Female-fronted Fringe gems
A few picks for those having trouble deciding what shows to see
The annual Vancouver Fringe Festival packs in more than 700 performances in its 11-day run. Obviously, there is no way to see everything. There isn’t even a way to see all the offerings falling under a specific category, such as comedy. You need to pick your plays. Here are five female-fronted shows that run the gamut of content at this year’s Fringe and sound promising.
1 In Stitches
Sept. 7, 5:05 p.m.; Sept. 9, 3:50 p.m.; Sept. 10, 7:05 p.m.; Sept. 13, 5:20 p.m.; Sept. 16, 8:20 p.m.; and Sept. 17, 3:50 p.m. at Performance Works, 1218 Cartwrights Street
Canadian comedian Katherine Ferns is based in Manchester, U.K. She has built up quite an impressive list of reviews for her latest Fringe show, which began on April 21, 2016. That’s the day Prince died and Katherine ended up in stitches. A comedy based on the artist’s real life experiences.
2 Just Not That Woman
Sept. 8, 6:45 p.m.; Sept. 9, 3 p.m.; Sept. 11, 10 p.m.; Sept. 13, 8:15 p.m.; Sept. 16, 1:45 p.m. at Firehall Theatre, 280 E. Cordova
“An exploration of fact, fiction and magic in the 2016 U.S. election.” Aussie-born New Yorker Ali Kennedy Scott gets into the mindset of the gender bias which led to one of the most surprising election defeats in the history of the Western world: Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump. The show was created out of interviews with data experts, psychologists, voters and politicians.
3 Her Name Was Mary
Sept. 8, 6:45 p.m.; Sept. 9, 2:45 p.m.; Sept. 11, 8:30 p.m.; Sept. 12, 9:30 p.m.; Sept. 15, 10:20 p.m.; Sept. 17, 7:15 p.m. at Studio 16
Written and directed by Metis Iroquois/Cree artist Tai Amy Grauman, the winner of the 2015 Mayor’s Emerging Theatre Artist Award. The autobiographical play covers her experiences growing up in rural Alberta and features an all-female cast and creative team working under the new Indigo Child Productions company founded by Grauman and fellow UBC graduate Seamus Fera.
4 An Arrangement of Shoes
Sept. 7, 8 p.m.; Sept. 8, 9:45 p.m.; Sept. 9, 6:15 p.m.; Sept. 10, 2:45 p.m., 9:45 p.m.; Sept. 12, 6:15 p.m.; Sept. 13, 8 p.m.; Sept. 14, 9:45 p.m.; Sept. 16, 6:15 p.m. at Arts Umbrella
Award-winning writer Abhishek Majumdar’s one-woman play is an intimate family portrait of a woman’s life during the first Gulf War. Referencing American propaganda, Hindu-Muslim tensions and more, the show performed by Radhika Aggarwal has played London and Edinburgh to very favourable reviews.
5 12 Minute Madness
Sept. 9, noon; Sept. 10, 6:15 p.m.; Sept. 13, 9:45 p.m.; Sept. 14, 10:30 p.m.; Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 17, 6 p.m. at Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
Raïna von Waldenburg gets into her own head in her latest work. It’s a play based on her sexual abuse by her grandfather and working through that. Heavy stuff, but the subject matter is handled in a fashion that includes a great deal of humour coming from the 12 female cast members. Von Waldenburg taught at NYU for two decades before teaching at SFU and UFV.