Well, here it is: the annual overstuffed issue where we present the largest number of reviews and shameless promotions on the day when Fringe folk are at their fewest.Of course that’s because the big weekend crowds leave behind more than their empty beer cups. Their lovely literary litter joins the prodigious output from our own Jenny scribes, plus pages of performer-generated promotional puffery resulting in the word-stuffed pages before you. I might add that 67 of the 182 shows have submitted Shameless Self Promos, all of them putting “SSP” in the subject line as instructed. (Thanks!) That’s 36 per cent. I’m pretty sure that’s a new Jenny record or would be if any of us were the kind of math nerds who kept those sorts of records. From my perspective, it’s already a bang up year and we’re only half way through.

More Beer—Reviews are coming from the Beer Tent box for the first time in years. Unhappily, some (three for Kids vs. City and one for The Big Stupid Improv Show) were not useable as they were unsigned.

Prodigious imbibing does not exempt you from giving us your real name (your full name, “Nelson”). And add a contact number lest your blood alcohol levels and resultant hand/eye co-ordination deficits combine to leave us wondering what you mean by “the performances were all wonderfully furfebutt. Hah! I said Butt…(Inky blotch smelling strongly of beer)”.

Down One—The Jenny will be minus reviewing machine Ray Yuen, who has other priorities this week—though given his confession, in these pages, that he likes throwing things at people, he may be spending the week crouching behind things, flinging balled up programs at random passers by and giggling.

Cash me if you can—I am not resistant to the idea of people giving me money. (Really. Endow me. Fund Me. I’m on Sale Now!) But any of our wonderful Fringe company advertisers might think otherwise, if they’ve tried to locate me at the King’s Head on any Fringe evening so far.

Lack of transportation options and exhaustion have conspired to keep me home when I’d rather be hanging out on the King’s Head patio, eating yummy snacks, lapping luscious libations, and meeting friendly Fringe folk like you.

So you who have ads to pay for can do so by mailing or bringing your payments to the address in the “Making Contact” box on the back page.

Or you can give it to us in person on Sunday the 26th when you show up to find out what dumb ass category you’re nominated for at the Jenny Awards.

I’m guessing I’ll get a ride to that. I have the script.

Coral McKendrick