{"id":20375,"date":"2016-08-26T00:33:39","date_gmt":"2016-08-26T07:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=20375"},"modified":"2016-08-25T10:04:07","modified_gmt":"2016-08-25T17:04:07","slug":"fabulous-fare-at-fringe-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2016\/08\/26\/fabulous-fare-at-fringe-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"Fabulous fare at Fringe Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jolene Bernardino is among the cast of Deborah Vogt\u2019s Carry On: A Musical<\/em>. (photo by Landon Shantz, graphics by Braden Neufeld)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How many hours do you think you\u2019ve stood around baggage carousels waiting for your luggage? Were you able to do something productive with your time? Or was it luggage limbo? Waiting for luggage becomes the backdrop of one of several plays with Jewish connections at the Vancouver Fringe Festival this year.<\/p>\n

When Deborah Vogt and her team in Smackdown 2015 (a 24-hour musical theatre competition) picked \u201cYVR Baggage Claim\u201d out of a hat last year, the brainwave was immediate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we were all inspired by the limbo of baggage claim: the idea that you\u2019ve finished your flight, you\u2019ve gone through customs and you just want to finish your journey, yet you\u2019re stuck and powerless while waiting for your bags,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs emerging artists, this feels unsettlingly close to home. We\u2019re at different stages of our careers, but all somewhere in between school and working full time as artists. Do we commit, with the hope that eventually what we\u2019re waiting for will come true? Or do we acknowledge that maybe our bags are lost and go home? And, more importantly, how do we stop and breathe and enjoy our surroundings in the meantime?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, Carry On: A Musical<\/em><\/strong> was born, in which the audience gets to examine the type of people we encounter in baggage claim areas; their physical and emotional baggage.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach of our characters is dealing with one kind of baggage or another \u2013 the fun part is watching how different people cope with what is lost, damaged, deep-seated or brand new.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this is intended to be a fun, silly show, it also addresses real conflicts that people live with every day, Vogt said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn important theme for us is the idea that there is no \u2018right\u2019 way to live life. Everyone has baggage, and that\u2019s OK. Just like in an airport, there are many directions to take. It\u2019s OK to make mistakes or accidentally get on the wrong flight, because that\u2019s all part of the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

\"photo
Randy Ross explores his singledom in The Chronic Single\u2019s Handbook<\/em>. (photo by Sue Brenner Photography)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Enjoying the journey is a key message in writer\/performer Randy Ross\u2019 The Chronic Single\u2019s Handbook<\/em><\/strong>. In it, Ross addresses the issues of relationships, examining why he\u2019s single, whether some people are meant to be single and whether we should always hold out hope for that oxytocin-creating state we call love.<\/p>\n

Based on a book that he\u2019s been working on for seven years, called God Bless Cambodia<\/em>, Ross places his quest amid a world tour where he strikes out with women on several continents but gets lucky (in many different ways) in Cambodia.<\/p>\n

The play is not without its controversy. Because of its raw sexual exploration, some critics have called the work \u201cmisogynistic,\u201d while others sing its praises. (It\u2019s rated 18+.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe narrator\u2019s trying to figure out why he\u2019s still single,\u201d Ross explained. \u201cHe tells stories of past relationships that failed. One is a domination scenario\/date. Another is with a sex tourist in Cambodia who gives him a tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, you won\u2019t please everyone, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother has seen the show \u2013 twice. She just says, \u2018Boys will be boys,\u2019 and we\u2019re New York Jews, so this is our sense of humor. If you look at the whole Clinton\/Lewinsky investigation, you could call most of the United States hypocrites.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, one key thing Ross discovers is that being single may be who he is. It\u2019s a story of acceptance.<\/p>\n

In the 35- to 54-year-old crowd, he said, one out of seven has never been married, so marriage is no barometer of mental health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere I live in Boston, most of my friends are in their 50s and have never been married. And that number was comparable for women. You have 70 good years in your life, get on with your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, Ross believes we are actually meant to be in some type of relationship \u2013 whether it\u2019s marriage or not \u2013 and that everyone should experience the effect of the \u201ccuddle drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

