24 shows opened at the Fringe Festival last night – and tonight so will 21 more.
For those joining us now, Fringe is this completely uncensored and unconventional indie theatre fest where artists keep 100% of their ticket sales.
Our reviewers are out on opening weekend seeing every show possible. Readers can visit apt613.ca/fringe and check new reviews posted daily. Expect the first reviews to appear this afternoon. As in past years, readers can also post their ratings of the shows in our comments section.
Apt613’s Friday night picks:
Photo by Roy Hargreaves.
Ethel by Madeleine Hall (Aplombusrhombus)
6pm @ Studio 311 (135 Séraphin-Marion Pvt)
Ottawa-based duo Aplombusrhombus last created a clown show about Alzheimer’s. Don’t let yourself be thrown off by mention of clowns… That play, Cardinal, was a visually striking and meticulously polished production which won last year’s Emerging Artist Award.
Collaborators Madeleine Hall and Mitchel Rose use physical theatre to tackle the complexities of humanity. This year’s show is a solo storytelling piece based on Hall’s conversations about life and death with her late grandmother, Ethel.
Photo courtesy of the Ottawa Fringe Festival.
HOOTENANNY! by Kate Smith & Will Somers
8pm @ Arts Court Theatre (2 Daly Ave)
Local stars Kate Smith and Will Somers play famous Australian children’s performers Hoot and Annie on their last world tour. The duo are breaking up, but as you’ll see, Hoot doesn’t know that yet. Smith and Somers took HOOTENANNY! on the road last summer. What you see at the Ottawa Fringe should be their best production yet.
This hilarious show is not for children. There are indeed family shows at Fringe, however: do. not. buy. tickets. for young ones without consulting the Fringe program, first. This festival is completely uncensored and that’s a founding principle which organizers hold dearly. In the print program and on the Fringe website, shows are rated with a G, PG, or Mature label.
Rough Magic by Philip Psutka (Theatre Arcturus)
9pm @ Academic Hall (133 Séraphin-Marion Pvt)
Their aerial show WEIRD was a mesmerizing crowdpleaser at the 2015 Ottawa Fringe, earning Theatre Arcturus a Best of Fest award for selling the most tickets to a show in Academic Hall – the highest capacity venue at Fringe. Well-received by critics, too, WEIRD was shortlisted for the 2015 Critics’ Pick award. Rough Magic also ranks among GCTC Artist Director Eric Coates’s top picks at Fringe this year.
See the full schedule and show listings at ottawafringe.com. The 21st Ottawa Fringe Festival runs until June 18 at a dozen venues. Tickets cost $12 at the door (cash only) and $14 in advance, including fees. Artists keep 100% of their ticket sales.
