Kandace Hagen’s ‘Realizations’ premieres at 2018 Island Fringe Festival

Small Town Queer Menace Productions is presenting the premiere of “Realizations,” an original play written by Kandace Hagen and directed by Rory Starkman, at the 2018 Island Fringe Festival (IFF) this weekend. The play, which serves as an exploration of the blatancies and nuances of rape culture in relation to queer identity, will be staged as part of the IFF, from Aug. 2 to 5, at the Charlottetown Yoga Space, 49 Pownal St. Hagen, herself a lesbian, is a graduate of UPEI, with a bachelor of arts in Diversity and Social Justice Studies, with a minor in English. “Realizations” is Hagen’s first play. Starkman is a non-binary transidentified actor, director and playwright. Starkman is no stranger to the Island Fringe Festival, nor the role of director. In addition to directing Benton Hartley’s original play “Nutshell” in 2016, Starkman co-wrote “Small Talk” in 2014 and wrote, starred in and directed “Just The Way It Is” — a semiautobiographical show about one person’s journey to discovering themselves outside of the gender binary. “Just The Way It Is” won Starkman the 2017 Island Fringe Festival’s Game-Changer Award, Artists’ Choice Award, and the inaugural PARC Award for Best New Play presented by the Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre. “Realizations” is rated R for strong adult themes and sexual violence. Viewer discretion is advised. Find out more about the Island Fringe Festival online at http://islandfringe.com/2018festival/.