vanfringe

Sylvestre wants a husband. This funny, sad, often silly woman thought her troubles were over when her cousin sent her in a crate as a mail-order bride to a Canadian man. Sadly, her groom-to-be died as she emerged from the box, so she must keep searching for the man who will complete her life.

Comedy, Monologue, All Ages

James Melcher puts on a touching performance in his autobiographical play, My Marvelous Melcher Machine, about growing up with more than his fair share of funerals and near-constant change. The themes of death and change are up-front the whole time, oddly without being overly sad or tear-jerky – though the story seems a bit random throughout, with jumps in chronology that I didn’t always get.
 
Melcher makes very effective use of his outdoor space by the marina on Granville Island (and after sitting in a slightly stuffy theatre earlier, laying out on a picnic blanket under a...

Comedy, Improv, Physical Theatre, All Ages - http://www.jamesmelcher.net/

I tend to like political drama, so The Troubles gets an automatic +1 magic boost from me. This one-woman show by Stephanie Henderson is all about “the Troubles” of sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. She ambitiously plays a number of characters, trying to show what motivates everyone from the Molotov Cocktail-throwing thug to an old man who has seen the violence and laments his helplessness, to the eight-year old girl who has already made up her mind to seek vengeance for her blown-up brother and mother. The characters certainly give a broader perspective, even if each of them is a...

Drama, Multimedia, Monologue, New Work - http://www.resoundingscreamtheatre.com/

I suspect that Burnt at the Steak will be one of the most talked-about shows at the Fringe. Carolann Valentino delivers a brilliant and bombastic performance in the story of a New York-born Italian who is raised in Texas and returns to Manhattan to make a career in acting – and in the meantime, managing a high-end steakhouse.

Comedy, Musical Theatre http://www.burntatthesteak.com/

This show features a monologue by Chris Wakaluk in the Origins Coffee Shop about 55 minutes in length. When I first sat in the audience, I was distracted by the fabulous smell of coffee (and wishing that I had a cup).  I noticed a slip of paper on each seat – I picked mine up.

Monologue

WOW! In the random shuffling of Fringe review assignments, I got sent off to war. The War of 1812 that is. And – I had a fairly wacky good time – despite my technical difficulties.

Podcast + Flashmob + Simon Says + Battle Re-enactment

Brace yourself for 90 minutes of awareness raising and emotion wrenching from Burnt Thicket theatre. Because this drama addresses an issue that’s a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide we are asked to watch, to listen and to take action.

Drama - http://www.shehasaname.net

Theatre of the Beat brings us a lively tale inspired by a true story in Gadfly. It's the journey of Sam Steiner, a young American Mennonite who is struggling to balance his conservative upbringing and the political realities of the late 1960s. The play was commissioned by Conrad Grebel University College and the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada.

Comedy, Drama, New Work http://www.theatreofthebeat.com

A Short History of My Life as a Bear + Nancy of the Pizza Garden are two short plays written by Kempton Dexter and Jacques Lalonde, produced by One Crazy Frenchman and a Big Bear Productions. The plays are running at the Havana Theatre, a cozy performance space in the back of the homonymous restaurant, on Commercial Drive.

Nancy, which is directed by Anthony F. Ingram, opened the night. Set in an art studio, the show is a dialogue between Travis (Richard Newman), a painter who is especially fond of landscapes and man on horses, and Alex (Michael Kopsa), an...

Comedy

A site-specific show at Circle Point starting at 8:30 pm is a stunningly beautiful location. There is a circle of eight trees and four benches – and a backdrop of water and Vancouver downtown skyline. It's a quiet retreat from the hum of the city on a Friday night as the sun is beginning to set. A small audience gathers to watch two young women perform in Love You Until.

Comedy, Drama, Queer, New Work http://www.nobleporpoisetheatre.webs.com/

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