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Lil Theatre Company
There Ain’t No More!—MTC Up the Alley
Making its Canadian premiere! 11 Festivals, 10 awards in the last year! Here’s what Cincinnati recently had to say…
“Carlisle turns the cliché of solo performance on its head. Hauntingly beautiful and stunningly enchanting, There Ain’t No More is a quest for enlightenment and immortality all at once. This production will stay with audiences long after the performance has ended.” – Cincinnati City Beat
Winner 2018 David C. Herriman Artists’ Pick Award.
ArtLaunch Theatre Company
The Last 48—The Rachel Browne Theatre
With more twists & turns than the Red River, “The Last 48” will make mature audiences laugh while questioning their own moral integrity. It is as funny as it is thought provoking and there’s merit to seeing a show that leaves you with something to think about.
Also, are there any other shows that involve a sex leash, conspiracy theories, robots, wrestling, and a love affair? Oh, there are? Well, our venue has really comfy seats too. So there.
Kimmy Zee
MIDDLEhood—Red River College – Roblin Centre
Originally titled, Mittelschmerz (middle pain), this dramedy was nominated for the Harry Rintoul Award and had a SOLD-OUT run in the 2014 Winnipeg Fringe Fest.
This is your last chance to catch it in Winnipeg!
“MIDDLEhood, is a connective roller coaster of a middle-aged woman’s life. The play is peppered with self-deprecating humour and real-life heartache. There is a true strength and heart to this production.” ★★★★★ Grid City Magazine (Saint John, NB)
TiBert le Voyageur
TiBert is back!—Kids Venue (MTYP Mainstage)
High-energy presentation from a five star performer.
Everyone will enjoy this new imaginary canoe ride as the adventure takes us to Lake Winnipeg. We cross the prairies to meet a Métis cousin that guides the group on the great bison hunt! Throughout the journey TiBert naturally steers the conversation to life in the days of the voyageurs while volunteers get to play the roles of voyageurs in canoes, tipis on the prairie, hunters on horseback, and bison falling off a cliff!
It’s All Relative Productions
ONE DATE CITY—Pantages Studio
Have you ever dated someone and been ghosted, catfished, breadcrumbed or experienced cuffing season? Or maybe you don’t know what any of those mean? Come see One Date City at Venue 3, and all will be answered. (Sort of.) If anything, you will laugh, or maybe cry.
From the creative team that brought Filter This to the 2017 Winnipeg Fringe.
Standing Room Only Theatre
Traveltheatrics—Planetarium Auditorium
1 Woman. 15 Characters. 6 Countries.
Traveltheatrics takes you on adventures across the globe, from a dangerously dark Moroccan medina, to haunted Victorian streets, to Tiger filled Malaysian Jungles, to German Beer Festivals, Irish Dairy Farms, and Fairy filled English beaches.
A Storytelling/Comedy/Play of incredible travel stories around the world, and the moments that make up who we are.
From award winning Vancouver performer Keara Barnes, creator of the critically acclaimed solo show ‘Almost a Stepmom’ (4 stars CBC), which has toured through Western Canada since 2015.
The Winnipeg Fringe will soon be here and the Jenny Revue site has been updated with the information for 2018.
Please check out our Online Winnipeg Fringe Program and Schedule. We think it is better than the one on the Official Winnipeg Fringe site, since it requires a lot less clicking. You can also select a date and it will give you all the shows on that date sorted by start time! Perfect for planning your viewing schedule. There are also quick links to the various social media platforms for each of the companies that provided them to the Fringe. You can even click the links to purchase tickets directly from the Winnipeg Fringe site.
Once again the Jenny will mostly be an E-Jenny as we are only doing a few “Best of the Jenny” single sheet print issues. That means we are not constrained to the limited space of the print version and we will also be able to have the reviews/ssps/letters on the site in a more timely fashion. So if you are a performer, send us your Shameless Self Promotions (see below for an explanation) before the Fringe to try and convince the Fringe-going public to see your shows.
For those of you who might not know, let me explain what the Jenny Revue is. We are an independent medium for YOU to communicate your thoughts, comments, feelings and reviews about the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. We edit those reviews, shameless self-promotions, and letters and publish them online. While we do have a cadre of Jenny Staff that help fill our web pages with reviews, we want to hear from you. You can contact us via email at jennyrevue@gmail.com. Please follow us on Twitter @jennyrevue for updates on when the site is updated and other Fringe news.
