Encyclopedia News and Issues-Feb 21

[Gaetan Charlebois]

Hello All!

Well, here's a doozy: the encyclopedia has had nearly 10,000 hits and only
one person, this week, contacted me to say that the heading for every
single page has the word spelled: "Encylopedia." I feel sort of stupid and
sort of delighted because it is a wonderful enigma why no one else caught
it.

Meanwhile, word of the site has spread like a wildfire (to beat a cliche
like a dead horse). People are sending in profiles from all over the
country and the world (and like I commented to a reluctant profilee
recently, Canadians living abroad, particularly in the States, are much
less worried about self-promotion...I wish more were like them and let the
light out of the bushel once in a while).

Things are slow, on Heavenly Voices, but crackling away in Reviews; the new
feature - Program! - hasn't found its legs yet - perhaps because it
requires a certain technical knowledge to send me a banner by e-mail. But
let me say this, for those of you out there who are desperately trying to
ignore the power of the internet, I have been designing web sites for four
years now and traffic grows from week to week (no matter the sludge that's
out there); those who know how to use this amazing tool are going to be
leaving the rest in the dust. (Particularly since the new Macs feature a
search-the-Web gadget that is absolutely astounding.) Kids in gradeschool
now know how to design sites (and banners to promote them). Theatre artists
need to learn how to do this (the same way we learned how to use
computerized light boards and mailing lists). We have to get young people
into theatres (to work and to spectate) and, I am learning daily from the
enormous reaction to the web site, that the internet can spark interest in
theatre or keep a timid fire burning a little longer. It's information and
we all know just how difficult it is to get information about Canadian
theatre to kids via the other routes they favour (TV, magazines, etc...).

One more thing - a little depressing, but necessary to consider: does
anyone have any ideas what I can do to protect the site, the archives and
the info if, say, I was to be hit by a car? Drop me a line.

In the meantime, let's celebrate. Use Program!, Heavenly Voices and Reviews
to let the world know about the theatre around you.

New Profiles:
Betts, Jim (Writer, composer, producer)
Hidalgo, Christina (Stage manager)
Brennan, Kit (Playwright)
Famous People Players (Company)
Morse, Barry (Actor)
Dolan, John (Actor)
Theatre Il Va Sans Dire (Company)

Updates:
Atlantic Theatre Festival (Closes its doors); Documents of Interest (The
Rideau Vert stamp); Reviews; Heavenly Voices; Musical Theatre; Children's
Theatre; Young People's Theatre; Greenberg, J.; Chalmers Awards; Dora Mavor
Moore Awards; "Aurore, l'enfant martyre"; Barry, F.; Designing; Lue Shue,
A.; Theatre du Rideau Vert; Palomino, M.; Brind'Amour, Y.; Sources; Brewer,
G.; Tondino, G.;  Ross, T.; Learning, W.; Ball, M.; Colicos, J.; Shaw
Festival;  "The Melville Boys"; Alternative Theatre; "Cabaret Neiges
Noires"; Arteau, L.; Caron, J.F.; Champagne, D.; "La Repetition"; Mitchell,
W.O.

Cheers.

Gaetan L. Charlebois (Editor, The Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre on the
WWW) http://www.canadiantheatre.com
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