Fringe Archives 2007
10,000 to Flight
Toronto, ON
presents
10,000 to Flight
written and performed by Julie Dumais and Mark Andrada
“Mark Andrada's proven himself one of the city's best improvisers and clowns” – NOW magazine
“brave and ridiculously talented” – The Varsity
“Julie Dumais is utterly charming" – CBC Radio
“dryly hilarious and surprisingly observant” – eye magazine
The fourth wall has fallen.
www.10k2f.com
General Audience Warning: content, language, late shows may not be suitable for young audiences
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
60 Min.
********************************
D.C. Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
Anansi - How Come You Smart So?, Come, Butter, Come and Mission to Happiness
by Donald Carr (Anansi, Come Butter) and Amah Harris (Mission)
“The performance was fantastic! Everyone was listening very carefully to all 3 performances; The Cream Can, Invitation to Dinner and the Stolen Stories. My favourite part was when Mr. Donald, who performed all 3, stood on his head and transformed into Anansi, the spider. It was amazing how one person, Mr. Donald, could do all 3 performances alone. Mr. Donald was sweating after the performances. His act was so realistic and acted very good. Everyone laughed when Mr. Donald acted funny". – student quote
"All the stories involved Anansi and showed how smart he was. I have heard of many Anansi stories before, but I never heard of these ones. There were many characters such as Demon of the Leaves, Mr. Teeger and Evil Forest Fairy. They were my favourite. The costumes were great; I learned a lot about African culture. I hope Mr. Donald will come back and perform more.” – student quote
Family Entertainment (Ages 6+)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
60 Min.
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Edgework Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
a space between
by Sarah Dryden
directed by Sergio Calderon
Missing: 8 bubbles, 3 sloppy kisses, 5 dew drops, 1 mother.
Collecting precious moments is the only thing that gives hope to Izzy when her mother unexpectedly leaves. Can her brother and father get her back? The truth is that everything happens in the space between two people.
www.edgeworktheatre.ca
General Audience Warning: mild language
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
50 Min.
********************************
Open Call Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
A Streetcar Named Gerrard
written and directed by Dawn Nearing
Two women, neighbours for years, sit in the kitchen of their Community Housing building that's scheduled for demolition--in 35 minutes!
From the company that brought you last year's Fringe hit “The (W)hole of Emily Scheller” comes a comedy about the neighbourhoods that shape us, the classes that define us, and how to fit your life into a cardboard box.
Praise for Open Call Theatre's past show “The (W)hole of Emily Scheller”:
4 STARS “it has an observant, economic and thematically cohesive script, pitch-perfectly performed by Rachel Blair, Lindsay Small and Mike Young. Such attributes make (W)hole a rarity -- not just at the Fringe, but in Toronto rep theatre in general.” - Eye Weekly
“After 10 days of Fringing, this is my pick.” - BlogTO
Cast: Rachel Blair, Lindsay Small and Michael Young
General Audience
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Block Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
The Africans
by Cyrus Lane
Is there such a thing as bad charity? Is having our "heart in the right place" enough?
This is a story of mistaken identities: Tom and Jane think they're nice, liberal, generous people, but when challenged, they discover there's more to being good than just feeling bad.
In the summer of 2006 they madly scrambles to do, say, be and feel all the right things when they host two Africans in their home during the AIDS conference. In a flurry of guilt and misfiring charitable impulses, they quickly take the wrong turn on the road of good intentions. A play about the good, the bad and, above all,...the okay.
Starring Joanne O'Sullivan
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Rumoli Bros. Studios
Toronto , ON
presents
An Inconvenient Musical
by The Rumoli Bros. and Waylen Miki
directed by The Rumoli Bros.
(Slideshow designed by: Kurt Firla)
The creators of the award-winning SARSical and a spectacular cast bring you the first eco-friendly song and dance extravaganza the world has ever seen!
It's the most inconvenient musical ever staged! *
Made up of 100% biodegradable music, 30% post-consumer recycled lyrics, and organic free-range comedy, this show will warm your hearts - not the globe.
$1 from each ticket sold will be donated to the WWF Climate Change Fund.
*aside from “Lord of the Rings”
Cast: Paul Bates, Fabrizio Filippo, Brandon Firla, Ayumi Iizuka, Bruce Horak, Rebecca Northan, Lee Smart, and Doug Morency as Al Gore.
www.myspace.com/inconvenientmusical
Mature Audience Warning: language
Fringe Club Theatre / 292 Brunswick Ave. (S. of Bloor)
85 Min.
********************************
Gesamtkunstwerk Productions
Montreal , QC
presents
...and stockings for the ladies
by Attila Clemann
directed by Zach Fraser
"Our young men have finally laid down their arms and lifted their faces in cheerful exhilaration at the end of fighting in Europe . From deep within the former German Empire, we bring you the sights and sounds of a powerful people we had no other option but to defeat, and the men and women who are now continuing the difficult task of healing and rebuilding. We will carry through the airwaves no longer the danger-riddled reports of Blitzes and bombs, but rather the peacetime tale of Europe 's rescue and rebirth. We will endeavour to bring into your homes the very hearts and minds of those we once called enemy, those we embrace as survivor, and those we cheer as hero."
Montreal 's Gesamtkunstwerk Productions presents this true story, elegantly and theatrically told by one performer and a host of vibrant characters.
Cast: Brendan McMurtry-Howlett
General Audience
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Cocksuckaz Presents
Edmonton , AB
presents
BASH'd!
written and performed by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow
directed by Ron Jenkins
Dora Award winner Chris Craddock (BoyGroove and Wrecked) teams up with Nathan Cuckow (STANDupHOMO) and director Ron Jenkins (The Red Priest) to create BASH'd! a gay rap opera.
Two young lovers live in Edmonton during the equal marriage debate. When one is bashed, the other hits the streets, seeking revenge.
Music and beats by Aaron Macri (BoyGroove).
“a fast-paced, witty, intricate and exceptionally poignant piece of theatre.” - SEE Magazine
"witty and highly theatrical...a clever little stinger of a show!" - The Edmonton Journal
www.myspace.com/bashd
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Do-It-Yourself Theatre
Toronto, ON
presents
Betrayal
by Harold Pinter
directed by Brian Rintoul
Master playwright, Harold Pinter explores the theme of “betrayal” on multiple levels. Friendship, love, fidelity, trust, honesty, commitment and sacrifice are all examined as the audience tries to decide who is betraying whom … and when?
This will be Do It Yourself Theatre's inaugural production. Do It Yourself Theatre is a project-based company with a mandate to self-produce challenging work for artists who fall somewhere in between the generic categories of “emerging” and “established”. The cast and creative team for Betrayal have worked for such theatres as The Stratford Festival, Mirvish Productions, CanStage, Theatre Calgary, The Grand Theatre, and Shakespeare's Globe.
“Pinter's Betrayal is a play that so many want to do, but so few get the opportunity to do it. I wanted to bring something of substance to the Fringe; a play equally exciting for actors and audience members alike.” - Marc R. Bondy, Artistic Director
Cast: Marc R. Bondy, Cory O'Brien, Kerry Ann Doherty
www.doityourselftheatre.ca
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
90 Min.
********************************
Theatre Clive
Toronto, ON
presents
Bride of Sasquatch
by James Gilpin
directed by Tanja Jacobs
Bride of Sasquatch: A romantic comedy about love, relationships, weddings, and other dark, mysterious creatures.
Cheryl is a compulsively single cryptozoologist/office temp with a Sasquatch fascination who is beginning to realize that Bigfoot may never come and sweep her off her feet. Daryl is a corporate climber who is looking for that special co-dependant tax write-off to divest his RRSPs with.
As our two heroes pass through courtship and falling in love and then turn to face the looming possibility of marriage, old truths begin to surface. Will the future Bride and Groom be able to navigate the pitfalls of a modern relationship, or will more primitive desires prevail?
Bride of Sasquatch is a play about what we must give up, and what we must hold on to when we fight to survive in that dark, dangerous and foreboding wilderness called modern love.
Cast: Beatriz Yuste and James Gilpin
Producer: Derek Dugas
Mature Audience Warning: adult language
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
55 Min.
********************************
Starfire Theatre Centre
Welland , ON
presents
Bus Stop Boogie
by L.R. Greenaway
directed by Len Greenaway
What do a WW11 vet, a young expectant couple, a working class woman, a business man and a jogger have in common? Find out when they all meet at a Bus Stop.
They banter, reminisce and brag. Their cross talk, innuendoes and double entendres will lead you from lighthearted chuckles to naughty giggles to deep belly laughs. Down to earth, and sometimes downright smutty, the humour and situations go to the outer edges without ever offending. Interwoven into this comedy is a brightly coloured thread of concern and good neighbourliness.
An immediately engaging play that dares to be Canadian and maintains a high level of energy that brings the audience along with it. Hits the funny bone with a sledgehammer.
Cast: Jim Colbert, Rhys Greenaway, Serena Berardi, Lida Savelli Greenaway, Len Greenaway, Aaron Hamm
www.starfiretheatrecentre.com
Mature Audience Warning: you could die laughing
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
90 Min.
********************************
Cara Yeates Presents
Vancouver , BC
presents
Bye Bye Bombay
written and performed by Cara Yeates
directed by Jonno Katz
India : a land of extremes.
Follow one traveler as she dodges pickpockets and marriage proposals, fights rickshaws and rabid monkeys, dances in haunted castles with princes, drinks bhang with hippies and tea with gurus…and becomes Bollywood's next big superstar???
Bye Bye Bombay delves into a land where anything is possible. Actor and writer, Cara Yeates, shares her experiences of living in India : giving a rare and hilarious insight into its ever-growing movie-making wonderland.
Jonno Katz directs this multimedia journey, a borage of fast-flashing images and sounds that draw you deep into the heart of India . It showcases the music of Tarun of ‘Beats without borders', and sitar by Purbayan Chatterjee.
Take an adventure to Bollywood and beyond.
5 STARS - Times Colonist
4 STARS - Winnipeg Free Press
4 STARS - Vancouver Sun
"A Genuine Treat" - The Georgia Straight
"Pick of the Fringe"- Victoria Fringe Festival
www.carayeates.com
General Audience
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
BSide Productions
Regina , SK
presents
Caberlesque!
written and directed by Jeff Pufahl
The sexiest show on the Fringe! (Best of Fest 2006: Winnipeg , Saskatoon & Calgary ) Caberlesque is the fusion of powerful cabaret performances mixed with sexy burlesque. Five talented performers take you on a musical journey and entertain you as you've never been entertained before!
Get ready for a cheeky romp that will tantalize your senses and leave you wanting more! Caberlesque! will transport you to:
- Berlin 1933The music of Kurt Weill & Irving Berlin. Romance in Weimar when an American Burlesque dancer meets a famous cabarettist.
- Amsterdam , 1967 The music of Jacques Brel & Henry Mancini. A young sailor in Amsterdam 1967 gets a taste of life!
- New York , Present Day. Contemporary cabaret and burlesque, featuring the music of Britain 's Fascinating Aida.
“This show is beautiful, classy and engaging – performed with great finesse” - Saskatoon Star Phoenix
“Bawdy, moody and wonderfully written…” - Winnipeg Free Press
Cast: Jeff Pufahl, Darla Biccum, Sharon Nowlan, Leanne Scott
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, scantily clad women
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
80 Min.
********************************
Gypsy Miller
Toronto, ON
presents
Celine Speaks
created by: Laura Landauer & Sue Miner
performed by: Laura Landauer
directed by: Sue Miner
It isn't easy being the world's greatest pop diva goddess saviour.
Laura Landauer (Bravo!'s Bathroom Divas 2007 finalist!) not only portrays Celine Dion - she IS Celine Dion. Hear Celine's classic hit songs and bathe in the star-spackled glory of an unforgettable Fringe tour de force performance - CELINE SPEAKS!
www.lauralandauer.com
General Audience Warning: fog and wind machines
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Gruppo Rubato
Ottawa , ON
presents
The Churchill Protocol
written and performed by Patrick Gauthier and Kris Joseph
directed by Natalie Joy Quesnel
In the middle of the night, freight planes have been landing at an airport in northern Manitoba . Cargo is being quietly smuggled into the famous Polar Bear Jail for use in a military program that doesn't appear on anyone's budget. The cargo comes from the mountains of Northern Afghanistan ; the cargo is live. Forget everything you thought you knew about torture and warfare: the Canadian military has a whole new operation…and they'll do anything to keep it a secret.
In The Churchill Protocol, intrepid reporter Neal Allen is about to uncover the truth of what's taking place on the shores of Churchill Bay ... and he's not ready for what he's going to be told. It's a bizarre, surprising look at the future of our military, brought to you by the multi-award-winning company that roasted email culture and rocked central Canada with 2004's pygM@ILion.
“Patrick Gauthier's work is smart, funny, cynical, and urban.” - Ottawa Citizen
www.rubato.ca
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Green Pea Collective
Toronto , ON
presents
Conservatives in Love
by Dave Carley
directed by Sue Miner
Green Pea Collective returns with its SIXTH Fringe of Toronto show!
Conservatives in Love is a study of two things: those mysterious new urbanites who are moving into all those towering downtown condos and the non-economic value of Art.
The play is mostly set at the Art Gallery of Ontario. It brings together ten young downtowners who are converging for a Young Conservatives meet and greet. At this meeting, they will learn the exact value of a Henry Moore, and they will spend an indecent amount of time hitting on each other. (Because that is what Young Conservatives do.)
Cast: Jason Jazrawy, Richard Lee, Anne Page, and Naomi Snieckus
www.peagreentheatre.com
Mature Audience Warning: language, nudity
Venue 16 - Miles Nadal JCC (Venue Partner with the Green Pea Collective), Room 318
75 Min.
*******************************
Jurassic Poop Productions
Almonte, ON
presents
The Coprolite Caper: The Mysterious Case of Who Dung It?
written and performed by Jacob Berkowitz
Jacob Berkowitz, author of Jurassic Poop: What Dinosaurs and Others Left Behind, presents his unique, theatrical 45-minute family presentation on the science of fossil poop – coprolites. Become a dung detective and help put this case in the bag!
- “Jurassic Poop is…brilliant.” Starred review, Quill and Quire
- Recommended Book, CBC Radio “Sounds Like Canada” Children's Book Panel
In 2005, Berkowitz premiered his one-man show Israel at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
www.jacobberkowitz.com
Family Entertainment (Ages 3 to 99)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
45 Min.
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Holy Moly Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Corporate Valentines
by Andew Borkowski
directed by Andy Pandoff
Corporations: are they worth your loyalty? Your very bodily belonging? The new nice guy: is he okay with some moral compromise? What about the others? Over-educated yet wild, why are they misbehaving at the Corporation's big event: a combined AGM - Valentines Social?
Find out in this dark and debased satire on our business culture. We'll be dressed up, of course.
Expanded from the successful 20 minute version debuting at last year's West End Short Play festival in Oakville , Corporate Valentines now features a cast of six (previously four) and ramps up the satire with a pair of surprises in the story.
According to playwright Andrew Borkowski, the play's aim is "to amuse the audience - of course, but also, to unsettle them."
The play features three returning cast: Jennifer Lieberman of New York and LA fame; Matt McCarthy of West GTA fame; and Andrew Borkowski of...Humilityville.
Cast: Jennifer Lieberman, Matt McCarthy, Andrew Borkowski, Candi Zell plus two surprise players
Mature Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Thought For Food
Toronto , ON
presents
The Cousins of Corsica (or What I Will)
by Jessica Séguin
directed by Tyler Séguin
A woman disguised as a boy. An usurped King. Mistaken identities, fools, shipwrecks and, of course, Love.
Could it be a lost Shakespearean play? The source material for all his comedies? A clever fake?
