It’s time for another instalment of touring with Shield Maiden!
Team SM is hitting the road again, this time it’s a big one! With a show on hometown turf, Gabriola as a kick off date, Melanie and production manager, Sandy Cumberland, make their way to the Vancouver area. We have one night in Surrey then a run of shows in Coquitlam.
Touring with Shield Maiden is always a joy. We usually kick every tour off with a ferry across the Salish Sea. For me, that always feels like like an official start. Both Sandy and I live on islands so it feels like a true Viking foray starting every tour with a boat.
The costume and set pieces for the show are minimal which makes the show “light on its feet”. That’s theatre speak for easy to load in and out. The entire costume fits in one suitcase. Well, except for the sword. We had the shield modified to fold and fit into a suitcase and that’s how we’ve travelled with it to date. For this round, I’m going to rent a sword and Shield from the National Theatre of London once we hit that big city.
Touring with Shield Maiden is one of the best parts of this show for me. I love new theatre communities. The tech crew and management are always so kind and helpful and so far, they have done nothing but show love for the show and gratitude that we brought fresh, challenging material to their audiences.
This tour has brought support from local theatres as well as from the High Commission of Canada. They are providing extra financial support to Artdepot for our London show. But that is only the tip of the iceberg of support they have provided to me as an artist.
Touring with Shield Maiden has been a challenge as well as a gift. I am self produced which means I pay for it all. And I am lucky! The show has been successful enough over the last seven years to cover most of its own costs. That is rare in the arts world. Especially since covid. The High Commission has offered invaluable advice and helped me make connections that will ensure future tours across the UK. As well, the consulates all talk with each other. My hope for the years to come included touring with Shield Maiden to Nordic countries and beyond.
I have been so fortunate. Live performance has changed my life and brought so many people across my path that I would never have encountered. What a gift! Try to catch the show if you can. It is my absolute joy and privilege to share it with each of you. Sköl!
