Smudge - Check Out a Place You've Never Been

Presented by Not My Cup of Theatre Productions, Smudge is an original new play created by writer/directors Kazz Leskard and Jennica Grienke with support from producer Emmelia Gordon. Starring a group of four Studio 58 grads (Sara Andrina Brown, Joy Castro, Kazz Leskard and Caitlin McCarthy), Smudge is happening at the Ocean Concrete Maintenance Building on Granville Island.

This new play offers two parallel stories – one happening now and one set in the 1940s (just as WWII is ending). In the 1940s, Ruth (Sara Andrina Brown) and Betty (Joy Castro) are mechanics working at Ocean Concrete since the men are away at war. In 2012, Paul (Kazz Leskard) is a modern-day mechanic at Ocean Concrete because his grandma who worked there got him a job and Liz (Caitlin McCarthy) owns the broom store nearby.

Smudge is offered up as “A story of Unrequited Love, First Impressions, Dumb Mistakes and Missing Cats.” To figure out which storyline has which elements, I suggest you go see the show. The location is pretty cool – it's a machine shop with an older-style truck which the mechanics are working on. The sightlines are not fabulous – so if you can, consider sitting in the front row. It's great to see the actors using the entire space and I really liked the use of simultaneous action / dialogue of past and present stories.

Kudos to Ocean Concrete for opening up their space to Fringe performers! Can't wait to see what happens at this location next year!