Thought for Food presents a new Elizabethan Comedy. It's like Shakespeare. Only better.
“If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then call me flattered!” – W. Shakespeare, playwright
Performed outdoors: Bring Your Own Blanket
Cast: Kate Southwell, Dan Leberg, Helen Juvonen, Amanda Calder, Nathan Younger, Heather Ervin, Erick Fournier, Paul Anthony Hardy, James Wallis
www.thought4food.ca
General Audience
Venue 27 - Emmanuel Quad at Victoria University (U of T) / 75 Queen's Park. Entrance off Charles Street
75 Min.
********************************
The Roodie Pancake Experiment
Toronto , ON
presents
Curriculum Vitae
written and performed by Jimmy Hogg
directed by Peter J. Morey
In his latest one-man show Brit, Jimmy Hogg, delivers an intensely verbose, physically exhaustive monologue, outlining his employment history. From the hilariously morbid and ridiculous trials of work experience at age fifteen to his quest for the perfect career which will fulfill him financially and spiritually. Rambling, meandering, sweating profusely and spitting his words out with vehemence and wry humour, Hogg's performance is a genuine one-man tour de force.
Best of Fringe/ Sold Out San Francisco 2006.
Sold Out Minnesota Fringe 2006.
Sold Out Boulder Fringe 2006.
“Must-see It's crazed, creative and super-cute!” - Pioneer Press
“This British actor has his audience laughing out loud at his energetic tales… This one's a keeper.” -mnartists.org
“great show, great talent!” -ag Magazine
“Hogg is irresistibly charming, enthusiastic, and adorable...” - nytheatre.com“
"…A magnificent performance from Jimmy Hogg… he flings himself about the stage with a ballerina's precision …” - Eye magazine (For previous one-man show).
www.myspace.com/jimmyjimmyhogg
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Roots International Arts Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
Curse of Ham
written and directed by Leon Saul
Bishop Ham, a charismatic preacher, must fight to defend his name against the charge of willful promotion of hatred. But his defence against the charge of willful promotion of hatred, is complicated when it is revealed he believes he is Ham - the cursed son of Noah. Leon Saul's "Curse of Ham" is a DRAMATIC story of love, lust and family secrets revealed! For more than 300 years many scholars in Western Christianity have debated as to what really happened in the tent of Noah. The "curse theory" was also used as a justification of slavery, segregation and to generally put a whole race of people into a second-class, inferior and subservient position because of their black skin!
In 2006, THE NON-PROFIT Roots International Arts Theatre Inc. WAS launched, led by the father-son duo Leon Saul and Ryan Singh along with Cheryl Nelson. Roots Theatre's mission of "Keeping Our Stories Alive", is a theme that will allow the company to produce plays to enable youth and people of colour opportunities to tell their own stories.
Cast: Jeff Orchard, Julia Mondi, Trevor Murray, Nigel Ryan, Nadera Jackson, Rory Davies, Jeannine Charles, Trevor Crane, Ras Leon, Andrea Golding and Kelby Bedeau. SOUNDTRACK: “DUB SCROLL” BY BLACK ARROW STUDIO.
www.rootstheatre.com
General Audience
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
90 Min.
********************************
Miss Reese Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
Dad Who? Evelyn Reese's Focus on the Family
by Susan Fischer
The world-weary good-time gal is back with a sequel to her 2006 Fringe hit.
"Highly recommended…a triumph of crazy charm and savvy sassiness." ( Toronto Star.)
Evelyn Reese "delights, down to every gawdawful detail. NNNN." – Critics' pick (NOW, Toronto .)
“It's tremendously funny.” (Times Colonist, Victoria , B.C.)
Evelyn Reese is like a cigarette and rye-n-ginger enhanced Mary Tyler Moore, 30 years and three husbands later. She's also an executive secretary of a certain age who was so buoyed by her success emceeing the office Christmas party that she decided to hit the Fringe circuit with her one-lady shows. For the 2007 Toronto Fringe, Evelyn Reese tells more politically incorrect stories about her friends, the office, the gays and the family, with a look at dads or lack thereof.
www.evelynreese.com
Mature Audience Warning: adult content
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
Level Headed Friends Production Company
Toronto, ON
presents
Dead Celebrities
written and directed by Mack Gordon
Based on a true story. Jack Jordan, an honest Canadian youth, searches for sincerity and inspiration in the most clichéd of all forums, the cross-America road trip. His cynical, pop-culture loving best friend, Dusty, joins him on this funny, touching, and honest attempt to follow in America 's literary forefathers' footsteps.
With dramaturgical contributions from Montreal playwright Jacob Richmond, Dead Celebrities parodies the fine line between inspiration and replication.
“Slide over, Kerouac…Gordon's in the driver seat!” – Peter McGuire, Associate Conservatory Director/Producer, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco .
“In its first draft, it was still one of the best plays I'd read all year” – Sebastian Archibald, Vancouver Playwright.
Cast: Carey Wass and Mack Gordon
Mature Audience Warning: strong language
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Mahatmamajama Productions
Edmonton , AB
presents
Deep Fried Curried Perogies
by Michelle Todd
How do you make Deep Fried Curried Perogies?
Go deep into your past, plunge into Filipino oil, spice with a little Jamaican curry and add a home-grown Canadian perogy! This “Pick of the Fringe” passes the collection plate of legacy - full of stories, recipes, heirlooms, hair trauma and certain indigestion. A heart-warming glow on the common question we all ask, “Where do I come from?”
Touching, funny, smart - Deep Fried Curried Perogies is a look at family legacy. A show for anyone who is black, white, ukranian, asian, euopean, flat-chested, short, breathing...
“a must see” - VUE Weekly
“gifted storyteller… funny and thought-provoking” - The Star Phoenix
“engaging and tour-de-force comedy… a full-out entertaining evening that's both universal and oh-so grounded in a heartfelt and emotionally connected individual experience” - SEE Magazine
5 STARS - Edmonton Sun
4 STARS - Vue Weekly
4 STARS - See Magazine
www.mahatmamajama.com
Mature Audience
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
70 Min.
********************************
Perpetual Motion Theatre Co.
Minneapolis , MN ( USA )
presents
The Depth of the Ocean
by Derek Lee Miller
No land in sight... Five survivors of various maritime disasters cling to a single life raft floating in the deep.
Performed entirely in the water, this highly physical original work from the American ensemble, Perpetual Motion Theatre Co., explores the fear and paranoia that all survivors must face.
A smash hit at last summer's Minnesota Fringe, join us for this singular theatrical event with shows every night July 4-13 at the University of Toronto .
"Cream of the Crop! Best of the Fringe!" - ( Minneapolis Star Tribune)
"A full-immersion Fringe baptism. The five-person troupe's compelling ensemble work is all the more impressive for the production's close quarters and sopping period costumes... It's a frigate in a week full of dinghies. - (City Pages)
www.perpetualmotiontheatre.org
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 22 - Benson Pool, U of T Athletic Centre / 55 Harbord St. (at Spadina)
55 Min.
********************************
seed.alt
Toronto , ON
presents
The Devil's Albatross
written and directed by Dillon McManamy
A dark comedy about unrequited love during the apocalypse; the walking dead have overrun Toronto due to a clerical error in hell and a giant sea bird has been seen snatching suicide jumpers right out of the skies. Following the lives of: Poncho, a late 20's fast food philosopher, Oz; a penis-envying "assurance" saleswoman and Che; a naive poet with a penchant for misanthropy, The Devil's Albatross is a stage play about the "American Dream" warped into the American Nightmare.
Cast: Luke Anderson, Jessie Behan, Alex Rubin, Michael DeRose, Amy Lester, Scott Yamamura
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2288953853
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Beyond Chutleigh Productions/Allies All Over Theatre Co-op
Toronto , ON
presents
Dickens of the Mounted
by Eric Nicol, adapted from his book by Brad Lepp and Kristian Bruun
directed by Brad Lepp
From one of Canada 's favourite humorists comes the true story of Frank Dickens, son of the famous author, who was given a choice: go to jail, or go to Canada . Now if he can overcome his reputation for ineptitude, laziness and heavy drinking, he may just earn a place in the history books. From Sam Steele to Sitting Bull, from American whisky smugglers to Louis Riel – if the West doesn't kill him the mosquitoes will.
Witty and clever, this first stage adaptation of Eric Nicol's hilarious book is Canadian history at its most entertaining. So seamless is the mix of fancy and fact that when Dickens of the Mounted first appeared in hardcover it rose to prominence on both fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. If you thought you knew how the west was won, come find out how it was really done!
* Mounties in full Dress Uniform get in Free
Cast: Kristian Bruun
www.dickensofthemounted.com
General Audience
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Tobias & Bartholomew
Victoria , Australia
presents
Die Roten Punkte
written and performed by Otto and Astrid Rot
All the way from Berlin ! He's Otto. She's Astrid. They're brother and sister… and they're in the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world; Die Roten Punkte. Living in a lipstick smeared self-important punk rock mess, sibling rivalry never tasted so good.
“intensely funny… It's a class act, entertaining both musically and comically.” - The Age
“the funniest comic musicians I've heard” - 3PBSRadio
“a deliciously quirky and original piece of comic nonsense…”- Adelaide Advertiser
“Iggy Pop-esque posing from Otto, Bjork attitude from Astrid… the sulky sibling dynamics wonderfully awkward, and the level of self-delusion spot-on.”- The Age
“Die Roten Punkte are angry, narcissistic tantrum-lovers… it's observation of rock music's pouty pretentiousness is sharply done.” – Sydney Morning Herald
www.myspace.com/dierotenpunkte
Mature Audience
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
MacKenzieRo
Toronto , ON
presents
Disco Pigs
by Enda Walsh
directed by Autumn Smith
Pig and Runt—an inseparable duo living their lives in the ill-defined no man's land between childhood and the adult world. We meet them—a self-styled “Irish Bonnie and Clyde”—on their shared seventeenth birthday and Cork City through their eyes is a wet grey wasteland with only one diamond shining out of the shite, The Palace Disco. An electric two-hander. Join us for a pint and a play.
Press for MacKenzieRo's past productions:
“the most incredible play I have ever seen at any Fringe Festival….I became completely immersed in…this truly impressive production. Don't miss it.” (J. Kelly Nestruck's Fringe Blogger)
“ a splendid staging in an actual pub, the audience almost a part of the action” (NOW)
“stays with you even after you leave” (EYE)
“MacKenzieRo's…productions of Irish and English plays…usually end up on some critic's Best of Fringe list.” (The National Post)
Cast: Kyle Horton and Cathy Murphy
www.mackenziero.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 24 - Rower's Pub / 150 Harbord St .
75 Min.
********************************
Chipped Paint Productions
Vancouver , BC
presents
Dishpig
by TJ Dawe and Greg Landucci
directed by TJ Dawe
5 STARS “Hilarious one-man show…fast and flawless” - Winnipeg Free Press
Best of Fest! – Winnipeg Fringe 2006
Fringe heavy hitter TJ Dawe (The Slip-Knot, A Canadian Bartender at Butlin's, Labrador, etc) and Greg Landucci (some friend of TJ's) present a solo show about the delicious, high paying, well respected glories of scrubbing dishes in a busy restaurant…until your arms fall off.
Cast: Greg Landucci
www.tjdawe.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
Total Score
Toronto , ON
presents
Don't Look
by Daniel Sadavoy
Total Score Entertainment brings you theatre with a kick. Plays with style, and stories that hold you fast. Imagine loving the theatre.
http://dontyoulook.googlepages.com/
General Audience
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
The National Theatre of Canada Corporation
Toronto , ON
presents
Drag Queens Talk About Their Vaginas
written and directed by Durango Miller
A slapstick screwball comedy about how outrageously ridiculous backstage life gets for drag diva Busty Gobbler, whose cat is kidnapped, sending her on an hysterical rampage, living the illusion that she is being stalked by her own vagina. Comedy inspired by the Marx Brothers and I Love Lucy. A contemplation of modern society's obsession with superficial vanity.
EYE Weekly critic Paul Isaacs said: "I can't remember the last time I felt better coming out of a piece of Toronto theatre..." and called the show "warm-hearted, energetic and funny...a perfect soufflé". Duane Tucker of the Hamilton Spectator called the play "simply madness".
Durango Miller's movie ABORTION IS FUN, starring Philip Cairns, premiered in the Short Film Corner at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Drag is gradually disappearing. The play preserves this small glittering piece of show business history in all its madness and hilarity.
Cast: Philip Cairns , Jay Stewart, Nathan Callens, Rory Moy
www.nationaltheatre.ca
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
Bear Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
The Dream
written and directed by Brian Kennington
A modern spin on A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM.
It's the end of summer at Camp Athena and the staff is preparing for the closing night ceremonies, but there is turmoil amongst them.
Hermia, daughter of the camp directors, has been forbidden to see fellow counsellor and lover, Lysander. Defying her father's demands, Hermia and Lysander steal away to the surrounding forest. Demetrius, also in love with Hermia, pursues the lovers. Helen, who is in love with Demetrius, joins the chase. Meanwhile, a group of aspiring thespian counsellors stumble off into the forest, to rehearse for the closing ceremonies. Unknown to all, the forest is inhabited by mischievous Fairies. Using their powers of magic, the Fairies strike, creating chaos and mayhem.
A modern spin on A Midsummer Night's Dream.
www.hannahskitchen.com/thedream/
General Audience
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
85 Min.
********************************
True Edge Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Duel of Ages
by Dennis McGrath, Mike McPhaden, Michael Rubenfeld, Gregg Taylor, Kirsten Gundlack-Levinson
Wounds of the flesh, a surgeon's skill may heal,
But wounded honor is only cured with steel. – From a 19th century challenge to a duel.
Duel of Ages invites you to explore the infamous legacy of personal combat thru six short plays and fight scenes depicting various ages in the history of dueling, from the famous Duel de Jarnac in 1547 to the modern cinematic “wire-fu” action scene.
With the writing of such Fringe and Summerworks luminaries as Dennis McGrath (Top Gun the Musical), Mike McPhaden (Poochwater), Michael Rubenfeld ( Spain ) and Gregg Taylor (Black Jack Justice), and choreography and performances by some of Toronto 's most talented fight directors and actor-combatants, Duel of Ages is a thrilling exploration of the cult of honour and personal combat.
Rapiers for two… coffee for one.
www.trueedge.ca
General Audience Warning: gunshots, violence
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min
********************************
Trouve North and Praxis Theatre
Toronto, ON
presents
DYAD
Two Acts of Violence
directed by Michael Wheeler
The Toronto debut of Trouvé North in association with award-winning Fringe veterans Praxis Theatre combines the hyper realist A Short Recess by Vancouver playwright Simon Ogden, and the classic absurdist drama The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco. DYAD explores yes/no, black/white, male/female, funny/not so funny, young mc/mc solar, letters/numbers, etc/and so on and so forth, etc..
Cast: David Tompa, Glen MacDonald, Laura Nordin, Margaret Evans
www.praxistheatre.com
Play-drama
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
55 Min.
********************************
Pumpkin
Thornhill , ON
presents
Eleanor
by Avi, Bonnie, Jordana, and Len Phillips
directed by Avi Phillips
movement coash: Viv Moore
"Eleanor" - the untold story of the Beatles' Eleanor Rigby and Father MacKenzie. The intertwining of their lives, from birth until that eventful moment in the church. "All the lonely people - where do they all come from?" Find out in "Eleanor" - a creative and imaginative tale, portrayed without words, but accompanied throughout with the songs of the Beatles.
Cast: Lea Dodinton, Nancy Levy, Gina Rae, Avi Phillips, Len Phillips
General Audience
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
Bridge Filmworks Etc.
