From press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 5, 2013

MAKING LOVE WITH ESPRESSO serves up dark
sexual roasts
and full-bodied humour

Lorenzo Pagnotta’s Fringe debut mines Italian and gay culture to tell a tale of modern love

A young man tries to navigate his way through the dating rules of the gay community and the rituals of his Italian heritage in MAKING LOVE WITH ESPRESSO, the exciting debut work by local playwright and performer Lorenzo Pagnotta which premieres at the Toronto Fringe Festival July 3-14! It’s a unique take on the coming-out story, as the author presents a quasi-autobiographical journey as a young Italian-Canadian growing up in the Prairies and finding himself and his community through virtual connections with other gay men, which leads to a real trip around the world!

Pagnotta plays a half-dozen characters in this charming coming-of-age tale, including classic characters from Italian literature who helped form the narrator’s views on masculinity.

“The play is about a guy who is trying hard to discover who he is by forming himself around the other gay men he meets online,” Pagnotta says. “Eventually, he realizes that to know who he is he must search much deeper within himself – and not in others.”

MAKING LOVE WITH ESPRESSO was developed with the help of b current Theatre and dramaturged by Thomas Olajide, an actor who’s torn up the Toronto stages with impressive performances in Ruined, The Whipping Man (Obsidian), This Must Be The Place: The CN Tower Show (Passe Muraille), and in the Fringe Festival hit SIA. The show is directed by Tony Babcock, who most recently appeared in Escape from Happiness at Red Sandcastle and is a well-known improv and acting coach and television host for YTV.

For Pagnotta, telling a story about being gay and Italian was important both because his heritage gave him a sense of otherness that alienated him from the wider community while also informing his own attitudes about masculinity and sexuality.

“I wanted to speak about my unique experience as a gay Italian-Canadian from western Canada – far from the milieu of the large Little Italys.  Nothing I had read really reflected upon my reality,” he says. “Sometimes the values and history of our cultural heritage can be a burden on our shoulders. It can negatively inform our preconceived notions of people and places, but it can also be the key to understanding who we are.”

MAKING LOVE WITH ESPRESSO makes its debut at the Toronto Fringe Festival, and will also be seen at the Edmonton Fringe later this summer.

WHO: Writer/Performer Lorenzo Pagnotta, Director Tony Babcock, Dramaturge Thomas Olajide,

WHEN: Toronto Fringe Festival July 3-14

WHERE:  Robert Gill Theatre (214 College St., 3rdFloor)

Showtimes:

July 4, 10:30

July 6, 5:45

July 7, 2:15

July 10, 7:45

July 11, 3:30

July 13, 3:30

July 14, 1:00

Photo by Dahlia Katz

From press release:

Sky Gilbert teaches his protégé Spencer Charles Smith how to Spoon

Spoon is a campy, queer and postmodern site-specific explosion of gender failure. Andrew (played by Owen Fawcett) and Charles (played by Spencer Charles Smith) have just moved into their new Yonge Street apartment when Charles’ obsession with performing the role of the woman – the little spoon – in their gay relationship begins to tear the couple apart.

This uniquely queer and brutally honest new work by up-and-coming Toronto playwright, Spencer Charles Smith, is the first major project from a promising new queer theatre company, Straight Camp. Spoon began three years ago in St. Catharines, where Smith workshopped the first version with Suitcase in Point Theatre Company. He then brought it to U of T and made it the focus of his MA last year, having the second workshop directed by Jonathan Seinen. This Fringe production is full-length and the final stage of the Spoon creation process.

Directed by Sky Gilbert and dramaturged by Alistair Newton, Smith is taking notes from two of Canada’s queer theatre heavyweights. Gilbert founded Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 1979 and Newton just closed his sold out run of Of a Monstrous Child: A Gaga Musical at Buddies. Smith is also a queer activist and co-owner of the world famous Glad Day Bookshop – the site-specific venue for Spoon.

Sexy violence, campy music, queer theory, and lots and lots and lots of spoons. Sexual/emotional/intellectual failure. And milk.

