Help Fund the Premiere of How I Met My Mother
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PLEASE HELP FUND JON'S FIRST SOLO-CREATED SHOW
Hello my friends!
This summer, I plan on touring my first solo-created show to several Fringe Festivals across Canada.
How I Met My Mother are two intertwined and personal stories; my adventures as a mis-guided and unruly teenager crossed with my adventures as my mom's care-giver. Any donation helps with production costs, no matter the amount.
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THE SHOW
This show has been a few years in the making. In 2015 I moved in with Mom to care for her while she was battling dementia. At that time, her and I had a great relationship, but that was not always the case. My teenage years were mostly spent as Mom's adversary, and the road from "bad-ass" to care-giver made for an interesting story. I thought so, at least!
Sadly, Mom passed away in 2018 and it took a few years of processing before I could try to contemplate putting words on paper, so to speak. Luckily I found mentorship with Megan Phillips, TJ Dawe and Ryan Gladstone and in early 2021 I finally had a first draft.
For a director, I wanted to work with someone who was not only a person I trusted, but someone who was a mother herself. My first and obvious choice was Vanessa Quesnelle.
How I Met My Mother is a testament to my Mom's unconditional love and care, and a reflection on the power of redemption. It's also pretty funny!
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THE PRODUCTION
As you probably know, self-producing theatre is an expensive and daunting undertaking. Although Fringe Festivals have made it easier on independent theatre artists by providing the bulk of the infrastructure, overall costs can still run into the thousands of dollars. Fringe fees, advertising, printing and artists fees are some of the major expenses associated with a theatre production and outside of box-office revenues, a fundraiser is important and necessary to generate income and mitigate expenses. A small donation can go a long way. Please see below, this summer's budget for How I Met My Mother.
*Please note: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to your GoFundMe.
*Please note: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to your GoFundMe.
HOW I MET MY MOTHER - 2022 PROPOSED BUDGET
Fringe Application Fees
- Saskatoon Application Fee - $690.00
- Saskatoon Processing Fee - $60
- Winnipeg Application Fee - $750.00
- Winnipeg Processing Fee - $25.00
- Ottawa Application Fee - $660.00
- Ottawa Processing Fee - $30.00
- *Vancouver Application Fee - $650.00
- Credit Card Interest - $85.30
Artist Fees
- Director Fee - $2,000.00
- Dramaturg Fee - $750.00
Marketing and Advertising
- Social Media Advertising $750.00
- Print Advertising $250.00
Travel
- Vancouver – Ottawa- $2191.60
- Ottawa – Winnipeg - $65.00
- Winnipeg – Saskatoon - $79.00
- Saskatoon - Edmonton - $48.99
- Edmonton – Vancouver - $50.50
TOTAL: $7135.39
- Thank you for supporting live and independent theatre. Without your help, productions like this would not be possible. See you in the summer!
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HOW I MET MY MOTHER MEDIA RELEASE
FRINGE VETERAN TACKLES DEMENTIA IN FIRST SOLO-WRITTEN SHOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MARCH 2022
Vancouver, BC – After close to 3 decades on the Fringe circuit, RibbitRePublic's Jonathon Paterson is bringing his first solo-written show to festivals across Canada.
Originally conceived of during his time as a care-giver, How I Met My Mother focuses on 2 threads in time between Paterson and his mother; in one, he is a troubled and rambunctious teen, and the other, he's his mom's live-in care-giver.
Although this new show was written in the past year, it has taken several for Paterson to put pen to paper, so to speak.
“I always thought that my bad-ass to care-giver story could be an interesting one,” explains Paterson, “but it took me awhile to not only process but to begin to flesh out the story.”
“While mom was going through her dementia journey, her care was really the only thing we focused on, It wasn't until a few years after her passing that I actually began to write.”
SOLO-CREATION WORKSHOP SPURS INSPIRATION
How I Met My Mother is directed by Vanessa Quesnelle (Inescapable) and dramaturged by Ryan Gladstone (Monster Theatre), Megan Phillips and TJ Dawe.
“Having a group of mentors who I admire obviously really helped,” Paterson said. “TJ and Megan run a solo-creation workshop, and without their help, this would still be swimming around in my head. Every week we would bring in a piece of writing and with their support, and the support of the class as a whole, I felt really inspired to create.'
“With Vanessa, well, I felt it was important that I had a mother direct me. Someone with that balance of maternal instincts and drive to build a show. Not to mention the fact that she is an amazing director.”
FRINGE COMPANY ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S OLDEST
RibbitRePublic Theatre has been touring the North American Fringe Festival circuit since 2000, making it one of North America's oldest Fringe touring companies.
It has a long history of producing critically-acclaimed and award-winning shows including Inescapable (with Concrete Drops – Soho Playhouse, Off-Broadway), House (Outstanding Solo Show, London Fringe, Outstanding Male Performance, Orlando Fringe), BoyGroove (Dora Award winner), and Best Picture (Producer's Pick, London Fringe).
