You’d think after 23 years we’d have figured out how to do this thing, but nooo-o.

Our intrepid Jenny revue-ers are doing walk-ups today because, apparently, The Jenny Revue passes were all associated solely with my Email address, which meant Arden, Kaitlin, and Ray couldn’t book in advance from their own home computers… and if the booking of tickets falls into my already overflowing hands, we might as well just burn this sucker down right now. I barely know how to walk up and pay cash or a ticket, much less mastermind a reviewer schedule. (I’ve barely got the walking part down.)

But one thing I do know how to do is shoehorn as much copy as possible into these pages (relying on the copy fitting skills of Dave Cramer, of course).

To that end, “Welcome, class, to Jenny-ing 101.” For those who missed our opening single sheet SPECIAL on Wednesday, submitting to the Jenny is easy—we can instruct you (being masochists ourselves).

Just say what you got to say about anything Fringe-y then send it by Email to me at jennyrevue@shaw.ca, or put it on paper and drop it in a Jenny Box, whose locations are noted in the masthead box on our back page.

Then say anything, you want, just do so succinctly.

They say brevity is the soul of wit. (Not that I would know.)

Tell us the name of the show, and, if you can, the name of the group and name of the venue.

Then, say a few words about the show and how it affected you (“laughed my guts out,” “affected me deeply,” “slept well until the gunshots,” whatever). It’s not necessary to give a full recap of the plot, nor list every cast member and character name. Just let folks know enough to help them decide if they might want to see it.

Now I know this will come back to bite me in the ass, so be forewarned, we won’t print the oft-quoted Spinal Tap line “Two words: Shit sandwich!” nor the relatively uninformative “I just loved it,” unless you are such a cultural icon that your myriad followers flock to embrace anything you admire.

And forget ratings. We don’t do stars. We even excise them from the groups’ Shameless Self Promotions (of which there are many here today with more in the can for tomorrow and Monday).

So keep ’em short and, if not sweet, at least cogent.

Be sure to sign your real name (it’s kind of our thang); and, if it’s a paper submission, a contact number in case your syntax or handwriting leaves me saying “huh?” For Email submissions tell us if we have to do anything except hit “reply.”

House bound — Apologies to those I told to look for me on the King’s Head patio. I wasn’t there because my house is demanding my constant presence until such times as a repairman calls. (Cue the porno music).

‘Til I see ya or read ya…

Coral McKendrick

Like a persistent rash, a recurring nightmare, or a deadbeat relative
on your doorstep, The Jenny Revue is back again!

Hopefully, Jenny’s 24th edition is a welcome returnee unlike those mentioned above. For those who have never heard of it, The Jenny Revue is, at its best, the collective consciousness (and occasionally the barely conscious consciousness) of the Fringe. There are show promos, photos, reviews, letters, commentary, rants, rumours, polemics, philosophies and all that is (or isn’t) fit to print.

But we can’t do it all by ourselves.
We need you.

It’s simple. Tell us your Fringe experience. See a show and talk about it, wonder about the weird and the wonderful, make suggestions, stir up a controversy, whatever floats your Fringe boat.

Use your phone, tablet, or home computer; and email whatever you’ve got to say to:

jennyrevue@shaw.ca

Or grab a piece of paper and a pen, pencil, or crayon—or punch yourself in the nose and write with the blood—whatever it takes to get words on that paper. Put the resulting masterpiece in a Jenny box, pictured here, in all their varied glory.

Jenny boxes are spread around the Fringe site at various venues, including a behemoth of one in the beer tent., (A list of locations is on the back page of every Jenny publication including this one)

Each Jenny box, in addition to serving as a Jenny newsstand where you pick up the latest issue, has a place where you can drop reviews, along with a little can for monetary donations. Please don’t confuse these two unless you want to pay the next person who submits a review. Look for six issues of the Jenny over the run of
the Fringe. All back issues wind up in the aforementioned beer tent behemoth.

If you want to see examples of what has gone before, there are 23 years’
worth of Jenny at http://www.jennyrevue.com.

Read and enjoy. Then write and let us enjoy you!

Coral McKendrick

As the Winnipeg Fringe approaches we will be updating the Jenny Revue site with the information for 2015. Yes, that means there will be a Jenny Revue for 2015! Huzzah!

In fact we have already updated our Online Winnipeg Fringe Program and Schedule. We think it is better than the one on the Official Winnipeg Fringe site, since it is searchable.

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 publish six issues on paper throughout the Festival and also publish those reviews, shameless self-promotions, and letters online. While we do have a cadre of Jenny Staff that help fill our pages with reviews, we want to hear from you.

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 well written reviews for shows that have not yet been covered will usually move to the front of the queue.
• Shameless Self-Promotion—If you are in a Fringe play and haven’t shamelessly promoted your show, put together 80 words—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.

See you in a couple weeks at the Fringe!

Murray (Jenny Cyber Guru)