Hamilton , ON
presents
Emma Porter
by David B. Fraser
directed by Aaron Lam
A dark, visceral thriller about a traumatic event and how it can twist and turn people. This play is about our need to justify our past, to come to grips with tragedies we are powerless to change, and the desperate acts we will commit to alter our present.
Cast: Richard Archer, David B. Fraser, Janet Kompare Fritz
http://bridgefilmworks.spaces.live.com/
Mature Audience Warning: violence
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
45 Min.
********************************
Clever Chickadee Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Escape From Grace
by Haley McGee
directed by Elizabeth Helmers
Escape From Grace is an uproarious and poignant play in which the tormented McCarthy family struggles to come to terms with the death of their youngest daughter. Each of the characters has found something to believe in—golf, yogic energy, academia—to cope with their grief. Except for the father, Winston, whose desire to live is rapidly evaporating. As Winston's 58th birthday approaches his family gathers in a desperate attempt to cajole him into celebration.
The play exposes the inner-workings of a family while exploring belief systems, escapism, sexuality and grief. The emotional pendulum swings wildly from despair to hilarity. An exciting, cathartic and invigorating experience.
Cast: Marianne McIsaac, Marla Brennan, Jesse Griffiths, Simon Rainville, Carlyn Burchell, Jenn Dzialoszynski, Evan Williams, Paul Rainville and Paul Amato
www.cleverchickadee.zoomshare.com
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
90 Min.
********************************
Interaction and Entertainment Research Centre
Singapore
presents
Everyman: The Ultimate Commodity
by Daniel K. Jernigan (from the short story by Gopal Baratham)
directed by Russell Pensyl
The project is an augmented reality theatre project loosely based on Singaporean fiction writer Gopal Baratham's short story of the same name. The implementation of augmented reality technology allows for the simultaneous staging of “real” characters with “simulated” characters.
The short story imagines a future in which a Singaporean scientist has created a chemical formula which causes all those who ingest it to physically change so as to become universal organ donors. One side-effect of the solution is that it also causes the various distinguishing characteristics of Singaporeans to disappear, so that every one begins to appear morphologically similar to each other. Against this backdrop, this play focuses on a small part of the larger story; on the identity crisis which occurs when a father (Binny) confuses his daughter with his wife.
Cast: Debra Teng, Sara Yang, Gerald Chew
www.ntu.edu.sg/ierc/
General Audience
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Pink Hat
Toronto , ON
presents
Expiry Dating
by Alison Broverman
directed by Sarah Baumann
Winner of the 2007 Toronto Fringe New Play Contest, and the first play ever serialized in a Canadian national newspaper!
A witty and moving comedy about love on a deadline.
Cast: Mark Andrada, Alison Broverman
www.expirydating.ca
General Audience Warning: mild language, awesome makeouts, impeccable grammar
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
85 Min.
********************************
Knockabout Theatre Co.
Toronto , ON
presents
"Ex-zhyle"
by the Knockabout Collective
directed by Sasha Kovacs
In Knockabout Theatre Company's Toronto debut, two clowns embark on a sacred quest to liberate Canada's national hero Pauline Johnson with the aid of Cuba's revolutionary fathers. But on the eve of battle, it all goes terribly awry when one of the clowns is violently kidnapped from the trenches. In this new production derived from the workshops of Cry of the Indian Wife in Kingston, Ontario, director Sasha Kovacs delves deeper into the writings of Pauline Johnson and José Martí. The result is a show that is both playful and disturbing; an electric autopsy that examines how we become foreign to ourselves.
Cast: Jonathan Heppner and Marni Van Dyk
www.knockabout.ca
Mature Audience Warning: language, nudity, herbal cigarette use
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
45 Min.
********************************
Monster Camp Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
First Heist Club
by Tim Sweeney
directed by Jennie Grimard
It took five foxy women to plan the perfect heist, and one guy named Shank to screw it all up.
Varla, Bonnie, Adelaide , Kitty and new recruit Clare meet on Wednesday nights, each hoping to break out of a life of mini-vans, cubicles and instant mashed potatoes. Will Kitty's notoriously bad taste in men be their downfall? In their attempt to add some excitement to their lives, the girls may have gotten more than they bargained for in this estrogen fuelled comedy.
Varla: The Mastermind.
Bonnie: The Muscle.
Adelaide : The Distraction.
Kitty: The Cat Burglar.
Clare: The Driver.
Shank: The Moron .
Starring: Sarah Swift, Natalie Forcier, Emily Andrews, Cora Kennedy, Jennifer Gauthier and Cory Doran as Shank.
From the team that brought you 2005's “Attack of the Intergalactic Middle Managers”
4 STARS - “Pick of the Fringe” - Eye Magazine
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
inFluxdance
Charlottesville , VA ( USA )
presents
Found and Lost: Goals for 2002
choreographed by Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, Kristin Fieseler, Alysia Woodruff
This season inFluxdance presents an original dance/theater piece entitled Found & Lost: Goals for 2002, with choreography by Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, Alysia Woodruff, and Kristin Fieseler.
Inspired by stories surrounding lost and found items, the company explores the idea of how simply picking something off the ground could be a catalyst for a series of events. Found someone's grocery list? A mystery key?
Take a walk with us and uncover miniature moments of surprise, and madness that would otherwise stay crumpled up in the gutter or stuck to a telephone pole…
Their “Spirit of the Fringe Award” at the 2006 Montreal Fringe has been a driving force behind Found & Lost. Witty, yet poignant, the show reflects the company's commitment to creating dance/theater for all audiences. Similar to last season, inFluxdance incorporates American Sign Language throughout the production, adding a level of accessibility you rarely find. THE GAZETTE OF MONTREAL GAVE THEM 4 STARS!!
www.influxdance.org
General Audience Warning: mild language
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
TeenAngstPoetry.com
Vancouver , BC
presents
Fuck Off and Die: Tales in Teen Angst Poetry
by Sara Bynoe and AJ Demers
directed by AJ Demers
In 2000 Sara Bynoe created TeenAngstPoetry.com; an online database of the world's worst poetry. She edited an anthology; Teen Angst: A Celebration of REALLY BAD Poetry ( St. Martin 's Press, 2005). In 2006 she sold out her performance of BAD GRAD at Calgary 's famous High Performance Rodeo. Now she has taken the best of the worst for this solo show.
Expect the show to be a medley of mortification; poems of rhyming swears, classic teen ravings like ‘no one understands my pain' and ‘I will never love again,' a heart-bleeding song inspired by break-ups, and ode or two to Kurt Cobain.
Part stand-up comedy, part poetry reading, and part verbatim theatre, ‘Fuck off and Die' is a heartfelt yet hilarious valentine for every lonely, angry and misunderstood person that ever lived because the truth is everyone understands you pain. Especially Sara.
“A great comedic talent reminiscent of Carol Burnett.” - Terminal City
Cast: Sara Bynoe
www.SaraBynoe.com
General Audience Warning: language, bad rhyming
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Acky-Made
Edmonton , AB
presents
The Fugue Code
written and performed by Alex Eddington
directed by Alison Williams
BACH is BACK!
From the Baroque mind of award-winning composer/playwright/actor Alex Eddington comes a new comedy-thriller of apocalyptic proportions!
Can Conductor, Musicologist, Singer and Organist band together to crack THE FUGUE CODE before the last note of the Well-Tempered Clavier????
One of the Top 10 shows of Edmonton Fringe 2006!! – SEE Magazine
“Catch an exciting new creative force in development” - SEE Magazine
“A story that is so rich in detail, it's difficult not to be drawn into it” – CBC Manitoba
“Sharp wit and a first class delivery” – Uptown Magazine
“Delightfully silly” – The National Post
www.AlexEddington.com
General Audience
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Funny Business Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Funny Business - The Musical
book by Daniel Falk and Rachel Brittain, music and lyrics by Daniel Abrahamson
directed by Marc Richard
When low morale threatens their branch, five office workers must mount a team building talent show. Romance blossoms, betrayal burns, and hilarity ensues as they try to keep the show together without tearing each other apart. Will Sales and Marketing resolve their rivalry? Will the Receptionist and the Intern find true love? And will Middle Management do anything at all? What starts as a routine team builder quickly dissolves into an every-man-for-himself battle of business versus pleasure.
This hilarious and sexy musical romp features an original pop score, ground-breaking multimedia design, and unforgettable characters you'll instantly recognize from around the water cooler.
www.funnybusinessthemusical.com
General Audience
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
90 Min.
********************************
Critical Fumble
Toronto , ON
presents
Geek-Gasm
by David Roberts
directed by Victor Correia
Star Wars vs. Star Trek. Marvel vs. DC. Furries vs. Everyone. Explore these weighty philosophical divisions and others in Geek-Gasm, a comedy about life, love and embracing your inner geek. Level-up and geek-out with our heroes and vixens at the biggest Convention of the year.
We guarantee you will find your ‘G' spot.
“Finally! The droids I've been looking for!” – Stormtrooper 7, the Tatooine Times
“My spidey-sense tingled… all night long” – Spiderman, the Daily Bugle
www.myspace.com/critical_fumble
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Chris Gibbs
United Kingdom
presents
Gibberish
written and performed by Chris Gibbs
British comedian Chris Gibbs, the man behind the 2006 fringe hit ‘Antoine Feval', gives free reign to his comic side in this 60 minute stand-up show.
“It's a tight, charming, winning hour that doesn't need to be “about something” to earn my highest recommendation. In a word, hilarious.” – CBC
“Gibberish is comic genius… Gibbs does a stand-up routine unlike any other. He spends most of his act apologizing for jokes that are just not working - except that they are hilarious!” – Edmonton Sun
“Pure plotless comedy. It goes to great lengths to make the audience excruciatingly aware that it's not about anything - and that's precisely why it's so effin' funny.” – Uptown Magazine, Winnipeg
‘Gibberish' was first performed at the 2002 Toronto Fringe. It went on to sell out all over Canada , winning ‘Best of The Fest' in the Winnipeg Fringe. Isn't that nice.
www.chrisgibbs.ca
General Audience
Fringe Club Theatre / 292 Brunswick Ave. (S. of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Convergence Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
The Gladstone Variations
Variation 1 "The Tearful Bride" by Rick Roberts and "Requiem For A Hotel" by Mike McPhaden
Variation 2 "The Card Trick" by Brendan Gall and "I Grow Old" by Julie Tepperman
directed by Rebecca Benson, Alan Dilworth, Ruth Madoc-Jones and Aaron Willis
Variation 1: A bride laments a stained wedding dress, and a penniless Karaoke Queen becomes a diversion for a pair of partying scenesters.
Variation 2: A down-and-out stranger searches for a missing girl, while an old man returns to rent his old room and refuses to leave.
The Gladstone Variations invites you to follow one of two paths through Toronto 's historic Gladstone Hotel, where you will meet an array of mysterious characters. Like the variation you saw? Come back and see the other!
From the creators of last year's Fringe hit AutoShow - one of NOW Magazine's Top 10 Toronto productions of 2006!
Mature Audience
Warning: content, language, gunshots, fake blood, smoking, non wheel-chair accessible. No seating, must be able to climb stairs and stand for periods of time.
Venue 19 - The Gladstone Hotel / 1214 Queen St. W. (at Gladstone Ave , TTC stops in front)
90 Min.
********************************
Raddleman Prods.
Toronto , ON
presents
Heart Job
by the company
Hey guys, remember hand jobs? They were great, huh? Well, Heart Jobs are even better!
Comedians Holly Prazoff, Inessa Frantowski and Rebecca Addelman team up with indie rock sensations Laura Barrett, Maylee Todd and Dana Snell to blur the line between stand-up, sketch, music, and house parties. We're basically going to take lube to your heart and go to town!
Why are we making up weird metaphors? Because there is no word in the English language to describe this kind of show's kind of awesome...ness….
“This show is going to rock!” - Glenn Sumi, NOW magazine
“…part of a new era of comedy taking root in the city.” – Toronto Star
“My heart feels greasy and good!” - guy
Cast: Rebecca Addelman, Laura Barrett, Inessa Frantowski, Holly Prazoff, Dana Snell, Maylee Todd
www.raddelman.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, totally awesome
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
60 Min.
********************************
Pony Productions
Thornhill , ON
presents
The Height of Madness
by Euripides adapted by Alysse Rich
directed by Alysse Rich
You: How can a play from Classical Greece be relevant?
Us: How can a play about religion, gender, ethnicity, and incestuous cannibalism not be?
Euripides' “The Bacchae” is a play about the need for balance in the relationship between gods, women, men, citizens, and foreigners. Pony Productions' version, “The Height of Madness”, proves we are still learning these lessons today. “The Height of Madness” is an intimate and engaging celebration of ritual, myth, politics, religion…and of course, the perils of refusing to worship Dionysus! Come check it out!
Mature Audience Warning: violence, some sexual content
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Supernova Theater Co.
Pleasant Valley, NY ( USA )
presents
The History of Stripping
by Lise "Kat" Evans and Blair Wing
directed by Blair Wing
SUPERNOVA is a new Theatre Company started by a group of young artists from the Ohio and New York areas. We focus on the creation and production of New Works. We also want to incorporate new forms of media into our productions. Projections, Poetry, and Audience Intervention! We want the audience to have a strong relationship with the production they are viewing. We want them to be inspired, not just in awe with spectacle. SUPERNOVA also contemporizes existing plays using Multi-Media.
"The History of Stripping" is a one-woman show about five female performers throughout history. Using multi-media and dance, "The History of Stripping" asks the question: how much of a woman's identity do we steal if she offers us her whole self in performance; and can a woman control what her audience sees and perceives during her performances? With the aid of a tight lighting and sound design, "The History of Stripping" will prove to be an eye-opening experience. With audience interaction on the menu, they will be reluctant to sit back and offer no response.
Cast: Lise “Kat” Evans, Antonio Disla, Nitz Brown, Morgan de Beetham, Ashley Mundy
www.supernovatheatrecompany.com
Mature Audience
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
45 Min.
********************************
Penash Productions
Auckland , New Zealand
presents
Hot Pink Bits
by Penny Ashton
Curious what Divine Brown, enemas and pizza sex have in common? Then this is show for you. Join Kiwi sellout sensation Penny Ashton, aka Hot Pink, in a burlesque-esque romp through the knickers of the Global Sex Trade.
From prostitutes to amputees, it's everything you never wanted to know. All singing, all dancing….. and all wrong.
Ashton is New Zealand's own global comedienne who has sold out shows from Edinburgh to Adelaide to Wellington and has five Best NZ Female Comedienne nominations, one Adelaide Fringe People's Choice nomination and one Honourable Mention from The Wellington Fringe Festival Awards. One day she hopes to win something.
5 STARS “…brilliant…hilarious…horny..." - Three Weeks Edinburgh
4 STARS “…can't fail on a stage in the English speaking world.” - www.edinburghguide.com
“…astonishingly good.” - Adelaide Advertiser
“…far from dirty and very, very funny.” - Dominion Post
“Oh my nerves” - Hot Pink's Mum
www.hotpink.co.nz
Mature Audience Warning: strong language, adult themes, R18
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Islet Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
How Sweet It Is
written and performed by Elizabeth McEachern
directed by Bruce Hunter
"I realized this afternoon that I have an addiction. I must give up chocolate forever. But how does a diabetic give up chocolate?"
Comedian Elizabeth McEachern relays her personal experiences as a young adult dealing with diabetes and the threat of blindness. Watch as Liz transforms into the humorous characters she has encountered throughout her past, including various health care professionals and her stubborn father, who also is diabetic.
