville Island as well as working with The Arts Club with cross promotions supporting the theatre community. Admission is a $5 suggested donation. You can grab a burger and a beer and hang out and watch some magic unfold in a low pressure environment.

The "Regular Joe's" often get inspired to take a chance and either write something through one of the many challenges we put out to the community, or they eventually find the courage to throw their name in the hat to be considered for casting, which happens at 7pm.

The casting session - it happens at 7pm every Monday!

The Cold Reading Series

Mondays at 8pm

The Backstage Lounge (1585 Johnston Street)