All posts by Lauren Stein

Weaksauce – Toronto Fringe 2013 Press Release

From Press Release

weaksauceA coming-of-age comedy of first times, second chances and third wheels.

Acclaimed humourist Sam Mullins (CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, CBC’s Definitely Not the
Opera) is proud to be back at the Toronto Fringe with his new solo show Weaksauce.

It was the summer Sam turned 16… It was his first time away from home. He got his first summer job. He fell in love for the first time. He was involved in a love triangle for the first time. He lost his virginity. And then he got into a fistfight with a monkey – a literal monkey. Y’know… Regular ‘becoming a man’ type stuff.

“A very funny and touching show about the nature of love and growing up.” -PLANK
“This show has a big heart.” -Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight

From the creator of 3-time BEST OF FEST WINNER Tinfoil Dinosaur

PASSE MURAILLE BACKSPACE
Thu, July 4th 930pm
Sat, July 6th 315pm
Sun, July 7th 245pm
Mon, July 8th 730pm
Wed, July 10th 445pm
Thu, July 11th 430pm
Fri, July 12th 1030pm
Sun, July 14th 215pm

 

Saint Francis Talks to the Birds – Toronto Fringe 2013 Press Release

From Press Release

saintfrancis

David Ives’ Saint Francis Talks to the Birds

Marks RPP’s 10th Toronto Show, First Fringe Show and Finds Out What Life is Like If We Were Birds

Royal Porcupine Productions first Fringe outing certainly captures the spirit of what a Fringe show should be; an absurdist comedy with a drag-king performance of a famous Saint in a life or death situation chatting it up with two actors decked out as full beak-and-feather birds performed by an emerging company and written by a recent Tony nominee.

 

If it seems like RPP knows what to do at the Fringe that should come as no surprise; company co-founder and Artistic Director Adam Bailey directed last year’s Fringe hit The Enchanted Crackhouse (deemed one of the 25 shows most worth seeing in the 2012 Fringe by Mooney on Theatre) and has been a part of several avant-garde performance groups over the years. The company itself has given several international plays their Canadian premiers including Terrorism, Crazy Gary’s Mobile Disco and The Shadow of a Boy and has done some very fringy productions such as a run of No Exit at the Big Bop’s Holy Joe (Now a CB2). Core artistic members Annemieke Wade, Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigely(formerly Tanya Lynne), each of whom have given notable performances in the past, form the back-bone of the production as St. Francis and a pair of birds with marital issues. The last time Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigley performed with each other, it was buck naked in a dramatically charged scene of sexual dominance; Christopher Hoile noted for Eye Weekly  that, “The subtlety of their…acting almost makes one forget they are both completely nude”.  Now they will appear fully clothed thanks to costumes by Ima Barbosa (The F Word).

 

Despite being a comedy Mr. Bailey credits dealing with the death of his grandmother to his choice of material. Also no surprise as the company has a history of pairing dark material with comedic treatment. David Ives’ play deals heavily with mortality and faith all while keeping a manic, farcical energy that is bound to entertain the hardiest Fringer.

 

Make sure to catch what is sure to be a highlight of the Fringe and RPP’s funniest play to date.

 

Royal Porcupine Productions
in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents

Saint Francis Talks To the Birds

written by David Ives

directed by Adam Bailey

featuring Annemieke Wade, Cameron Johnston and Tanya Rigely
costume design by Ima Barbosa

stage managed by Rachel Liley

 

Opens  July 4th runs to July 14th

Helen Gardiner Phelan; 79 St George St Toronto

 

Performances:

Thursday July 4th at 7pm

Saturday July 6th at Noon

Sunday July 7th at 10:45pm

Monday July 8th at 2:45pm

Wednesday July 10th at 7:30pm

Friday July 12th at 3:30pm

Sunday July 14th at 7:30pm

Please note that there is absolutely no latecomer seating.


Tickets:

At-the-door tickets: $10

At-the-door tickets are available at YOUR VENUE starting one hour prior to show time – cash sales only.

 

Advance tickets: $11

50% of tickets are available for sale in advance.