Straight Camp
in association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents
Spoon
written by Spencer Charles Smith
directed by Sky Gilbert
dramaturged by Alistair Newton
designed by Nick Carney
featuring Jacqueline Costa, Owen Fawcett and Spencer Charles Smith

Opens July 3^rd and runs to July 14^th

Site-Specific venue: the third floor space above GLAD DAY BOOKSHOP, 598 Younge Street (just North of Wellesley subway station)

Performances:

Wednesday, July 3, 2013 – 8:00pm

Thursday, July 4, 2013 – 8:00pm

Friday, July 5, 2013 – 8:00pm

Saturday, July 6, 2013 – 8:00pm

Sunday, July 7, 2013 – 8:00pm

Tuesday, July 9, 2013 – 8:00pm

Wednesday, July 10, 2013 – 8:00pm

Thursday, July 11, 2013 – 8:00pm

Friday, July 12, 2013 – 8:00pm

Sunday, July 14, 2013 – 8:00pm

Please note that there is absolutely no latecomer seating.

Tickets:

At-the-door tickets: $10
At-the-door tickets are available at GLAD DAY BOOKSHOP 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 15^th, 2013.

Purchase online: fringetoronto.com.
By Phone: 416-966-1062, ext 1.
In Person: During the Festival Box Office in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s (581 Bloor St W).

Photo by Michael Erickson

From press release:

Jem attacked the silence because it sounded wimpy and like it wouldn’t fight back. He was wrong.  Watch Jem as he is chased down a very long dark alley by the ghost, the thousand tearing giant ants, and the hammer-wielding sprint-champion minotaur, of The Silence.

Pieces include:

• Is it just me or is the whole world speeding up?
• A very drippy love poem… “Is that a question-mark and its own reflection, or is that a heart?”…a series of lines so gooey even a Valentine’s card dissolved into pink mush.
• Which then dissolved into a pink goo.
• A poetic response to the billion words of Wikileaks… giving away in just three letters the greatest source of Global terrorism since 1947.
• A first foray into Jem’s childhood… a piece he thought would be two comic poems… but turned out to not be funny at all, or normal, when one got very big and turned into My Schoolmates Were The Children Of Future Mass Murderers.
• The world’s first ever Backstage Poem, or not. A wholly new kind of fiasco where the words soon get ideas of their own … “It’s like the Lord Of The Flies in there and I’m hiding in the jungle from me own poem.”
• A vigorous dig into the ghastlier realms of Jem’s psyche: Hold Still Jem, I’m Coming In.

This is Jem Rolls’ ninth Toronto Fringe since 2001. He has an unparalleled reputation for highly original, high-energy performance poetry shows, and great press.

References this year include: Balzac, Shakespeare, Mamet, Boney M, Odyssey, Batman, East Asian karaoke, Orwell, Sinclair Lewis, Justin Trudeau, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Malaysian t-shirts, Jonathan Richman.

An updated old favourite. A series of new insults to The British and, riskily, The Canadians.

Watch Jem machine-gun a maple-leaf shape in the stage and abruptly disappear through it.

• “New Britain, method in its madness, madness in its method/ New Canada, method in its method…”
• “New Canada you’ve borrowed two languages/ you’ve broken them both / and now you’re refusing to give them back…”
• Asking why Canadians smile so much?… something has to explain it… is it perhaps the dark years in the toy-torturing dolly-dumping teddy-shredding Canadian Smiling Gym?
• And where Jem might dig a big thanks to Canada from the depths of himself.

This year’s show was first put first together on Ai Banda in the middle of the Banda Sea, waiting days for the next boat out.

George Ignatieff Theatre

Thurs 4^th 6:30pm
Sun 7^th 8:15
Mon 8^th 1:00pm
Weds 10^th7.30
Thurs 11^th 4pm
Fri 12^th, 12pm
Sat 13^th, 6.15 pm

From press release:

Shakespeare BASH’d prepares for victory at the Victory Café with Much Ado About Nothing

The creative team that brought you the 2012 Best of Fringe Winner The Taming of the Shrew is at it again, bringing Shakespeare’s uproarious, clever, and at times dark comedy Much Ado About Nothing to the Victory Café! The show centres on a battle of wits between Benedick (James Wallis) and Beatrice (Amelia Sargisson). Hilarity ensues as the couple succumbs to the gossip, rumors and “notings” of their families.

