“We’re getting ready to show you ours,” promise the organizers of this year’s Edmonton International Fringe Festival. From August 12th to 22nd, Edmonton will play host to over 160 productions and 1200 performances by local, national, and international artists. Joining them will be the Theatre for Young Audiences, and other independent companies all being showcased across 39 Calgary venues.
For the past 29 years The Edmonton Fringe has entertained audiences with zany, elaborate, and amazing entertainment, and this year’s production is no different. Not only are there theatre performances, there are also opportunities to enjoy many other forms of entertainment.
KidsFringe is an obvious choice for the kids, and those who are kids at heart. There are outdoor artists with 200 scheduled performances on two outdoor stages on Old Strathcona street. Make sure to bring some spending money to enjoy the 40 food vendors as well as some trinkets and jewellery from local artisans.
If you are new to Fringe, the festival has partnered with The Old Strathcona Business Association to bring you The First Time Fringer Sessions. This program will introduce you to Fringe and help you pick what you want to see. Included in this package will be discount ticket passes, an Old Strathcona tote bag, a Festival Program Guide, and much more.
As you probably know, this Festival offers a lot for the GLBTAQ community. Each theatre performance is unique; however there is much that is uniquely queer.
Death on the Bridle Path: An Evelyn Reese Mystery, is one such show.  Says the playbill, “Evelyn is a good time gal of a certain age who broke into show biz emceeing the company Christmas party. Now she’s co-starring in her first mystery with Jamie - the computer guy from work, and her biggest fan. But the real mystery is, can Evelyn stick to poor Jamie’s script? For that matter, can either of them act?”
For Susan Fischer, the playwright of this play, this idea was in conjunction with her girlfriend’s fun suggestion. “My girlfriend suggested we dress up as executive secretaries for the costume party at gay camp. I bought the big glasses at a second-hand shop and hiked up my hemline and borrowed a cigarette. Then I went mingling and the character emerged all by herself.” This play has a tendency to make fun of intolerance. “The audience is reflected back to itself and so is some of the closed-mindedness we sometimes hear.”
Perhaps Fucking Stephen Harper will suit your interest. Described as a “hilarious take on Canadian politics, the media, and what Stephen Harper’s balls feel like,” Rob Salerno recounts his ‘arrest’ for sexually assaulting Prime Minister Stephen Harper during the election, and tells his side of the story.
Salerno has many attributes that will definitely contribute to this show’s success, consisting of being a journalist, columnist, and an award-winning theatre artist who writes for Xtra West. Inspired by his actual coverage of the election and his subsequent refusal by the Conservatives to grant him an interview, this show is definitely not to be missed.
Or are you craving a little Royalty? Brown Girl In The Ring may be just what you are looking for. Valerie Mason-John has come all the way from the UK to tell this story of Regina II of the new British Empire who “in a genetic throwback, pops up 500 hundred years down the line to turn a few faces very red indeed.”
Mason-John is excited about her first time at the Fringe. “The Fringe is difficult not to get involved with. It is such a great opportunity not to be missed. My show is really fun, but is also quite dark. The title character has only one hour to convince the audience that she is indeed royalty. Is it plausible or is she barking mad?” Additionally, this show will be interpreted in sign language on August 16th.
Bad Connections tells the story of nine New Yorkers in 1997, “making their way through a rainy Manhattan day. One man brings them together as they face tragedy, loss, pain, understanding, forgiveness, and even peace as they see their lives in a new way, exploring the connections and how they might be getting it all wrong - or right!” Written by openly gay actor Paul Cosentino, this production has won praise from many critics and audiences alike.
Deborah Gall’s production of My Pal Izzy: The Early Life and Music of Irving Berlin is a musical based on the fascinating and little known life of the prolific song writer. It is produced by Deborah Gall from Buenos Aires, Argentina and stars Edmonton’s own Melanie Gall and Erin Craig.
Openly gay playwright hailing from New York City, and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Christopher Shinn, offers the Fringe his play Dying City. Director Amy DeFelice has produced this piece about a complex character study of personalities in the red and blue states of the US. Using one actor as opposing twin brothers, one of which is gay, the story showcases people’s individual points of view after being raised in a conservative family. It will definitely resonate with Alberta viewers.
In Unnatural Selection or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Chicken-Milk Bomb, writer and director Steve Neufeld tells the story of Caleb, Fergus and Brad who are roommates and best friends at a bible college in rural Saskatchewan. “When Caleb and Fergus are accused of being gay, Brad, who actually is gay, openly confronts the tension between his sexuality and his religion. As each of them struggles to come to terms with Brad’s revelation, he must reconcile his faith with both heart and mind.”
So take the time to check out The Edmonton International Fringe Festival this month!