Advance tickets go on sale June 15th, 2013.

One Side of an Ampersand – Toronto Fringe 2013 Press Release

From Press Release

onesideoftheampersand

Flying Radio Theatre is proud to present its debut production, One Side of an Ampersand, by Julie McCann, as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival at the Randolph Theatre, July 3rd-14th. Co-directed by Julie McCann and Jasmin Goode, and featuring Zoe Brownstone, Hilary McCormack, Rebecca Perry, and Chris Whidden, One Side of an Ampersand is produced by a team of current and recently graduated Ryerson Theatre School students.

With the international focus on achieving marriage rights for people lesbians and gays, it’s easy to forget that not every relationship is as easy as “meet, fall in love, get married.” Alice (Hilary McCormack) and Helen (Zoe Brownstone) are quite happy with their no-strings-attached, casual, whatever-this-is-who-needs-labels relationship, thank you very much. But when Helen offers Alice a key to her apartment, Alice revolts, and the two of them battle over whether this new stage in the relationship will keep things as they are, or make them Helen & Alice, each trapped on One Side of an Ampersand. A visit from recently engaged Daisy (Rebecca Perry) sparks a heated debate over marriage. The situation grows more complex when Helen’s former lover from university (Chris Whidden), freshly departed from his wife, comes back into the scene to try to re-kindle long lost love. Julie McCann’s new play questions the normative, hetero-approved model of happiness, and offers a fresh, funny, and warm look at a loving, non-traditional relationship.

Flying Radio Theatre is a new company devoted to developing original works that explore relationships in our changing society. By focusing on non-tradtional relationships we aspire to start conversations about the roles of love, sex, and gender in today’s world. Julie McCann’s One Side of an Ampersand is our first production.

Genesis & Other Stories – Toronto Fringe 2013 Press Release

From Press Release

genesis“GENESIS & OTHER STORIES” GOES SITE-SPECIFIC

A play-within-a-play-within-a-church, within a real church!

May 15th, 2013. Toronto ON. “It’s just a play my dad wrote, set in Eden, USA, 1965… and I think we may be… overthinking this.” Following the success of last year’s Fringe hit The Wakowski Bros., Aim for the Tangent Theatre is proud to present their first site-specific outing: the hysterical, church-themed meta-farce: Genesis & Other Stories by rising playwright Rosamund Small.

After his father’s death, Christopher, a theology student, leads a misfit cast of amateur actors in a production of his late father’s play: a hyper-sexed version of Adam and Eve set in 1960’s USA.  Slapstick, satire, and meta-theatre frame a surprisingly complex story about lonely people trying to fill roles on and offstage which don’t match who they truly are.

The play was originally written by Small in 2009, during the first of her three years as a playwright-in-residence with the Paprika Festival. Since then it has received much development, including significant mentorships with Damien Atkins, Susan Coyne, and Ravi Jain. A sold-out production was featured in this year’s festival at the Tarragon Extra Space with the same cast and creative team.

Making her directorial debut is local actress Vivien Endicott-Douglas (Stopheart, Factory Theatre; Forests, Hush, Tarragon Theatre) who takes the reigns after assistant directing Natasha Greenblatt’s The Peacemaker (Next Stage, 2013). Rosamund Small is similarly making buzz, with her new play Vitals premiering in Theatre Passe Muraille‘s upcoming 2013/2014 season, produced by Outside the March and directed by Mitchell Cushman.

Hailed as “Arrested Development meets Noises Off meets community theatre meets Jesus”, the cast and creative team are thrilled to officially debut this play at the beautiful Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. Audiences are invited to engage in this fully immersive, site-specific experience that is equal parts hilarious, moving, and maybe… just a little bit sinful.

