Legendary fringe performer George Dillon, fresh from a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will make a triumphant return, New York actor Carlo Alban brings Intringulis, his one-man show recounting his years growing up as an illegal immigrant while starring on Sesame Street and, oh yeah, and there will be a Victor Borge impersonator. I KNOW, RIGHT? Locals include Tanya Davis, Shauntay Grant, and Merritt nominees and winners like Matthew Lumley, Jessica Barry, Ryan Doucette, Sue Leblanc-Crawford and Stewart Legere. “The caliber of talent participating indicates the significance of the Fringe in our community,” says Thom Fitzgerald, recognized agent of this year’s Fringe . You can say that again. The Atlantic Fringe Festival runs from September 1-11. Ticket prices range from $2 to $10. Venues include Neptune Studio Theatre, The Bus Stop Theatre, The Living Room, Plutonium Playhouse and Danspace.
Here is the full line up, feast your eyes!
VISITING SHOWS
Against the Odds by Jade Blue and George Dillon (Berlin, Germany) Would you love someone enough to leave them forever? Jade Blue is Flora, a disturbed young woman, a mathematical prodigy with an unbearable insight into the human predicament. The audience and chance decide how her story will be told.
Dostoevsky's Heaven & Berkoff's Hell by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Steven Berkoff respectively (London, UK) In this double bill, a would-be suicide dreams of paradise and awakes to bring the world a message in Fyodor Dostoevsky's final masterpiece, and the ultimate lonely man succumbs to despair in Steven Berkoff’s Hell.
Dr. Brown Becaves [sic] (USA) Comedian Dr. Brown is a celebrity of the international Fringe circuit, his often wordless, outrageous comedy leaving audiences in fits of laughter.
A Forest Jubilee by Kersti Tacreiter (Ingonish, NS) Journey into a forest world for a cup of tea and a visit with Rose, who makes the forest her home. See the woods through her eyes and hear the stories of travelers who have passed through her doors.
From Away by Dolores Drake (Vancouver, BC) Returning to her hometown in Newfoundland to bury her father, Donna digs up more truth than she ever bargained for.
The Gospel Of Matthew (London, UK) A tour-de-force performance of the greatest story ever told, in a show that highlights the dramatic resonance of the good book and portrays Jesus as a willful and powerful crusader for God. “A mesmerizing one-man show of sheer brilliance!” – The Arbus.
Graft - Tales Of An Actor by Steven Berkoff (London, UK) A unique master-class in the craft of acting and a savage cautionary tale about the perils of entering the theatrical profession.
How Do You Feel by Matthew Gorman (Toronto, Ontario) How do you feel? Right now. A question asked to audience and performer; listener and storyteller. Would you forgive a lie if it made you feel better? From the creators of 2009’s brilliant “Rum and Vodka.”
Intringulis by Carlo Alban (New York, USA). Alban, star of Sesame Street, Strangers with Candy and Whip It! recalls his childhood growing up as an illegal immigrant to the United States, all the while surrounded by muppets. A unique and moving autobiography, hailed by critics across the USA.
The Kingdom and Fatherland: Homeland Insecurity by Shabana Rehman (Oslo, Norway). One of Norway’s most prominent comedians, Rehman’s one woman show recounts how her parents fled from Pakistan, her rise to national celebrity when she impulsively lifted an angry Muslim cleric (mullah lifting, she calls it), the bullets shot at her sister’s restaurant in Oslo, and her position as a female Muslim comedian in Norway. A fearless comic performer who bravely defines her own place in the world.
The Man Who Was Hamlet (London, UK) Who really wrote Hamlet? That is the question! With a brilliant script The Man Who Was Hamlet reveals the comical, tragic and utterly scandalous history of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, the man who many believe was the true author of the works of William Shakespeare.
MonaRita by Shannon Bramer (St. John’s, Newfoundland) Soon after Mona becomes a mother she finds she has lost herself. Now one of the greatest friendships of her life is in danger of being lost as well, when her best friend Rita tries to break it off and make a new life without her. Will Mona let Rita go? Can Rita exist without Mona? Isn’t love supposed to last forever?
Paradise Lost by Paul Van Dyck (Montreal, Quebec) Paradise Lost is a one-man, multi-media, theatrical adaptation of John Milton’s epic 17th century poem. It involves puppets, state of the art computer animation, and a Rock n’ Roll soundscape. Paradise Lost has achieved international acclaim with audiences and critics alike.
Rainer Hersch’s Victor Borge (London, UK) "It's hard to imagine that if the great Victor Borge himself had taken the stage, he would be more entertaining that Rainer Hersch's tear-streamingly funny tribute" raves the Scotsman about this comedy biography that the Edinburgh Metro calls “Two great comics for the price of one. 5 Stars."
Songbird Stories by Meghan MacNeil (New Brunswick) Working with a pianist (Alex Ernewein) and a photographer (Justin Floyd), creating images that can be projected through out the piece, this dance catches similar moments that have been captured on film. The relationship between dancer, musician and photographer explores who is leading and who is following.
Tiresias and The Player King by Daniel Foley (London, UK) In this double bill, Tiresias returns to his home to recount his meetings with Oedipus, Antigone, Hercules, Pentheus and Odysseus. The blind prophet predicted the downfall of Oedipus and destruction of Thebes. The Player King from Shakespeare's Hamlet sits by the roadside abandoned by his acting troupe. He tells of the night they performed at Elsinore, the night that Hamlet killed Polonius.
