The inspiration for MK Woyzeck is Georg Büchner's 1837 play, simply called Woyzeck, which was left unfinished at his death. According to the program notes for the production currently on at the Frederic Wood Theatre out at UBC, the mounting of a version of Büchner's challenging political play has become a rite of passage in theatre circles.
Moneca Lander, MariaLuisa Alvarez and Fiona Mongillo in MK Woyzeck; Photo: Tim Matheson
A Buddha statue sits prominently downstage centre, radiating out a message to the audience: “keep your eye on me, something terrible is about to happen to me”. The anticipation of disaster and predicting which of the various elements will likely go wrong is at the core of a work like Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy, currently in production at the Arts Club.
Julie McIsaac and Charlie Gallant in Black Comedy. Photo: Emily Cooper.
House of KOSA by Miranda Huba, presented by the TigerMilk Collective, depicts the warped personalities of the family that governs a fictional fashion house, with particular focus on the relationship between the head of the household and the daughter who is his only scion.
The chorus look on mother in House of KOSA. Photo credit: Cory Dawson
A unique collaboration of writers, actors and directors, Leaping Thespians is a group of talented women who take turns in all of these roles, and it really works!
Once Upon a Lesbian: no touching, photo by Peter Taylor
Shotgun, written and directed by Kari Marken and Jody Parasiers, is a series of vignettes about four high-school teachers car pooling. Mike, Ben and Kathryn (Jeff Kerrie, Hector Johnson, and Gemma Levinson) are the returning car poolers while Tessa (Ela Desmarchelier) is a newcomer from Australia.
Did your teacher look like this? Mike demonstrates deep knowledge about lego characters.
Midnight Hotel Productions is a new company out of NYC that has decided to bring their above mentioned show to not only the Victoria Fringe, but Vancouver as well. Good for them: get out, see the west coast, “go kayaking with the orcas”, have fun.
Lots of rumours about the Red Bastard around the Fringe site, in line-ups, at the Fringe bar…buzz buzz buzz…so off I eagerly scampered to experience this phenomenon.
Would you put your hand up there? Plank: we go where others fear to go.
Wagabondi Ho! taps into the multi-facetted mystique of the camper van, from childhood vacations fondly remembered to the intoxicated shennanigans of shag-wagon slackers.
Arriving at Granville Island while the rain still pattered away, I was relieved to feel it subside as I made my way to Jullanar of the Sea. The air was fresh and the ground damp along the walkway to the very corner of the island at the Amphitheatre in Ron Basford Park.
