Today was the last day of the Fringe. I think I'll feel the loss rather profoundly. All around my neighbourhood there have been buskers, actors, food booths, people selling their homemade crafts - basically folks trying to make a living off the things they love doing. The atmosphere has been, to use a cliche, electric.
I woke up this morning and went down to buy some tickets for Adam and found a ton of people out at the open stage, even though it was a little before the technical opening of the fringe day. But there was a Christian rock band on, and people were just totally getting into it. It's not my thing, but instead of finding the god-induced trance freaky, I decided to get off on the total joy that these people were releasing into the atmosphere. I tried not to think about how most of these now peaceful, loving people were probably anti-semitic gay bashers.
As I walked around, chatting with people in line-ups and the buskers that I've come to know, I realized how inspiring this experience has been for me. In Prague, there's a bohemian artsy lifestyle but no one actually accomplishes anything. They just smoke pot and rhapsodize about the tyranny of the work/gov't forces. At this Fringe, I saw a ton of people working hard to live the kind of life they wanted to be living. They had put in the hours and the effort and now they are supporting themselves doing the things they love. And when buskers can afford to pay the airfare from Australia to come and busk in Canada for a week, I can only imagine that they're doing all right. And all these plays, beautiful theatre, put on by talented, mostly young people. The one-man shows written and performed by the same person which showed so much sensitivity to human nature and so much humour. And they are doing it. They are travelling and putting their work forward and selling it and believing in themselves.
The last show I saw today couldn't have been a more perfect example of this. Two guys who are jugglers who managed to put together a show that can go on inside the theatres at fringes, rather than outside on the street pleading for loonies. It was one of the most amazing demonstrations of what the human body is capable of - stunning, they are absolutely stunning. I've never seen juggling like this and they worked it all in together as the story of the "Trained Human" with such humour and energy.
They are called trainedhumanclub and their show is called Anthropology. Check out http://www.trainedhumanclub.com and they will be at the Victoria and Vancouver Fringes soon. Victoria: Aug 25 - Sept 1. Vancouver: Sept 4 - 14. Instructions to Grasshopper and Corrine: Get everyone to buy tickets to see them. Obey me now!
But not only is this a demonstration of the wondrous human body, but of the wondrous human spirit. It can't have been easy spending all those years perfecting an art which people pay for with loonies. But they perfected it and are working on changing the way it is performed. They are putting something new and beautiful and superfun out there. I'm so envious I could just choke.
At this time, I would like to thank the Fringe, and also Kanga and the other friends that are showing me that being creative is possible. Showing me by example how to start and actually finish creative projects and then do something with them. I am inspired by you all and have been reminded of the greatness that this city produces because of its love and support of the art community. I just hope I can remember all this in a few months when I'm bogged down with papers and research (not to mention snow)- I'm sure one of you will remind me.
And I'll make the Vancouver Fringe easy for you all. Go to http://www.vancouverfringe.com. The plays you must see are:
Toothpaste and Cigars at Venue 4.
Anthropology and Boy Groove at Venue 5
Sabotage and Sex, Violence and the Meaning of Life at Venue 8.
The absolute must-sees here are Toothpaste and Cigars, Anthropology and Sex Violence and the Meaning of Life. There, now go and be cultured.
So I'm off now. The apartment needs cleaning. Sadly creative productivity has done nothing to help my already rather weak skills as a housewife. But I've already made a start as the place no longer reeks of rotting food. Now if only I could get the urine smell out...
I woke up this morning and went down to buy some tickets for Adam and found a ton of people out at the open stage, even though it was a little before the technical opening of the fringe day. But there was a Christian rock band on, and people were just totally getting into it. It's not my thing, but instead of finding the god-induced trance freaky, I decided to get off on the total joy that these people were releasing into the atmosphere. I tried not to think about how most of these now peaceful, loving people were probably anti-semitic gay bashers.
As I walked around, chatting with people in line-ups and the buskers that I've come to know, I realized how inspiring this experience has been for me. In Prague, there's a bohemian artsy lifestyle but no one actually accomplishes anything. They just smoke pot and rhapsodize about the tyranny of the work/gov't forces. At this Fringe, I saw a ton of people working hard to live the kind of life they wanted to be living. They had put in the hours and the effort and now they are supporting themselves doing the things they love. And when buskers can afford to pay the airfare from Australia to come and busk in Canada for a week, I can only imagine that they're doing all right. And all these plays, beautiful theatre, put on by talented, mostly young people. The one-man shows written and performed by the same person which showed so much sensitivity to human nature and so much humour. And they are doing it. They are travelling and putting their work forward and selling it and believing in themselves.
The last show I saw today couldn't have been a more perfect example of this. Two guys who are jugglers who managed to put together a show that can go on inside the theatres at fringes, rather than outside on the street pleading for loonies. It was one of the most amazing demonstrations of what the human body is capable of - stunning, they are absolutely stunning. I've never seen juggling like this and they worked it all in together as the story of the "Trained Human" with such humour and energy.
They are called trainedhumanclub and their show is called Anthropology. Check out http://www.trainedhumanclub.com and they will be at the Victoria and Vancouver Fringes soon. Victoria: Aug 25 - Sept 1. Vancouver: Sept 4 - 14. Instructions to Grasshopper and Corrine: Get everyone to buy tickets to see them. Obey me now!
But not only is this a demonstration of the wondrous human body, but of the wondrous human spirit. It can't have been easy spending all those years perfecting an art which people pay for with loonies. But they perfected it and are working on changing the way it is performed. They are putting something new and beautiful and superfun out there. I'm so envious I could just choke.
At this time, I would like to thank the Fringe, and also Kanga and the other friends that are showing me that being creative is possible. Showing me by example how to start and actually finish creative projects and then do something with them. I am inspired by you all and have been reminded of the greatness that this city produces because of its love and support of the art community. I just hope I can remember all this in a few months when I'm bogged down with papers and research (not to mention snow)- I'm sure one of you will remind me.
And I'll make the Vancouver Fringe easy for you all. Go to http://www.vancouverfringe.com. The plays you must see are:
Toothpaste and Cigars at Venue 4.
Anthropology and Boy Groove at Venue 5
Sabotage and Sex, Violence and the Meaning of Life at Venue 8.
The absolute must-sees here are Toothpaste and Cigars, Anthropology and Sex Violence and the Meaning of Life. There, now go and be cultured.
So I'm off now. The apartment needs cleaning. Sadly creative productivity has done nothing to help my already rather weak skills as a housewife. But I've already made a start as the place no longer reeks of rotting food. Now if only I could get the urine smell out...
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