It is an anniversary for Liz. She has been insulin dependent since the age of three and has had no eye complications for ten years. In celebration of her health, she has written this show. Liz has performed scripted plays, improvisation, stand-up comedy, and clown throughout Toronto , Hamilton , and London , England .
http://lizmceachern.com
General Audience Warning: diabetic eating chocolate
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Accidental Company
Toronto , ON
presents
How You Became Moderately Famous
written and directed by Accidental Company
Passion! Power! Possibilities! Have you been waiting your entire life for 15 minutes of fame? Too bad, you're getting a whole hour! One lucky audience member inspires a retitling and reshaping of each performance. That person solidifies their place in history amongst this collection of interconnected scenes, songs and improvisation which explores our love/hate relationship with fame. Daring! Delightful! Delicious!
Brian Crosby and Jordan Kennedy have been performing sketch comedy and improv together for over 5 years. Accidental Company formed in 2004, culminating in 5 original revues, a full length film and a spot in last years Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. Jordan and Brian continue to strive for excellence in the field of power.
“Accidental Company is a rare blend of hilarity, brains and charm.” - Andy Frank, CIUT Radio.
Cast: Brian Crosby, Jordan Kennedy
www.accidentalcompany.com
General Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Small Wooden Shoe
Toronto , ON
presents
I Keep Dropping Sh*t: The Newtonian Revolution
conceived and directed by Jacob Zimmer
dramaturged by Brendan Healy, designed by Trevor Schwellnus
Objects in motion tend to stay in motion; force equals mass times acceleration; for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. All this to say, we keep dropping shit.
Small Wooden Shoe once again demonstrates the difficulty of demonstrating the effects of progress on our lives in part four of the critically acclaimed Dedicated to the Revolutions series.
Bringing together lecture-demo, talent show and contemporary performance, this is theatre that engages the audience in an honest, casual way while maintaining the need to step up and entertain.
“ingenious theatre troupe” – NOW Magazine | “inventive and form-breaking theatre” – NOW Magazine | “sly, postmodern [and] fun – NOW Magazine
“Expect a relaxed and intelligent interaction that discards a lot of the assumptions and obstructions of conventional theatre for a more convivial night out.” – Carl Wilson, zoilus.com
created with and performed by: Frank Cox-O'Connell, Chad Dembski, Brendan Gall, Erika Hennebury, Evan Webber
www.smallwoodenshoe.org
General Audience
Venue 29 - MaRS Centre, Collaboration Room 3 / 101 College St. (Just E. of University Ave. )
60 Min.
********************************
Infinite Potential Entertainment
Thornhill , ON
presents
In Adequacy - The Rip Roaring Rock Opera
by Evan Malach
On a dark and stormy night, a whirlwind of confused characters, broken dreams, and ridiculous cultural references converge in Adequacy, a ghost town in the middle of the Mojave Desert . But do not be deceived by the title, because the entertainment and talent this show has to offer are far more than adequate.
Donny, a musician with rock star aspirations, is on the verge of fame and fortune, but his journey to the big time in L.A. is cut short by a bolt of lightning and a series of profound revelations. On the path of discovery, Donny encounters sassy night club singer Path Girl and her Pathettes; Hugh Bris, a negligent circum-surgeon hindered by hamartia; Dante, the town's infernal innkeeper, and the seasonal affective meteorologist, Fallacy O'Neill who puts the ‘crazy' in ‘environ-mental'.
Featuring an eclectic score and a hilarious script, this play is a musical for the iPod generation.
www.welcometoadequacy.com
Mature Audience Warning: explicit content
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
90 Min.
********************************
Juno Productions
Vancouver , BC
presents
Jake's Gift
written and performed by Julia Mackey
Two generations collide in this moving comedy-drama. Jake, a cantankerous WWII veteran, reluctantly returns to Juno Beach for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. He encounters a precocious 10-year-old local girl named Isabelle whose inquisitive nature and charm challenge Jake to face some long ignored ghosts.
“I am a WWII veteran and this play and its performance had a greater impact on me than all the memorial services I have ever attended.” - Antony Holland , Founder, Studio 58
“What is almost as amazing as this acting tour de force is the overriding sense of audience members that others must see it, with an emphasis on must that approaches zeal.” - Bruce Mason, Gabriola Sounder
“I have never in my many years of hating, loving and snorting at live theatre, been so deeply moved by a play.” - Gary Prideaux, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta
www.juliamackey.com
General Audience
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Big Word Performance Poetry
Edinburgh , Scotland
presents
JEM ROLLS up
written, directed and performed by Jem Rolls
“Dynamic, hilarious, riveting” - Winnipeg Free Press, [5 STARS] 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006.
Jem's 2006 fringe tour with JEM ROLLS off the tongue was a box-office and critical smash.
This year he is back with JEM ROLLS up, a high-energy tragic-poeti-comic rollercoaster. Featuring his first poetic forays into clowning, characters, sound poetry, and even nature poetry.
“JEM ROLLS LEAVES AUDIENCE SHAKEN… highest calibre” - Montreal Gazette,[5 STARS] 2005, 2006.
Jem Rolls began Big Word in North London in 1994, running high energy poetry cabarets. In 2001 it moved to Scotland : The Scotsman.“Dynamic, funny, sharply political, … The Godfather of Scottish Performance Poetry …Go see". In 2001 Jem tried his first Canadian Fringe [ Toronto ] and his life has never been the same again.
“An out and out charmer …The best thing to do is submit to his eloquence” - Toronto Star, 2005, 2006.
“Funny and not; free and not; down and up” - Jem Rolls
Mature Audience Warning: mild language
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
Aspen Comedy Works
Aspen , CO ( USA )
presents
Jesus in Montana : Adventures in a Doomsday Cult
written and performed by Barry Smith
WINNER - OUTSTANDING SOLO SHOW - 2005 New York International Fringe Festival.
The true story of a surreal journey into the depths of a bizarre religious cult. Barry Smith, then a disillusioned dishwasher from Aspen , believes his sophistication, wisdom and hallucinogenic drug use have helped him to overcome his Southern fundamentalist upbringing...until he discovers Jesus has returned - and is living in Montana ! He quits his job, packs his bags and hitchhikes to meet this Jesus guy, eventually joining the small cult. Incorporating home movies, photos and graphics, this tale examines the humorous side of everyday cult life.
“Five stars! ...a devastatingly significant work...a scintillating sense of humor, a magnificent turn of phrase and a way with a punchline that is jaw-dropping. You must see Jesus in Montana .” - Montreal Gazette
“This show is both funny and gently thought-provoking.” - New York Times
www.jesusinmontana.com
Mature Audience Warning: language, religious content
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
Obscene But Not Heard
Calgary , AB
presents
Jihad Me at Hello
by Tony Binns, Trevor Campbell, Nicole Zylstra
directed by Sean Bowie
After an explosive debut at the Calgary Fringe, sketch comedians extraordinaire Obscene But Not Heard are pleased to be touring their latest triumph, ‘JIHAD ME AT HELLO'. Theatre critic Jeff Kubik calls OBNH, “ Calgary 's Leading Sketch Troupe”.
FFWD Magazine called ‘Jihad Me At Hello' … “Theatre of the Twisted” & “… good sick fun…an example of how good sketch comedy can be!”
You want scathing social satire? Slapstick? Impressions? We got it! ‘JIHAD ME AT HELLO' pulls no punches…nobody comes out intact in this smart, saucy and slightly psychotic sketch comedy extravaganza. Religion, marketing machines, Journey, suicide, Hitler, Al Qaeda and even the great Leonard Cohen are all fair game. Don't miss it!
"I have never laughed this hard ... EVER!" - Eugene Stickland
www.obscenebutnotheard.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, blood (fake at least)
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
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Kidz Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
Just So Stories
by Robert Watson
directed by Andrew Lamb
From the outstanding creative team who brought you last year's hit “The Balloon Tree”, comes a play based on the classic Rudyard Kipling “Just So Stories”. Young Jane, Bobby, and Shaniqua help perform the fantastical tales of their favourite animals when the Palmerston Library receives a special visit from Rudyard Kipling himself! A fast-paced play that will inspire children to explore the power of their own imaginations, “Just So Stories” is a delight that's fun for the whole family!
“This is the best kind of theatre for young audiences, involving kids in the entertainment and suspense without talking down to them.” – NOW Magazine
Cast: Alan Lee, Denise Pinnock, Jayne Walling, Dale Yim
Designed by: Monique Stewart Stage Manager: Alyssa Mackenzie
www.justsostoriesplay.com
Family Entertainment (Ages 4 to 9)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
60 Min.
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Theaturtle / Threshold
Toronto , ON
presents
Kafka and Son
by Franz Kafka, adapted by Mark Cassidy and Alon Nashman
directed by Mark Cassidy
At the age of 36 Franz Kafka was still living at home, a petty bureaucrat, a failed artist, a timid Jewish son. His father, boorish and overbearing, was his constant nemesis. What to do? Kafka wrote, in this case a letter in which he confesses to his father, "all my writing was about you." Adapted from this monumental (and undelivered) letter, Kafka and Son is a blistering, often hilarious, dissection of domestic authority, and a revelatory visit with one of the architects of the modern psyche.
“Essential to understanding Kafka…superb.” (Eye)
*One of the great performances of 2006* (Globe and Mail)
“A thrilling adaptation…brilliantly realized.” (National Post)
“… sheer understated artistry…perfection.” ( Toronto Star)
“Alon Nashman shines as Kafka and Son.” (NOW)
“Theatre at its best. Definitely go to it!” (CBC Radio)
Cast: Alon Nashman
www.thresholdtheater.ca/kafka.html
General Audience
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
57 Min.
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Shoddy Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Karaoke Shakespeare
by Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet. Romeo vs Juliet. Romeo vs. Juliet at Karaoke! This will only end in tragedy.
Grab a mic, hold your beer high, and belt it out in iambic pentameter. No really, drinking makes this musical amazing. (aside: Lots of plays in fringe will be better if you're drunk.) Singalongs thoroughly expected.
Shoddy describes an article of woolen clothing made by first unraveling the threads of an old piece and recycling them into a new garment. Though typically the term has negative connotations, in a world where so much goes to waste why not make something new by unraveling something old.
Shoddy Productions is an ad hoc group of artists who periodically come together to create site-specific pieces which examine story-telling through alternative means (Last year, the completely different urbanFarmShow). Essentially, we like to unravel stories and put them back together in new ways.
Cast: The group that brought you theurbanFarmShow, plus and minus a couple in both directions.
www.shoddyproddy.com
Must be 19 years of age or older
Venue 20 - White Orchid / 812 Dundas St. W (Just W.of Bathurst)
60 Min.
********************************
Cutting Room Floored
Toronto , ON
presents
Kibosh!
written and directed by Sean Balfour, Marty Adams, Kevin Corlis
Kibosh /ky-bosh/ .n. (in phr. Put the kibosh on) informal firmly put an end to. ORIGIN unknown.
Kibosh! Is an entertaining and insightful look into the execution of a sketch show. A live feed to the greenroom will allow Fringers to witness everything that transpires backstage, while the show simultaneously takes place on stage! Join this talented cast as they expose the secrets of producing a fringe show, and attempt to put the Kibosh on conventional sketch comedy.
Cast: Marty Adams, Andre Arruda, Sean Balfour, Andrew Chapman, Kevin Corlis, Jennifer McKinley
www.kiboshshow.com
General Audience Warning: some coarse language
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
80 Min.
********************************
Laugh Inc.
Auckland , New Zealand
presents
Kiwi Joker
by Mark Scott
Mark Scott - SUPER JOKER
From the bowels of planet earth comes fresh new stand up comedy peppered with slightly informational songs. With a quip and a piece of number eight fencing wire, watch the detritus of your life fall into perspective under the comedic muse of the KIWI JOKER!
Winner of “Best Comedy” Dunedin Fringe Festival 2006
Mature Audience Warning: some adult themes and language
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
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Pandaterian Plays
Toronto , ON
presents
The Kreutzer Sonata
adapted and directed by David Collins
“The Kreutzer Sonata”, adapted from Tolstoy's story which in turn was inspired by Beethoven's piece of the same name, is the confession of a man driven to murder his wife by despair, jealousy and sexual obsession. The man's account of this act bypasses cliched ‘explanations' to attack the very notion of romance, exposing the lie at the heart of all relationships that confuse sexual desire with love.
Both a critique of societal attitudes towards love, sex and the way women are viewed by men (and view themselves) and an implicit call for a more equal and selfless form of love, the play argues that violence towards women is an inevitable part of a system based on their position as objects of desire, and that true gender equality can only be achieved by a fundamental change of how both sexes think of love.
Mature Audience Warning: mature content
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
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Aguas
Sao Paulo , Brazil
presents
Labyrinth of Water
by Alessandro Toller, Raquel Ornellas and Luciano Fraga
created and performed by Raquel Ornellas
Labyrinth of water is a symbolist theatre – dance adventure in the same non narrative style as "Sisters of the Seasons" (1998 Toronto Fringe).
Grace, beauty and strength are combined playing with life and death perception.
The spectacle is a result of researches on water dance and watsu. A different gravitational order and odd sounds, the sensation of new feelings, organ perceptions and visual possibilities.
The impressions were memorized and taken to the stage. The costume, full of translucid jewelry, and soundtrack take us to different times.
Award – Funarte of the Ministry of Culture of Brazil , 2006.
Creators: Tereza Monteiro, Laercio Resende, Hamilton Sbrana, Camila Thiago, Luciano Fraga
Douglas Emílio, Ana Carolina, Ceumar, Olívio Filho, Camilo Carrara, David Santos and Alessandro Toller.
"The actress is ready for any acting challenge. She's got an agile body, prepared voice...and a capacity to create gorgeous images with her body” (Estado de SP)
“Sisters of the Seasons reinvigorates theatre as ritual, as play and as subversion” (The Globe and Mail)
General Audience
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
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Shrimp Magnet Theatre Company
Toronto, ON
presents
The Land of I Told You So
by Kate Keenan and Lesley Halferty
directed by Lesley Halferty
They say if you eat apple seeds an apple tree will grow out of our ears – but that's nonsense right? That's what Pippa Schmidt thinks too. But one day she puts it to the test and ends up in The Land of I Told You So, a strange and extraordinary world where everything "They say" comes true. There she meets Francis Drizzle – a tragically clumsy boy whose fate it is to accidentally step on spiders and change the weather for the worse... Together they must outwit the ruthless Ringmistress, Madame Schadenfreude and Pants-On-Fire, her fibbing Boy Friday, before they end up as the headlining laughingstocks in “Schadenfreude's Superstition Scoffer's Sideshow Circus”.
This musical comedy is another Shrimp Magnet spectacular complete with imaginative staging, fast-paced action and bushels of audience participation – in fact, the show can't happen without you, so come and save the day!
Cast: Colin Edwards, Marty Foote, Kate Keenan, Caitlin Morris-Cornfield (Stage Manager: Gillian Lewis)
www.shrimpmagnet.com
Family Entertainment
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
45 Min.
********************************
Moving Art
Barrie, ON
presents
Land of Make Believe
written and directed by Michael Holland and Isaac Haig
Moving Art is proud to bring you an original Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Musical “Land of Make Believe”, written by Isaac Haig and Michael Holland. This journey entertained over 10,000 people last spring with rave reviews.
Join a Wizard, Fool, Elf, Beast, Knight and Peasant on this fun-filled, action packed, quest for a new King. It's an amazing, enchanting adventure for the whole family. With 32 different paths that the audience chooses for the characters to embark on, no two shows will be the same. Whether you're 1 or 101 you will love the up beat music from all eras, the high energy dance and all the funny mishaps these characters will get in to.
So come join us! You don't want to miss out.
www.movingart.ca
Family Entertainment (ages 1 to 101) Warning: fog machine
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
60 Min.
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Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show
Toronto , ON
presents
Late Nite at the Fringe With Monkey Toast
The Canadian Comedy Award winner Monkey Toast returns to host Late Nite at the Fringe with compelling guest interviews and some of the best improv comedy you'll ever see. Each night, the host of Monkey Toast, David Shore , interviews five different Fringe performers. After an interview segment, David throws the focus to the Monkey Toast Players who then use the interview as inspiration for their improvised scenes.
