The Vancouver Plank Panel are under the gun as they see show off
Your Plank Panel who are under the gun:
Michael John Unger is a Vancouver based writer, performer and show off who can be seen with the sketch comedy troupe The Skinny.
Ashleigh Dalton is a Vancouver-based writer and community development worker who is herself a bit of a show off.
They are reviewing the Show Off Festival which took place on October 23rd as part of Here Be Monsters Carnival of Arts.
Michael: I was surprised, based on past Show Offs, by the tone of the pieces this year. Show Off usually inspires people to try something experimental - which the pieces were on the night we went - but 3 out of the 4 of them were more dramatic, a definite trend away from comedy which tends to dominate this event. Since the process of creating work in a 48 hour time frame is so frantic the performances tend to have some improvisation which usually works better with comedy. This year, the pieces all took big risks by going dramatic and for the most part it worked.
Ashleigh: I liked the variation that Show Off produced – the result of four dramatic pieces that differed greatly from one another. On one hand there was a film noir-esque piece by the group Mother of Invention, and on the other, Stretch Mouthed Rascals came out with quirky heart-warming storytelling about stolen souls and newfound love.
The two shows that really stood out for me, however, were the ones that took the biggest risks. I found Nita Bowerman's solo piece to be imaginative and courageous. Michael, you mentioned the frantic process of creating a show in 48 hours – well, Bowerman did this all on her own – talk about pressure! The other group that I thought took a big risk, and succeeded, was Company B-Jine in their dance-infused piece It's a Matter of Fact. Using performer Jenny Magenta's strengths in flamenco and contemporary dance, this was a dramatic performance that examined madness, expression and gender stereotyping.
Michael: I agree with you about Bowerman’s piece, she came right out to the front of the stage and showed us her inspiration pack which included Kitchen Containers, a picture of "Juanita" drop kicking someone, and the Chordettes 50's hit "Lollipop". It became a bit of a puzzle as we watched her open up the containers, pulling out various jars; it appeared she was going to make something. All the while the song played out of another container. She told us that she was going to put on a "light show". I enjoyed her choice of words, because it was essentially silent and very playful like a kids show. Like Magenta's piece it was very courageous and ambitious, although she played a remix of the Chordettes song which at first I found neat but after the song repeated for the third time I was pretty sick of it. It seemed like if she wanted to play with the levels of repetition but I think she would have been better off with just the original.
All the pieces, even though they varied in style, did seem to have a common theme: "women on the brink". This was probably due to the line of text they were all given to work with: "Had she been a lunatic or an intellectually honourable woman who'd thought things through to their logical conclusion? And was there any difference?"
Ashleigh: This line of text comes from Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, whose work almost wholly focuses on the theme of "women on the brink." Perhaps it's fitting that each and every one of the groups involved in Show Off were inspired to create pieces centred around an integral female character who seemed to be, all at once, mad, pathetic
and immature, but also honest and intelligent.
Michael: Someone at Here Be Monsters must be a big Margaret Atwood fan, because last year when The Skinny did Show Off we were given a Margaret Atwood quote. Although we didn't take her quite as seriously; we made a Margaret Atwood porno. Anyways, I do like how having the same quote for all the groups gave a sense of commonality. It was also interesting to see how each group made use of it. That's really part of the fun of Show Off and what makes it a unique night of theatre. Out of all the inspiration package items it seems like the quote had the most predominant usage even if the actual quote wasn't literally said in the piece.
Ashleigh: You're right, the commonality of the inspiration quote brought it together. Often, as an audience member, I am left feeling dissatisfied after collections of short pieces or vignettes. I crave unification between theatrical pieces – some semblance of connection, some idea of why they are presented together. The use of the inspiration package made Show Off seem less like an odd assortment of 12-minute shows and more like an event. I walked away willing to overlook hiccups in flow and pacing, and instead thought I was on the verge of something exciting.
Michael: The order of the shows, although I believe they were chosen at random, worked out nicely as well. Stretch Mouthed Rascals ended the night with what I thought was the most complete piece: a beautiful tale about girl who, during a talent show in grade school, uses a made up machine that takes people’s souls. She uses the machine on a boy who, unbeknownst to her, has a crush on her. Years later the boy who thought his soul was taken grows up to be an accountant (they warn the audience at the beginning that the piece may offend accountants). He finds the girl now a woman and demands his soul back. It was such a good piece I wonder if the Rascals will ever get a chance to perform it again? Because of the nature of Show Off, a lot of times pieces are performed the one time only.
Some companies do revisit and expand the pieces they created at Show Off. In fact, on Saturday Nov. 1 we’ll get a chance to see some of the most memorable pieces from the past 10 years in a special Anniversary show of Show Off: Theatre Under the Gun. It’ll be a rare opportunity to see some of great theatrical pieces that were created in inspirational bursts by some of Vancouver’s thriving theatre companies.