The Vancouver Fringe is going year-round! To help with Festival withdrawal that Fringe fans experience once the September festival is over (I can personally attest to this!), the Fringe will present five shows between February and May from beloved Fringe artists—plus special events with Fringe legend TJ Dawe.
One Man Lord of the Rings, Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle Pub, Nashville Hurricane, Little Orange Man, and Kitt & Jane will be included in 2014’s first Fringe year-round series.
“Presenting shows outside the Festival gives audiences the chance to really sink their teeth into them in a way you can’t do during the hustle of the Fringe,” Executive Director David Jordan explained. With the addition of TJ Dawe interviewing Charles Ross of One Man Lord of the Rings and Chase Padgett of Nashville Hurricane for special editions of Totem Figures, audiences will have a chance to get to know these artists whose popularity has skyrocketed since performing at the Fringe.
Totem Figures was TJ Dawe’s podcast project featuring conversations with notable people including Gabor Mate and Ivan E Coyote, with a focus on the hero figures that shaped their identities. The reoccurrence of Totem Figures is especially exciting since the series officially ended early in 2013 and TJ’s ability to hone in on any topic makes these conversations unforgettable.
“Plus the fun of putting on a show about the Olympics during the Olympics was too good to pass up,” David Jordan elaborated, referencing Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle Pub. “Not to mention getting to see Little Orange Man, and its sequel, Kitt & Jane, without a year between them is a real treat for Fringe patrons.”
One Man Lord of the Rings By Charles Ross
Dates: February 6 to 9, 8 pm
Venue: Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25, available in advance online
Self-proclaimed “professional geek,” Charles Ross, creator of One Man Star Wars Trilogy, plays all the characters from all three Lord of the Rings movies in just 65 minutes! See Charles’ take on Orlando Bloom’s perfect mane, Gollum’s voice, and Gandalf himself! A hit at the 2004 Vancouver Fringe Festival, where it was selected as a Pick of the Fringe and sold out its run, One Man Lord of the Rings has since toured internationally. Charles’ return to Vancouver is an opportunity for Fringe and Tolkien fans alike to converge at this fantastic performance.
“If you like Lord of the Rings, you’ll love Charlie Ross’ version.”—Sir Ian McKellen
On February 8, TJ Dawe will interview Charles for a post-performance Totem Figures episode. TJ will probe Charles about his nerd obsessions and his hero figures, Monty Python, WWF wrestling, and Iron Maiden!
[Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle Pub with Ryan Gladstone and Jon Paterson]
Hockey Night at the Puck and Pickle Pub By Monster Theatre
Dates: February 13 to 15, 8 pm
Venue: Studio 1398, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25, available in advance online
The Pick of the Fringe-winning show is back just in time to celebrate the Olympics! Fringe perennials Ryan Gladstone (writer/director of Houdini’s Last Escape, Til Death: The Six Wives of Henry VIII) and Jon Patterson (BoyGroove, Letters in Wartime) portray all the characters at the Puck and Pickle Pub as they watch an imagined gold medal final game between Canada and Russia.
“Even if you don’t know a hat from a hat trick, comedy about hockey, set in a pub, vows to be ‘loads of fun.’”—Mark Leiren-Young, The Vancouver Sun
[Chase Padgett in Nashville Hurricane]
Nashville Hurricane By Chase Padgett
Dates: March 19 to 23, 8 pm
Venue: Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25, available in advance online
2013 Fringe Festival sensation, Chase Padgett of 6 Guitars — winner of the Pick of the Fringe, the BC Touring Council Award, and the Georgia Straight Critics’ Choice Award — returns with Nashville Hurricane, the story of a guitar prodigy and his rise to fame as told by his alcoholic mother, his sleazy manager, and his blues music mentor.
“I’m a crusty old theatre critic, but Chase Padgett’s accomplishment in 6 Guitars is so virtuosic that he had me on my feet.”—Colin Thomas, Georgia Straight
On March 22, TJ Dawe will interview Chase in a post-show Totem Figures episode. Expect Chase to riff on his musical influences Ray Charles and Tommy Emmanuel, and his other heroes, his father and Steve Martin.
[Kitt & Jane; photo by Jam Hamidi]
Little Orange Man | Kitt & Jane By SNAFU Dance Theatre
Dates: May 7 to 11, 8 pm
Little Orange Man: May 7 and 9, 8 pm
Kitt & Jane: May 8, 10, and 11, 8 pm
Venue: Studio 1398, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
Tickets: $25, available in advance online
2011 Pick of the Fringe winner, Little Orange Man, along with its sequel, Kitt & Jane, is back in Vancouver this May!
Meet Kitt, a high-octane Danish girl, and see her grow from the little girl who reenacts her grandfather’s grisly folk tales in Little Orange Man to the teenager who hijacks her school assembly to prepare her peers for the impending apocalypse in the stand-alone sequel, Kitt & Jane. This is your chance to see these wildly popular shows without years between them!
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Vancouver Fringe online.
