1991 TORONTO FRINGE 1991 TORONTO FRINGE
1991 Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival
PLAY LISTINGS
The Way Off Broadway Group
Vancouver, British Columbia
presented
The Twilight Zone
by Rod Serling
Two Classic Episodes. You're traveling through another dimension. A Dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. You're next stop... The Twilight Zone.
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Pea Green Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Roachland
by Mark Brownell
A torturous, sour grapes romp through the halls of "Theatre Beyond". Witness a fictional alternative theatre company trying to stay afloat in a sea of bureaucrats, burn-out directors and actors clinging to the wreckage of their lost careers. Leapin' deficits! Looks like it's curtains for the Alternative Theatre!
55 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Karimal Productions And Mark Rapoport
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Diamonds Are Forever A Girl's Best Friend
by Liora Kigel
In an age of easily accessible peroxide, almost everyone's turning blonde. Why? Can one truly musical parody, Narvenna, a Madonna-esque blonde, is embroiled in a face-to-face battle with 007's niece, "plain" Jane Bond. The outcome? Death-defying fun!
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Topological Theatre
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Creatures Like Us
by Edward Roy
Gran is celebrating her eighty-fifth birthday with her family and she'll be lucky to get out alive. Modern neurosis, time travel, reincarnation, gender-bending, sex and violence. "Delicious, the script vicious, the performances truly demented, frequently brilliant, screamingly funny." Theatrum Magazine. Not for the faint of heart.
50 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Spend Your Rent Theatre Company
Montreal/Toronto, Canada
presented
If I Ever Go Away
by Steph Poch
"Trapped in the smothering arms of the filthy eastern metropolis with her alcoholic mother, a young girl and her lover dream of a melodic existence on the untouched Pacific coast, but a botched abortion destroys her ambitions."
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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The Progressive Revelation Company
Stratford, Ontario/Montgomery, Alabama
presented
Dog Island
by Charles Mountford
"The world of this play is one in which the social facade barely masks the naked reality underneath. The intense bombardment of the senses by the rawness and violence of these passions is restorative and innervating, frightening and seductive, and painfully dynamic." - Randy Foster
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Real Canadian Mounted Productions
Fort McMurray, Alberta
presented
21A
by Kevin King
The bus. A man mumbling about dragons in the city. A young man from a cult, smiling; "I know God, do you?" The quiet man. What secrets have they? Will they tell you? Kevin King's farcical, 21A. Don't stick any portion of your body out of the bus windows, when in motion.
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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ABC Theatre Company
Toronto, Ontario
presented
The Curve
by Tankred Dorst
Set in the mountains near a deadly curve, 2 bros. survive by usurping the cars & casualties of crashes. Tony, a petty-poet/eulogist, & Ralph, a mechanic, are confronted by 2 questions: what is social responsibility & do we have the right to kill to maintain our mountain lifestyle? Absurdist, political, funny and a tiny bit scary.
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Madrigal Theatre
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Elevator
by Florence Gibson
"ELEVATOR" defines the space in which two women grapple with the right to define the scope and direction of their lives. Their explosive encounter takes them beyond their allotted 10 X 10 patch of light into the need for a love and sexuality in all of us.
50 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Foursight Theatre
Wolvenhampton, England
presented
Pink Smoke In The Vatican - The Mystery Of Pope Joan
by The Company
Foursight - England's innovative women's theatre company, present their haunting and liberating new drama. - PINK SMOKE IN THE VATICAN - THE MYSTERY OF POPE JOAN. A story which will both challenge and delight. "Sophisticated, beautifully written and brilliantly acted." (Helen) Edmonton Journal. "Sharp, confrontational...sensitive, perceptive...a fascinating piece." (Hilter's Women) The Guardian.
60 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Jeffrey And Geofrey
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Jeffrey And Geoffrey In... Get Off The Stage
by Jim Warren and Guillermo Verdecchia
Two Lords of the British stage banished to the colonies lash out in a scathing attack of Canadian culture. The runaway hit of the Tarragon Spring Arts Fair skewers everything from non-traditional casing to the loss of the art of makeup. The show they couldn't do at the Dora Awards.
45 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Joan Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Out Through In
by JoAnne Fishburn
Consumption. Production. Oppression. A Tea Woman, Bird Woman, Plant Person, Child, Mute and rotating chorus of four are weaved together in this non-textual performance piece by mounds of earth, clogged toilets, gargling, organic waste, manure...
45 min.
