Finster Finds

So today was the final day of the Fringe.  I saw 16 shows which is a little low for me, but luckily I seem to have chosen well and I feel sated with my theatre choices. I also saved the best (meaning, My Favorite) for the last day.  There is satisfaction in that... and I am not sure why... Anyhow, I started the day today with Princess Confidential .  It was delightful.  A Detective/Fairy Tale which was funny for kids and for adults.  I found it very smart and it had the right amount of action and explanation.  The script, by Ellen Chorley, is well paced and clever and the two actors, Merran Carr-Wiggin and Neil Kuefler, shift humorously from character to character re-enacting re-interpreted fairy tales to solve the mystery.  The updates of the classic fairy tales are familiar enough for us to know the story, but freshened up with modern interpretations that fit the detective theme.  A lot of fun. I had a wee break - and a horrible dining experience at O2's - and then headed to

A couple more Word of Mouth shows from the line-ups! Sorry I have not been as diligent about it this year! Matchstick Little Fish God is a Scottish Drag Queen Grim and Fischer Coraline Never Let the Crew See You Cry Scratch

Second last day of a slow Fringe for me and I took in four solid shows. I started with Port Authority (shout out for being Held Over!! Way to go, local group done good).  It was an excellent piece, well-paced with solid performances. I liked the subtlety of it and it's realness. It has both sadness and humour and makes you think about regret and missed opportunities. Next we caught The Lonely Hearts .  It too was very well done, a solid script and well performed with an interesting vaudeville-like approach.  It left me a little unsettled, however, as the subject was a bit macabre and the fat jokes were hard to take after a while.  Many strong things to this show, but I think I will be thinking about this one for a while.  It's a matter of wanting the laughs to be unencumbered, I think, but sometimes I felt guilty for laughing.  Does that make sense?  It too is held over - at the Varscona - so catch it if you can and tell me what you think. Then a well-deserved break to

Last night I started the final weekend of the Fringe with another two solid shows.  The festival is winding down so if you haven't bought your tickets yet and the show you want to see is not on the holdovers list here or here , then you need to get on it! My weekend is planned, with another 4 shows today and 4 tomorrow. Last night I began the evening with Tuesdays With Morrie produced at the Walterdale Playhouse by Leo Llama Productions. It was a loving and sincere production that got me a little choked up at all the right places (and from the sniffling in the audience, I was not alone).  Well performed and well directed it fit nicely onto the Walterdale Stage. I was so glad to get tickets as it sold out quickly, but fortunately a friend of a friend had two extra tickets to sell - Whew! We had a little supper to fill our 2 hour break and then we were off to see Truck Theatre's  Or, at OSPAC.  It started a little on the wordy side, but luckily the three actors were very s

There was a stalled vehicle on the high level bridge.  That stalled vehicle made me and Oliver very unhappy. That stalled vehicle made my journey a good 35-45 minutes longer than it should have been and as a result, despite trying our hardest, we were 2 MINUTES LATE for The Kidprovisors .  I was really looking forward to it, especially because Oliver was.  I had to minimize his resultant grumpiness by plying him with mini-donuts and ice cream.  Then he weaseled a t-shirt and a mine craft pin out of me. I have heard that the RFT early show is a little more family friendly so I might try to take the boys (or at least Oliver) a few times in the year.  I want to cultivate his appreciation for it! Anyhow, after I did the Kid-Exchange with Mark, I headed off to my second (now first) show of the evening, Cayce Grey in FAMILY SQUABBLES .  I was so funny.  What a clever script where the fourth wall is shattered to great effect.  Lots of topical humour, some fabulous interpretive dance, fart-b

I saw my fourth show tonight at the Fringe.  I pick up speed later this week, but the start has been slow for me in terms of numbers of shows. It bothers me too that I haven't seen more, but I do have tickets purchased for 14 shows and room for more if I feel up to it! When I heard there was a musical version of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and that someone was doing it at the Fringe I was intrigued.  When I saw the company that was doing it (Impossible Mongoose) and the cast list I was officially excited. I am glad to say it lived up to my expectations.  It's delightful!  They created a very full world and conceptually this is quite the experience.  Low Tech Magic pays off, and they capture the romantic creepiness that Gaiman's story requires.  If you can't make it darkly whimsical it won't work - but they do and it's terrific!  Well done!  It's not typical and familiarity with the story or Neil Gaiman's style is recommended, but not necessary.  They re

I took advantage of being around people who have seen a lot of shows while at the Theatre Alberta/Fringe Fundraising Event tonight.  Here are the 'must-see' shows from those I spoke to: Nashville Hurricane A Picasso Promise and Promiscuity Assassinating Thompson Countries Shaped Like Stars God is a Scottish Drag Queen Grim and Fischer Hot Thespian Action Ludwig and Lohengrin The Tenant Haimovitz They Call Me Mr. Fry

So I just finished Play in a Day 2013 .  It's a 24 Hour Playwriting Competition in it's second year of operation held in conjunction with The Edmonton International Fringe. I like 24 Hour Playwriting Competitions.  There is something about the tightness of the timeline, combined with actually having space and purpose to write that fuels me to get a play done.  It might not be fabulous, but it's a first draft with a beginning, middle and end and I can hopefully take it away and make it better.  I never enter these things worrying about winning.  For me I accept the impossibility of the task and say, " Let's just do this !". It's about getting the draft done.  If I manage to craft something good, that's a bonus.  Getting it good is about re-writing and editing.  This event is just about writing. This year the room was more intimate and several of us were on twitter so we filled the online air space with jokes and silliness and it made for a very fun day.