The key parts of the Jenny are the following:
Reviews—We do a few things differently at the Jenny, one of the biggest differences is we do not use a star or number rating system. Yes that means you actually have to read a review to see what the person reviewing the show thought about it. We have always done it this way, and think that it is a better way to do things. We accept reviews from anyone, with only one condition: You must provide your real name, and some form of contact info (so you can be reached in case we need clarification). Not all the reviews we receive may get published but in general as long as the review was well written it will be published on the website.
Shameless Self-Promotion—If you are in a Fringe play and haven’t shamelessly promoted your show, put together 80 words (or less)—different from your program blurb—and send them to us. Clearly mark them as SSPs since it’s difficult to tell the difference between an unqualified rave by a satisfied patron, and a bombastic bit of self-promotion by a company scribe.
Letters—Got an opinion on something at the Fringe? It is always better to get it off your chest. Send us your thoughts with your name and contact info and if it catches our eye we’ll spread the word.
News—Our editor is always looking for interesting or wacky things that have happened during the Fringe. If you have a tale to tell, let us know.
Last, but certainly not least are the Jenny Awards. It is an end of the Fringe party upstairs at the King’s Head where we gather to celebrate the performers that pour their hearts and souls into this Festival. Some even go home with Donkeys.
See you at the Fringe!
Murray (Jenny Cyber Guru)
On Sunday we closed out the 2017 Winnipeg Fringe Festival with our annual Jenny Awards upstairs at the King’s Head. For those who were not there (including Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife) below is the list of the categories and winners (in Bold). See you next year!
