Tag Archives: Victoria Fringe Festival

08.25.14
by

[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] The Search for Paleoncology

PaleoncologyPresented by Moon Dinosaur Theatre
Directed by Andrew Young

You wouldn’t think that a play about a woman in a dinosaur onsie could make you cry, but give Paleoncology one hour and you may shed a tear too. Written and performed by UVic alumni Kira Hall, she plays Lea, a young woman dealing with the knowledge that her brother Daniel has untreatable cancer by turning to her childhood love of dinosaurs. Lea’s struggle to deal with something emotionally devastating has affected her on all levels, including her job. Her move back into her parents’ home isn’t met with warmth. They expect more out of life from their daughter — even moreso now that their eldest child is terminally ill.

Continue reading →

08.21.14
by

Ten Fringe Shows Not to Be Missed

DV 2007-08 ProgramThe Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival is here and there is no better time to get yourself an artistic shot in the arm than during the month of August. It is during this month that many theatre companies take a much-needed rest after the year’s hullabaloo. People of the arts need their time at the beach too.

Now I am not one to talk. My experience with the Fringe is not on such a grand scale as my best friend and writing partner Ed Sum who has been Fringing since 2009. To admit sheepishly that I have only seen one Fringe show ever, and that I’ve only gone to St. Michael’s University to see a show, it is them who have that distinctive honour of opening my eyes wide open. It was their stage version of Avenue Q last year that finally pulled me off the fence to land onto the well-trimmed green front lawn of the Fringe.

Before Avenue Q, my earliest memory of knowing the Victoria Fringe Festival existed was a play that took A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh characters and thrust them into the harsh realities of frontline World War I. It was the first Fringe show I had an urge to see.

Continue reading →

09.02.13
by

The Two Hungry Blokes Take On Avenue Q and the Victoria Fringe Festival

Avenue Q
August 29 – 31, 2013

Copeland Lecture Theatre
St. Michael’s University School
3400 Richmond Rd.
Saanich, BC
E: I find it hard to imagine that James Shaw is a Victoria Fringe Festival newbie. I’ve heard him talk about his days in theatre from his years long gone, but the intervening twenty years have not been kind. He’s been a busy beaver in the work scene and has forsaken the arts. Shame on him!

After a quick bite at McRae’s down the street, we were rushing to make it on time to this play. I was able to get him out of the house to get an education with a high school style rendition of Broadway’s Avenue Q. This coming-of-age parable is an interesting one. Because of this show’s Broadway success, it has been adapted by the creators so it can be performed by any theatre group in either North America or Europe.

Continue reading →

09.05.11
by

How to do the Fringe Part 5: God was at Fort St. Cafe!

Fort Cafe

742 Fort St
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 382-3130

My last night in taking on the Victoria Fringe Festival was met with two powerhouse performances and a good meal. The latter could’ve been better if it didn’t feel like it took a long time to get it to my table. I was able to Facebook, make status updates, read my email, compose a reply, and play six rounds of Angry Birds before it arrived.

Continue reading →

09.04.11
by

How to do the Fringe Part 4: Going Club Med

Blair Mart Mediterranean Foods
924 Pandora Ave
Victoria, B.C.
(250) 721-1626 ‎

The fact that this grocery store is open after 8pm can easily have me singing the praises to Allah than that other deity. But if I am to look around the corner, I might find a shrine to Zeus tucked way and I’d still be awestruck.

To see this store still open (9pm) after Whiskey Bars: a kabarett with the songs of Kurt Weill must show that the staff has dedication. Actually, I think there’s only one guy who operates this store and he’s very accommodating to the night life in Victoria. People can venture in to buy groceries or grab a bite to eat nearly any time of the day. There’s a small deli serving up Halva’s, Nougats, and Baklavas. For me, it’d be the authentic and homemade Turkish Delights.

Continue reading →

09.04.11
by

How to do the Fringe Part 3: On the Bison Trail

5th Street Bar & Grill
1028 Hillside Ave.
Victoria, BC
(250) 380-4600

Ever since Connoisseur Catering’s storefront operation was forced into closure (the building’s space wasn’t up to code), I had to wonder where could I get my bison fix. Sadly, I don’t think much of where Pink Bicycle gets their bovinae (it’s from Vancouver Island Bison), and when I was last at 5th Street Bar and Grill, I asked where they get their meat. They gave me the answer that nearly made me go Hallelujah. It’s Albertan.

Continue reading →