I've been sequestered at the U of A since 5 p.m. last night for the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition ( Play in a Day ), but our rotating crew of supervisors have been out and about and I have asked them what shows they might recommend based on what they have seen.  So here's my first Word of Mouth for this Fringe. Held Assassinating Thompson Fracture God is a Scottish Drag Queen Countries Shaped Like Stars I'm sure it will get much longer as Fringe progresses and as people see more shows!

This Monday Night, Theatre Alberta is having a party/fundraiser at the Edmonton International Fringe.  It's a great opportunity to have a drink, celebrate with others and support a good cause. Join us for an evening of lively discussion, entertainment and door prizes in support of Theatre Alberta, Artstrek, and the Alberta Arts Flood Relief Fund. All proceeds from this event will be split between Theatre Alberta (in support of our recent expansion of Artstrek) and the Alberta Arts Flood Relief Fund. ... If you can't make the event, consider donating online or by phone at 1-888-422-8160. Theatre Alberta's Fringe Forum: The Patron, The Theatre and The Artistic Creator – Who Will Our Champions Be? It’s a municipal election year in Alberta. The arts community is rallying to find and engage our champions as we lobby for a thriving arts industry in the province. How do we foster a culture of meaningful dialogue and decisive action between patrons, funders, community and b

Last night I officially commenced my fringing!  I did go to the VIP kick-off on Wednesday night ( where I partook in the awesome candy bar and photo booth ) but I missed Opening Night to rest up for the sheer madness of this weekend ( and following week ). I started the evening with Linda Wood Edwards' Never Let the Crew See You Cry , an homage to her mother, Ethel Johnson Wood, and the civilian women of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during WW II. It's funny, engaging, and heartfelt and Edwards has constructed a beautiful script which tells an important but untold part of our history.  The three person cast is strong, with the bright and likeable Laura Raboud as Ethel, and the sassy Judy McFerran and handsome Alex D. Mackie take on a myriad of roles and accents to fill out the rest of Ethel's world.  It moves quickly from scene to seen and finds a lovely balance between the human story and the history.  It's got an emotional impact and as we left we saw m

Despite going to Safeway twice in the last week, I have yet to pick up a Fringe Program.  It's been on my list and both times it just flew my mind while buying buns, veggies and milk.  Tonight.  Tonight I will be on the Fringe grounds and I will get one. So, even though I don't have a program there are quite a few shows on my radar thanks to FB Events, lots of people talking about their shows and the very cool new iPhone App for the Fringe.  My favourite part of the App is the Favourites tab.  So, using those things, here is what is on my radar.  Be Aware, once I get my program, there will be many, many more shows on my 'want-to-see' list and this is merely scratching the surface. The Lonely Hearts , by Jana O'Connor This was the APC Discovery Prize winner in 2007 and I got to see a reading of it at Playworks Ink that year and just the reading was hysterical. I am really looking forward to seeing it with all the bells and whistles.   It's also got a stellar

This week was a week of big changes for me.  Starting last Tuesday I have been at the Citadel Theatre/Robbins Academy as the new Marketing Administrator.  I was nervous and excited before starting, but feel quite good about it all after this first week. I have been a bit like a detective putting together the tasks involved and procedures, but everything I can see with the job so far seems to fit me very well and I am enjoying the work.  The people are also great and have been extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful.  I am at a high rate of asking questions so I am grateful for their patience.  Hopefully I shall have fewer and fewer questions as my time there goes on. The biggest shift for me has really had to do with child care. Prior to this job I spent a great deal of my time on the computer actually doing a lot of the same kind of work - emailing, finding information, collating it, waiting for responses... But now, I have to worry about getting my kids places and picking them up

Some of you know this and some of you don't, but other than Fringe I really try hard to avoid crowds.  I am never comfortable in a big group of anonymous people.  That's cool.  I know some people love it, but as a result of my anxiety I try to minimize my exposure to them!  So what we did this year was instead of going to Heritage Days we went to Fort Edmonton Park.  There were still quite a few people there, but I imagine compared to the packed Hawrelak Park, we were in good shape.  We also went early in the day so the morning was delightful!  I really like Fort Edmonton Park, and so do the boys.  We started at the Mid-Way.  Oliver was keen to hit the Ferris Wheel and Gibson was tall enough to go on without a parent so the two of them rode it together.  Gibson's cries of " Let me off! It's too high !" were a bit of a surprise, but he actually went back for a second ride later so it obviously wasn't too traumatizing. They played the midway games and won

Last night we finally made it to the Wednesday Night Light Saber class at Sir Winston Churchill Square.  My good friend Janine has been teaching these classes all summer long on Wednesday nights from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. I have been meaning to take the boys but various conflicts in my schedule meant that last night was the first time we could make it out.  It was so much fun.  Gibson was really the push for it as I mentioned it to him earlier in the summer and he has been saying " Can we go this week?" and "Is it Wednesday? The Light Saber Day ?" a lot over the past few weeks. I was so glad we went.  The class is nicely structured.  They split off the younger kids to do simpler activities (the little ones last about 45 minutes) and then split the people who have been coming a lot over the summer and the 'newbies' so that it's easy to meet the levels. I liked that everyone had to stretch first, then a basic pattern of 'positions' was taught and revie