Ten years ago, The Measure of Love by Nicholas Billon, with veteran actors Jean Topham and Geli Bartlett, was such a hit at the Victoria Fringe Festival that many fans were turned away disappointed (it was scheduled in the smaller 60 seat Intrepid Theatre Club). In fact, festival organizers offered the company an extra night in a larger space to accommodate demand. Here’s your chance to find out what all the buzz was about in 2008 with this 2018 … [Read more...]
Fool’s Paradise by Blue Elephant Theatre at the Victoria Fringe 2018. An interview.
July 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Blue Elephant Theatre is a relatively new theatre company in Victoria BC, but, as you’ll read below, playwright/director Anna MacAlpine has surrounded herself with a team of recent grads and current students of the UVic Phoenix Theatre. This all-female cast and crew presents “the story of the most interesting person from history you’ve probably never heard of”—Julie d’Aubigny. Julie McGuire as Julie d'Aubigny and Hanna Seinen as Mathilde. … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Eight
September 1, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Eight. Reviews of The Man Who Sold the World by David Ortolano, Lovely Lady Lump by Lana Schwarcz and Help! I’m American by DK Reinemer. Since the Edmonton Fringe Festival often overlaps the Victoria Fringe Festival, it is common to have a number of productions arrive after the opening weekend. For my Day Eight of the Victoria Fringe, I saw three performers who have been touring the CAFF … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Seven
August 31, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Seven Years of study and discipline have resulted in the works of three remarkable companies/artists—Beau & Aero: Crash Landing by A Little Bit Off (Amica Hunter and David Cantor); Interstellar Elder (Snafu Dance Theatre) performed by Ingrid Hansen and created together with Kathleen Greenfield, Britt Small and Emma Zabloski; and Olive Copperbottom: a New Musical by Charles Dickens and Penny … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Four
August 28, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Four For the fourth day of the Fringe I went to see one of the most provocative artists I know, Tasha Diamant, in Naked Ugly Dancing, and then spent the rest of the day camped out at Venue 1, the Victoria Event Centre for Holly Brinkman’s A Woman’s Guide to Peeing Outside & Other Adventures, Enigmatic Events in Jukebox Drive and Sean Proudlove in The Taxi Driver is Always Listening. I'll have … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Three
August 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day Three I’m one of twenty three Fringe Heroes who collectively since 2015 have sponsored a Fringe venue, Langham Court. As a group, we attend one show together—this year, O’ Come All Ye Faithful by Nicholas Guerreiro. For the remainder of Day Three, I made my destination the Downtown Community Centre (Venue 2, 755 Pandora Avenue) for Vasily Djokavich by Morgan Cranny, Monica vs the Internet by … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day One
August 25, 2017 By 1 Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day One Thanks to Bema Productions, I was able to attend a dress rehearsal of Horowitz and Mrs Washington. On Day One, applying the scheduling theory of my long-time fringing buddy Arlene, I chose a venue—Fairfield Hall—and attended all the performances there. The evening included three world premieres—Inauguration Vacation by Annette Roman, timely and topical storytelling from the life of a political … [Read more...]
Victoria Fringe Festival 2017. My away picks.
August 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Victoria Fringe Festival 2017. My away picks. In 2006 I celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Victoria Fringe Festival and got truly bitten by the Fringe bug. I saw many more shows than originally planned, and had so much fun I decided to volunteer the following year (and did so until 2014 when I switched to reviewing). Over the years I’ve met many Fringe artists and followed their careers—both in Victoria and further afield. Even … [Read more...]
Victoria Fringe Festival 2017. My local picks.
August 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Victoria Fringe Festival 2017. My local picks. I’ve been fringing now seriously since 2006 (which really isn’t very long when you consider the Victoria Fringe Festival celebrates 31 years in 2017). In any given year I’ll attend 35-40 shows at the Fringe and 90-100 during the year. My recommendations are based on seeing previous iterations (in development at Intrepid Theatre’s YOU Show, UNO Festival, the Belfry Theatre SPARK Festival, UVic … [Read more...]
#FringeFemmes. Victoria Fringe 2017.
August 18, 2017 By 3 Comments
#FringeFemmes Victoria Fringe 2017 #FringeFemmes 2015. Photo: Leif Norman This year, Victoria Fringe audiences are fortunate to have 21 shows to choose from that are written and created by women, feature an all-women cast, or, are directed by women (even if the cast comprises men and women). I thought the last two categories might stretch the intent of the original #FringeFemmes hashtag and had the chance to ask none other than one of its … [Read more...]
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