Aim for the Tangent Theatre
in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents

Genesis & Other Stories

by Rosamund Small

Directed by Vivien Endicott-Douglas

 

Featuring:        Jared Bishop

Wesley J. Colford

Tess Dingman

Hayden Finkelshtain

Katie Housley

 

Lighting Design by Adam Tate-Howarth

Stage Management by Chelsea Ranger

 

 

Opens  July 3rd, 2013 runs to July 14th, 2013

At Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. West

 

Performances:

Wed.          July 3, 9:00 PM

Thurs.       July 4, 9:00 PM
Fri.            July 5, 9:00 PM

Sat.           July 6, 9:00 PM
Sun.          July 7, 8:00 PM
Tue.           July 9, 9:00 PM
Wed.          July 10, 9:00 PM

Thu.          July 11, 9:00 PM

Fri.            July 12, 9:00 PM

Sat.           July 13, 9:00 PM
Sun.          July 14, 8:00 PM

There is absolutely no latecomer seating.

 Ticket Prices:                

Advance Tickets: $11

At the Door: $10

Tickets:

After June 15th tickets can be purchase online at www.fringetoronto.com

or by phone at (416) 966-1062

Payment options: Visa or Mastercard

 

After July 4th tickets can be purchased in person at the Fringe Tent behind Honest Ed’s (34 Lennox Ave.)

Sour Grapes – Toronto Fringe 2013 Press Release

From Press Release

sourgrapes

Sour Grapes tells the deeply personal story of a suicide survivor grappling with a second chance at life

Dark new comedy runs  July 5th – 13th at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace

 

TORONTO, ON – June 18, 2013 – The Aft End in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents Sour Grapes, a dark new comedy written by Allan Turner and based on his experiences as a suicide survivor.  Sour Grapes marks the first time Turner (otherwise known as Mullet, Toronto’s hit zombie clown) and director Bruce Hunter have worked together in their respective roles – although they have collaborated previously.

 

The two have known each other since 1998, when Bruce Hunter was teaching improvisation at The Second City and Allan Turner was his student.  Since then they’ve appeared in assorted shows together, including Lunacy Cabaret and Mullet’s Make-a-Play, Allan Turner’s first foray into the Fringe in 2011. 

 

“Bruce’s experience as an improviser and clown makes him a natural fit for this project,” says Allan Turner. “Not to mention his equally dark sense of humour; I can’t imagine anyone else being a better fit for this material.”

 

Sour Grapes takes an artful approach to its serious subject matter by combining a cast of all-new clown and bouffon characters — including a new one for Turner — with physical comedy and word play.  In addition to Allan Turner as Coyote, the lead “trickster,” Sour Grapes features  Dave McKay as Spider; Chloe Payne as Clown and Darryl Pring as Doctor.  Andrea Ouellette stage manages.

 

Circle your calendar for your choice of the following Sour Grapes performance dates:

  • Friday, July 5 at 11:00 PM
  • Sunday, July 7 at 4:00 PM
  • Monday, July 8 at 8:45 PM
  • Tuesday, July 9 at 4:30 PM
  • Thursday, July 11 at 7:00 PM
  • Friday, July 12 at 6:15 PM
  • Saturday, July 13 at 12:00 PM

 

How do you sum up Sour Grapes? According to the author,  “It’s basically about acknowledging that while life may be meaningless, that’s no reason to let it get you down.”

 

Advance tickets are $11, go on sale June 15th and may be purchased online @ fringetoronto.com or by phone at 416-966-1062, ext 1. During The Fringe Festival, tickets are $10 at-the-door and are available starting one hour prior to show time at Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace – cash sales only.  Please note that there is absolutely no latecomer seating.

 

About key players:

Lead actor and writer Allan Turner is also a director and one of Toronto’s most sought after and respected clowns. Currently, he produces and hosts Mullet’s Night Show, a live cabaret in the style of a TV talk show. Director Bruce Hunter has been associated with the local improv scene for more than 30 years, most notably as a teacher with The Second City and performer with veteran comedy troupe, Illustrated Men. His spectrum of work has won numerous awards, including Best of the Fringe in 2010 for A Freudian Slip of the Jung; two Canadian Comedy Awards and a Gemini. Andrea Ouellette, stage manager, first worked in theatre at age nine. She has stage managed Lunacy Cabaret; the Toronto Festival of Clowns and Mullet’s Make-a-Play. She’s now with Centre of Gravity, circus studio and vaudeville theatre.