ENTERTAINMENT

PANTHER POST

‘Lesson “ « efrom page 12

own knowledge, and as he gets more and more into his lesson, he becomes more and more sort of obsessed with himself. The lesson starts getting more intense and there’s this build and build of tension.

Would you say the maid and the student are stock characters? Or do _ they have characters of their own that can _ interplay with yours?

The pupil’s character...we

slowly shift roles almost, and my character slowly deteriorates.

[At this point Fraser MacCallum, one of the producers, joins us.]

What makes you excited about doing The Lesson? FP: 1. vreally “like :. the collaborative nature of the team, like everyone’s around the same level of experience. Everyone has a lot of ideas, creatively, productively, a lot of sharing of roles.

C: A lot of crossover, a lot of overlap.

F: Yeah, brainstorming. And horizontal backscratching. C: It’s nice because we’re peers, and we do have a lot

of similar experience, so no-

one really has any inhibitions in terms of like, you know, if you have a direction idea, nobody’s scared to share it. It’s very collaborative.

F: Also looking forward to giving things a bit of comedic twist. A lot of our past comedies are a bit darker, and this one..it’s just absolutely absurd.[laughter]

View from the Runway

By Adelee MacNevin Post Contributor

I was afraid there’d only be bitches in heels at my first Fashion Week in Toronto, but my trip was actually a fantastic, adrenaline-filled week.

When I first arrive at Nathan Phillips Square, it was obvi- ous where I needed to go. There were three huge white tents filling one end of the square, and already a mass of people waiting to enter. After asking a volunteer, I found out I can enter through the line-free media entrance. I wa giddy already—I hate waiting in line-ups, but who doesn’t?

I entered into a huge room with a bar in the centre, and every corner was filled with sponsor displays including companies like LG, L’Oreal, and DHL. A closer look at the bar revealed the avail- able food: model-sized sand- wiches for six bucks.

That'd keep me full for, oh, about half an hour. I reach

the far end, and after flash- ing my media pass, I was

ushered right into the run-

way room. My media pass is a VIP pass around here! I make a mental note to watch over this golden ticket with my life.

In the runway room, the glossy white runway is trod- den by people who are set- ting up, and the beat of the music is so loud, you can feel your heart and lungs compress a little with each thump. The room _ isn’t packed, as the designer isn’t super popular yet, and I like that for my first show: less pressure, heat, and BO, and I get a seat. The lights dim, and the show begins.

My worries vanish and I feel a gush of excitement. I sit back and enjoy the show, as the models strut down the runway, revealing what’s to come for Fall/Winter ‘09 style, elbowing my photog- rapher to make sure she gets a picture when I spot an out- fit I like.

While Fashion Week holds a lot of hype, it’s really an

industry trade show, so it’s a week full of business deal- ings like networking, . and plans to sell and buy. The fashions displayed during

this March show are Fall/.

Winter ‘09 collections, and it may seem odd to consum- ers that just as they’re antici- pating the end of winter, the fashion industry is planning for the next winter. How- ever, the industry needs time for logistics, as early fall collections will be in stores by August.

Not all business, though, fashion week included some time for charity, as the Heart Truth Fashion show demon- strated. Celebrities modeled dresses, each by different de- signers, in a show aimed to raise awareness of heart dis- ease in women. Even more inspiring was Psalms 91:1, a company run by 24-year-old jewelry designer Sally Han who gives back by helping diverse groups such as Na- tive Americans and women in Africa by teaching jew- elry making and by selling their resulting wares.

C: It’s fresh too. We keep it fresh.

F:Aguy who’sjustcommitted to help us with this project is Jeremy Larter, who is one of the best filmmakers round the Island right now. He’s done ProfilePEI, and Jiggers, and he’s up for doing it.

So the play isn’t entirely developed when you take it on, or is there room to elaborate on the characters yourself?

F: Well, I think we have an understanding that when we take it on..for the last two plays there has been room to

Tara Spencer-Nairn, from CTV’s Corner Gas, in a dress

improve.

C: And not worry about what —I don’t want to drop names, but — not worry about what ‘dude’ is gonna think about it, or what academics will think about it, it doesn’t matter. We just wanna entertain! We just wanna entertain.

F: Are you not entertained? Stagings will take place April 2-4 at the Guild, curtain up at 8 pm. General admission is $12, buy your tickets in advance at the The Guild’s box office. This Lesson is for entertainment purposes only.

from The Heart Truth fashion show. MacNever Photo

Sally Han’s designs are gaining in popularity and have been worn by celebri- ties such as Hayden Panet- tiere, Stacey McKenzie, and Deborah Cox.

By the end of the week, I have experienced a total of nine fashion shows, and I

feel unofficially inaugurated into professional status at fashion week—my feet are killing me!

I say goodbye for now, but I will return to this high-en- ergy environment in Octo- ber for the next onslaught of fashion.

BE eniahcnsieaihe