The Annex Theatre
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Death & Taxes Theatre Co-op
Edmonton, Alberta/Toronto, Ontario
presented
I Fell In Love With An Eel
by Vern Thiessen
Lamprey Eels: They have absolutely no purpose, human or fish-wise, on this earth... Edward loves Donna. He waters plants. Donna loves Gus. She's a parking lot attendant. Gus works in a candy factory. He loves the eel. An off-beat look at three people searching for the perfect relationship.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Nightwood Theatre Company
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Dark Diaspora... in Dub
by ahdri zhina mandiela
Rhythms proud and voices triumph - a Dub theatre experience brings the sound o dance in time with the power of poetic imaging. Thirty years of events and emotions - from the deep gashes of the african diaspora to today's black woman in this northern ice culture.
55 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Housebroken Company
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Work
by James O'Reilly
A hilarious performance in three brief monologues about work according to a garbage man, a copywriter, and a waiter. This is not a play about the theatre; it's about real life... an acid, screaming, mad, and bone-tired from work. Bust a gut. Shed a tear. Give your head a shake.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Edmonton, Alberta
presented
Seven Centuries of Guitar
by Andrew Creghan
This popular sold-out Fringe show comes to Toronto. It traces the history of music from Medieval times through all the epochs to the Modern era with many examples and dialogue. The concert culminates in the highly acclaimed Transfigurations - Homages to the Masters of Music. "He plays fabulous guitar" - Fanfare.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Stiletto & Co.
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Mother of Pearl
by Rena Polley and Catherine Hayos
A mother. A daughter. One crumbles the family myth on to the kitchen table. The other wheels them away. MOTHER OF PEARL is a new black comedy by the creators of last year's "Ladies-In-Waiting." A recipe for Moms and daughters you'll never find in the 'Joy of Cooking'. Developed in collaboration with Howard Wiseman.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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House Of Chaos Productions
London, Ontario
presented
"Socrates On Wheels"
by Jeff Culbert and Jill Sweetin
Socrates: actor, philosopher, corrupter of youth, enigma. Through Socratic dialogue, humour and music "Socrates On Wheels" weaves, multifarious materials into a meta-dramatic, self-reflexive tapestry that provides a playful perspective on a man that everybody has heard of, but nobody know - especially not your philosophy professor.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Quest Theatre Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
The Green Plaid Shirt Man
by Cynthia Stanhope
Is he God? an alien? Elvis maybe? or just a drinking buddy? Watch a small town woman hesitantly adventure through time & imagination to recapture what she didn't realize was lost to her. A fairytale for the child within.
45 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Dav'd Bateman
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Freud's Uncle
by David Bateman
Can we extract comedy from tragedy and use it as a healing agent? With the input of two angry cousins and one confused dancer a sitcom writer rediscovers his lived past in his scripted present as he sorts through an abusive, incestuous relationship on the eve of the abuser's funeral.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Meeting Place Theatre
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Birdbath
by Leonard Melfi
FRANIE MEETS VELMA. Two lonely people with a secret. A first date with a chilling and moving twist. An off-beat comic/tragic love story climbing in an intense encounter which changes both their lives. Directed by Miriam Lawrence. Wit I O Perry and Joseph Scorsiani.
45 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Ghost River Theatre
Calgary, Alberta
presented
Black Ice And Red Adidas
by Dough Curtis
A comic journey into the heart of winter and urban cabin fever. The author encounters West Edmonton Mall, Gregory Peck, and a camping partner high on Ritalin.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Toronto, Ontario
presented
Notre Damn Diva
by Norma Dell'Agnese
A lounge singer demands to be heard with divabolical results.
55 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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The Juanabees
Prince George, British Columbia
presented
We Juanabee Bigger Than Jesus
by The Company
Would you enjoy seeing 600 penguins doing unmentionable things to the Swedish Royal Family? IF so you're sick. Probably sick enough to appreciate six twisted actors from B.C and cheese while frantically scraping together enough money to get home again.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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Fierce Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Two Small Bodies
by Neal Bell
An erotic and chilling look at the twisted relationship between a police officer and the young mother he is investigating for the disappearance of her two children. Diana Leblanc directs Peter James Haworth and Deena Baltman in this Canadian premiere.
60 min.