Monkey Toast features a rotating cast of some of the best improvisers in Canada , including Lisa Merchant, Doug Morency, Jennifer Goodhue, Carolyn Taylor, Aurora Browne, Jan Caruana, Jamillah Ross, Paul Bates, Bruce Hunter, Herbie Barnes, Jack Mosshammer, Naomi Snieckus, Paul Constable, Kerry Griffin, and more. Music by Sean Fisher.
Now Magazine calls Monkey Toast, “…the best comedy deal in town.” Canadian Idol's Jake Gold says the show is, “The most fun I've had in years.” and CBC Radio's Bob McDonald says, “I've never laughed so hard at myself!”
www.monkeytoast.com
General Audience Warning: possible language
Fringe Club Theatre / 292 Brunswick Ave. (S. of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Theatre Anon
Brampton , ON
presents
Le Spa, The Musical
by Frank Adriano and Rob Ciccotelli
directed by Rob Ciccotelli
"Bonjour. Ca va? Nous sommes Le P'tit Morte Spa!' Leave your nail files and exfoliating creams at home and come to Paris and the exclusive Le Petite Morte Spa, where testy Parisian spa workers must compete against holistic spa counsellors from California and masochistic spa trainers from Turkey in the annual International Spa Grand Prix; where the Parisians sing “The Spa of God”, the Californians sings songs about “Colonics”, the Turks sing “You Are Not Clean Until We Hear You Scream”, and both sing “The Pharaohs of Funk and the Sirens of Soul”.
Monty Python meets Mel Brooks in this hilarious new musical set in the wondrous world of styling, laser hair removal and bikini waxing. LE SPA, THE MUSICAL. The most fun you'll have at the Fringe this year!
You will never be waxed, manicured and massaged in quite the same way ever again!
General Audience Warning: language and innuendo
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
80 Min.
********************************
Atomic Vaudeville
Victoria , BC
presents
Legoland
by Jacob Richmond
directed by Britt Small and Jacob Richmond
Penny and Ezra, the infamous Lamb siblings, extradited to Canada after a brutal attack on one of America 's most beloved pop stars, give a presentation of the harrowing odyssey at their high school. A contemporary Vaudeville routine with ukulele, puppets, and gangster rap presented by the "Gruesome Twosome" Canada 's youngest drug cartel.
Legoland has received:
Contra Guys Award for Best New Play at the Summerworks Festival in Toronto
Best New Play and Critic's Choice Awards at the Victoria Fringe Festival
Georgia Straight Critic's Choice Award at the Vancouver Fringe Festival
Festival Favorite Award at the New York Frigid Festival
"a true gift to the Fringe circuit" (The Globe and Mail)
"stylish and smart and a whole lot of fun...the very best kind of festival theater" (nytheatre.com)
“manic fun, wickedly performed” (NOW Magazine)
“not to be missed” (Vancouver Courier)
“top-drawer theatre: sharp, crisp and bristling with naughty ideas” (Victoria Times-Colonist)
Cast: Celine Stubel and Amitai Marmorstein
www.atomicvaudeville.com
General Audience
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Stage Left
Toronto, ON
presents
The Lemonade Maker
The same people who didn't bring you the play 'fatty' because of a cease and desist order, present The Lemonade Maker. When life gives you lemons, you improvise...
"Standouts? Darryl Pring, who's either a bundle of energy or a really loud and unpleasant, depending on your mood..."
- EYE WEEKLY
Starring Darryl Pring and various special guests.
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
45 min.
********************************
Johnson Girls
Toronto, ON
presents
The Lesson
from the short story by Toni Cade Bambara, adapted by Karen Woolridge
directed by Alex Fallis
It's a hot summer day in the hood but Miss Moore rounds up the kids and takes them on an eye-opening ‘field trip'. Groan. “School suppose to let up in summer I heard.”
This is a theatrical adaptation of the popular short story by influential African-American writer Toni Cade Bambara. Ms Bambara's dialogue jumps right off the page and onto the stage and is brought to life with active physical performance, directed by Alex Fallis. Introducing exciting emerging talent and showcasing the incomparable Sandi Ross as Miss Moore.
“The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible.” Toni Cade Bambara. (Parent tip: Google this story.)
Cast: Sandi Ross, Sabio Emerencia Collins, Tashieka McTaggart, Tiffany Martin, Marika Schwandt, Marc Senior
Family Entertainment (Ages 8+)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
30 Min.
********************************
Upstage Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
Like Omigawd! the sugar-pop 80's rock musical
by Jason Murray and Marc Koecher
directed by Michael Rawley
choreography by Jason Murray and Melissa-Jane Shaw
music direction by Elizabeth Baird
Like, Omigawd! is a totally awesome sugar-pop 80s rock musical featuring originally scored music, sherbet-coloured costumes, a chorus of dancers and an all-star cast and creative team!
Madison, a small town girl with big dreams, moves to the big city. Upon entering her new school, she runs into conflict with Sheila and her leg-warming posse of radical gal pals. Madison's got the goods to become “the life of the party”, but does her philosophy “why play at life so small, when you want it all” work in her favour, or was she better off not coming to the city in the first place?
Musical direction by Elizabeth Baird (Mamma Mia, Seussical, Women Fully Clothed)
Directed by Michael Rawley (Shaky Grounds, Unpossible Elevator)
Produced by Upstage Productions and Derrick Chua (Top Gun! The Musical, BoyGroove, Welcome to Eden).
Listen to songs at www.myspace.com/likeomigawdthemusical
Cast: Laura Caswell, Robyn Levine, Kelly Grainger, Robert Gontier, Christine Rossi and Eric Coles
www.likeomigawd.ca
General Audience
Venue 23 - Walmer Theatre Centre / 188 Lowther Ave.
75 Min.
********************************
The Loner Show Company
Toronto , ON
presents
The Loner Show
written and performed by Brian Barlow, Michael Balazo, Katie Crown, Kathleen Phillips, Chris Locke, Levi MacDougall
The Loner Show is a character monologue showcase that features six rad comedians, each of them performing a different character at every show. Based on the Toronto comedy institution of the same name, it's surreal, for real and really fun!
Starring:
Michael Balazo – Canadian Comedy Award Winner, Cream of Comedy 2004
Brian Barlow – The Gurg, Cream of Comedy 2003
Katie Crown – Cream of Comedy 2004, Just For Laughs
Chris Locke – The Gurg, Cream of Comedy 2003
Levi MacDougall – CTV Comedy Now!, Gemini Nominee, Cream of Comedy 2002
Kathleen Phillips – Cream of Comedy 2005, Girls School
Time Out NY - “Don't Miss!”
www.myspace.com/lonershow
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
Agnesmonster Inc.
Calgary , AB
presents
Looking After Eden
by Stephen Massicotte
directed by Tee Schneider
From the author of The Oxford Roof Climber's Rebellion and Mary's Wedding comes this 21 st century Eden riff. Hally and Kepler housesit a rich eccentric's home. He's off climbing Mount Sinai and they're stuck with nothing but post it note instructions; they've never met, hate each other can't find the remote… and can't leave or they lose the bonus. Sex, David Suzuki, Jesus' stepfather and sex are discussed (heh, we said sex twice). An unforgettable Britney Spears dance number, Ebola and eternity also make an appearance in this dark comedy. “An insightful and profound work” - Calgary Sun “Massicotte writes with an earnestness that is rare in this cynical day and age.” - San Jose Mercury News) From the people who brought you Jewel at the 2006 Toronto Fringe.
Featuring Greg Schneider and Jayne Collins.
www.wefew.ca
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
90 Min.
********************************
GIG Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
LOTR: The Musical: The Musical!
by Nicholas Hune-Brown and Ben King
Tap-dancing hobbits! Balletic orcs! Ben Mulroney! It's the true(ish) story behind the funniest flop in Toronto history!
On the night of the 2004 Academy Awards, three men sit alone in front of their televisions. The recently-elected mayor is trying to bring tourists back to a city ravaged by SARS. A sinister British director needs a hit to revive his flagging career. And a young writer is living in his mother's basement, paying off OSAP and desperate for a break. But when these three men decide that a $27 million musical version of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy trilogy is the answer to all of their problems, things don't go “orc-sactly” as expected.
Featuring an Elvish chorus, a duet between Gollum and himself, and 10 original songs, “The Lord of the Rings: The Musical: The Musical!” is the funniest show based on a musical about hobbits you'll ever see!
www.lotrtmtm.com
General Audience Warning: mild language
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
50 Min.
********************************
Terry McDunna
Toronto , ON
presents
Lost and Found
by David Ackerman
Rita and Colby meet over a lost article. It's a happenstance that challenges something they've worked hard at avoiding- a shared intimacy. Forced to peel away their well worn protective shields, Lost and Found is a play about what we do to guard against hurt, intimacy and the feelings that come up when we take the risk and open ourselves up to another person.
It's not always what we think we'll get and we're never the same after we do.
A contemporary tale on the wonderful Frankie and Johnny
www.myspace.com/lovebeingcreative
General Audience
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Nicola Gunn
Melbourne , Australia
presents
The Lost Property Office
by Nicola Gunn
The official presentation has been CANCELLED. There will, however, be a presentation of a free 20-40 min. work-in-progress by the artist, Wednesday July 11 - Saturday July 14. There are NO SHOWS Sat July 7 - Tues July 10.
www.nicolagunn.com
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Screwed & Clued
Somerset , England
presents
Manners For Men
written and performed by Justin Sage-Passant
directed by Jonno Katz
Two-for-one deals on extra-strength cocktails and clumsy machismo can end in a messy confusion of intentions where lack of communication isn't just an endearing sideshow. Throw in peer pressure and rampaging hormones and the rules of lad culture are hard to obey.
With the help of Victorian etiquette guides, a few lessons in how to talk the Queen's English and a generous smattering of blokey bravado, MANNERS FOR MEN takes a dive into gentlemanly behaviour for the 21st century.
We all have an ideal of ‘manhood'…the difficulty is living up to it.
From “Fringe Favourites” Screwed & Clued - NOW Critics Pick 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
WINNER: BEST OF FEST - Winnipeg Fringe 2004 & 2005
WINNER: Outstanding Solo Performance – Ottawa Fringe 2005
“Brilliantly written, razor-sharp and as funny as you're likely see at the Fringe.” (CBC)
“A remarkable performer…a delight to watch.” (sceneandheard.ca)
“Hilarious…a must see” (CBC.ca)
www.screwedandclued.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 11 - Glen Morris Theatre / 4 Glen Morris Street
60 Min.
********************************
HamJob Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Mardi Bra 3: Milk'n It!
written and performed by Renée Percy and Jen Radomsky
directed by Bruce Hunter
The sketch comedy extravaganza that'll knock your bra off! Brand new material hot off the chest!
One of NOW Magazine's “Best Comedic Discoveries” of 2004!!
“The pair deliver smart, sassy comedy that's intelligent and physical yet timeless. These sketches and videos will be as funny a decade from now as they are today. - NOW Magazine NNNN
“…a wacky, witty collection of sketches laced with a touch of the absurd…their chemistry is infectious…a cross between Monty Python and the Vagina Monologues”. - Pique Magazine
“This is the funniest show that has ever been written, on the face of the earth, ever!” - The Voices in Renée's Head
“An uplifting, full figured experience! A real handful!” - 5 NIPS, Bra Weekly
Boobtacular! -Double D Digest
www.theboobsareback.com
Mature Audience Warning: content
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
Big Sandwich Productions
Vancouver , BC
presents
Maxim & Cosmo
written and performed by TJ Dawe
Seven time Toronto Fringe vet and fringe circuit favourite TJ Dawe (The Slipknot, Labrador, Tired Cliche, Track, A Canadian Bartender at Butlin's, director of One Man Star Wars) returns with a high speed, high energy piece of sit-down stand-up (with stories) about sex, gender roles and stereotypes.
About the way our attitudes are woven into our language and our thought. About what women really want. And men. The title refers to the magazines.
“If George Carlin and Jerry Seinfeld had a baby, it'd be TJ Dawe” - Winnipeg Sun
“Reminiscent of a burgeoning Spalding Gray” - Charleston Post and Courier
“TJ Dawe knows how to tell a story better than just about anyone else” - Now Magazine
“If this guy were paid by the word, he'd be Bill Gates, and if speed were factored in, we'd give him the Concorde” - Vancouver Sun
“This guy is Fringe at its best” - Orlando Sentinel
www.tjdawe.com
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
90 Min.
********************************
Good Humour Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Miss April Day's School For Burgeoning Young Strippers
written and performed by June Morrow
directed by Dave McKay
A revealing one-woman musical comedy about taking it off.
"Hilarious, tragic, touching, and affecting. I loved it!" – real life graduate of Miss April Day's
Get out those training genitals and let the illustrious Miss April Day prepare you for an exciting career in the world of exotic dance. From choosing your stage name to lap dance techniques no facet is left uncovered. Though revealing musical numbers, a delightful children's story, and flashbacks to her own experiences as a blossoming stripper with dreams of starring on The Young and the Restless, industry veteran April Day unveils it all. You'll learn beauty tips, sales strategies, customer management, legal issues and more. Come along as she lays bare what really happens in the VIP lounge, exposes pivotal moments in her own career, and, above all, shows how you too can unabashedly take it off.
Loosely based on a true story.
www.aprildays.com
Mature Audience Warning: mature content, language
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Maple Leaf Theatre Company
Toronto , ON
presents
Moat & Castle
by Ron Fromstein
A tale of four ordinary and not quite so ordinary fellows who have gathered in a suburban basement on the northern edge of Toronto for a Saturday evening.
As their wives carry on above, they go about their own rituals, practices, trials & assorted cruelties below.
Come one, come all. The drawbridge has been lowered.
www.myspace.com/mapleleaftc
General Audience
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
Exit Pursued By A Bear
Toronto , ON
presents
Monkey Love
by Maureen Gualtieri
Monkey Love chronicles the personal relationships and professional rivalries of two internationally-drawn teams of scientists, who are confined in their working lives to a highly-classified government lab.
Todd is an American geneticist who leads Alpha Team; Beta Team is headed up by Margot, a Brit with a lust for glory and a deep-seated mean streak. As the two teams grapple with their goal — finding a reliable empirical method of eliminating human self-hatred — the scientists quickly discover that their quest is more difficult than they originally believed.
A snappy comedy — with dance numbers! — previously produced at Hart House's Beg Borrow & Steal Festival, Monkey Love by turns punctures the seriousness of scientific inquiry, skewers its reliance on animal testing, and spotlights what humans will put themselves through for a chance to connect with each other.
www.exitpursued.com
General Audience Warning: undressing, jellybeans, simians, dance numbers
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Burning Passions Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
Mrs. Warren's Profession
by George Bernard Shaw
directed by Laurel Smith
Burning Passions Theatre presents “Mrs. Warren's Profession”, George Bernard Shaw's classic exploration of “the Woman Question” in which Vivie confronts the fact that her mother's climb from poverty was achieved by managing high-class "houses of ill repute." Originally banned in 1894, the play's depiction of women's limited economic choices remains remarkably relevant over a century later.
Directed by Laurel Smith, the play is set in the historic and majestic Hart House Music Room and stars Tracy Michailidis, Catherine McNally, Bryce Alexander, Jeffrey Aarles, Daryl Taylor and Michael C. Newsome. Stage Manager is Alexa Carroll.
Filled with witty banter, wicked riposte and challenging social critique, as only Shaw can provide! “Shaw in the City!”
