Toronto is Treating Me Well

One week into Toronto and I can safely say this is my favorite city so far!  Of course, no city is as good to me as New York City...but damn, Toronto is sure coming close!   

Perhaps what I am loving so much is my set up.  My new digs are pretty fancy!  My room is super comfortable and decorated how my sweet imaginary studio in Midtown Manhattan or loft in Williamsburg should be decorated. I even have a full kitchen, which means I can make oatmeal with honey every morning for breakfast.  (My favorite!)  The theatre is a skip away!  I found an amazing local coffee shop a hop away.  The martini bar downstairs stays open late after the shows, is delicious, and has some pretty sweet jazz music on the weekends.  There's a more than sufficient gym and spa free of charge on the 5th floor, and a delicious and cheap diner can be found just around the corner!  

Perhaps what I'm loving so much is the company in Toronto!  On Friday night I met some cute jazz musicians who plan to take me around to the "hipster" side of Toronto on Thursday.  On Sunday, I met some local Toronto actors who came to the show.  Then they invited me to a party in a schmancy fancy three story house where we drank champagne and danced until two or three!  And this evening, I celebrated a cast mates's birthday at a cozy restaurant!  We talked about the families and friends we missed and traded stories about how we had spent our Mondays off in Toronto...It's wonderful when the people you work with aren't just great actors, but also great people!   

Perhaps what I'm loving so much is performing the show in Toronto!!  The Canon Theatre is like dessert after the huge theatres in Portland and Seattle.  The Canon feels super intimate, and the Toronto audiences are smart and eager and so very awake!  I don't have any trouble keeping up my energy here.  Every night I find I can't wait to get out on stage!  And really, out of everything, isn't the show why I'm here in the first place?

Yesterday, after a matinee performance, a group of college kids yelled out after me as I was leaving the theatre, "You have the best life ever!!"  I smiled.  I would have to agree. I have been very fortunate and life is pretty dang good right now!  Working in theatre is a beautiful and exciting way to spend one's time, and life.  

Toronto is treating me well.  

--  Emily Kinney