Finster Finds

A return to the the Fringe grounds last night and encounters with different people (who have seen A LOT - Yay!) and here are some new Word of Mouth recommendations! The Dragon Mustache Party The Seminar with Madge & Taffy Nashville Hurricane Bella Culpa Shakespeare's Sirens Curious Contagious Off Book: The Musical Mama's Boy Saltwater Moon Prepare for the Worst 'Til Death Falling Awake Scaramouche Jones Unfortunately, some of these shows have finished their run for this Fringe, so if you are inspired to see any of them check the schedule quickly to make sure you don't miss them!

I've hit seven more shows since Saturday.  It was supposed to be 8, but lesson learned, never schedule a 90 minute drama at the end of a five show day... my old brain couldn't handle it so I headed home early on Sunday. Still, 4 shows is a good measure of a day during the fringe. Here are some highlights of the last two days of Fringe: Half the Battle - The premise is very clever and Owen Bishop commits wholeheartedly to the world of two men in one body in this piece. Lacing historical fact with fictionalized characters, this show is a funny and touching one/two man show. CLIMB - Interesting juxtaposition of taped narrative and circus aerial. I was fascinated. I think there is more that could be done here in terms of connecting the movement and the story, but I was engaged. My appreciation for dance helped a lot in understanding *contemporary circus* as shown here. The F Words - Although it starts a little slow, once it gets rolling this show is full of laughs. Ther...

A few more Word of Mouth recommendations coming your way! Porn & Pinochet Three Men in a Boat The Flying Doctor What Gives? Hedwig and the Angry Inch 5 Step Guide to Becoming German Night Hawk Rules The Fall of the House of Atreus: A Cowboy Love Song Talking Dirty The Panto Girls Scaramouche Jones The Dragon Lots of variety! Lots of great shows! Hope you can catch some!

As part of my Fringe experience and because I can only get to see so many shows, I like to talk to people in line-ups and at the beer tent and on the grounds and ask them what shows they'd recommend based on what they've seen. The only requirement is that they can't recommend the show they are actually in/involved with themselves (if they are an artist).  I try, however, to talk primarily to the people who are primarily audience members. Anyhow, here's my first round up of WORD OF MOUTH recommendations: Prepare for the Worst Trail and Error Never Swim Alone Talking Dirty The Red Shirt Diaries Gordon's Big Bald Head Call Me Kirk The Darling Family Watermelon Girls Saltwater Moon Airswimming Scaramouche Jones CLIMB The Ballad of Frank Allen Cowboy: A Cowboy Story I'll be collecting more all week, so if you see me, please give me your recommendations!

Just shutting down Saturday night and I have taken in 9 shows and am feeling pretty good about what I've seen. Highlights include the following: Never Swim Alone - Such a strong script by Daniel MacIvor delivered flawlessly.  Even if you've seen it before, it's worth checking out. The casting is perfect, the acting connected, and the direction tight and sharp. It's as if everyone on the stage is breathing together - they are so in sync. It's down at the French Quarter at Rutherford School. If I gave stars, I would give this one 5! Bat Boy: The Musical - A talented cast and a very quirky, edgy, out-there musical. I'm a little amazed at what you get with your fringe dollars with this one! Highlights are Nadine Veroba as Meredith (the mother) and Mark Sinongco as Edgar (the bat boy), but this whole cast commits 110% to the camp required and they have the vocal chops to deliver big sound. It's not a show I could direct, but I am glad Amanda Neufeld has th...

It is no secret that I am a fan of musicals, I've been in over 30 of them and have directed about 15 or so, in fact, I've even written a couple of them, so I'm partial.  Fringe is always interesting for musicals because the format is generally shorter so you get the opportunity to see some shows that might not be done in the regular season. You also will get song cycles, and more edgier pieces, and those are certainly up on the docket for this Fringe. Here are a few that have caught my eye: If you are looking for something that you might not see on the main stages you could check out Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Strathcona High - BYOV 27) produced by Scona Alumni Theatre Co. It's directed by Linette Smith and features Chris Scott and MacKenzie Ruerink as well as a gang of talented young triple threats. The Scona Alumni Fringe shows tend to sell out fast, so you might want to get to the box office quick on this one. Another outside the box choice would be Straight E...

Back at it today with the Program and my calendar... It's going to be tough but even if I don't get to them all, I will come out a winner! Here's a few more shows that are catching my eye: Cowboy: A Cowboy Story - Accidental Humour, Edmonton, CA - Garneau Theatre Guaranteed to be the show that brings me closest to laughing so hard I pee my pants, you cannot go wrong with Accidental Humour. I've said it before, these guys are the best at merging theatre with film and their wacky sense of humour and understanding of genre is phenomenal. Might even be the one we go to for our 20th Wedding Anniversary. Trail and Error  - Northern Sabbatical Productions, Edmonton, CA - Old Strathcona Public Library A New Work from Linda Wood Edwards - I'm in! Plus it's got the oh-so-charming Ellen Chorley in it - Sign me up again! We Were Dancing: Two Short Plays by Noel Coward - Bright Young Things, Edmonton CA - Varscona Theatre It's the pedigree of the cast an...

I guess it's a good year for me to not have any Fringe shows of my own as it gives me more time to see things! And as I waded through the Fringe Program my list of shows started to grow exponentially as I turned the page, at least that's how it felt. So here's a few more on my " I think I want to see that show " list: Letting Go of Alone  - Soul Productions, Edmonton CA - Old Strathcona Performing Arts (Venue 8) When you combine Jake Hastey of Toy Guns Dance Theatre and the talented Nadine Veroba and Justin Kautz then I really don't think you can go wrong. A new work merging dance and live music exploring relationships in the modern age. This one is definitely on the top of my list. CLIMB - Deathbench Productions, Bellingham USA - Westbury Theatre (Venue 1) The write-up says: Using striking visuals and unexpected humour, CLIMB fuses breathtaking aerial circus performance with four connected narratives set to an original score. I'm intrigued to se...

The Unsyncables by Rebecca Merkley looks like it's going to be a very funny hour of entertainment. The cast of 4 features some very hilarious women and, always a fan of new work and new playwrights, I'm intrigued to see what Rebecca Merkley has written. She's always hysterical when she's onstage so it's going to be fun to see what has come from her brain! Description:  A love letter to the 90's, this heartwarming comedy celebrates the world of pre-teen friendships. Mary has decided to form her very own synchronized swimming squad. Her quirky team hope to make a big splash at a local competition, but trouble arises when Mary runs into her former teamates. H2-Uh-Oh! Starring:  Alyson Dicey ,  Maddy Knight ,  Kristin Johnston Snelgrove  and  Brianne Jang .  Written and Directed by:   Rebecca Ann Merkley BYOV Venue #41, Rutherford School.  Half the Battle  is another new work from a new playwright, Owen Bishop, who is also starring in...

It's a strange feeling for me this summer. After a few summers in a row with multiple Fringe shows, I find myself with the luxury of just haivng to watch shows this year! Sont' worry, I have enough things outside my theatre life to keep me busy, but I am looking forward to seeing A LOT of Fringe Shows! I thought I would do a few profiles on shows that I am hoping to take in! First Up: Confessions of a Middle Aged Drama Queen -  a new work written and performed by local Edmontonian Erika Conway, is a comedy about self discovery, overcoming obstacles and managing a desire to meet a hot strapping fireman! I've seen Erika onstage several times over the past few years and she has an electric personality and charisma as well as terrific comedic timing.  I'm excited to see what she has done in her first foray as playwright! To be or not to be a Drama Queen…. that is the question!                         ...