Cast: Tracy Michailidis as Vivie; Catherine McNally as Mrs. Warren ; Bryce Alexander as Frank; Jeffrey Aarles as Praed; Daryl Taylor as Crofts; and Michael C. Newsome as Gardner . Stage Manager is Alexa Carroll.
www.burningpassionstheatre.com
General Audience
Venue 28 - Hart House, Music Room / 7 Hart House Circle (U of T)
90 Min.
********************************
FloatingButts Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Murder Most Foul
by Sarah Adams
directed by Christina Kozak
FloatingButts Productions is a blend of strong talent and instinct. The company was developed over coffee between two college theatre graduates yearning to find a platform for expression. Murder Most Foul is FBP's first show. It was composed by Sarah Adams, co-founder of FBP and features several Toronto actors. The play has its roots in the comic theatre realm using slapstick and strongly defined characters to take the audience on a ride they won't soon forget.
"Murder Most Foul" is the name of the radio play to be performed by citizens of Dullbore Village in cooperation with the town's community radio station. What should be a smooth sailing live-to-air broadcast takes on a life of its own as the cast wades further and further into the eye of the hurricane and deeper into hilarity. Will Dullbore's only radio station get a much needed financial injection as a result of a successful production, or will it be curtains for the little station that could? Come to the show and find out!
www.myspace.com/floatingbutts
Mature Audience Warning: content
Venue 2 - Robert Gill Theatre / 214 College Street , 3rd Fl., ( St. George St. Entrance)
60 Min.
********************************
Monster Theatre
Vancouver , BC
presents
Napoleon's Secret Diary
by Ryan Gladstone
NAPOLEON'S SECRET DIARY
What if Napoleon was the accident of history? Think Inspector Clouseau meets Bob Newhart. Imagine the greatest leader in the history of the world, bumbling his way through the events that made him great – in fact, don't imagine it! Come see it!
Monster Theatre's Past Shows…
JESUS CHRIST: The Lost Years (“Nothing Short of a Comic Miracle!” –FFWD Magazine),
CONFESSIONS OF A CLASS CLOWN ( Gladstone is the equivalent of Vancouver 's most Potent Weed!” – Edmonton Journal),
THE MACBETH SHOW (“Top Ten Shows of 2004” –Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine),
THE CANADA SHOW: The Complete History of Canada in One Hour (“Hilarious!” –Ottawa Citizen)
Monster Theatre is one of the Canadian Fringe Circuit's Premiere acts, creating sold-out, fivestar shows year after year. Don't miss this years Hilarious adventure!
www.monstertheatre.com
General Audience
Venue 17 - Al Green Theatre / 750 Spadina Ave.
60 Min.
********************************
Petrykowska and Taylor
Vancouver , BC
presents
Not Even An Ostrich
by Drew Taylor
What happens when a university professor takes in a former student who needs a place to live? The results are very entertaining. A general studies prof likes to keep his lectures light, using poetry to add flare to discussions of the environment and seeing through the media hype delivered by big business and government. He points to what
appropriate actions individuals must take in a changing world.
Committed to leading by example he takes in former student Claire Goodall. She is a bright young lady dealing with the student life of low wage jobs, study, and getting kicked out of her apartment.
Combining elements of multi-media with traditional play form, Not Even An Ostrich represents the elder passing on the torch to the next generation.
Cast: Urszula Petrykowska and Drew Taylor
Mature Audience
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Charcoal Sketch Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
...Of Enigmatic Things
by Jeff Jones
The struggle to understand life is usually the "thing" that undermines it.
"Thing"..."Things"..."Enigmatic Things."--- "...OF ENIGMATIC THINGS" is a theatrically staged cycle of songs that leads from the problem of understanding to the path of living. Pain, loss, wisdom and, ultimately, hope line this oft travelled road. With memorable melodies and gritty lyrics staged subtly and simply; this show is sure to leave you wanting more. -- Sung by six actors, with a live band.
www.myspace.com/ofenigmaticthings
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
55 Min.
********************************
C.R.L Ace Theatre Co.
London , ON
presents
One Crazy Broad
written and performed by Carly Lucas
Consistently ruining holidays, anniversaries, and other joyous occasions with spazzy, unreasonable behaviour? Does your significant other flinch as you're approaching, not sure whether you're about to smooch or strike? Ever driven past a psych ward and thought “that's the place for me”?
For those who laugh, cry, scream, sabotage, hit, hug, pout, gloat, blame, shame, lie, sneak, snoop, stalk, threaten, beg, insult, ignore, love, leave, and love again… She's done it more and she's done it worse. Watch and relate as this frenzied young lady attempts to make sense of the gong show that is her life.
She is honest, she is shameless. She is one crazy broad.
General Audience
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Real Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
Oscar Remembered
by Maxim Mazumdar
directed by Greg Campbell
"No you are not Dorian Gray after all. There is decay and sourness in this visage. I thrive on a truth-telling glass. The past memory is sweeter." Thus begins Bosie Douglas' journey back to his friendship and love affair with Oscar Wilde. Poetic, romantic, tempestuous, illegal, Bosie relives his life with Oscar and the love that dare not speak its name.
Cast: Denis Couillard
www.deniscouillard.myeweb.net
General Audience Warning: smoking
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Bashful Scandinavian
New York , NY ( USA )
presents
Pentecostal Wisconsin
by Ryan Paulson and Virginia Scott
directed by Virginia Scott
“Categorically pitch-perfect one-man comedy” - Time Out New York .
In this tale of religious ecstasy and bashful Scandinavians, Ryan Paulson let us in on the Religious Right as he finds God, falls hard for a sexy Swedish teenager and leaves Jesus at the airport. As seen across the US , Canada and in the Edinburgh Fringe, UK .
"Ryan Paulson casts a holy spell. Pentecostal Wisconsin is a perfect little show." - Montreal Mirror
“…Paulson hits every requisite note of the ideal one-man show..” - St. Paul Pioneer Press
..."a subtle and witty trip...Paulson offers touching, ambiguous personal insight. 4 STARS." -The List ( Edinburgh , UK )
“It's part storytelling, part stand-up, part musical comedy, but consistently entertaining. Paulson is a natural storyteller, instantly likeable, and fearlessly honest in his story…It's a brave performance — and it's very funny…4 STARS.”
-CBC
Cast: Ryan Paulson
www.RyanPaulson.com
General Audience
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Hipsterati Productions
St. Catharines , ON
presents
Persona
written and directed by Jonathan van Ekelenburg
Persona:
1) An assumed character or role, esp . one adopted by an author in his or her writing, or by a performer. Also a dramatic or literary character.
2) In Jungian psychology, a role or facade one presents to the world, as opposed to the inner self.
3) Latin word, meaning mask, role or person.
4) A psychological drama wherein a Mind, having locked itself in a world of its own creation and fractured into its component parts, or personae, watches as each part turns against the others and discovers that the worst enemy one can ever find is the one that it makes for itself.
www.hipsteratiproductions.com
General Audience
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
50 Min.
********************************
Shelley Marshall
Canfield, ON
presents
Phoney
by Shelley Marshall
Phoney is Shelley Marshall's theatrical journey of self discovery with a voyeuristic peek into the coming of "middle" age. This Comedic play includes eclectic characters, with just the right amount of outrage to keep them interesting and an improvisational style that creates an intimate relationship between the audience and herself, with video illusions that illustrate her environment.
From her childhood flashbacks to her present day panty flashes all with uncensored wit and a dash of Vulnerability. This monolinguistic montage flirts with the question "Who do we think we are?" Recently named “Best New Discovery” Now Magazine, Shelley combines her critically acclaimed Stand up Comedy with fearless physicality into CARNIVALESQUE charm. Its Burlesque meets Bouffon and gives birth to a Stand-up.
For women this show will shock them into recognition and for the men?.... into discovery!
“Don't say we didn't warn you” Hamilton Spectator
Phoney is as real as it gets
www.shelleymarshall.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, nudity, strobe lighting, fog machine
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Solar Stage Children's Theatre
Toronto, ON
presents
Pinocchio
adapted by William Martyn and Zenon Skrzypczyk
directed by Zenon Skrzypczyk
This musical adaptation of the traditional story of a block of wood who springs to life as the boy Pinocchio will tickle your funny bone. See how Pinocchio learns to be considerate of others and how Geppeto gains a son!
Great family entertainment! Our cast includes Michelle Cabral, Danielle Leger, Geoff Stevens and Kelly Winger. A.J. Laflamme is our stage manager and Lindsay Walker is our show designer.
www.solarstage.on.ca
Family Entertainment (ages 3-10)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Maynardo Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
Point of Departure
by Nicholas Carella, Daniel Krolik, and Gary Rideout Jr.
directed by Michelle Ouellet
Departure (noun) a divergence or deviation, as from a standard, rule, etc.
Point (noun) A sharp or tapered end.
3 guns. 3 friends. 2 are loaded.
1 is not.
What would you do to stay alive?
The team behind Fringe hits: In Trousers, Nana, GREEN or An Anthem For Young Love and Sunday Night Live bring you a new thriller about friendship, betrayal and survival.
Cast: Nicholas Carella, Daniel Krolik, Gary Rideout Jr.
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, gun shots
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
50 Min.
********************************
Do These Pants Make Me Look Fat?
Toronto , ON
presents
The Popcorn Show
by The Happy Bestheart Players
Just like the popular movie theatre confection, this show is described as a light and airy cholesterol-free treat (perfect for those individuals in need of some levity ie. those individuals with flabby ankles and weak constitutions).
In 50 minutes, The Happy Bestheart Players will take you on a wild to mild sketch comedy journey with a stop at musical theatreland and a layover in wackyville.
2007 marks a banner year as this perpetually perky cast finally brings their show to Toronto (their last show was cancelled when the cast's tour bus plunged into an Alpaca farm just north of Shedden Ontario ).
www.thepopcornshow.ca
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
50 Min.
********************************
Gailey Road Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Pound Predators
by Tara Goldstein
directed by Jocelyn Wickett
"What kind of treat is canned fruit without sugar?"
BIG GIRL MODEL
"I'm 15.7 pounds away from the goal weight they gave me. Fifteen point seven pounds away from Maintenance. After Maintenance, I'm free. Maintenance free.
FREEDOM-SEEKING DAUGHTER
Join us for a satirical tale about the war against weight that tells the story of five women "fighting fat" on a weight-loss program called Pound Predators. In the weekly Pound Predators meetings, THE AWARD WINNING LEADER works to inspire her clients with Pound Predator prizes, weapons of power and warnings of sabotage. But when the going gets tough, it's THE WISE WEIGHER and BIG GIRL MODEL that the women turn to for support in the battle with their bodies.
In a world where women struggle with issues of body size and are undulated with aggressive, often humiliating messages about fighting fat, Pound Predators offers a different look at losing weight.
www.myspace.com/gaileyroadproductions
General Audience
Venue 21 - OISE , Ground Floor Library / 252 Bloor St. West
60 Min.
********************************
Off-Kilter Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
Rearview
by Tyler Séguin
In this unique performance experience a mysterious car takes the audience on a theatrical ride.
Actually performed inside a moving vehicle, “Rearview” is a total theatre experience that blurs the line between fiction and reality and between audience and performer.
Who is a victim?
What is justice?
When are you responsible?
A short ride begins a long journey.
Rearview” is a unique and exciting experience for both the artist and the audience. As seating is extremely limited, be sure to come early.
Premiered at the 2006 Calgary Fringe to sold-out crowds.
“One of the Highlights of the Calgary Fringe” -CBC Radio Calgary
“Don't miss the ride” – FFWD
Calgary Herald Top Ten List
www.offkiltertheatre.com
Mature Audience Warning: language, suggested violence
Venue 18 - Alley North of Passe-Muraille (ticket pick-up at TPM box office) / 16 Ryerson Ave.
15 Min.
********************************
Babasword Productions
Vancouver , BC
presents
The Rap Canterbury Tales
by Baba Brinkman
The tales created by the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer come to life on stage as stories told in the modern language of rap. The Miller is a drunken buffoon, spilling his beer and slurring rhymes about possessive old husbands and gold-digging young wives. The Pardoner is a “conscious rapper” covered in gold jewelry, preaching about the sins of greed and materialism. The Wife of Bath has the most experience with relationships, and tells a mythical tale of assault and redemption.
The Rap Canterbury Tales first appeared at fringe festivals in 2004, completing a seven-city tour around the world including Brighton, Prague , Edinburgh , and San Francisco .
At the Edinburgh Festival the show was a huge popular hit, selling out most of its run and generating glowing reviews, including a coveted five star rating from The Scotsman, which said: “Truly awe-inspiring…a sharp script and one versatile and charismatic actor…go see.”
www.babasword.com
General Audience Warning: immature subject matter
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Sunshine Players
Toronto , ON
presents
Reesor
by Erin Brandenburg and Lauren Taylor
directed by Lauren Taylor
The story of a lost Mennonite community in Northern Ontario .
Between 1926-1945, 400 people called Reesor home.
Now, all that remains is a pile of stone.
They arrived by train at 11pm on June 15, 1925. Mile 103, nothing more than dark rain soaked trees as far as the eye could see. Surrounded by wilderness, alone in the bush, how do you start over? How do you build a home? For those that survived, the memories are like heaven on earth.
Reesor, the true story of a lost utopian paradise in the Boreal Forest. Featuring music performed by Sunparlour Players.
Cast:
Lauren Taylor (Director/Dramaturge/Co-creator) is originally from Melbourne , Australia . She has recently relocated to Toronto, Canada.
Erin Brandenburg (Actor/Co-creator) is an Actor/Educator/Theatre Collaborator from Toronto , Canada .
Andrew Penner (Musical Director) is a Musician from Toronto, Canada . He is a member of the band Sunparlour Players.
And Gord Bolan!
www.myspace.com/Reesor2007
General Audience
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Jolly Miller
Toronto, ON
presents
Rumpelforskin
by Don Harron
A revised and circumcised virgin of an old fairy's tale.
The kingdom of Tatterdemalia is in a bad way.
The Tatterdematlion inhabitants are restless after the demise of King Dirk the Incompetent, and his Queen Dragonella has difficulty in stiffening the royal backbone of her son and heir to the throne, Etheldred the Unsteady. An influx of gold would be welcome.
General Audience
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Rabbit in a Hat Productions
Montreal , QC
presents
Sahara Crossing
by Paul Van Dyck
directed and dramaturged by Robin Henderson
Voodoo Magic, Muslims, and Malaria. With nothing in his pocket but a deluded sense of first world privilege and an unhealthy obsession with Indiana Jones, Montreal actor, playwright and intrepid globetrotter, Paul Van Dyck zigzags his way from the Strait of Gibraltar across the Sahara Desert toward the Egyptian Pyramids.
With bitingly candid and elegantly crafted prose, this one man show takes us on a journey chronicling a love affair with the world's last bastion of pure unsupervised adventure. But as the affair wears on, romantic Western notions of “The Dark Continent” fall away in the face of an altogether darker reality, and fanciful dreams of carefree adventure are replaced by one goal: to make it out alive.
Cast: Paul Van Dyck
General Audience
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Players Players Theatre Company
Toronto , ON / Hamilton , ON
presents
Science Fair!
by Krista MacIsaac, Melissa Paraboo, David Barclay, Darren Barlow and Paul Frank
The creators of DOGS! The Musical!, "the best dog-gone musical at the Fringe" (Toronto Star) are making the grade with Science Fair! Four parts ambition, twelve parts hormones and one part rapping in your mom's basement collide in an explosive scientific reaction that could produce heartbreak or true love forever. Mix in original live music from guitar player Paul Frank and you're ready to Get Your Nerd On!
Cast: Krista MacIsaac, Melissa Paraboo, David Barclay and Paul Frank
www.playersplayers.com
General Audience Warning: content, language, mature themes
Venue 14 - Royal St. George's College, 2nd Floor / 120 Howland Ave.
