Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2018. Day Four.

Reviews of The Birdmann and Egg FINALE, Cornelius and Titania by Pamela Bethel and BLOOD RELATIVE by Ren Lunicke. Day Four had me happily camped out at a relatively new Victoria Fringe venue—Venue 7, St Andrew’s Kirk Hall, entrance at 680 Courtney Street (NOTE: it’s listed incorrectly as 860 Courtney in the schedule found on page 22 of the Fringe guide)—meeting many old Fringe friend in the line-up (one of my favourite aspects of the festival) … [Read more...]

The Birdmann and Egg: Finale at the Victoria Fringe 2018. An interview.

To this day the work of The Birdmann and Egg remains some of the fringiest at any festival, and is a reminder of the importance of the Fringe circuit.  Arriving as The Birdmann in Victoria in 2011 (before beginning a serendipitous collaboration with fellow artist Egg--Sachie Mikawa), Trent Baumann quickly captured the hearts of audiences with his unique, quirky stylings that riff off classic vaudeville and busking routines.  Never afraid to push … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2017 Day One

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...]

The Birdmann and Egg: BIRDHOUSE. Victoria Fringe 2017. An interview.

The Birdmann and Egg: BIRDHOUSE. Victoria Fringe 2017. An interview. In the panoply of Fringe performers, there is only one Birdmann. His quirky shows have endeared him to local audiences since he first appeared here in 2011. The feeling is mutual for Egg says “Victoria is our favourite place to perform in the world”.  The Birdmann and Egg have chosen the city for the world premiere of their new show The Birdmann and Egg: BIRDHOUSE. NB: … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2016. Day Five.

Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2016. Day Five. Victoria Fringe Festival August 22-September 4, 2016. Reviews of Get Lost Jem Rolls, I Forgot to Fly Today by DownUnderground (Trent Baumann) and The Child Behind the Eyes by RKP Productions (review of this show will be posted Thursday). As always, my complete Victoria Fringe Festival 2016 coverage can be found HERE: Be sure to page through since there are dozens of entries–previews, … [Read more...]

Dispatches from the Victoria Fringe 2015. Day Four.

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 “away” picks.

Victoria Fringe 2015. My "away" picks. Victoria Fringe August 26 - September 6, 2015 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 … [Read more...]

Victoria Fringe Festival 2013 – my “away” picks

I'm a bit of a Fringe fanatic, seeing between 30 and 40 shows in any given year. For my "away" picks, I rely heavily on research, knowledge of past performances, and a network of fellow-Fringers (including Ottawa's Brian M Carroll who has greatly informed this year's picks). As always though, I encourage you to step outside your comfort zone, and take chances on shows you might not normally see - don't depend only on my picks; my tastes might … [Read more...]