What to see at this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival pt. 2

With the Fringe Festival officially kicking off Thursday (Sept. 8), we’re presenting one more post of highlights. There are over 100 shows to choose from in the annual theatre festival, which runs the gamut from full-on musical productions to one-person monologues, from drama to comedy to dance. You can see our other post of Fringe picks here.

Walk the Talk – New York’s Thomas C. Knox joins the site-specific Walk the Talk show. Presented by ARC (Acts of Random Care) Works, a runner up for the Vancouver Fringe Site-Specific Award for 2013’s My Hole Life, the show features guides who the audiences through a 40-minute encampment of artists. These include composer Akira Toda (Japan), actor Zachary Ibrahim (Singapore), musical theatre artist Diana Kaarina (New York), choreographer/dancer Miho Suzuki (Japan), and actor/singer Yukari Komatsu (Japan). Locals include musical saw musician Andrea Minden, cabaret artist Caroe Sandoval, visual artist Lisa Penz, and spoken word artist Kyle Hawkes. Knox will contribute his Date While You Wait pop-up booth, which was recently featured in the New York Times.

The Lion, the Bitch and the Wardrobe – In her autobiographical show, Canadian comedian Sharon Mahoney looks at how debilitating panic attacks and anxiety derailed her stand-up career. The show, which includes standup routines, character impressions and a huge lion puppet, has already received critical acclaim during runs in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Victoria, Orlando, as well as fringe festivals across Australia.

In the Blue of the Evening – San Francisco based clown and actor/creator Amelia Van Brunt plays Mona in this piece about dementia. Van Brunt uses “the skills and forms of clown, Commedia dell’Arte, surrealism, and the shock of grotesque physical theatre,” according to press materials.

A Dog At a Feast – Three theatre professionals, including a jaded critic, a depressed artistic director, and a star actor collide in this dark comedy. The show is from Bleeding Heart Theatre, which is responsible for last year’s Fringe hit The Fighting Season. It’s written by Michelle Deines, an award-winning writer, producer, and director whose plays include I am the Bastard Daughter of Engelbert Humpderdinck.

Festa! – The show takes place at the Portuguese Club of Vancouver (1144 Commercial Drive), where guests can eat, drink and take part in all the fun and drama of a Portuguese festa. Maria J. Cruz and Sandra Medeiros play all the members of a typical Portuguese family, and the show’s creators promise “a fun cultural and theatrical event.”

For complete listings, tickets, etc, visit vancouverfringe.com. Box office is located at 1398 Cartwright St. on Granville Island.