The Queen’s Eulogy: Beautiful Garbage

Rachel Ganz (Writer, Plucked – Summerworks 2016, The Dumb War 2013, Teach Me 2013) and Tanya Rintoul (Director, The Nails – Summerworks 2017, Deceitful Above All Things – Storefront 2017, Good Girl – Fringe 2013 ) met in 2014 while training at The National Theatre School of Canada and have summoned their passions for creativity, truth and beauty to bring you a gorgeous comedy set in a dumpster.

The Queen’s Eulogy, an absurdist adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, uses theatrical ingenuity to transform a U of T garbage dump into the setting for one woman’s escape from her trashy marriage.

The orchid beauty shop is connected over a shared desire to invite audiences into an uncomfortable yet vulnerable space using humour as an entryway to truth. The collective is led by emerging feminist artists who are passionate about developing new female-initiated ideas in theatre.  The Queen’s Eulogy is our premiere production.  Performed in a garbage dump, set in a time when the world is covered in garbage, one derelict couple struggles to live by their own standards of love until they are rudely interrupted by a bloody woman, her horse’s head and their example of Better Living.

The Queen’s Eulogy is an ensemble production created by some of Toronto’s fiercest theatre talent, including past Fringe Power houses:  Danya Buonastella co-created and performed the 2013 Toronto Fringe Patron’s Pick Death Married My Daughter (with Threatre Smith-Gilmour);  Joella Crichton created and performed the 2017 Toronto Fringe Patron’s Pick Nasty;  Shanda Bezic was a founding cast member of  2016 Toronto Fringe Patron’s Prick True Blue.

The Queen’s Eulogy is this year’s festival’s most dazzling display of trash.

Details

• The Queen’s Eulogy plays behind St. Hilda’s Residence (U of T). (44 Devonshire Pl.)
• Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
• Content Warnings: Mature language; Sexual content; Smoking; Outdoors.
• The Fringe Festival considers this venue to be wheelchair-accessible.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Wednesday July 4th, 7:30 pm
• Thursday July 5th, 7:30 pm
• Friday July 6th, 7:30 pm
• Saturday July 7th, 7:30 pm
• Monday July 9th, 7:30 pm
• Tuesday July 10th, 7:30 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 7:30 pm
• Thursday July 12th, 7:30 pm
• Friday July 13th, 7:30 pm
• Saturday July 14th, 7:30 pm
• Sunday July 15th, 7:30 pm

Charge your glasses for a memorable splash that will refresh the most jaded Fringe palate!

From press release:

The international drink-a-long comedy A Brief History of Beer comes to Toronto for the first time! A mix of sketch comedy, parody songs like Beer Magic Woman, and galactic melodrama,the show is an educational, delicious ramble through the myths and legends surrounding everyone’s favourite bevvy! In A Brief History of Beer, Will Glenn and Trish Parry ask audiences to join them in their Quantum Pint Machine, where they travel through time, from ancient Sumeria to present day. The Wish founders have combed the records, visited the ruins, and tasted an impossible number of beers to bring you this docudramedy based on the life and times of our mistress and our muse … the humble beer.

A Brief History of Beer is a drink-a-long comedy that has been touring since 2013. Most recently the show has been playing to sell-out audiences in Australia as part of the Adelaide Fringe 2016, and just finished the Orlando Fringe where the press said “Are they drunk? Are we? Who cares!” (Orlando Sentinel), and have been performing a monthly series of the show in NYC at UNDER St Marks in the heart of the East Village for the past four years.

The show has also played numerous micro-breweries and bars all over the globe, spreading its message of loving the golden brew and support for women and smaller business, and has appeared as guest beer experts for the podcast Gastropod and The Greenwich Series, and acted as homebrew judges in Barossa Valley, Australia. Wish has also been inducted into The British Guild of Beer Writers. Directed by the acclaimed British Jeffrey Mayhew, the show has received nothing but praise all over the globe, receiving 4.5/5 from Rip It Up magazine, with InDaily saying “A Brief History of Beer is an opportunity to learn, to be amazed and to imbibe with them. Be warned, one drink may not be enough!”

Details

• A Brief History of Beer plays at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace. (30 Bridgman Ave.)
• Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
• Content Warnings: Audience participation; Unsuitable for minors.
• This venue is barrier-free. Designated accessible seating is in the middle of the auditorium.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Friday July 6th, 1:15 pm
• Saturday July 7th, 11:00 pm
• Monday July 9th, 10:45 pm
• Tuesday July 10th, 4:45 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 3:30 pm
• Friday July 13th, 7:30 pm
• Saturday July 14th, 1:45 pm

Step into a mysterious history book and get transported around the world and through the ages!

