content

Patrick Keating

Maiko Bae Yamamoto

Andreas Kahre

Noah Drew

Adrienne Wong

Barbara Clayden

Alex Ferguson

Ilena Lee Cramer

Erin Wells

James Long

what we do

Impressions

Rehearsals for War of the Worlds have just finished and a colleague and I stand waiting outside the Roundhouse. We are breathing in the damp and foggy silence of the late evening, basking in the amber glow of the street lights reflected in the puddles of rain it's so so… suddenly a man with wild white hair, a cigarette wedged between fingers and look of deathly concentration goes roaring past us in a truck with a tarp whipping violently to and fro off the back.
(Pause)
Me: Who the hell was that?
Him: That's my director. Storming Norman!
Have you met?
Me: No but I think I'm working for him.
Box office girl. Uh so what's his deal?

I first met Norman's answering machine, eventually he started answering, and our discussions, as per request that I call with the following, were as follows…

"Hi you've reached Rumble Productions to leave a message for Norman please press…"

"Hello Norman here?"

"Oh hi Norman, it's Erin, wow it's eleven pm and your still in your…. oh yes the show went well, well yes, o.k. so audience attendance for Thursday is 70%, with eight comps, twenty reserved, 12 walk ups, 80 % in the age group of the 25 to 45 years, haven't totalled box office yet, well I was helping decorate the lobby and stuff… oh yes no problem, no problem, forecast for tomorrow is ten reserved but I haven't checked the box office line yet, I was typing your... yes I will call this in to you before the show and after, and the following after that as well as the morning after, yes I do believe the show was good tonight, the actors seemed in good spirits, pace was good, perhaps a couple slow fade ups in the lx, yes I found the audience to be thinking a lot from what I could see from some very animated hand gestures in the lobby, no I don't think the weather is going to be a negative factor, yes I checked the forecast for tomorrow it will be raining with possibility of more rain, yes I will bring extra umbrellas, hot chocolate and boats for the audience, just in case of a flood….." as my first rise to the challenge, Norman proceeded recommending me to become box office manager and thus began my relationship with Rumble Productions and the wizard behind the machine.

I exploit our private conversations only to illuminate the detail and versatility you find within yourself when working for Rumble and how you never fulfill just one job criteria. When you work for Norman you become involved in every aspect from the font on the back cover of the program to cultural relevance of theatre and its future.

In the last six years I have worked in a variety of different ways for Norman; box office manager; temp and file girl; actor; co-producer; artist in residence; hired hand for set strike; volunteer for fundraising; taxi driver for artists from overseas, and not once have I doubted that my contributions and support were of value to him and important to his company. This is because of Norman's commitment to the artists in this community. Norman has provided my generation of artists a bridge of opportunities and knowledge while acknowledging how we can empower his visions as well. Norman has embraced the challenges of how to keep artists being artists in this city, so we do not all pack up for Toronto. I think of what Norman has given theatre, specifically, to my generation; to this city’s struggling arts community; to me personally, and I feel inspired and hopeful to continue supporting him and looking for ways to keep arts alive in Vancouver.

Although the company Rumble Productions has provided me with some of my most unparalleled and unforgettable on-stage experiences, it is the visionary behind the shows I would like to join in applauding: Norman Armour—a tireless producer; director; actor; writer; boss; mentor; invaluable friend and man most willing to make a joke at my expense.