All posts by Lin Young

Lin Young is a PhD candidate in the English Department at Queen’s University by day, an insatiable theatre-goer by night. She truly loves seeing innovative indie theatre, the strange sort of hole-in-the-wall shows that big companies would never take a risk on. She’s seen plays in basements, gardens, bars, and in old dilapidated houses, to name a few. She’s always on the lookout for the next theatrical experiment in the city, and loves seeing shows that have some quality of fantasy, historicity, or strangeness to them – especially if they involve puppets! She tweets about theatre, comics and the 19th century at @linkeepsitreal.

Getting Odd — Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“Stock up on board games and trail mix- this is one hell of a camping trip.allison_harris_and_holly_wyder_3

Excerpt from press release:

What would it take for you to crack? Having run away from her public shaming three years ago Poppy (Holly Wyder) receives an unexpected visitor, a woman named Amy (Allison Harris), who just might have some unfinished business of her own. With only a rat named Mr. Bohemia to keep them company the two women are trapped in an abandoned cabin in the woods by an impending thunderstorm. Throughout this fast paced physical piece we find the real storm is happening underneath the roof.

Two talented comediennes (from the Second City Conservatory [in the show National Demographic] and Rhythm and Burgundy [A musical comedy duo recently seen at shedot Festival]) combine their talents in this dark comedy, full of twists and turns.  Stock up on board games and trail mix- this is one hell of a camping trip.

Showtimes:

Thursday June 30th, 10PM
Saturday July 2nd, 9:15PM
Monday July 4th, 1:15PM
Tuesday July 5th, 4:45PM
Thursday July 7th, 9:45PM
Friday July 8th, 12:00PM
Saturday July 9th, 4PM

Venue: 
Factory Theatre Studio

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo LEFT TO RIGHT: Holly Wyder, Allison Harris. Photographer: Romeo Lingaolingao.

Folk Lordz: Warriors & Fools

“Ben Gorodetsky and Todd Houseman bring Indigenous oral history and Jewish literature together to create a rich tapestry of hilarious and heartfelt improv ”
folk

Excerpt from press release:

Reaching deep into their very different heritages, Ben Gorodetsky and Todd Houseman bring Indigenous oral history and Jewish literature together to create a rich tapestry of hilarious and heartfelt improv at the Toronto Fringe!

After a successful run at last year’s fringe (“Magic” ★★★1/2, TWISI Theatre ’15) and appearances at the Vancouver International Improv festival and Toronto’s Combustion festival (“Superb”, Glen Sumi of Now Magazine), the Folk Lordz are ready to give Toronto a brand new taste of their high-octane, multi-cultural improvisation!

“This year we’re showcasing two brand new storytelling styles: Cree-Blackfoot warrior stories and Yiddish fool’s tales” Todd Houseman says. “With support from the Edmonton Arts Council’s Cultural Diversity in the Arts award we were able to immerse ourselves in primary sources and develop a dynamic and authentic improv framework. We dissected the Indigenous oral histories of the horse wars between the Blackfoot Confederacy and the plains Cree to create a thoughtful and striking tribute to real Indigenous history. As well, in paying homage to Ben’s ancestral language and cultural as a European Jew, we read the writings of Yiddish writers Shalom Aleichem, Issac Beshevis Singer, and Solomon Simon. Out of this we’ve crafted a hilarious style of improvised comedy based on the hijinks of Jewish fools”


The Recipe:

Take one part Cree-Blackfoot war story from the Indigenous, oral history.

Add one part Jewish fool’s tale inspired by Yiddish literature.

Stir in one part brand new genre – chosen by the audience at each show!

Bake for 60 minutes in a sweaty Fringe venue to create a fast, furious, and folksy improv show like you’ve never seen before!

Showtimes:

July 1st at 3:00 PM
July 3rd at 6:30 PM
July 5th at 10:30 PM
July 6th at 5:45 PM
July 7th at 11:30 PM
July 8th at 7:00 PM
July 9th at 12:30 PM

Venue: 
Factory Theatre Studio

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo provided by the company.

Exterminating Angel – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

EXTERMINATING ANGEL explores high stakes, animal instinct, and humanity stripped of all social pretence.”exterminating_angel_-_colleen_snell_james-thomas_papandreos_damian_norman_-_photo_by_adam_sakiyama

Excerpt from press release:  

Alysa Pires Dance Projects presents EXTERMINATING ANGEL, a full-length dance theatre work, at the Al Green Theatre (750 Spadina Ave) as part of Toronto Fringe 2016.

In spited by Luis Buñuel’s surrealist film of the same name, EXTERMINATING ANGEL is an intensely physical and theatrical contemporary dance work. When a group of dinner guests find themselves psychologically trapped, the pomp and formality of their social event dissolves into hostility and hysteria. 