RibbitRePublic is a 20x Best-of-Fest winner with over a hundred Fringe Festivals to it's credit.
HOW I MET MY MOTHER PSA
An irresponsible bachelor answers the call to care for his ailing mother, while reckoning with his bad-ass past. But will his new-found skills be enough? A true story of love, family and the power of redemption.
25 year Fringe veteran Jon Paterson (Outstanding Solo Show – London, Outstanding Male Performance – Orlando) premieres his first solo-written show on the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit. How I Met My Mother will be touring this summer to the Ottawa, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringe Festivals.
Please visit RibbitRePublic.com for more information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MARCH 2022
Vancouver, BC – After close to 3 decades on the Fringe circuit, RibbitRePublic's Jonathon Paterson is bringing his first solo-written show to festivals across Canada.
Originally conceived of during his time as a care-giver, How I Met My Mother focuses on 2 threads in time between Paterson and his mother; in one, he is a troubled and rambunctious teen, and the other, he's his mom's live-in care-giver.
Although this new show was written in the past year, it has taken several for Paterson to put pen to paper, so to speak.
“I always thought that my bad-ass to care-giver story could be an interesting one,” explains Paterson, “but it took me awhile to not only process but to begin to flesh out the story.”
“While mom was going through her dementia journey, her care was really the only thing we focused on, It wasn't until a few years after her passing that I actually began to write.”
SOLO-CREATION WORKSHOP SPURS INSPIRATION
How I Met My Mother is directed by Vanessa Quesnelle (Inescapable) and dramaturged by Ryan Gladstone (Monster Theatre), Megan Phillips and TJ Dawe.
“Having a group of mentors who I admire obviously really helped,” Paterson said. “TJ and Megan run a solo-creation workshop, and without their help, this would still be swimming around in my head. Every week we would bring in a piece of writing and with their support, and the support of the class as a whole, I felt really inspired to create.'
“With Vanessa, well, I felt it was important that I had a mother direct me. Someone with that balance of maternal instincts and drive to build a show. Not to mention the fact that she is an amazing director.”
FRINGE COMPANY ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S OLDEST
RibbitRePublic Theatre has been touring the North American Fringe Festival circuit since 2000, making it one of North America's oldest Fringe touring companies.
It has a long history of producing critically-acclaimed and award-winning shows including Inescapable (with Concrete Drops – Soho Playhouse, Off-Broadway), House (Outstanding Solo Show, London Fringe, Outstanding Male Performance, Orlando Fringe), BoyGroove (Dora Award winner), and Best Picture (Producer's Pick, London Fringe).
RibbitRePublic is a 20x Best-of-Fest winner with over a hundred Fringe Festivals to it's credit.
HOW I MET MY MOTHER PSA
An irresponsible bachelor answers the call to care for his ailing mother, while reckoning with his bad-ass past. But will his new-found skills be enough? A true story of love, family and the power of redemption.
25 year Fringe veteran Jon Paterson (Outstanding Solo Show – London, Outstanding Male Performance – Orlando) premieres his first solo-written show on the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit. How I Met My Mother will be touring this summer to the Ottawa, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringe Festivals.
Please visit RibbitRePublic.com for more information.
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ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
JONATHON PATERSON - Writer and Performer
Jonathon Paterson has been working in the theatre industry for the past 30 years and is the most recent Technical and Artistic Director of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool, NS.
Jonathon studied both performance and production at Macewan University in Edmonton in 1997, where he co-founded the independent touring theatre company, RibbitRePublic. This company now has a twenty year touring record around North America, and has performed at various festivals including the Orlando Fringe Festival, Fresno Rouge Festival, Canoe Theatre Festival, The Centaur Wildside Festival, Vancouver Comedy Festival and Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.
As a producer, Jon founded the French Quarter Hub at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2012. He has co-managed 3 venues (over 15 performing acts) in the hub every year, with attendance peaking at over 20, 000 patrons. French Quarter Hub was the first of it's kind in Canada, modelling after the hub-based Fringes in Adelaide and Edinburgh. Jonathon also has over 2 dozen producing credits and over 20 years with RibbitRePublic, overseeing everything from marketing, promotions, web design, poster design, lighting design, stage managing, accounting, social media etc. After being laid off from the Astor Theatre due to Covid-19, Jonathon created, on a volunteer basis, FringeLiveStream, an online platform for live performances. Since May of 2020, FringeLiveStream has been able to return thousands of dollars to independent artists.
As a performer, Jonathon has been seen at every major Fringe Festival in North America, with over one hundred festivals and 25 years under his belt. He has also worked with Vertigo Mystery Theatre, National Stiltwalkers of Canada, Monster Theatre, Theatre Prospero, Zero Gravity Circus, Workshop West Theatre, Mayfield Dinner Theatre and most recently, Off-Broadway's Soho Playhouse.