60 Min.
********************************
Rapid Fire Theatre
Edmonton , AB
presents
SCRATCH
by Kevin Gillese and Arlen Konopaki
Scratch is back - faster, funnier and crazier than ever.
Two actors. Dozens of characters. Multiple storylines. No scripts.
Witness an entire play created on the spot.
WARNING! The Toronto Sun calls Scratch "hospitalization worthy hilarity" and Eye Magazine says "If laughter is the best medicine, prepare to overdose."
5 STARS - Vue Magazine
Pick of the Fringe - Now Magazine
www.myspace.com/scratch_improv
Mature Audience Warning: language, strobe lighting, fog machine
Venue 17 - Al Green Theatre / 750 Spadina Ave.
65 Min.
********************************
Throw me a bone productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Searching for Degrassi
by Stephanie Devine, Kostas Kurelias
Calling all Broomheads!
In the timeless words of The Zit Remedy, "Everybody wants something...They'll never give up!"
If you love Degrassi- and we know you do, check out this hilarious and touching two-hander about two twenty somethings who connect over a mutual love of the show and learn how to let go and open there hearts to new things- like Degrassi the Next Generation...maybe.
Performed by artists Kostas Kurelias and Celine Lepage and directed by Peter Oldring. The show is a touching adventure of sorts where two people meet each other and learn about themselves in the process.
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Soft Revolution Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Serena de Bergerac
written and directed by Yasmin Siddiqui
At Bergerac School of the Arts, drama geeks rule the school and it's de rigeur to set cakes on fire to get an A on your art project. But when two actors and an experimental artist collide in a love triangle of coat hangers, frantic instant-messaging sessions, and a case of mistaken identity, will real life prove crazier than art?
A modernized twist on Cyrano de Bergerac that would probably have Edmond Rostand rolling in his grave, Serena de Bergerac is a tale of teenaged love in an age where communication is perhaps too accessible. u dont want 2 miss this play!! if ppl who type lyk this r ur pet peeve, u def want 2 c this n lern just how imprtnt REAL communication can b.
Cast: Chloe Sullivan, Katie Dorian
www.myspace.com/softrevolutionproductions
General Audience Warning: mild language
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
In The Company of Grace
Toronto , ON
presents
Shiksas Sit Shiva
by Catherine Hayos and Melinda Little
directed by Anita La Selva
"It's so human and wonderful" "Refreshing…. and very compelling" - Between Stages reading series patrons
Even death has its rules. Mourning the loss of the patriarch in a Jewish family, five women – the second wife, the only daughter and three sister-in-laws - all of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds - try to respect the last wishes of the deceased.
Over a ritual week of mourning, the women are confronted with conflicting spiritual traditions and beliefs as well as long brewed resentments and hidden family secrets. Seeking refuge in the kitchen and providing sustenance for the mourners in the next room, these women journey together and in the end offer much needed sustenance for each other.
A poignant comedy about loss, love, chintz cushions and bagels.
Cast: Deborah Drakeford, Catherine Hayos, Elva Mai Hoover, Melinda Little, Linda Prystawska
General Audience
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
90 Min.
********************************
The Bad Dog Theatre Company
Toronto , ON
presents
Show Stopping Number! The Improvised Musical
Improvisation
directed by Jan Caruana
“…nothing less than a fully improvised, hour-long, song-and-dance spectacular, presented from scratch every week. …one of the best entertainment bargains in town.” - Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star.
The mega musicals are closing before they open and The Bad Dog Theatre is ready to show Toronto that they have what it takes to be the next big thing. Even if they don't know what IT is. Show Stopping Number sings and dances its way into your heart based on a single suggestion from the audience, creating a complete meta-musical right before your eyes.
Some of Toronto 's best improvisers are making it all up as they go along, from the songs, to the choreography to the convenient plot twists and happy endings. Sandy Jobin-Bevans, Jamillah Ross, Aurora Browne, Doug Morency, Jan Caruana, Rica Eckersley, Sean Fisher, Rob Hawke, Ashley Botting, Rob Baker, Carmine Lucarelli.
www.baddogtheatre.com
General Audience Warning: language
Fringe Club Theatre / 292 Brunswick Ave. (S. of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Maple Raised Inc.
Toronto , ON
presents
something unexpected
written and directed by Paul Constable
Maple Raised Inc. is a company run by two Second City veterans; Paul Constable and Jack Hourigan. Paul Constable is an Alumni of Toronto's Second City, having co-created six shows and logging in more than one thousand performances. Jack Hourigan put her time in with Second City Cleveland , and is now a host on Slice TV's “Three Takes”. something unexpected is a new piece written and directed by Paul Constable. It stars Jude Coffey, and Sandy-Jobin Bevans. It takes place in small town Ontario . It is a Harlequin romance with donuts It has moments that will make you laugh. And maybe cry. And it has 80s rock music.
www.myspace.com/mapleraised
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
45 Min.
********************************
WWPD? Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Speech
by A.David Levine
Vote for Andy Larsen; he has all the sincerity and eloquence his speechwriter can give him.
When a race for City Council spills into the national spotlight, can the speeches continue to say as much as possible while saying as little as possible - with the party, the press and the candidate watching? Maybe…as long as nobody starts to listen.
General Audience
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
********************************
Dito Co-operative
Toronto , ON
presents
Spilling Beans
by Thomas Junek and Dina Ajlenberg
directed by Thomas Junek
Coffee, tea, thrills? Let's look at what happens when 4 seemingly random city folk meet at a cafe.
Di-To Co-operative is proud to present the Canadian theatre premiere of Spilling Beans – the play that dares to ask: “How well do you know your conscience? your inner voice?”
Meet a young mum, her husband, a princess and the sad widow. Watch the aforementioned four people bare all when confronted by their conscience. Their inner thoughts become public - forced to face their past, deal with the present and decide their future.
Hope, regret, lust, fear…we are all guilty. We all live together in the city but how well do you really know the people around you? yourself for that matter? Watch as the mundane becomes unexpected and the results never turn out how we expect them to.
We are all torn up inside. The inner voice is reason. Let's come clean.
Cast: Joanne Reece, Guy Castonguay, Adriano Sobretodo Jr., Amy Pearson, Gale Frost.
www.ditocoop.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language, sexual situations
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
55 Min.
********************************
The Sketchersons
Toronto , ON
presents
Sunday Night Live
by the cast
Described as "the hardest working troupe in Toronto " (Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine) and as "our city's answer to saturday night live" (Sherri Wood, Toronto Sun) The Sketchersons continue the successful run of the hit show they write new each week, Sunday Night Live!
Special guest hosts to be announced.
"Look out Lorne Michaels... SNL North is a hit" - Glenn Sumi, NOW Magazine
"They are a riot, This mob... we're talking high-performance comedy" - Mike Strobel, Toronto Sun
www.thesketchersons.com
Mature Audience Warning: content, language
Venue 31 - The Diesel Playhouse / 56 Blue Jays Way
75 Min.
********************************
Stag Nation
Toronto , ON
presents
Swinging for the fences
written and directed by Luis Fernandes
Toronto city parks: Haven for children at play or home to one of Toronto 's deadliest killers? Did you know that last year nearly 10 Canadians were decapitated by swings? Or that swings represent nearly 20% of all recorded cases of Extreme Cardiac Oxygen Deficiency (ECOD)?
The time to take swings out of our playgrounds is now! Vote JEFFERY DENISON for Mayor of Toronto 2012! Keeping our parks safe and ECOD free...for the children.
In SWINGIN' FOR THE FENCES, Comedy troupe STAG NATION takes you to Toronto in the incredible year of 2012!!! Four years ago Mayoral Candidate Jeff Denison was caught in one of Canadian politics most shocking scandals and with it his electoral fortunes plummeted. That is until he enlisted ace Public Relations marketer Brad Fletch. With a savvy publicity campaign, Brad turned Denison into Toronto 's “Green Giant”, the cities environmental hero in office. But that was four years ago...Now, having turned the Roger's Centre into a garbage incineration plant, it looks like Denison 's image has soured. Somehow Brad and his crack pot team of spinsters must re-create Denison for the year 2012 before the mysterious Assassin Prime can hunt him down! Their first target? Swings. (Naturally)
Cast: Alain Mercieca, Josh Kerr, Daryn McIntyre, Aaron Metler, Crystal Rose Madore, Conall Pendergast and Luis Fernandes
Mature Audience Warning: bad language, bad people, ninja assassins, mutant popsicles, fog machine and guns.
Oh yeah, a politician....don't bring the kiddies.
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Fixt Point Theatre/Kennwort:Bergstation
Toronto , ON / Graz , Austria
presents
The Tale of a T-Shirt
a collective creation
Float around the world as you follow the fantasy of a t-shirt, from cotton to cloth... crossing borders, seducing teenagers, inspiring closet dreams, landing in donation bins, sailing across the ocean and dancing to the beats of the markets in this beautiful tale of adventure full of humour and humanity.
An international collaboration, combining music, video, shadow puppetry and outrageous characters developed in Paris , France with clown master Philippe Gaulier.
FIXT POINT THEATRE (Edinburgh Fringe Critic's Choice '06 / Hamilton Fringe 3 box office records) is an international professional touring company committed to creating entertaining, original, theatrical productions that inspire audiences to imagine change.
**6 CITY NATIONAL TOUR 2007** TORONTO – WINNIPEG – SASKATOON – CALGARY – EDMONTON - VANCOUVER
just imagine...
General Audience
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
90 Min.
********************************
Oyster Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Talk Thirty to Me
a documentary by Oonagh Duncan
directed by Matt Murray
“How is it that I'm thirty and all I own is like, a laptop and a tent?”
In the summer of 2006, over fifty local 29 year olds were interviewed for this unique project. From fashionistas to refugees, new lesbians and born again Christians... They discussed finding cellulite and looking for love on the web. They bitched about the boomers, debated babies, bemoaned debt and faced death. Every word was recorded and every word in Talk Thirty to Me is verbatim. Proving that the truth is stranger-and funnier-than fiction.
Oyster Productions is a Toronto based company focusing on documentary theatre and Talk Thirty To Me is its inaugural production.
www.oysterproductions.ca
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 7 - Tarragon Theatre Extra Space / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
********************************
Infinite Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
This is CANCER
by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak
directed by Rebecca Northan
The world's biggest name gets up close and personal with his public! Cancer gives the performance of a lifetime...
A recent hit at Alberta theatre Projects 2007 playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays.
Horak (a cancer survivor himself) and Northan, both having each lost a parent to Cancer, bring their unique view of this disease to the stage.
5 STARS - "A beguiling mix of stand-up, improv and cabaret, cancer balances sentiment and bad taste, without ever seeming mawkish or mean." - EYE Magazine
5 STARS - "The wildest - most thrilling ride you'll take this season." - the Calgary Herald
5 STARS - "A genuinely engaging performance that finds comedy in its dark subject matter, Horak has a knack for music and comedy." - FFWD Magazine
Cast: Bruce Horak, Waylen Miki, Rebecca Northan
www.thisiscancer.com
Mature Audience Warning: language
Venue 13 - Royal St. George's College (Music Room) / 120 Howland Ave.
90 Min.
********************************
Thomas Baxter
Oakville , ON
presents
Thomas Baxter's ThoughtControl II
by Thomas Baxter
Thomas Baxter's ThoughtControl! Canada 's Master of Psychological Illusion demonstrates how, knowing how people think, he can predict, discern and (gasp) control human behaviour in this One Man tour de force that leaves audiences and critics alike picking their jaws up off of the floor.
Voted a “Must See” at the Toronto and Vancouver Fringe Festivals. Georgia Straight Newspaper called it “Brilliant! -- Vaudeville for Smart People”. The National Post: “I was enraptured!” Antigonish Performing Arts: “Baxter may call himself a Psychological Illusionist, but more than that, he is a Sage who is able to demonstrate the true connections between people.”
He's not psychic (they talk to dead people!), not a hypnotist (although suggestion certainly plays a part in what he does) and not exactly a Mind Reader, but in his show, ThoughtControl, Thomas Baxter will have you believing that the Impossible is just a fleeting thought away!
www.ThoughtControl.ca
General Audience
Venue 9 - George Ignatieff Theatre / 15 Devonshire Place (S.of Bloor)
60 Min.
********************************
Timebomb Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Timebomb
written and directed by Kelly Straughan
Stuck in a holding pattern, time seems to be slipping away from 32-year old single admin assistant Helen. Suddenly she finds herself thrust into a twisted game-show of her life that is frightening, exhilarating and revealing. Along the way, Helen reunites with a variety of men from her past who have shaped who she is, backtracks through the stepladder of her unsuccessful career and springboards back at the feet of her incompetent parents.
Join us on a thrilling journey told through stunning visuals, dance and a uniquely original sound design. This is a show not to be missed!
Cast: Olivia Jones, Ted Hallett, Chris Wilson, Jill Diane Filion, Martin Edmonds, Jason Chellew, Sara Farb, Diana Groenendijk, David Lopez, Shannon Currie, Julie C. Sheppard, Kesta Graham, Martha Girvin and Lauren Lafayette Brooks
Assistant Director: Briana Brown
Stage Manager: Lindsay Ryan
Sound Design: Angus Barlow and Christian Bellsmith
Publicist: Michelle Bailey
Choreographer: Cara Spooner
Dramaturge: Karen Gilodo
Executive Producer: Derrick Chua
www.timebombtheplay.com
General Audience
Venue 6 - Tarragon Theatre Mainspace / 30 Bridgman Avenue
60 Min.
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Colette Kendall
Hamilton , ON
presents
Tippi Seagram's Happy Hour
written and performed by Colette Kendall
Comic Confessions of A Casting Couch Cougar! The incomparable Tippi Seagram, hard-boiled screen heroine, self-proclaimed sex goddess, sophisticated screwball. Tippi says out loud what most of us know better to keep to ourselves. Tippi's humour is candid, clever, and tongue-in-cheek... that is, your cheek, Tippi's tongue! Canadian Comedy Award and Georgia Straight Critic's Pick nominated Best Solo show.
‘ South Park for the older set…audience in stitches for the full hour' - CBC Winnipeg
‘the most fabulous and irreverent show at the fringe' - Vancouver Courier
5 STARS - Victoria News,
‘Johnny Carson must have died an unhappy man, knowing he never had a chance to book Tippi Seagram on the Tonight Show' - London Free Press
‘Brash, sassy and funny… Kendall doesn't just rule the stage-she rules the venue' - Uptown
‘the kind of button-pushing humour that adventurous Fringe explorers love to find' Swerve, ‘a full scale assault on ‘Politically Correct' sensibilities' - Review Vancouver
www.tippisblog.com
Mature Audience Warning: occasional naughty word
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
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Black Sheep Theatre
Ottawa , ON
presents
Trashcan Duet
by Jayson McDonald
directed by Dave Dawson
Stella is a Beat Poet, Billy is just a Deadbeat. It's hard to believe they'll find some common ground. A brand new comic drama by London's Jayson McDonald (Giant Invisible Robot) from 12 year Fringe Veterans Black Sheep Theatre.
Tom X. Chao's Can't Get Started - "a definite sleeper hit” [4 STARS] - Toronto Sun
4 STARS - Winnipeg Sun
Best in Venue - Ottawa Fringe Festival;
The Root of All Squares - "one of the smartest scripts at this year's fringe" - Ottawa Citizen
"a smart, engaging, well acted and directed production" 4 STARS - Edmonton Journal
John Patrick Shanley's The Big Funk: a casual play - "This fast paced and uniformly well acted pre-Millennium comedy will make you think and laugh, and feel good about serious theatre again" - CBC WINNIPEG,
4 STARS - Winnipeg Free Press
www.blacksheeptheatre.com
General Audience Warning: language
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
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Theatre du Refuse and Up Your Nose (and in your toes) Productions
Toronto, ON
presents
The Truth According To Morro and Jasp
created by Byron Laviolette with Morro and Jasp
directed by Byron Laviolette
Outlandish! Abysmal! Something has gone all wrong… but who is to blame? Is it Morro or was it Jasp?
