Jeff Leard is originally from Victoria and an alumnus of UVic, with a ferocious gift for kinetic movement and humour that he honed working for Story Theatre on the school circuit—can there be any more demanding audience than kids? This year he returns with Angels and Aliens, created and performed with Sydney Hayduk. Jeff answered questions about his time on the Fringe and this production. How long have you been producing work on the … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2016. Day One.
August 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2016. Day One. Victoria Fringe Festival August 22-September 4, 2016. Review of The Old Lady's Guide to Survival: Site A--Congregational Emanu-el, 1461 Blanshard Street. Reviews of The Jupiter Rebellion: A Zach Zultana Adventure by Jeff Leard, An Improvised Quentin Tarantino 2--The Playful 8 by Paper Street Theatre Co, Perpetural Wednesday by White Collar Crimes and Half the Battle by Owen Bishop. All at … [Read more...]
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2015. Day Four.
August 31, 2015 By 2 Comments
Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2015 Day Four. Victoria Fringe Festival August 26-September 6, 2015. Reviews of Casino Royale, the Birdmann in Momentous Timing, Soul, Ha! and Sperm Wars. Elegant drama, quirkiness galore, physical comedy, heart-felt story and dramatic comedy filled my Fringe Day Four with the wide variety I’ve come to expect at the Victoria Fringe. The day started with David Elendune’s adaptation of Ian Fleming’s Casino … [Read more...]
Victoria Fringe 2015. My local picks.
August 25, 2015 By Leave a Comment
Victoria Fringe 2015 My local picks. I am an avid supporter of the Victoria Fringe Festival, now in its 29th year. It didn’t start out that way though. Other priorities took precedence and it wasn’t really until 2006 that I became a Fringe fanatic. That year was the 20th anniversary and I saw more shows than in the 20 previous years combined. In the intervening years, I’ve caught up—I volunteered from 2007 to 2013, regularly see 30-40 shows … [Read more...]
Vancouver Fringe Festival 2014 suggestions (mostly) from the Victoria Fringe
September 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Vancouver Fringe Festival 2014 suggestions (mostly) from the Victoria Fringe. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say I’m a bit of a Fringe fanatic – over the years since I got back in to fringing, I’ve gone from seeing a handful of shows in 2006 to 42 shows at this year’s Victoria Fringe Festival. For the first time I also contributed 32 reviews. Here are my recommendations for shows that were in Victoria this year (or last), either at the … [Read more...]
Intrepid Theatre announces the Deep End Presentation Series for 2014
February 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Intrepid Theatre announces the Deep End Presentation Series for 2014. Intrepid Theatre's recent announcement is exciting news for the local community of theatre enthusiasts. Recently Kelly Nestruck of the Globe and Mail named Winners and Losers (appearing here April 11/12) as one of his most significant arts events of 2013, calling it "jaw-dropping". You can read his full article here. I saw Jeff Leard's The Show Must Go On (scheduled for … [Read more...]
Victoria Fringe Festival 2013 – my “local” picks
August 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment
When it comes to the Victoria Fringe, I’m a mere baby fringer. It wasn’t until the 20th anniversary in 2006 that I really got involved in this two week long festival of alternative live performance. I love the buzz, and hanging out with fellow volunteers, performers and like-minded “fringe addicts”. I see between 30 and 40 shows at the Victoria Fringe, and another 50 – 60 shows during the year. Here are my “local” picks based on performances … [Read more...]
Gametes and Gonads – A Fundraiser for Story Theatre, September 17th
September 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Jeff Leard last appeared locally in Gametes and Gonads at the 2011 Victoria Fringe Festival. This summer he toured across the country to great reviews. The apple did not fall far from the tree as far as Jeff is concerned – his father Jim is the founder of Story Theatre Company. Jeff shares his quirky and ribald sense of humour and performs multiple characters in rapid succession. He's bringing Gametes and Gonads back to Victoria as a … [Read more...]
Victoria Represents at the Edmonton Fringe
August 14, 2012 By 3 Comments
It was a chance comment by Morgan Cranny about taking his show ReRentless (co-produced with Wes Borg) to the Edmonton Fringe that got me thinking. I knew that Ingrid Hansen (Little Orange Man), Mike Delamont (God is a Scottish Drag Queen) and Peter ‘n Chris (The Mystery of the Hungry Heart Motel) had arranged a bring-your-own-venue at La Cité Francophone, but were there other Victoria-based or Victoria-connected performers appearing at this … [Read more...]
Connect with me on: