FOCUS ON FRINGE FEST
A look ahead at must-see theatre
With 57 shows over 11 days, there’s no better time to binge on theatre than the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
“This is the time when everybody sees the most theatre they can,” says Brie McFarlane, an Ottawa writer who founded the website, New Ottawa Critics, as a go-to spot for theatre reviews in the nation’s capital.
As editor-in-chief and main contributor to the site, newottawacritics.com, she’s had five years’ experience covering Ottawa Fringe, as well as excursions to fringe fests in Montreal and Toronto.
“There’s always going to be the gems, and there’s always going to be a handful of stuff that’s plain rotten, but that’s half the fun of it,” she says of her favourite time of the year. “It’s new work and people are trying things because they want to get into theatre. They see Fringe as the best way to do it.”
If you’re new to the Fringe game, the first thing to know is the selection criteria that goes into deciding who gets to perform. In short, there is none. It all comes down to the luck of the draw in a lottery that has a geographical bent, explains Ottawa Fringe director Patrick Gauthier.
Half of the spots go to local performers from the OttawaGatineau region, 30 per cent are reserved for other Canadian shows and the remaining 20 per cent of slots are open to international participants.
“That gives us a really wide range of artists from varying locations working in varying styles,” Gauthier says. “This year we have circus, comedy, music, puppets and traditional plays. If you’re looking for it, we have it.”
Neither are there restrictions on the content of the show.
“That’s important for the Fringe model,” Gauthier added. “Artists can do whatever they want on stage as long as it’s not illegal.”
This year marks the 22nd edition of the Ottawa Fringe Festival, making it one of the younger events on the summer-long Canadian fringe circuit.
For the first time, the festival will use space in the newly transformed Ottawa Art Gallery, including a third-floor terrace, the Sky Lounge. That’s where you’ll find the beer garden, traditionally the hub of the festival.
Hang out at the beer garden and you’re sure to hear about the best shows, says McFarlane, and you’ll be approached by performers pitching shows. After all, 100 per cent of the ticket money goes directly to the participants. (The festival’s funding comes from grants, beer sales and sales of a $3 pin, which you need before you buy tickets.)
In all, there are 10 downtown stages, including four at Arts Court, two at the University of Ottawa, two at La Nouvelle Scene and one at the National Arts Centre, plus one nightclub, Live on Elgin.
To make the most of a Fringe binge, McFarlane recommends coming up with a plan. Study the program (available at ottawafringe. ca) to get a sense of the type of show you want to see. As the festival progresses, the reviews, social media and word of mouth will lead you to the best performances.
She’s already predicting a quick sellout for Red Bastard: Lie With Me, an American show featuring former Cirque du Soleil clown Eric Davis.
“The last time he was here, it was super popular,” she says. “This guy comes with a huge reputation behind him. You should get tickets now. The hype will get so real.”
Here are eight more picks, chosen by McFarlane and Gauthier.
EXPERTS’ PICKS FOR FRINGE BRIE MCFARLANE’S FRINGE PICKS INTERSTELLAR ELDER: BADASS GRANDMA IN SPACE
Created by: Ingrid Hansen, Kathleen Greenfield, Britt Small & Emma Zabloski, produced by SNAFU, Victoria.
Premise: An aging astronaut adrift in a spaceship must protect the last of humankind, cryogenically frozen, as the world is destroyed by North American president Justin Bieber.
McFarlane: “Their work is always really interesting, always fun, has catchy songs in it. It’s not a musical but music is usually integrated in one of the characters. They’re well known for creating props out of unconventional material, like food or household utensils. The first piece I saw by them was Little Orange Man, and it destroyed me. It was so fun to watch, and had an emotional punch you didn’t expect.”
When & where: June 17-18, 20-21, 23-24, Arts Court Theatre
JEM ROLLS: I, IDIOT
Created by: Jem Rolls, produced by Big Word Performance Poetry, London, U.K.
Premise: Jem Rolls cartoons the personal and the universal in his own intercontinental epic of blundering idiocy.
McFarlane: “Jem Rolls does spoken-word poetry, and his performances are always an experience in themselves. He has energy like no other, and the narratives and images that he brings to his work are always interesting and funny. This is a new work. He also does the Canadian fringe circuit like no one else. He’s always a treat and really fun to talk to if you run into him at the beer tent.”
When & where: June 17, 19, 20-24, Live on Elgin
Created by: Even Gilchrist, produced by Theatre Decentred, Ottawa
Premise: An exploration of a trans experience.
McFarlane: “The performer is a trans individual and it’s his story and his journey. I think that’s really important right now, especially given the shift towards more gender neutral pronouns and birth certificates. This is where I think theatre can be a transformative experience. Seeing stories like these on stage can really help widen people’s perspective or alleviate the confusion people might be having about these elements of sexuality or gender.” When & where: June 15-16, 18, 20, 23-24, ODD Box, Arts Court
Created by: Duncan Macmillan, produced by Cart Before the Horse Theatre, Ottawa
Premise: Is having a child a right or a privilege?
McFarlane: “I’m super intrigued by this because there are two really interesting local performer/ creators coming together in one work: Megan Carty from Cart Before the Horse and Matt Hertendy from Two Kind Boys. I’m really interested to see their minds collaborate on stage.”
When & where: June 14-17, 19-24, Knot Project Space, Arts Court
PATRICK GAUTHIER’S FRINGE PICKS THE LAST SPARTAN
Created by: Pierre Brault, produced by Jamine Ackert, Ottawa Premise: Actor/playwright Pierre Brault portrays multiple characters in this homage to his two greatest loves: history and the theatre.
Gauthier: “The last time Pierre did a show at Fringe, it was Blood on the Moon in 1999. It was a huge hit for him, the biggest hit to ever come out of the Ottawa Fringe Festival. He toured it across Canada and around the world. And now, 20 years later he’s back with a new solo show.”
When & where: June 15, 17-18, 20, 22-23, La Nouvelle Scene, Studio A.
JOSEPHINE, A BURLESQUE CABARET DREAM PLAY
Created by: Tymisha Harris, Michael Marinaccio and Tod Kimbro, produced by Dynamite Lunchbox Entertainment, Orlando, Fla. Premise: Tells the story of Josephine Baker, the first AfricanAmerican international superstar. Intended for adult audiences. Gauthier: “It’s a touring show from Orlando. I went to the Winnipeg Fringe last year and I saw it there. It’s a solo show. It’s burlesque, it’s music and it’s fantastic. It’s been a hit everywhere it’s gone.”
When & where: June 14, 16, 18, 20, 22-23, Academic Hall, University of Ottawa
THE GEOGRAPHY TEACHER’S ORDERS
Created and produced by: Marta Singh, Ottawa
Premise: A true-life story set in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1983, at the fall of the country’s military dictatorship.
Gauthier: “It’s basically Marta Singh’s experience of being in Grade 10 in Argentina at the end of the military dictatorship. Marta is a storyteller, and this is her longest piece at 60 minutes.”
When & where: June 14, 16-17, 19, 21, 24, Studio Léonard-Beaulne, University of Ottawa.
HEIRLOOM TOYS CIRCUS
Created and produced by: Deflying Feets, Toronto
Premise: A modern, family-friendly theatrical circus show. Gauthier: “It’s their first time in the Ottawa Fringe but they ’ve been doing Fringes for years. We had to put them in our biggest venue because they need 25 feet to do their tricks. It’s also an all-ages show and I have a four-year-old so I can bring him to the show.”
When & where: June 15, 17, 19, 21, 23-24, La Nouvelle Scène, Studio A