Director Eric Double is returning to control the mayhem yet again, and is excited to truly test the limits of the Victory Café. “Last year, we were able to create a really unique experience for Fringe audiences, and this year, we’re ready to take it to the next level. Much Ado About Nothing has a raucous energy that lends itself perfectly to the atmosphere we’re going to create at the Victory Café. We’re going to transform the space into a post‐war victory celebration, and invite Fringe patrons to join in the revelry”. “Our company is about creating unique moments for the audience to discover the beauty of Shakespeare in unconventional spaces” adds BASH’d Artistic Director James Wallis. “We learned a lot last year, and we’re excited to deliver something fresh, new, exciting and immersive at the 2013 Toronto Fringe. We’re having a victory party at the Victory, and the audience is the guest of honour”.

Director: Eric Double
Starring: Andrew Anthony, Andrew Gaboury, Ellen Hurley, Jamie Johnson, Elisabeth Lagerl.f, Milan Malisic, Brenhan McKibben, Jesse Nerenberg, Julia Nish‐Lapidus, Kyle Purcell, David Ross, Amelia Sargisson, James Wallis
Production Team: Matt Armour, Hannah Puley, Rob Kraszewski, Alia Koster, Alexsandra Marzocca

Much Ado About Nothing runs during the Toronto Fringe from July 4‐14, 2013 at the Victory Café Upstairs, at 581 Markham Street, Toronto ON, just west of Bathurst, south of Bloor.

Showtimes:

Thursday July 4, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Friday July 5, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Saturday July 6, 9:00pm‐10:30pm

Sunday July 7, 5:00pm‐6:30pm

Tuesday July 9, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Thursday July 11, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Friday July 12, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Saturday, July 13, 7:00pm‐8:30pm

Sunday, July 14, 5:00pm‐6:30pm

Tickets:

Online: fringetoronto.com
By Phone: (416) 966‐1062 x1
In Person: Festival Box office, located behind Honest Ed’s, 581 Bloor Street

Please note that there is absolutely no latecomer seating.

From press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Convection Productions Presents

May 27th, 2013

Toronto Critic Award Winning Artists and

Canadian Fringe Festival Favourite Laura Anne Harris

Present The Homemaker

Critically acclaimed solo performer Laura Anne Harris is very pleased to be presenting her newest solo show, The Homemaker at the 25th Annual Toronto Fringe Festival for three special performances.

 After their huge success at the Next Stage Festival this past January, Jenni Walls and Laura Anne Harris team up again in the Annex Theatre.

Two charismatic performers and two dynamic cabarets! Fringe and Next Stage Festival starlets Jenni Walls and Laura Anne Harris present their two solo shows, Liza Live! and The Homemaker in one venue! Two different characters from vastly different circumstances; one familiar face, Liza Minnelli who was born a star, the other, Janet Cardinal, an isolated housewife in Saskatchewan who has always dreamed of being on stage. Both Ms. Walls and Ms. Harris are exploring each character’s triumphs and deep vulnerabilities, which will make for a memorable Fringe experience.

Based on a legend in Ms. Harris’ family, The Homemaker, explores the life of Ms. Harris’ Aunt whose name appears as Janet Cardinal in the play.

Janet Cardinal is a French-Canadian homemaker from Leoville, Saskatchewan who wants to share her life story as a show! The story of her marriage to her husband and to alcohol is told through cabaret ‘acts’ of poetry, dance, puppetry and song within her kitchen.

Ms. Harris has trained in clown and physical theatre with Helen Donnelly, Adam Lazarus, Giusspeppe Condello and Francine Cote. Theatrical clown balances darker and lighter themes very effectively on stage. Even though this play does not use the traditional red nose, “red nose clown” and bouffon directly influence the playful nature of the storytelling.

Through family stories Ms. Harris learned her Great Aunt was really fun and happy when she was drunk. She would always sing the song, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag’ around her immediate family. But behind that happy tipsy demeanor was a woman who struggled with an unhappy marriage and addiction to alcohol. This play acts as a tribute Ms. Harris’ Great Aunt and examines the struggles of being a 1960s homemaker, the justifications for some of her life decisions as well as the limitations of an unbalanced relationship.

The Homemaker, created and performed by Laura Anne Harris

Directed by Morgan Norwich

Assistant Directed by Darcy Stoop

Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst St, Toronto ON

Only Three Performances!

Thursday July 4th 8:45pm

Sunday July 7th 8:00pm

Thursday July 11th 12pm

For information about tickets please visit:

fringetoronto.com

For more information or interview requests, please contact:

Laura Anne Harris at 1-ˇ416-ˇ820-ˇ9383 or by email lauraanneharris@hotmail.com

Photo by Neil Muscott