\"photo
Windy Wynazz makes a deal with the devil in Rich and Famous<\/em>. (photo by Shoot That Klown)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following from her previous Fringe performance Uncouth<\/em>, San Francisco\u2013based Windy Wynazz (aka Wendi Gross) is back as co-writer, producer and performer in Rich and Famous<\/em><\/strong>, co-written and directed by Deanna Fleysher.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve built on what Uncouth<\/em> was last year, but I\u2019ve made it more personal,\u201d said Wynazz. \u201cI make a deal with the devil and undergo a transformation through the play. The theme is similar to making it in showbiz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wynazz said she was interested in exploring what success is at different times of our lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve reevaluated what \u2018making it\u2019 looks like,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cIt was even reflected in the intense creation period with Deanna. She prods and provokes to bring out the most juiciest and most enjoyable. But, at one point, she said to me, \u2018Well, you didn\u2019t make it, Wendi. How does it make you feel?\u2019 I feel tied up in performing, it\u2019s what I love to do. So, that\u2019s success as well. There\u2019s nothing else I\u2019d rather be doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Rich and Famous<\/em> is more linear and verbal, as well as less raunchy, than Uncouth, the audience might still expect some coarse moments, given that Wynazz describes the character as a mix of Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball and Lady Gaga.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will be dancing with delight when they leave,\u201d said Wynazz. \u201cThe idea is that it\u2019s positive and uplifting.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Continuing with the theme of self-discovery, Vancouver\u2019s Theatre Terrific jumps into the mix with The Hidden Stories Project<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Inspiration for the play comes from the poem \u201cWe are These\u201d from the book In Honor of Our Grandmothers: Imprints of Cultural Survival<\/em>, authored by Garry Gottfriedson and Reisa Smiley Schneider, with artwork by George Littlechild and Linda Dayan Frimer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Hidden Stories<\/em>, we used a Cree medicine wheel,\u201d said artistic director Susanna Uchatius. \u201cEach actor is put in a process determining which direction they are connected to. Whenever you start to build something like this, it\u2019s a bit of chaos and a lot of fog. We walk through everyday life and the face we give to the public is actually our mask. Working through the medicine wheel, identifying our animal spirit \u2026 and putting on a mask allow the actors to really express who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Setting this play apart are a number of features.<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s site-specific, taking place outside near the lagoon on Granville Island \u2013 rain or shine.<\/p>\n

Second, Theatre Terrific includes actors of all abilities. \u201cWe have in our group people with autism, cerebral palsy and Downs syndrome,\u201d Uchatius explained. \u201cWe bring people together who would normally not come together and unite as ensemble to speak in a common voice.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also very accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, as there is a lot of imagery but not as much verbal communication.<\/p>\n

\"photo
Butt Kapinski stars in Dick on the Fringe<\/em> on Sept. 6. (photo from vancouverfringe.com<\/em><\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat they\u2019re doing refers to hope and fear. It\u2019s a lifecycle: you\u2019re born, you eat, you speak, you love, you dance, you die. Many people will be surprised to identify with what they see. We deal with basic issues that matter to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The Fringe Festival runs from Sept. 8-18 on Granville Island. Fleysher opens the festival with a fundraising performance Sept. 6<\/a>, where she reprises her character Butt Kapinski in Dick on the Fringe<\/em>. Described as part Phillip Marlowe, part Elmer Fudd, Kapinski is the film-noir-style private eye who helps solve the great Fringe murder mystery (see jewishindependent.ca\/butt-kapinski-not-your-childrens-clown<\/a>). For more information, visit vancouverfringe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Baila Lazarus<\/strong> is a freelance writer and media trainer in Vancouver. Her consulting work can be seen at phase2coaching.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jolene Bernardino is among the cast of Deborah Vogt\u2019s Carry On: A Musical. (photo by Landon Shantz, graphics by Braden Neufeld) How many hours do you think you\u2019ve stood around baggage carousels waiting for your luggage? Were you able to do something productive with your time? Or was it luggage limbo? Waiting for luggage becomes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785],"tags":[2996,2063,6205,1242,332,6204,3954,6207,6206,6208,4476],"class_list":["post-20375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performing-arts","tag-airports","tag-butt-kapinski","tag-deborah-vogt","tag-fringe-festival","tag-linda-frimer","tag-randy-ross","tag-reconciliation","tag-showgirl","tag-singlehood","tag-theatre","tag-windy-wynazz"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}