Visa Called this Morning by Jen Gallant (Toronto, Ontario) Her creditors are calling. Her bank accounts are freezing. There’s no more borrowed credit to use. Jen finds herself feeling more like a criminal than a valued customer. A young woman is forced to reconcile her toxic relationship with debt. Jen’s struggle to survive leaves her realizing that banks don’t love you like your parents.
HALIFAX SHOWS
The Barnacle’s Tale by Thom Fitzgerald. It’s about a barnacle. What more could you need to know?
Dr. Fuckingstein Explains (love, desire, and the brain) by T.H. Hatte. Who knew school teachers were so horny? Dr. Fuckingstein, that's who. A doctor of sexology and the brain, tells the story of Art, the arts educator, and his affair with St. Agnes, a Junior High English teacher with an obsessive nymphomania and Rod Stuart complex.
Edges by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul. SAINTS ALIVE! Theatre Society is thrilled to present a song cycle about coming of age, discovering who you are and who you're meant to be.
Hit by Rebecca Schneidereit. In 1965, there was no such thing as iTunes, "indie rock" or Rolling Stone. (People made music anyway.) Hit follows bubblegum pop star Sadie, her maverick producer Joseph, and session pianist Maddox through a long night in the studio. This entirely diegetic “musical” is presented by Halifax's Housecat Theatre. How badly do you want a hit?
In the Valley by Natasha MacLellan. Theresa, a thirty-something, has tried everything to find her soul mate. Distressed by her loneliness, she tries speed dating. Over the course of one evening, she meets five men whose own desperation levels cause her to wonder if she really does need someone?
It's Called a Sketch Show, Dummy! This is the latest sketch comedy show from Wealthy Bear Presents..., a group primarily known for its Tuesday night radio spot on CKDU. It consists of new sketches, improvised scenes and stage versions of favourite radio material. This includes The Late Show of the Damned, a briefcase full of blood and a complete staging of Disney's The Lion King.
Mezmerize. Cabaret Serpentine presents a spectacular evening of bellydance and circus! Let yourself be transported into the fascinating world of traveling gypsies, circus folk, and dancers from faraway lands.
Post-its (Notes on a Marriage) by Paul Dooley & Winnie Holzman. Forget the snapshots, home movies and "love letters"! Our couple (Vanessa Walton-Bone and Stewart Hiseler) recounts their lives together through a series of casual but revealing notes to each other.
A Question of Sex by Arnold Bennett. Recent father George Gower, after the birth of his first child, couldn’t be happier. His joy however, quickly changes to panic when the baby’s sex is revealed to him. With the help of his sister May, a plan is developed to hide the baby’s sex from their well-to-do Uncle Francis. Will our new father get what he deserves or will his lies cost him everything?
The Rejection Chronicles. A combination of adapted monologues excerpted from "Other People's Rejection Letters", edited by Bill Shapiro, and created text on the theme of rejection. In what ways have you faced rejection? A compelling, at times lighthearted, this show is for anyone out there who has ever been told - or told themselves - they weren't agreeable enough, smart enough, slim enough, young enough...good enough.
SeaHose Unplugged by Ann Denny & Ryan Veltmeyer. Anna Danova and Bryan Babaracki are back! After 'selling out' with their comically musical corporate team building act "ResQ InQ", the talented twosome return to the Atlantic Fringe Festival to launch their new cool comedy 'band'.... SEAHOSE!
Short Skirt Butch by Lee-Anne Poole. One queer person meets another queer person and they fall in love. Then this queer couple meets a third queer person and they all fall in love. Our queer couple is now a queer triad. But soon the honeymoon is over, they fall out of love, lust and all that goes with it. The queer triad goes back to being a queer couple, leaving our poor third queer brokenhearted times two. Starring Stephanie MacDonald.
Sirens: The Musical by Stephanie Johns, Allison Saunders and Tara Thorne. Grizzled police veterans work on a case threatening to unravel...everything.
Steal Away Home by Shauntay Grant. Steal Away Home is a collection of stories that illustrate the lived experiences of a young black woman. Troubled by the load of her past, Sista, portrayed here by three women, each representing Sista at various moments in her life, is anxious to shed the weight by telling her story. And so she decides to communicate life lessons of love, religion, miseducation, and womanhood.
Tanya Davis: Hello, change. Based on the concept of ever-changing identities, how we cling to them like they are real, i.e., “I'm a lesbian, I'm a christian,” etc... ways we try to belong, ways we exclude and include…
Waltz of the Fae: Sure as Death. A collective creation based in magic, heritage and story. Drawing inspiration from mystical text, folk songs, and original pieces from Once Upon A Theatre Collective.
WHITEOUT by Michael McPhee. Four companions return to the site of an avalanche that a year ago claimed the life of their friend Nick. But what starts out as a ritual of closure, turns into a scene of horror when they discover Nick has been there all along, waiting for them to return... A banter-packed ghost story with a twisting plot, WHITEOUT delivers a chilling night at the theatre. Bring someone to hold onto.
Closing Night: Karaokalypse! Zuppa Circus Theatre performs an evening of end-of-the-world-sing-along songs, and hosts an evening of karaoke, awards, and good times.
