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The dramatic reading of Speed Dating for Sperm Donors, part of the Advance Theatre New Works by Diverse Women series at the 2018 Vancouver Fringe Festival was a delightful insight into the struggles of a couple trying to start a family in a non traditional fashion. Based on the playwright's personal experiences rounded out with some fiction, the production manages to find the humour in a frustrating and near impossible process. Although the couple portrayed is two women, I feel that the majority of the struggles would be the same for any couple in the same situation however some challenges specific to their relationship were raised. Rather than just being a series of interviews, as speed dating would suggest, the content also delves into their reasoning for choosing to go down this particular path as opposed to a potentially easier route. Although Natalie Meisner, the playwright, creates comedy out of a taxing experience, she also introduces how probable it is for the story to unfold in various other, not so comical, ways. A very real, and relevant story for anyone who has, or knows someone who has, had difficulty becoming a parent. With any luck we'll get a chance to see this produced in Vancouver. ~ reviewed by Karen Roller
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As a supplemental note to the video to avoid pronoun confusion, Kai Taddei is referred to as they/their and Davey Bastion-DeCosta is referred to as he/him. Kai Taddei is the playwright, and Kai is main character in the play, read by Davey Bastion-DeCosta. I use both he/him and they/their in my video review depending on whom I am talking about. While You Sleep started with a five minute excerpt in Peek Fest 2016 and since then has been in incubator program at Belfry Theatre. And after this reading at Fringe in the Advance Work series it will go through another week long intensive. On top of that, three of the actors who read for us have been part of this process and have not only seen the play grow and transform but have spoken for their own characters, shaping them as the play is developed. I can’t wait to see what comes of the process next when hopefully we get to see it in SPARK Festival 2020. ~ reviewed by Melody Owen
Rubble, written by Suvendrini Lena, portrays the life of a family struggling to maintain their lives and hold on to each other amid the chaos and violence of living in the Gaza Strip. The story of the family is interwoven with poetry written by an unnamed poet who speak of the plight of the people and the land. The play itself is dense with information and straying even for a second can leave the audience a bit lost. That said, this play is worth your full attention. The play was read by five actors, reading from scripts on music stands in front of them. Adele Noronha is a wonderfully expressive actor and a pleasure to watch. I must give props to Raresh DiMofte as well. Even though he spoke softly at times and was a bit difficult to hear, he handled the collapse of his music stand in the middle of one of his scenes seamlessly and professionally. Although I noticed it collapse, DiMofte didn’t skip a beat in his performance. Rubble is a window into a world we sometimes see on the news but rarely get to see through the eyes of the people who matter the most. Rubble gives us an honest portrayal of that life. ~ reviewed by Melody Owen
Although a contemporary story, these themes are timeless. The play is about Abbey whose absent father haunts her and she can’t trust herself until she gets some answers. And while she searches for answers in her own life, she also searches for answers in the life of an old woman who died and no one seemed to notice she was gone. One of my favourite lines in the play was delivered by Abbey’s mother who said, ‘Why so important?’ And that is the crux of it. Why is it so important for some people to have answers and for others to walk away and never want to revisit the past. The Ones We Leave Behind is a touching exploration of family, connection, love and loss. The five actors who read the play did an outstanding job bringing the audience along for the ride with no help from set or props. The play will premiere on October 24th at the Cultch, so if you missed the reading this time, you can see a full performance with four of the same five actors then. ~ reviewed by Melody Owen
Presented as a dramatic reading as part of the Advance Theatre New Works by Diverse Women, Gametes provides examples of the constant struggles women of today's society face with respect to gender roles and equality. How concepts of achievement and fulfillment become blurred between internal drive and external expectations. As two friends work their way through some shocking news, past memories present themselves as a sort of support or construct of their current views and opinions. Can a lifelong friendship overcome differing opinions as well as an unspoken truth? Edgy and mesmerizing, this translated script of an award winning French original, deserves the opportunity to be performed as a full production thanks to the performers entertaining presentation of the material considering their limited time with the script. ~ reviewed by Karen Roller
What an incredible talent. I'm blown away by this story of how someone leaves Scientology. I expected it to be full of emotion and raw, but I loved every minute of this experience. There's a lot of sadness and hilarity and you really feel like you're on that journey with her, experiencing all the losses over time. I feel the poster was a little misleading, but ignore that and go see it anyway, very worth it. ~ reviewed by Karen Flynn
The consumption of beer can make people sloppy and silly and so it is fitting that this show simulates that experience. Although this is an organized chaos. One minute the performers are running higgledipiggledly through the audience waving their arms in the air making silly noises, the next they are magically back on stage in time for the right lighting or sound cue, in the right spot with perfect timing on their next line. Yes, this show is VERY relaxed, very casual, taking itself not even a teeny tiny bit seriously, but at the same time the audience is always safe, we are always on track and, although they might not want us to feel that way, these performers do know exactly what they are doing. Part history lecture, part silly sketch comedy, part 6 year old's birthday party (except with alcohol), A Brief History of Beer by Wish Experience is exactly what is says on the can. The information is interesting, but handed out in tidbits, giving us a surface level overview of the big picture history of beer. I would have loved to have dived deeper into each time period, learned personal stories and more historical details, but then we'd be there for hours. There are other "beer shows" that focus on specific countries and time periods, so perhaps if I'm lucky they'll return to the Fringe with one of those. PS if you're a star trek fan as well as a beer fan, you'll enjoy this all the more. ~ reviewed by Danielle Benzon
This show written by Colleen Brow, at Studio 16, in the beginning felt like a very TEDtalk or radio show feel to it, (Colleen Also has done radio for CBC, so it makes sense she has the voice and presence of a radio host) Colleen had good presence and well-spoken, which in theatre feels out of place somehow? It didn’t feel like theatre. It felt very polished and professional, which for a fringe show, seemed odd and different, good different, yes, but still strange. The material and subject was not in my realm, as it was about getting older and being at their midlife point as a woman, who is married and has children, and I’m a queer two-spirited woman, who doesn’t ever want children and doesn’t relate to the whole Uterus=woman. But as most shows, they write what they know and it was done well. It had some very funny somewhat relatable jokes, but a lot fell for me simply because of age gap and experiences. The one thing I really related to was using laughter to get through tough times, I definitely enjoyed the openness of artists and being vulnerable while also being lighthearted and playful about life and death. ~ reviewed by Michelle Williams
I'm not a camper, so I was interested to hear about the humorous mishaps that can happen with a newbie to camping. The dynamic between the two actors was funny, if predictable. Good lighthearted entertainment. Appropriate for young children. ~ reviewed by Karen Flynn
I went into this production thinking "another pop rock musical, let's see what happens" but I was super pleased with the production. Awkward Stage productions have done this musical a great service by putting this all female cast together. They were strong and powerful. There were some teething problems and the live band was a bit loud, I couldn't hear the voices of the performers, but after the first 15 minutes it was superb. Funny and thoughtful, it gives you a sense of the what it feels like to go through a journey of commitment and difficulty with relationships. The performance of this young company was beyond my expectations. ~ reviewed by Karen Flynn
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