From press release:

Award-Winning Sketch Comedy Troupe TALLBOYZ II MEN Make Toronto Fringe Festival DEBUT!

From press release

TallBoyz II Men is a diverse group of comedians being diverse diversely. Measuring in at a whopping 25’2″ (collectively), this troupe aims to take sketch comedy to new heights! TallBoyz II Men make their Toronto Fringe Festival debut with their hard-hitting, hilariously insightful, full length sketch comedy revue: “A 6IX NNNNNN Revue”!

In 2017 the troupe won Producers’ Pick at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Best Newcomer at the Montreal Sketchfest, and were selected to perform at the Big City Improv Festival and OFF-JFL. This year the Boyz returned to the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival to win Most Outstanding Short and were personally selected by Kids in the Halls’ Bruce McCulloch to be his opener. They continued their winning streak in their return to the Montreal Sketchfest by being crowned this years’ “Best of the Fest”.

Individually they’ve also had amazing years. TIM BLAIR returns to the Fringe after playing Winston Zeddemore in last year’s festival favourite SHAKESPEARE’S GHOSTBUSTERS.  FRANCO NGUYEN comes back after his critically-acclaimed, sold-out show GOOD MORNING VIET MOM. VANCE BANZO recently made his feature film debut with INDIAN HORSE, executive produced by CLINT EASTWOOD. GULED ABDI will be there too.

Nothing is off limits or out of reach. Count on these four “Boyz” to tell it like it is, unapologetically.

Details

• A 6IX NNNNNN Revue plays at the Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse. (79 St. George St.)
• Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
• Content Warnings: Mature language; Sexual content; Strobe lights; Gunshots.
• This venue is wheelchair-accessible.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Wednesday July 4th, 10:00 pm
• Friday July 6th, 8:45 pm
• Sunday July 8th, 8:00 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 1:45 pm
• Thursday July 12th, 5:45 pm
• Friday July 13th, 12:00 pm
• Saturday July 14th, 3:30 pm

2018: A Sex Odyssey; a sitcom set in space because the Earth is totally destroyed by climate change – ugh!

Premiering at the Fringe Festival, 2018: A Sex Odyssey is a unique take on sci-fi and reality TV – set at the precipice of an apocalypse. With a diverse cast selected from Toronto’s improv and comedy community and a sitcom-style original soundtrack, you won’t want to miss this Netflix-style adventure!

2018: A Sex Odyssey re-imagines life in space, Big Brother style, as we careen towards a post-climate change future – focussing on sex, relationships and the interpersonal dramas of six twenty-somethings living together on a spaceship. It begins three months into a two year journey to populate the planet Mars, due to the near total destruction of planet Earth as a direct result of human caused climate change and the wars that ensued. Still, no one really cares about climate change.

Theresa Ramirez, first time writer/director, always wondered why spaceships in sci-fi movies were all white and sterile and science-y. The initial inspiration for 2018: A Sex Odyssey came from re-imagining space travel as a group of people living together in a shared space – rather than focusing on the sci-fi action and drama of space mishaps. Instead, Theresa wanted to focus on navigating interpersonal dramas, relationships and sex in such a confined space. And all this in the context of climate change of course (Theresa works for an environmental organization by day). Once cast, all the actors had the opportunity to discuss their character and further develop the script – so that this would be a collaborative experience, and for it to feel like they really are all living on one big spaceship!

Details

• 2018: A Sex Odyssey plays at the St. Vladimir Institute. (620 Spadina Ave.)
• Tickets are $13, including a $2 service charge. The festival also offers a range of money-saving passes and discounts for serious Fringers.
• Tickets can be purchased online, by telephone (416-966-1062), from the Festival Box Office at Scadding Court (707 Dundas St. W.), and — if any remain — from the venue’s box office starting one hour before curtain.
• Content Warnings: Mature language; Sexual content; Unsuitable for minors.
• This venue is wheelchair-accessible through a secondary route. After the building’s business hours, a staff member will need to escort you through this route, so plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early for evening shows.
• Be aware that Fringe performances always start exactly on time, and that latecomers are never admitted.

Performances

• Wednesday July 4th, 8:45 pm
• Saturday July 7th, 12:00 pm
• Monday July 9th, 10:45 pm
• Wednesday July 11th, 5:45 pm
• Thursday July 12th, 3:30 pm
• Friday July 13th, 7:30 pm
• Sunday July 15th, 2:45 pm