The Poor Alex Theatre
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We're Not Doctors
Toronto, Ontario
presented
How We Reached An Impasse On Nuclear Energy
by Murray Schisgal
Last night after seeing, how we reached an impasse..., I re-evaluated my gender, and made an appointment with the electrolysis. My personal revolution resulted from the impact of this playful sketch. It exposed ontological anxieties beneath the apparently innocent norms of condominium living. Al says, "Don't miss it. It rocks."
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Montreal, Quebec
presented
A Quest For Man
by Eliza Berry
The collection so far, Exhibits 1 - 26; original monologues and music featuring jazz, punk, and country numbers alongside various incarnations of "man": amongst them, a speed-happy New York cabbie and crazed bag lady; her Paris counterpart - a waif; a distraught woman proposing marriage to a passerby, a junkie, a bus station rapper.
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Cornball Productions
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
presented
An Uncensored Love Ritual
by The Company
Come to "Savage/Love" and see an uncensored love ritual where only truth is accepted. Let's figure out all the stupid games we play in relationships, get rid of all the ones we don't like, and indulge more in the ones we do. Love it worth taking risks for isn't it?
50 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Chauncey & Dilton Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
An Evening With Brock And John
by John Mitchell and Brock Simpson
You are cordially invited to spend an intimate evening at Brock and John's place. There will be music, laughter, special guest and many surprises (like fresh baked goodies from their very own kitchen.) Bring a date, or a reasonable facsimile. Dress casual. R.S.V.P: Brock and John.
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Brother Of Dice Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Name That Crisis
by Lorne Blumer
CNEW/FM. where Betty Bentley plays "Toronto's Best Darn Music," provides up-to-the-minute Cher updates, gives away cellular phones - and gets phone calls really intended for a Crisis line. See what reviewers across Streetville are calling "the feel-good one-act play of the month."
45 min.
The Tranzac Club
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C.L.A.P Productions
Montreal, Quebec
presented
Blood Sports With Ball Boys
by David Edgar
What happens when you arm a ball boy with Das Kapital and he's had a bad day? This little black comedy provides an unlikely match between tennis and Marx with just enough blood to call it a revolution.
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Another Fine Mess Productions
Winnipeg, Manitoba
presented
100 Celebrities in 45 Minutes
by Jim Williamson
A hit at last year's Winnipeg Fringe, and now on a cross-Canada tour! 100 famous voices from the worlds of music, movies and TV in 1 variety show! A lively, fast-paced gathering of unforgettable showbiz giants hosted by...some skinny guy from the prairies. Don't miss the fun and surprised!
45 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Impromptu Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Be Frank
by Michael Redhill
Two men sit in a not-so-cosy basement where strange keepsakes line the mantelpiece. One's a killer, one's a captive. And the room has no exit. Pals, brothers, lovers or strangers - Harold and Frank are trapped in a world of their own making. Be Frank. A dark comedy.
50 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Pinion Players
Dundas, Ontario
presented
The Crumm Closet
by Marty Umanetz
A very funny farce exposing the ultimate seduction of Consumer Canada. Is there a zone beyond the limits of Credit...a neutral, safe place of grace? The Crumm Closet - no choice, all suck.
50 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Come Here Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
We're So Special
by Anne Langdon
Non-alcoholic puppy-love, with a twist. Sobriety, no matter how self-indulgent, brings its own rewards - this time in the form of a fluffy, no-risk gal that answers to the name of Lucky. Trouble is, Lucky's guardian has ideas of her own that might muzzle this "special relationship" for good.
45 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Red Nose Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Skeddy Stories
by Ed Johnson
Wow! See Introduction! Development! Climax! Even Resolution! All this! Morel Special Effects! One low price! Four shows only! From the clown who bled on stage at the Avant Garde Drag Festival it's more "Skeddy Stories."
40 min.
The Tranzac Club
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The Other Theatre Of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Lepine's Letter
by Natasha Bloomberg, Fiona Griffins and Kristen Thompson
...I have decided to put an end to those viragos." v-i-ra-go, n. 1. A woman of great stature, strength, courage; 2. A loud, overbearing woman. - Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. The motives behind Marc Lepine's killings can no longer be doubted.
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Richard Stockton Rand
New York City, USA
presented
Little Guys
by Richard Rand & William Lampert
"...exquisitely observed characterizations...so intense & so successfully transcendent, you leave replete." Lynne Van Luven, Edmonton Journal. "Rand is delight, creating characters he obviously loves to portray out of a simple change of clothes, stance, expression." Karen Crossley, Winnipeg Sun LITTLE IN BODY, BIG IN SPIRIT, THEY GAVE LIFE THEIR BEST SHOT.