Follow the clown sisters on a fun-tastical journey as they seek to get to the bottom of the matter and find out what the truth really is!
A highly entertaining and engaging show with something for everyone … even you grandpa!
Cast: Heather Marie Annis and Amy Lee
Family Entertainment (ages 1 to 101)
KidsVenue - Palmertson Library Theatre / 560 Palmerston Avenue
55 Min.
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EleffantFoot
Chicago , IL ( USA )
presents
Two Figs for the Great Captain or the Revived Adventures of Don Kixote
ensemble creation based on Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote
Donqi-Hote and Sancho are two friends bound by their gullibility, resilience and love for adventure. They travel on the perilous roads of La Mancha , overcoming obstacles, engaging in battles, assisting maidens, and never failing to carry on their famous dispute on the topic of knight errantry. Some think Donqi-Hote is mad, attempting to save him. But nothing can stop the knight from doing his… knightly thing, even if it is to the detriment of his own person. Nothing can save him from his fame, even his friend.
Origins of Eleffant-Foot players are diverse and all over the globe: they came from different places, they have been taught different things. Lecoq training, linguistics and clarinet are happily married in this production devised in joy and squabbles by all four members of the troupe.
www.eleffantfoot.org
General Audience Warning: swinging wineskins
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
60 Min.
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Soul-O-Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
TWO IN THE BUSH
by Tracey Erin Smith
Audience Choice Award 2007 - NEW YORK CITY
Best of the Fringe 2006 - TORONTO
“Tracey Erin Smith has the art of entertainment refined to the point of hypnotism.” - EYE MAGAZINE
TWO IN THE BUSH! is the sequel to last years smash hit, “The Burning Bush!” The Stripping Rabbi is back with incredible tales from her World Tour; saving souls, one lap dance at a time…but this time, can she save herself?
Offers are pouring in from Hollywood , the Internet; everyone wants a piece of the world's first stripping Rabbi. But Barbara Baumowitz says no to fame and yes to the holy task of touring her peeling preachers to senior's homes across North America . When something goes terribly wrong, they are forced to hit the road in their Bush-Mobile…on the sacrificial lamb!
What they find amid the fights and flat tires is something better than fame…they find each other.
Cast: Tracey Erin Smith and Friends
www.theburningbush.ca
General Audience
Venue 13 - Royal St. George's College (Music Room) / 120 Howland Ave.
60 Min.
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groundwater productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Ubu Roi (Massacred)
by Alfred Jarry
directed by Gideon Arthurs
Ubu Roi (Massacred) - Big play, small room.
28 Characters. 2 Armies. 1 Disembraining machine. 3 Actors.
Murder. Intrigue. Plotting. Scheming. Bears. Politics. Commentary. Subterfuge. Critique. Comedy. Fear. Battlefield. T-shirts. Tragedy. Royalty. History. Horses. Shocking. Daring. Stupid. Stupid. Prophecy. Condemnation. Apology. Imperialism. Capitalism. Onanism. Struggle. Barf. Greed. Revenge. Victory. Defeat. Porridge.
Cast: Rob Baker, Lisa Codrington, Erin Shields
www.myspace.com/groundwaterprod
General Audience Warning: mature themes, some violence
Venue 25 - HUB 14 / 14 Markham St. (W. of Bathurst & N. of Queen)
60 Min.
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Old 'n Careful
Montreal , QC
presents
Uncalled For: The High Five Ultimatum
by Uncalled For
Bouncing off the walls, smashing funnybones, performing open-heart surgery on audience members and making it all up as they go along - this is Uncalled For, oh yes. Fuelled by audience suggestions, Uncalled For harnesses the awesome forces of improvised comedy and creates an entirely new show every single performance. From short sketches to long-form storytelling to improvised musicals, it's all there, and it's all spontaneous.
4 STARS "The funniest piece of improv theatre I have ever seen… Just plain f---ing hilarious.” - Hour
4 STARS "These rascals are tight, clever and charismatic.” - Eye
4 STARS "An absolute riot… they were really, really ridiculously good" - cbc.ca
"These guys rock, and you wish you could be them" - wetlabel.com
4 STARS "Tell your mother: this is one improv show you won't want to miss" - Montreal Gazette
www.uncalledforimprov.com
General Audience
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
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By The Book Productions
Winnipeg , MB
presents
Underneath the Lintel
by Glen Berger
directed by Pamela Haig Bartley
John D. Huston plays a librarian who unlocks an ancient myth while pursuing a miscreant who returned a book 113 years overdue. A member of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, John has had a lively career “culturally misappropriating the works of dead white guys”. Last spring, John played Prospero in Tempest Fugit, a sequel to The Tempest, in London and Birmingham (U.K.). He has toured solo shows for 15 years to sell out houses and critical acclaim.
“From his first words he has the audience spellbound.” - Ottawa Citizen
“powerful one-man theatre...in the hands of a master storyteller.” - National Post Toronto
“Underneath the Lintel” by Glen Berger, opened in New York in 2001 and London 's West End in 2007. This is the play's Toronto premiere. Time Out New York's Ten Best Plays of 2001"a cosmic puzzle...makes The Da Vinci Code seem like a game of hide-and-seek" - Variety
“unmissable” - Irish Times
Cast: John D. Huston Producer: Celeste Sansregret
www.underneaththelintel.ca
Mature Audience
Venue 5 - Factory Studio Theatre / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
88 Min.
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Oxymoron Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
Wake Up
by Antonino Pruiti, based on an original workshop by Theatre With-Out-PaperS
directed by Antonino Pruiti
Every decision you make helps pave the path of your destiny. But do you ever think about the other people in your life? If or how your decisions affect their lives? Their fate? Too often, people make the selfish decision to run away from the guilt they deserve. How bad can the guilt be? Is it the consequences that are feared?
Frank is a young man with all the advantages in life; great job, money, girlfriend. With the loss of his parents at an early age, Frank struggled to reach these goals. But an empty void still remains. What do you do when you have everything and it's still not enough? At a party one night, Frank makes a bad decision that changes his life forever.
Sometimes, you just need to wake up.
Cast: Joseph Mottola, Dino Sepe, Lara Arabian, Adrianna Prosser, Heather Couch. Greg Dunham
www.theatrewithoutpapers.com/oxymorontheatre.htm
General Audience Warning: some language
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
90 Min.
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Clay and Paper Theatre
Toronto , ON
presents
We Need Help!
by David Anderson and Krista Dalby
directed by David Anderson music director Richard Underhill
Giant puppets and live jazz animate this outdoor performance about what happens when the road less traveled becomes the highway to hell.
A honeymooning couple is stranded in Northern Ontario when the world's gas tank runs dry.
www.clayandpapertheatre.org
General Audience Warning: the end of the world as we know it.
Venue 15 - Campus of Royal St. George College / 120 Howland Ave.
50 Min.
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Frank Trotz / Nelles Van Loon
Toronto , ON
presents
We Never Came To Lose
by Frank Trotz and Nelles Van Loon
The conflicts between a bullheaded Pitcher and an equally obstinate Catcher, and the friendships that have grown, are all part of a longstanding love that has grown over years.
In this drama/comedy, Pitch and Catch take us on a journey into the history and foibles of a still ongoing Toronto fast pitch league begun in 1971. Sunny and Dusty, and several apes who discover the game of baseball, take us on this heartwarming, heartbreakingly funny baseball saga through time. Pitch plays with his expertise, Catch plays with his heart. Players come and go, some from down east and some from the Philippines , and some remain for the duration.
I believe in the religion of baseball is the motto of this league whose tournament trophy is a huge ceramic pig . Their monthly winter meetings for beer and pizza carry them through cold winters to the warm summer seasons. It's a game everyone will want to take part in.
General Audience
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
90 Min.
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Two Girls With A Sledgehammer
Toronto , ON
presents
Wedding Belles
by Davian den Otter
directed by Laura Roald
Start with a weekend wedding in the woods. Add four girlfriends. And a splash of (ex)boyfriend. Mix with equal parts humour & deceit. Pour into pre-chilled martini glasses. Serve.
The perfect wedding is at risk when four bridesmaids battle each other, their pasts and their futures in this new witty dramedy about having to deal with life while wearing yellow dresses.
A darkly funny approach to how we deal with loss, love and growing up. Wedding Belles is an entertaining show about a group of sarcastic, intelligent 20 –something's in a situation that everyone will probably have to endure at least once in their lives; being in the wedding party.
Produced by Two Girls with a Sledgehammer who are a couple of sarcastic, entertaining, 20-somethings themselves. They live in Toronto and secretly love weddings.
Cast: Monique Lahey, Emily MacLeod, Asha Vijayasingham, Davian den Otter, Lee Rumohr
www.weddingbellesplay.com
General Audience Warning: some language, smoking
Venue 4 - Factory Theatre Mainspace / 125 Bathurst Street (at Adelaide )
60 Min.
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May BE Productions
Toronto , ON
presents
Welcome to My Death
written and directed by Gillian Street
Meet Victor Carrin, a washed up producer with a horrific idea for a new Reality TV show. When the show becomes a big hit, the ideal life he's striving for cracks and shatters before his eyes. A frightening drama about how disconnected we are from our lives and ourselves.
General Audience Warning: gunshots
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
55 Min.
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Picnicface
Halifax, NS
presents
The Welcome to the Show Show
Picnicface presents a multi-media alternative sketch comedy experience that'll pick you up by the midsection and throw you across the room. Uniquely absurd, this group of young comedians puts your equalization payments to good use with a 60-minute bombardment of flaming swans, temporal paradoxes, and 'Splodey, the Halifax Explosion mascot.
Formed in 2005, the group has taken the Eastern Canadian comedy scene by storm with a commitment to fast-paced, non-topical comedy in the vein of Kids in the Hall and Mr. Show. In 2006, they were voted ‘Best Comedians' by The Coast ( Halifax 's NOW Magazine), beating out 22 Minutes stars Shaun Majumder and Cathy Jones. The award reflects the effort they put into their craft, performing a new sketch show every week for approximately 100 people per show. No wonder Jon Dore described their comedy room as one of the best in Canada . Picnicface: funny for reals.
"Best Comedians of 2006" - The Coast (Halifax¹s Indie Magazine)
"Probably the best comedy troupe currently working in Canada " - Dan Redican, Producer for Kids in The Hall
"National Pick" - Collegehumor.com
"Dumb and funny" - The New York Times, re: 'Anniversary' video
"Great sketch comedy" - Cathy Jones, This Hour has 22 Minutes
Cast: Andrew Bush, Mark Little, Bill Wood, Evany Rosen, Kyle Dooley, Cheryl Hann, Brian MacQuarrie and Scott Vrooman
www.picnicface.com
Mature Audience Warning: some language
Venue 10 - Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse / 79A St. George Street
60 Min.
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Kiss and Tell Inc.
Toronto , ON
presents
Windows, Walls and Doors
by Yael Sirlin
directed by Dennie Theodore
What do you do when panic hits? Where are the “self-help” books on crumbling marriages, crumbling egos and crumbly pastry? Who do you talk to when you feel crummy?
Take a limo ride to the airport with Lisa and Shlomo – two very different entrepreneurs who don't see life, marriage or business from the same seat.
You can't go through a wall or a window, you have to open the door.
Cast: Debra Hale and Shaun Clarke
www.kissandtellinc.com
General Audience
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
45 Min.
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Brink Theatre
Hamilton , ON
presents
Women on the Brink
by Claire BonEnfant
Lucy is on the brink of saying yes in Lying on the Escarpment and Beth is on the brink of saying no in Knock It Off! Come and give these women the push they deserve.
Lucy is on a bad date that just got worse when she fell off the escarpment. As she lies on a ledge waiting to be rescued, she comes to terms with her feelings of loss and discovery. Is Lucy ready to take a leap of faith? God only knows.
Beth is going door to door with a petition for a stop sign. She's fed up with doing everything herself, but she can't trust anyone else to get the job done. She marches on with unexpected - and hilarious - results, until the moment duty and desire collide.
www.brinktheatre.com
General Audience
Venue 1 - St. Vladimir's Theatre / 620 Spadina Avenue
82 Min.
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Daves of Our Lives Productions
Markham , ON
presents
Worst Show Ever
by James Harnett and David West Read
Giant asteroids! The death of God! Canadian TV! A new comedy about the 10 worst things in the history of the world.
“In retrospect, I think the title is misleading. It's not the worst show ever, just the worst title.” – James Hartnett, co-creator
“Hey James, regarding your quote, the title doesn't mean the show itself is bad, just that bad stuff happens in it. Like death and disease and whatnot.” – David West Read, co-creator
“Oh, okay. I should have asked you in person about that. Sorry. But you're right, the show's great and less than an hour, so you can get a coffee after or whatever.” – James
“I'm going to get a coffee before and after this hilarious show.” – Susannah Kiernan, performer
“Hey Susannah, thanks for the input, but you're not actually allowed to make quotes about the show. Now it really is the worst show ever.” – David
Cast: James Hartnett, Susannah Kiernan & David West Read
www.myspace.com/worstshowever
Mature Audience Warning: language, gunshots, 80's rock music
Venue 8 - Royal St. George Theatre / 120 Howland Avenue
60 Min.
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Ahuri Theatre
Toronto, ON / Tokyo, JAPAN
presents
Yabu No Naka Distruthted
by Akutagawa Ryunosuke
directed by Mathieu Chouinard
Yabu No Naka Distruthed is a striking new adaptation of Akutagawa Ryunosuke's In a Grove: one of modern Japan 's most celebrated short stories and the inspiration for Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon. With three countries (Japan-Canada-Sweden) and four different languages represented, this international Lecoq based company fuses Japanese traditional dance, Butoh and Mime weaving together the conflicting testimonies of seven witnesses in the murder of a Samurai.
Lust, betrayal, shame and love fuel their stories, each confession shedding shards of light on a distorted pitch black mystery. What's the truth? You'll find it In a Grove…
“The actors' bodies are so engaged in the creation of these silent images and gestures, the audience can almost feel it in their own bodies…a lively and exciting new theatre company…”-Shinobu Review, Tokyo
Created and Performed by Edwige Bage, Haruna Kondo, Johan Westergren, Mathieu Chouinard and Dan Watson (SplasH20 - 2006 Toronto Fringe Festival Patron's Pick)
Cast: Edwige Bage, Mathieu Chouinard, Haruna Kondo, Dan Watson and Johan Westergren
www.ahuritheatre.com
Mature Audience
Venue 26 - Polish Combatants Assoc. Parking Garage / 206 Beverley St. (Just S. of College)
55 Min.
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Happy Medium Theatre
St. Catharines , ON
presents
You, Me and the Sea
by Jesse Hutchison and Oriana Watts
You, Me & The Sea is a comedy set upon a lifeboat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean .
Jacob and Debra are a young couple whose cruise ship, bought cheaply by the miserly Jacob, capsizes in the middle of a lively Conga. The couple initially attempts to make the best of a bad situation, and pass the time by reminiscing about the high points of their relationship. But as their prospects begin to grow dire, hopeful optimism deteriorates into a heated hostility as each begins to blame the other for the capsized ship, as well as their doomed relationship. To make matters worse, they are soon joined by the sweet and cheery Sara, another survivor who becomes caught in Jacob and Debra's verbal brawl. Soon, all three are looking for the quickest and easiest way to get off the lifeboat.
www.happy-medium.ca
General Audience Warning: same language
Venue 3 - Theatre Passe-Muraille Mainspace / 16 Ryerson Avenue
55 Min.
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