As a technician, Jon has served as the Technical Director of the Astor Theatre in Liverpool, Nova Scotia and Monster Theatre in Vancouver, BC. He has been a theatre venue technician since 2011, and has worked with London Fringe Festival, Waterfront Theatre, French Quarter Hub, Theatre Prospero and Silver Skate Winter Festival. Jonathon has several years of experience in sound and video production and over a decade experience in lighting and design. Most recently, Jonathon has adapted to the current climate and learned to stream tech for online content.
Jon is also a stilt-walker, stage manager, poster designer, and Winnipeg Jets fan.
RYAN GLADSTONE - Dramaturg
Founder and Artistic Director of Monster Theatre, Ryan is the creative force behind Monster Theatre, though he loves collaborating with other artists. Ryan has written, co-written, produced, directed or acted in every Monster Theatre production. Ryan holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Calgary, an MFA in Directing from the University of British Columbia and is a 10 year veteran of Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre. Ryan is currently working as a writer, director, actor, teacher and improviser in Vancouver. Ryan is happily married to the beautiful and talented Michelle Field and they have two children Felix and Beatrix.
TJ DAWE - Dramaturg
TJ Dawe tours autobiographical monologues, teaches solo performance online, writes humour articles for various websites, co-creates pop culture parodies and co-hosts The Enneagram in a Movie podcast. You can find his stuff at www.tjdawe.ca.
MEAGAN PHILLIPS - Dramaturg
Megan co-wrote and co-starred in People Suck, a musical airing of grievances, with her Creative Life Partner Peter Cavell, People Suck won a bunch of awards at the Toronto Fringe (Ed Mirvish Entrepreneurial Award, Patron's Pick, Best of Fringe), and is currently in development with Second City Theatricals.
Select theatre performances include: Evelyn in Homecoming King (world premiere, 30 Below Theatre), Fay in Here on the Flight Path (Metro Theatre), Gertie in Oklahoma! (Theatre Under the Stars), Helena in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Applause), My Fair Lady (Gateway Theatre), The Sound of Music (Gateway Theatre).
Megan holds a BA (Music Hons) from the University of Western Ontario, and an MA (Musical Theatre Performance) from Mountview Academy in London, England. She studied at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City, and really, REALLY loves wombats.
Megan coaches private lessons in both vocal and performance technique, does mind-body healing things for others and had a network marketing company. No it's not a pyramid scheme. She doesn't think. She does improv and sketch comedy in various venus around Vancouver, BC, and sometimes she'll do stand-up comedy.
TJ DAWE - Dramaturg
TJ Dawe tours autobiographical monologues, teaches solo performance online, writes humour articles for various websites, co-creates pop culture parodies and co-hosts The Enneagram in a Movie podcast. You can find his stuff at www.tjdawe.ca.
MEAGAN PHILLIPS - Dramaturg
Megan co-wrote and co-starred in People Suck, a musical airing of grievances, with her Creative Life Partner Peter Cavell, People Suck won a bunch of awards at the Toronto Fringe (Ed Mirvish Entrepreneurial Award, Patron's Pick, Best of Fringe), and is currently in development with Second City Theatricals.
Select theatre performances include: Evelyn in Homecoming King (world premiere, 30 Below Theatre), Fay in Here on the Flight Path (Metro Theatre), Gertie in Oklahoma! (Theatre Under the Stars), Helena in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Applause), My Fair Lady (Gateway Theatre), The Sound of Music (Gateway Theatre).
Megan holds a BA (Music Hons) from the University of Western Ontario, and an MA (Musical Theatre Performance) from Mountview Academy in London, England. She studied at Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City, and really, REALLY loves wombats.
Megan coaches private lessons in both vocal and performance technique, does mind-body healing things for others and had a network marketing company. No it's not a pyramid scheme. She doesn't think. She does improv and sketch comedy in various venus around Vancouver, BC, and sometimes she'll do stand-up comedy.
VANESSA QUESNELLE - Director
Vanessa Quesnelle is currently based in Brooklyn, NY, but hails from London, Ontario. Vanessa has created two theatrical solo shows, The Abyss Burrow and Luna. Prior to this, some of her acting credits include Amy in Company (Fountainhead Productions), Nurse Wilson in 7 Stories, Pierrette in Les Belles Soeurs, Helena in Midsummer Night’s Dream (Passionfool Theatre), Suzanne in Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Theatre Woodstock), Margot Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank (Theatre Woodstock), Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream (CAST), Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie (QP Productions). She is the Co-Founder of Concrete Drops Theatre, where she has co-written and appeared in Oh, That Wily Snake!, The Pit, Love Is A Battlefield, and Moonlight After Midnight. She is the Director of Martin Dockery's award-winning Inescapable, which appeared Off-Broadway at the Soho Playhouse.
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LINKS
Organizer
Jonathon Paterson
Organizer
Vancouver, BC