I’m so excited to announce the new show I’m in this June – called “Callistro The Great”! It’s Brave New Productions 8th original show and directed by the wonderful Emma McQueen. I sat the cast down to ask them some great questions about the show – so you could learn more and hopefully buy tickets! Take a look!
Ready to buy tickets?
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It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a video, and while there are a few incredible videos coming online in 2012, this… isn’t one of them!
This is what happens when I have too much free time on my hands and felt like experimenting with some of the special effect apps on my ipad!
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I don’t know how to drive.
I mean, I still do it, I just have no idea what I’m doing. I fly through red lights. Flood the engine. Strip the gears. No, that’s not true. I don’t even know what that means. Strip the gears? I have a visual, but it’s probably not right, of a gear dancing up on a stage bent over a pole while other car parts try to stick dollar bills in it’s g-string. Sure, the gear tells you it’s just trying to work it’s way through college, but somewhere deep down you know the life of easy money and cheap crack will suck it in.
Where was I?
I actually don’t know how to drive. I don’t have a license, have never had a license and though I’m fairly sure I could start a car and move it, I’m pretty sure I would only end up moving it as close as the nearest (a) wall (b) other car (c) Hobo.
My lack of license and know-how isn’t intentional. When I was sixteen I fully planned on getting my license, but somehow I never got around to it. There were always buses, and lifts from friends, and camels. For the longest time I would do that thing that Michael J. Fox did in “Back To The Future” and just hold on to the back of cars while riding a skateboard and hope they were going in my direction. I ended up in Boston once doing that. It was winter. Not pleasant.
Suddenly, time’s gone by and I still have no idea how to drive and to be truthful the idea of learning now is actually a bit expensive scary. I can’t picture myself behind the wheel, commanding this huge piece of metal that, at my will, can reach velocities that are simply unnatural for human beings. I’ve tried and I just start screaming when the car is moving. “Fuck. Shit. We’re going to crash,” I scream, while moving at a snails pace through an empty Costco parking lot.
I’m great at being a passenger. I can play CD’s and adjust the radio…oh and I’m a master at temperature control. I can ride the bus better than most people (I don’t know what that means but it’s most certainly true).
I imagine it must be liberating to just get in the car and drive wherever you want and sooner rather than later I’m sure I’ll buckle down and get my license (get it? buckle down?). In the meantime, enjoy those Donald-free roads cuz you know, it’s only a matter of time 
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Yes it’s a Beatles song and a deliriously oversimplified mission statement (you also need air, food, water, a heartbeat) but the reality of it all is that the statement is very much true. All you need is love and without love everything else is meaningless.
I’m not trying to say that you have to be in love to be happy, because that’s the furthest thing from the truth. You do, however, need to fill your life with love. Life is too short, and the end too depressing to not appreciate the moments of happiness and joy we can share with each other as much as we can, while we can.
Just sayin’!
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I’m very proud to announce that my new book “The 13th Post” is now available exclusively through Amazon. You can download it now (as an e-book) and read it on your Kindle, Mac, Pc, Android or iDevice!
Even more exciting is the news that my book is part of the brand new Amazon Prime service. Read about it here.
It’s a very unique full-length novel with it’s core focused on an impossible mystery – which results in a very possible, and surprising solution. Mashing together many themes that I enjoy, maintaining a brisk pace, and sending a message of love and hope – “The 13th Post” is my favourite work to date, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it.
PS. It appears there was a screw-up somewhere and the version that Amazon has released was an early draft, which carries a few inconsistencies and grammar errors. Take advantage of the sale now, get your copy for free – and when the proper/final version of my manuscript has been uploaded, Amazon will notify you on how you’ll be able to access the update for free.
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Happy 2012 everyone!
I’m already wondering what thread that started today will weave through the year and make it unique? Sometimes, we can’t control the tone or success of our years but we can always control our perspective.
I have a few wishes for 2012 (they start with health) and also a few goals to try and accomplish. I’m going to try hard to be as creative as possible and seize every opportunity to move ahead on my path.
I’d like to start it off by sharing an aspect of my creativity you may not yet know about. While you should know I love acting and directing, you might be surprised to know I also love writing (well, you shouldn’t be too surprised…you are, after all, reading my blog right now).
Up until now I’ve kept my writing separate from everything else because I’ve always felt the content of my stories doesn’t match what you see in my performances. Under the name of Jason Summers, I’ve written many plays and manuscripts that show an entirely different side to what I do.
Quite a few of those plays have been performed through Brave New Productions – and two of my early novels are available as ebooks through various online distributors.
Going forward, I’ve decided to drop the pseudonym and celebrate all the aspects of my creativity using my real name.
There! The secret is out. I feel so exposed (okay not really – just trying to make this sound like an epic announcement) but I have to say, I’m looking forward to a brand new year with tons of exciting new projects.
For you, health & happiness – and, of course, lots of DonaldRees.Com
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This is it. We’ve reached the end of 2011.
I made a few New Years resolutions last year. I said I would take courses in my field. I said I’d perform more and in better productions than ever before. In the end I took acting classes with Gilles Plouffe and comedy writing with Second City in Chicago. I produced, directed and performed in two Fringe Festival shows (simultaneously) and consider Being Earnest to be the best show I’ve ever worked on. I loved it so much, we brought it to Toronto. I also performed with Three Blind Mice in Luann and participated in not one, but two Flashmobs.
I visited exciting cities like Amsterdam, Brussels and New Orleans. Patrick and I brought our families together for the first time and my online videos reached over 55,000 views (my goal for the year was 20,000).
It was also a very difficult year, and that fact stands out more than the others. It’s still shocking and painful, but I can’t forget losing a very close friend this year. It feels insane even writing that and even harder to believe it happened. There is no moving forward, there’s only bringing the memories forward – and with me – everywhere I go. Forever. And trying to make them bring a smile instead of a tear.
It makes looking forward pretty hard. There’s a lot of potential in the year ahead, but in the back of my mind is the nagging reminder: Don’t take a single second for granted. Enjoy the ride, the memories and the people – not tomorrow, but today. As much as you can. Love what you love and love it as much you can and don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t love it. That applies to anything. Love people. Love things. It doesn’t matter. Just fill your life with love.
Thank you for joining me during the year and I look very forward to making more memories together very soon. In the meantime, I wish you nothing but health & happiness in the year ahead.
Love,
Donald
PS. Here’s a very special video starring all of the people and memories that helped fill 2011 with joy!
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