True, Dat—An award for what really happened
1. The Canada Show: The complete History of Canada in One Hour
2. John Bennet: How I Learned to Hug
3. Padre X
4. The Inventor of all things
5. Evacuated 6. Josephine
7. Woodey Sed
Potty Mouth—A fucking foul language award 1. Get Me the F**k out of Edmonton
2. S**T I’m in Love with You Again
3. Panacea presents: Be a Star of Get the F**k Out
4. Sword Play: A Play of Swords
5. The Honeymoon Period is Officially Over
6. The Standoff
7. Tragedy + Time Server = Comedy
Royal Bastards—An award for the one per cent who probably expect it 1. King
2. Macbeth Moue
3. Macbeth-A Comedy
4. Horrible Histories
5. Time’s Fancy: The War of King Henry V and Joan of Arc
Proper Grammar—A sentencing award
1. Comedy is Funny Again
2. What would Emma Goldman Do?
3. Riot Resist Revolt Repeat
4. Call Me Kirk- The ultimate Trek
5. Hey 90’s Kids, you’re Old 6. Your Princess is in Another Castle
7. Leash Your Potential.
8. Help! I’m American!
It’s an Apostrophe!—A shortened but very possessive award
1. A Drink Maker’s Guide to Spirits
2. Sound and Fury’s Doctor Whom
3. Forget Me Not—The Alzheimer’s Whodunnit
4. Schrödinger’s Cat
5. Mennonite’s Guide to Savage Street Fighting 4: Cards Against the Rascals 6. Ain’t True and Uncle False
7. What We’ve Learned From Watching You
Noteworthy—An award for the musically inclined
1. Blink’s Garden
2. We’ll Meet Again: Vera Lynn, the Forces Sweetheart 3. Beers about songs
4. Horrible histories
5. Sex Ed
6. Otto & Astrid- Eurosmash!
7. Olive Copperbottom: A New Musical by Charles Dickens and Penny Ashton
Different Realms—An award for being from beyond 1. Angels & Aliens
2. Eastport
3. The Beer Show: AKA A Brief History of Beer
4. (mini) Demon of Death
5. Edgar Allen
6. Tales of the Macabre
7. 4.48 Psychosis
8. Mike Delamont: The Devil
Unbelievable!—A magical award
1. 6 Quick Dick Tricks: A Dirk Darrow Investigation
2. AMAZE: A Comedy Magic Show
3. Dangerous Magic 4. Hotter than Potter
5. My Thoughts Exactly
6. The Ladies Guide to Deceit and Debauchery
Eat Drink and Be Merry—An award for your tummy
1. High Tea: Another British Comedy
2. Hockey Night at hte Puck and Pickle Pub
3. Figgy Pudding 4. Drunk Girl
5. Wooster Sauce
6. Roller Coaster (Big Sandwich Productions)
Feeding Time at the Zoo—An award for the Beast in you 1. Hyena Subpoena
2. Shark Weak
3. Snake Oil
4. Impossible Mongoose
5. The Last Night of the World (Dark Horse Theatre)
6. Macbeth (Knavish Hedgehog Productions)
We Lost the Script—An improvised award
1. Improvision: Funk Beyond the Call of Booty
2. Crumbs
3. Lauren and Amanda Do It 4. Free Beer Episode IV: A Brew Hope
5. Live Podcast Taping
6. The Neighbourhood Watch
Bits—An award for your body
1. Merkin Sisters
2. Student Body
3. Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife*
4. Sticks + Bones 5. Patrick Hercamp + Jon Bennett in New Show Butt, Different
[Editor’s Note: As there was not a representative for “Donating Sperm to My Sister’s Wife” present the award went to the 2nd place finisher.]
Special Award—For the thousands of words she’s written for the Jenny over the years despite Fibro, exhaustion, and clamouring grandchildren: this year’s special Jenny went to Lisa Campbell.
Pictures are below, sorry to Hyena Subpoena, Free Beer IV, and Lisa who are missing pictures.
Randy Rutherford Presents Maryclare McCauley—Dragon Arts Collective
Switch Back is a carefully woven, cautionary tale, pulled from the real life of Maryclare McCauley. We can surmise quite early on, that there can only be two outcomes for the plot, each having a 50/50 chance, but McCauley keeps the audience guessing until the very end.
With only a single chair to evoke various locations, a solo McCauley uses her considerable vocal talent and body language to introduce us to the characters of the piece. Especially mobile is her face. As any really good storyteller must, she has chosen her words carefully. The show is 75 minutes long, but non of it is extraneous. The depiction of violence goes only so far. It is what we think can happen, in combination with the storytelling, that heightens the tension of the plot.
This show deserves more attention than it has been getting, and is well worth the three flights of stairs.
Michelle Cook
It’s the final weekend. The time to rush to shows that you haven’t reserved in hope that you’ll get in line in time. Or park yourself at a venue and just see each show as it comes up. I understand that the West End Cultural Centre with its two venues is such a place and its right across from the 240-seat Dramatic Arts Centre. Other large venues you could haunt include MTC Main stage, The Warehouse, The Planetarium, (a golden triangle of large venues), PTE Main stage, The Gas Station, MTYP Main stage, and Eckhardt-Grammeté Hall.
Not that you care, I’m sure, but I have taken in SIX shows this year. Got to see Dave Cramer, Jenny’s long time design and layout guy, who, relieved of that job now that we’re all online, is in a show! Arguably the Jenny staffer who has seen even fewer shows than me, jumped right onto a Fringe stage as a musician and on-stage sound effects creator for “Tales of the Macabre” in the gorgeous outdoor venue at Dalnavert. I also got to enjoy the music and comedy of Wes Borg in “Get me the F**k Out of Edmonton”, plus the improvised madness of both The Horrible Friends and of Atomic Improv. I also learned more history about the A Bomb (among myriad other things), than my brain could contain, from Jem Rolls, and spent a pleasant evening watching my friend Harry Nelken in “Eastport”. This is more theatre than I’ve seen at the Fringe (or anywhere else) in over a decade.
Tonight (assuming you are reading this on Saturday), we assemble our exhausted troops and cobble together an awards show for Sunday night. If you see a group of people huddled over programs, paper and maybe a laptop or two, all scribbling furiously and talking over each other, that’s us. Feel free to come by and make suggestions—of awards categories or shows. (Suggestions of just what we can do with our awards show will be ignored).
Remember, shows are only eligible if they’ve been mentioned on the Jenny site by 6 PM Saturday. So if you’ve seen a show that we haven’t, and you would like to see it get nominated, the time to talk about it is NOW.
If you think I’ve gone on too much about the Jenny’s, it’s because it’s the last show of the Fringe, it’s a great time, and really, due to some clever maneuvering on my part, it’s really my only job.
So remember to make your way upstairs at the King’s Head around 10 PM Sunday, and be prepared to voice your support of your favorites—LOUDLY. We rate the noise level and reward accordingly. And remember, as always, WE CAN BE BRIBED.