60 min.
The Tranzac Club
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Proving Ground Theatre
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Mattachine
by David Demchuk
In 1954, a homosexual activist is murdered outside a Los Angeles bar. Now three men and three women must piece together his story, must each play his part in a drama of love and betrayal, in order to solve his mystery and save themselves.
90 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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The Friendly Spike Theatre Band
Toronto, Ontario
presented
A Thousand Points Of Light
by Stephen Rusnak and the Friendly Spike Theatre Band
A landlady who flies, a glue-sniffer who hoofs, a prostitute who's never been penetrated, a big city, the far north, a birthday, church candles, and tomato pegs. It's a thousand points of light, it's a young man's coming of age. It's a Catholic comedy about hair!
45 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Ergo Thaleia
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Dueling Corpses
by David Ravvin and Sasha Jarh
A death-fearing adman, recently dead and buried, views the events of his demise as proof that he is soon to be resurrected through the "power of advertising". A skeptical neighboring corpse is horrified to learn that these delusions of immortality might not be completely misguided.
60 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Gangadan Productions
Montreal/Toronto, Canada
presented
Live Sex Show - Liamas
by Daniel Nemiroff
Do you like offensive stand-up comics, letters to Penthouse magazine, large odd looking sheep from the Andes and lots of gun play? "Berthold Brecht applauded in his grace" - Justin MacGregor, Queen's Journal. '"It grabbed me in the groin and slapped me in the cerebral cortex" - Some guy who hung out after the show in Moose Jaw.
55 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Toronto, Ontario
presented
Brangst
by Liza Balkan
This one-woman/one-muffin show takes a quick look at a Fem who is fibre-filled and fixated on food. She's trapped in a baked good. But the question remains: Who gets devoured, the Bran or the Broad? True muffin-mania.
30 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Del Artie Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Go To Hell, Faust
by The Company
How do you get to Hell? Practice, Practice, Practice! A musical-comedy documenting the final hours of a modern-day Faust. This morning he rashly sold his soul to Mephostophilis. Tonight the contract's up and if his wife Margaret finds out, their second honeymoon will be ruined!
60 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Sensible Footwear Theatre Co.
London, England
presented
"Close To The Bone"
by Alison Field, Alex Dallas, and Wendy Vousden
With candid comedy and spikey songs this three woman cabaret group lifts the veil on their innermost desires, guiltiest secrets and all things taboo. They'll expose their loves and loathings, fears and fantasies and all the things that nice girls keep hidden. These are nice girls gone bad.
60 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Looking Glass Productions
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Sanctuary
by Emil Sher
She smokes a pipe, wears men's clothes and wants to be alone. He's sketching in her favourite retreat, an isolated, secluded patch of a park. Philip can't figure June out: is she fiery and independent or quickly spinning out of control?
45 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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The Exchange Theatre
Buffalo, USA
presented
The Myth of Agamemnon
by Peter Herstgaard/Euripedes
Coming from backgrounds in acting, mine, dance and clowning, member of Exchange were drawn together by an interest in Jerzy Grotowski's "Poor Theatre" approach to acting and theatrical productions . In this ancient story, unrestrained ambition coupled with an obsession for revenge begets more of the same. When will it end?
55 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Pussycat's Playhouse
Toronto, Ontario
presented
(1) Cocktail Confidential (2) Topless Upside Down
Two short rock and roll fantasies turn the world of secrets on its head in these savage and erotic "catfights". Starring: Rodney Bartok (Guitarsplat) and Ali Riley (Sacred heart of Elvis); Steven Camerion (The Remains); Brad Vibes (Oxkart); and Stephanie Parker (Bleeding Art). Directed by Jim Millan and Diane Cave. More than fur is flying!!
60 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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High Horse Production
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Levity
by Lisa Lambert and Robert Martin
In 1990, High Horse brought MIRTH to the Fringe of Toronto. "Delightful...genuinely witty...outstanding lyrics," The Toronto Star. Now, in continued celebration of the random and the grotesque, they present LEVITY, an original comic revue. Colourful costumes. No audience participation.
60 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse
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Ban The Blonde
Toronto, Ontario
presented
Blonde
by Mary Lou Zeitoun and Sara Meurling
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Blondes have more fun. Is it just peroxide propaganda? It's not about hair colour anymore - aesthetic espionage, bleach bottles, and tint terrorism mark the war between the sexes (and women are being forced to take sides).
50 min.
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse