22 June 2010

Today is another quiet day. Last night, we stopped in to say hello at the Fringe office, saw "Fruitcake", and went to the No Show. The rest of the day was spent walking around looking at things, reading books, and lazing about. It was a welcome day of resting.

"Fruitcake" was great. A one-man show by a former psychiatric nurse turned performance poet, it explored the "Ten Commandments of the Psych Ward", and was excellently done.

Really, not much happened yesterday. Which was nice.

The Puppet Report:

Hi, Tommy here. Yesterday I took a nap that lasted all day. It was great. I still miss Liz, though.

Hi, Suzie here. I am soooooo mad! Yesterday, Bob and Megan left us at home all day. ALL DAY. We did not get to go to the Fringe at all. We stayed in our bag the entire time. They didn't even take us into London. We missed everything (Ed. Note: As previously stated, Bob and Megan basically did nothing all day long, the puppets didn't miss anything). No fair.

21 June 2010

Today we have no show, no rehearsals, and nothing to see until 7pm. We are taking it really easy. Liz went back to MI to teach for a few days, and Bob and Megan are relaxing. Currently, we're sitting a little cafe. Bob is reading Skeptic Magazine and Meg is getting ready to work on the script for Kearsley Park's Jack and the Beanstalk. After the running around of the past week, this feels extremely luxurious.

Speaking of skeptics, yesterday we saw Burning Man and the Reverend Nuge, a one-man show by Tommy Nugent. Bob and Megan saw it a few years ago at Fringe, but it was Liz's first time. It is a monologue about how he transitioned from a Pentecostal youth pastor to an atheist street magician, and his experiences at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada. It was worth a second viewing. And we may have inadvertently joined a cult.

On the way out of the Arts Project, Bob hit his head on a door. In typical actor "not the face!" style, we are glad to report that though he has a bump, it is not particularly noticeable.

We did our show, and it was fun. We were particuarly glad to see other artists in the audience.

Then we had dinner, and sent Liz off. She is safe in MI, although we are not positive she didn't have any adventures.

Bob and Megan attended the No Show, and missed Liz.

The Puppet Report:

Hi, Tommy here. Does anyone know where my friend Liz is? I can't find her. I am sad. (Ed. Note. It has been explained to Tommy many, many times that Liz is coming back, but puppets are easily confused by the future tense).
Yesterday, we did another show. I like being an actor. It is pretty cool. The audience laughed a lot when I kissed Suzie, and that made me feel good. I was starting to doubt the authenticity of the bit, and now I feel more secure. So that's good. Where's Liz?

Hi, it's Suzie. I don't know why Tommy misses Liz so much. She is always foiling my wonderful plans. "No, you can't be a space vixen, you're too young." "No, you cannot drive the car." "You should stop asking Bob to have sex with you, that's not okay." She is a plan-foiler, and I hope that while she's gone I can finally make my Gerics conquest. God, he's dreamy. Anyhow, we did the show, and I did not mess with the props because I am a professional. Bob and Megan say I can go to the No Show on Wednesday. I am glad. They are finally beginning to treat me with the respect I deserve.

20 June 2010

Last night was London's first "Petite Nuit Blanche", a long night of art that was spread throughout the city. There were aerial artists on the Market Square, installations in alleys, and projections on the side of buildings. Downtown was hopping. It was great. Being from a city with a very limited night life, we were suitably impressed.

We also had the opportunity to see some shows yesterday. We saw a great one woman show, and an amazing aerial dance show. And we stayed up very late.

The Puppet Report:

Hi, Tommy here again. I am still not sure what a Space Vixen is, but I know I like cabarets! We sang a song, and watched some fancy dancing. I did not get to meet Saucy Jack, or any of the Space Vixens, but I did get to meet a very nice Saucy Jack Dancer. Yowza. After the cabaret, I took a nap, while Suzie worked the crowd at the Grand Theatre.

Hi, this is Suzie. I am super mad, because Bob and Megan and Liz did not let me attend any of the shows, or the Petite Nuit Blanche. They made me take a nap, even though I love aerial dance, and performance art. They are jerks. I'm going to hide their props tonight. Fuck them.

Show Two...

Show Two

was lots of fun. We are starting to hit our stride. We are getting a good response from random Fringers we encounter as well, so we’re hoping the word of mouth gets going soon.

Last night, we attended the first episode of “The No Show,” a live talk show that plays each night of the Fringe. We are going to be on next Wednesday. It’s nice to get a little taste of lots of the shows at the Fringe…because there are SO MANY SHOWS!

The puppets are becoming a familiar sight along Dundas Street, since they like inviting people to the show.

The Puppet Report:

Hi, Tommy here. I am having fun at the Fringe. London is a great city. I was born for city life. Friday, Bob let me drive the car, which was scary, but also exhilarating. We did some shows, and I am making lots of friends. Suzie is kind of obnoxious, but otherwise we’re having fun. I wave to all the people when we walk down Dundas St. Tonight, I am going to be in a cabaret with some Space Vixens. I am not sure what a Space Vixen is. Liz has tried to explain, but I am still confused. I will let you know how it goes.

We've Opened!

19 June 2010.

We did our first show yesterday, and are about to do another in about an hour. Hurrah! We're having a great time, and had the opportunity to see some good shows. We had a review in the London Free Press, and while it wasn't raving, it wasn't half bad either. We're glad for the press. The puppets are making friends wherever they go.

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).

Forest for the Trees

The Accomplice Theatre Company is delighted to announce its production of Forest for the Trees at the London Fringe Festival, June 16-27.

Love, lust, and family relationships collide in this drama. Step-siblings Ben and Mia must
confront truth, lies, and new boundaries as their relationship changes in ways they didn’t anticipate. And there are puppets.

Check out: http://www.londonfringe.ca/ to see what we're up to.


Want to come see it?
It's at:
The Arts Project
203 Dundas Street
London, Ontario.

Fri June 18, 5:00 Sat June 19, 1:30 Sun June 20, 8:00
Thur June 24, 6:30 Sat June 26, 7:30 Sun June 27, 8:00

Tickets are $8.
Warning: Mature content. Nudity. Puppets.

Want to come and see it without leaving the US?
You have to wait 'til fall, when the show will be at Flint City Theatre (http://www.flintcitytheatre.com/).

Want to stay at home and follow all our international adventures and shenanigans? Keep an eye on this blog.