Fringe Notes

18 June 2010.

We are in London! (Ontario, friends, don't get too excited. But be excited!). The London Fringe opens today, and we are the first show at our venue, The Arts Project.

A brief account of jam-packed yesterday:

In the morning, we had a great tech rehearsal. We were excited to get into the space. It's great. We have enough space to work in, but it's still quite intimate, which is important for our show. It's a black box in the back of an art gallery, and we want to take it home with us.

We checked in at Fringe HQ, and finally met the people Bob has been telephoning and emailing with for the past six months. They are swell! We spent the rest of the early afternoon papering the town with our posters, occasionally meeting other artists doing the same thing.

Then, we had an interview at CHRW, 94.9, the radio station at the University of Western Ontario, also swell.

But the day did not end there. We still had...a parade! A large, noisy, Fringe parade (technically, a callithump) through downtown London! We provided our share of the noise, what with the banjo (Bob), and the very excited puppets (Megan). Liz wore a sandwich board all evening, which makes her even more awesome than she already is. We paraded to each venue in the festival, and had the opportunity to meet a lot of other artists. We capped off the parade with a performer show case. The puppets took over our slot, but they did let us sing a song first.

So yeah, to recap: tech rehearsal, check-in, postering, interview, parade, showcase= all in one day. We're a little tired, but more than a little thrilled as well.

A briefer account of jam-packed Wednesday:

Everyone went to work, then everyone went to Port Huron. Then everyone crossed the border without incident. Then Bob and Megan were running lines, and everyone missed their exit. That was okay though, because of maps. Then, aside from a few missed turns, everyone arrived in London. Everyone was pleased to meet our billeting host, and everyone went to bed. Ta-da.

The Puppet Report:

Hi, this is Suzie. I am in a play called “Forest for the Trees.” Actually, I am barely in it. I spend most of it in a box. But I still get paid, so that's okay. (Ed. Note: Suzie does not receive money from the Accomplice Theatre Co.). Yesterday, I did a lot of stuff. I went to a theatre, and I did some awesome acting. Then, I sat in the car for a long time, waiting for the people to come back. That was very boring. Then I went to university, and got a degree. (Ed. Note: Suzie was on the campus of the University of Western Ontario for about forty minutes). Then, my brother Tommy and I were in a parade. We got to yell in the library, even though Bob and Megan and Liz have told me you can't yell in libraries. Shows what they know. Anyhow, that parade was fun. I liked the parade. Then, we got to go to a bar, even though Bob and Megan and Liz say puppets are not allowed in bars. They don't know anything. Then, I told some people about our play, and lots of people touched my nose (Ed. Note: Suzie's nose is irresistibly cute).