From prim to primal, EXTERMINATING ANGEL explores high stakes, animal instinct, and humanity stripped of all social pretence.

EXTERMINATING ANGEL features some of Toronto’s most exciting dance artists including Dora Nominee Ryan Lee, Kelly Shaw, Colleen Snell, James-Thomas Papandreos, Andrea Gregorio, Damian Norman, Matthew Vautour, Sierra Chin Sawdy and Michaela Reichenbach.

Showtimes:

June 29th at 10:30 PM
July 1st at 6:30 PM
July 2nd at 3:30 PM
July 5th at 7:00 PM
July 6th at 5:15 PM
July 8th at 9:45 PM
July 9th at 2:15 PM

Venue: 
Al Green Theatre

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo features  Colleen Snell, James-Thomas Papandreos, Damian Norman. Photo by Adam Sakiyama.

Pirate Queen of the Stars – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“[T]the love child Star Wars and Dr. Horrible should’ve had.”tpqots_-_sarah_strange

Excerpt from press release:  

ATTN: Whedonites, Whovians, Trekkies, Rebel Fighters, & Everyone in Between!!! What do epic battles, a robot with a secret crush, and an ass-kicking space-pirate add up to? Hint: it’s the love child Star Wars and Dr. Horrible should’ve had.

In THE PIRATE QUEEN OF THE STARS, YOU WILL…

  • See a live-action space battle between a real Pirate Queen, a space dictator wannabe… and a philandering starship captain!
  • Be serenaded by a robot as it discovers human love!
  • Celebrate geek culture! Curse the patriarchy! Come explore outer space with us!

The Pirate Queen of the Stars is the next Megan Phillips & Peter Cavell collaboration. After the
breakthrough success of PEOPLE SUCK (Ed Mirvish Entepreneurial Award, Patron’s Pick, Best of
Fringe), Meg ‘n’ Pete return with their next hit: a high-concept sci-fi musical comedy!

Showtimes:

Fri, July 17:00pm
Sat, July 211:00pm
Mon, July 43:15pm
Tues, July 58:15pm
Wed, July 65:15pm
Fri, July 81:45pm
Sat, July 95:45pm

Venue: 
Factory Theatre Mainspace

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photos by Paul Aihoshi, Design by Jon Blair.

Persephone – Toronto Fringe 2016 Press Release

“[T]he Greek myth of a young girl’s abduction to the underworld is told from a feminist perspective.”Print

Excerpt from press release:
Pencil Kit Productions is premiering brand new play Persephone as part of the 2016 Toronto Fringe Festival. Collectively created by thirteen interdisciplinary artists, the Greek myth of a young girl’s abduction to the underworld is told from a feminist perspective. A story of resilience, sexual awakening and coming of age, Persephone deals with issues that are (in light of recent events) especially relevant to Toronto today: the nature of consent and the confusing road to recovery.

“My body belongs to the world and not myself alone,” Persephone reflects when her fate is determined by outside forces and her personal experience becomes everybody’s business. How does a girl become a woman and find her empowerment in the face of a mother and a husband who both seek possession of her? Persephone mixes witty repartee with heightened poetic text to explore all the nuances of these questions. It balances the fantastic and mythological with the more brutal truths of a female experience.
Persephone is bold, physical and visually striking, signature to the work of 22-year-old Director Claren Grosz (winner of My Entertainment World’s Outstanding Direction in Small Theatre 2015). It features an ensemble of nine and stars award winning international performer Christopher Sawchyn as Hades, four-season Stratford actress Jacklyn Francis as Demeter, and emerging actress Sydney Herauf as Persephone. It is produced by Pencil Kit Productions, an emerging theatre collective dedicated to generating brave, evocative new works that both challenge and delight.

 

Showtimes:

July 1st at 4:45 PM
July 2nd at 11:00 PM
July 4th at 6:15 PM
July 5th at 7:45 PM
July 7th at 12:15 PM
July 8th at 11:00 PM
July 9th at 12:00 PM

Venue: 
Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse

  • Tickets for all Fringe productions are $10, $12 in advance. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone (416-966-1062, business hours only), in-person from the festival box office located in the parking lot behind Honest Ed’s, (581 Bloor West), or — if any remain — from the venue box office (cash-only), starting one hour before showtime.
  • The festival offers a range of money-saving passes for committed Fringers; see website for details.
  • Be advised that Fringe shows always start exactly on time, and latecomers are never admitted.

Photo by : Jeff Parazo. Graphic Design: Rachel Bielak. Photo Features: Christopher Sawchyn, Keshia Palm.