Well, here we are, more than half-way through the Hamilton Fringe Festival and I have to say that I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. The staff and volunteers have been incredible and accommodating. You can tell how much they love Fringe. I've seen 7 productions so far, most of them chosen at random, and not a single one has disappointed. They were:
An Inconvenient Truthiness Book Worm Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter (which I saw, but my stage manager missed - however she caught Far from the Tree, which I have yet to see) Dirk Darrow: NCISS Minced When Harry Met Harry (which I had already seen in Ottawa, but was worth seeing again) Waiting for the Go
Though I normally don't review shows, I do want to point out three that really spoke to me on a personal level. I was moved both by the stories and the heart-filled passion I saw on stage. This first was Minced, which is a local show that's selling out, so it doesn't really need my "endorsement" as such, but I still totally wanted to mention it. The other two were the beautiful Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter and Book Worm. All three shows deal with family in incredibly touching and funny ways.
(Sidebar: Funny how I often see a particular theme in a bunch of shows at Fringe Festivals over the years. Last year, it was performers who give birth to unnatural objects like grown men and ducks; this year, it seems to be family. It's probably just where I'm at in my life right now, being the star of my own movie, family just seems to be very important to me these past few months.)
Of particular note, Book Worm. My stage manager and I randomly chose to see it, since it was on at 5 pm when we were arriving into town. I'm not usually a fan of outright storytelling, but from the moment he opens his mouth, Corin Raymond has a way of drawing you into his tale. You understand immediately why he loves reading stories out loud and I'll be damned if the entire room (ok, me) didn't want to be the girl on a beach in Spain who got to hear Farenheit 451 in its entirety until sunset. With a stage presence probably born out of a career as a musician, I simply could not believe that this was his first time (fourth performance ever) on stage telling stories.
I was thrilled when I found out that the list of books he talks about could be found at the back of the program. Book Worm makes you want to go out and read every single one. I looked at the program for the first time and that's when I finally caught it: Dramaturgy by TJ Dawe.
Duur.
Well this explains a lot. If you know who that is, you know I'm not kidding when I say that Book Worm can expect sold out houses when Corin tours it next year on the Fringe circuit. You heard it here first.
************************ But enough about other people, let's talk about me!
Yes, I've seen 7 productions, but I've had 4 performances of my own to great critical acclaim. Only two reviews and both of them very positive:
"Every Fringe Festival should hope to have a show like Roller Derby Saved My Soul." - Ryan Trepanier, Community Reviewer - http://artword.net/Fringe_Reviews/?p=120
"Kenny mesmerizes as she exits her cocoon and drinks and rolls her way to new levels of self admiration. This is a must see: comedy, romance, violence and victory." - Katie Penrose & Tamara Kamermans, The View http://www.viewmag.com/13766-The+Hamilton+Fringe+-+Another+Great+Year.htm
The View also gave me the Best in Venue nod, but I think the best present so far was during my interview at the Nicklebrook Fringe Club.
It was made out of my name. The "N" is the backboards, the "a" is my hand, the "nc" are my eyes, and the "y" is my ear and chin strap.
Can it get better than this?