Are you experiencing Fringe Festival withdrawal? Do you find that there is just too long of a wait in between Fringe and Undercurrents? Are you looking for something to do this weekend that doesn’t involve a self-induced turkey coma and/or PSLs? Well, look no further because the Ottawa Fringe Festival has got your back with … Continue reading FRINGE ENCORE: PREVIEW
Blog Post: Missing the Fringe and Other Reviews
It’s been almost two weeks now since the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival wrapped up over 50 performances and closed out the new Courtyard outside SAW Gallery and I have to admit: I am still feeling the post-Fringe blues pretty hard. What is it about the Ottawa Fringe that feels so, for lack of a better … Continue reading Blog Post: Missing the Fringe and Other Reviews
“pachiv!” is a Shallow Portrait of Romani People
Playing a character of a different cultural background requires actors to delve into that culture’s social and political contexts in order to play that character fairly without falling into caricature (unless that is the explicit point). A piece of art becomes problematic, however, when it chooses to adopt very a specific culture but ignores its … Continue reading “pachiv!” is a Shallow Portrait of Romani People
“The Adventures of Red Rascal” has Potential to be Truly Exciting
Full disclosure: I was lucky enough to be invited to the first ever script read through of The Adventures of Red Rascal, written by Jake William Smith and premiering at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival. I remember discussing with the other members at the table how the text was to only be the backdrop upon … Continue reading “The Adventures of Red Rascal” has Potential to be Truly Exciting
Debris: Great Puppets
Debris, created and performed by Daniel Wishes and Seri Yanai, tells the story of the 2011 Japanese tsunami from the perspective of three characters thrown together in a small boat adrift on the Pacific Ocean through light and beautifully intricate puppets made of shadow. This show tells its story almost like it’s a cross between … Continue reading Debris: Great Puppets
A Poignant Trip to “Mars”
A sci-fi tale of colonization, human relationships, and sacrifice, Jayson MacDonald’s Mars tells the parallel stories of Commanders Mallick (Valerie Cotic) and Schreiber (Mark Nocent) as they pilot a crucial mission in the early stages of Martian colonization, and the frame narrative of a colonist and his daughter on a road trip (also played by … Continue reading A Poignant Trip to “Mars”
“Threads” Weaves a Unique Story
Threads is a neat little package of a one-woman show by Tonya Jone Miller, in which she transports her audience from Indiana living rooms to Vietnamese warzones using only a pair of suit cases, some well-timed technical cues, and her riveting story. The show traces the story of Miller’s mother Donna, a young American woman … Continue reading “Threads” Weaves a Unique Story
“Hootenanny” Turns Technical Difficulties into Success
Somewhere after Fred Penner, Sharon & Bram, and the Wiggles on the list of World’s Greatest Children’s Musicians you will find the (thankfully) fictional group, Hootenany. This duo, played wonderfully by Kate Smith and Will Somers, bring life to a clear and intentional satire of children’s entertainers on levels that develop obviously in the subject matter … Continue reading “Hootenanny” Turns Technical Difficulties into Success
“Hootenanny!” is a Comical Commentary on Children’s Entertainers
How do you resist a show that stars the local talents of Kate Smith and Will Somers and that’s also directed by Ottawa Fringe favourite Melanie Karin-Brown? The answer is you don’t. Hootenanny! remains a bit of an anomaly here at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe Festival due to the fact that this is a show … Continue reading “Hootenanny!” is a Comical Commentary on Children’s Entertainers
“Two Girls, One Corpse” Needs Polishing
Two Girls, One Corpse might not have the freshest narrative when it comes to their overall premise but the killer rapport between the two performers on stage definitely makes up for it. There has been a resurgence of a particular story line in recent years, where the plot rests on the idea that the characters … Continue reading “Two Girls, One Corpse” Needs Polishing
The New Ottawa Critics 