From SNAFU Theatre, creator of Pretty Little Instincts (Victoria’s Critic’s Choice for 2009 Best Fringe Show) comes Little Orange Man, opening September 8 at the Vancouver International Fringe Festival after a highly acclaimed run at the Victoria Fringe. “This show is like taking espresso shots with your inner child,” says performer Ingrid Hansen, “it was created for an ageless audience, inspired by the universal appeal of Pixar films and The Muppets.”
Hansen plays 12 year old Kitt Pedersen, whose world view has been informed as much by her grandfather’s gruesome folktales as by Google and quantum theory. Kitt is undertaking a massive dream experiment, requiring access to the audience’s subconscious.
When not touring Little Orange Man, Hansen teaches theatre classes to the “little kids” at Kaleidoscope Children’s Theatre and to the “big kids” behind bars at William Head on Stage’s Prison Theatre Company in Victoria. Last fall, Hansen directed CHALK: physical theatre behind bars, with the inmate-run theatre company, which they performed both for the inmate population and for the general public.
Visually stunning, superbly performed, and tastefully inventive, Little Orange Man stands out from the Fringe pack. Hansen’s alter-ego Kitt, a 12 year old gawky, spastic star, acts out the tragic fairy tales she has heard from her beloved grandfather and regales her guests with snippets from her life. This intriguing outcast uses puppetry and projection to tell her stories. At once haunting and hilarious, Little Orange Man offers both heart and thought through an enchanting, fantastical theatre dream.
According to the Calgary Herald (at the 2010 premier), “Kitt’s not someone you’d want your kid to have a play date with. She’s the sort of girl that director Terry Gilliam might have dreamed up.”
And any show that’s been described as “Pixar on acid” is going to get my attention pretty quickly.
I had the chance to interview Hansen on Granville Island this week, ahead of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival. I wanted to get behind the scenes to learn more about this show.
Little Orange Man will be performed at Granville Island’s Revue Stage, on the dates and times:
Thursday, September 8, 8:15 pm Partial proceeds from this show will benefit the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society!
Saturday, September 10, 1 pm (1/2 price show)
Sunday, September 11, 9 pm
Thursday, September 15, 6:35 pm
Saturday, September 17, 5:15 pm
Sunday, September 18, 3:25 pm
All photos courtesy of Al Smith Photography.
