I entered the King’s Head last night intent on cold beer, hot wings and a rendezvous with Astrid and Otto Rot. I got the wings and the beer, but the Rots stood me up. Rock stars! What can you do?

Never mind. I was lucky enough to catch up with Ottawa native Nancy Kenny of Broken Turtle Productions. Nancy was the winner of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festival’s award which allows winning Fringe shows to sign up for a spot at as many Fringes as they can afford, without depending on any luck-of-the-Fringe-draws.

Nancy decided to take her show Roller Derby Saved My Soul to London, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria. And, she figured, why not film it all on the way?

So she raised money on Indiegogo, hired an eager young film crew, and, most incredibly convinced a Volkswagon dealership in Ottawa to donate the wheels to take her and her merry band across Canada.

Along with documenting her own Fringe adventures, she chose to follow three other companies, (with five shows among them): fellow solo performers Jem Rolls in ONE MAN TRAFFIC JAM, and Martin Dockery in The Surprise, along with Dockery’s two-hander, Moonlight After Midnight, and a young company of Fringe newbies out of Saskatoon who are mounting both Dr. Frightful Presents: Dead Air and Aiden Flynn Lost His Brother So He Makes Another.

There have been some bumps in the road—no billets in Toronto, having to buy extra hard drives when the one they thought they’d never fill was full—but otherwise, Nancy reports things have been going great, and that Winnipeg is her second favourite Fringe—she is an Ottawa girl, after all.

StilI, I bet she says that to all the Fringes. We could find out—maybe in a neatly edited montage—as early as next year, when she hopes to take the finished film through the Fringe circuit once again.

Considering that along with the traveling, performing, and film producing, she’s still able to do her day job wherever there’s an internet connection, I don’t doubt that she can.

Book it—I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Scirocco Publishing, whose ads have emblazoned the Jenny Revue’s back page for many a year, has a booth in Old Market Square. He publishes Daniel McIvor’s works, and Kevin Longfield’s history of theatre in Manitoba, among other drama and theatre related tomes. And all titles are 25 per cent off!

Trolls ahead—I was looking at the Freep’s continuing coverage of the harassment of the lead actress in Lies of a Promiscuous Woman, and was dismayed at the comment section where it was suggested either that the harassers had a point (which is idiotic), or that the entire incident is a publicity stunt to boost ticket sales.

How then to explain the two protesters who accosted Fest Director, Jason Neufeld on the street days prior to the acts of stalking and vandalism? Pretty elaborate street theatre for a PR stunt, especially for an audience of one.

Left Jenniless—There’s only two issues left and we want to hear from you. Tell us everything before it’s too late. You can connect directly from the web or email jennyrevue@shaw.ca.

We’re off tomorrow and, actually, I’m off now. See ya’ Thursday.

Coral McKendrick