The 2011 Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival has come to an end. Hooray! Considering it was my first crack at putting on a Fringe show I think I did pretty damn good. And by ‘I’ I am, of course, referring to the collective ‘I’. Stephen Sim, Fraz Wiest, Dan Huen, Caitlin Curtis, Marc Evans and Todd Techon were the wonderful goldmines of talent and knowledge I was lucky enough to work with.
It all started with a series of emails and two meetings with Stephen Sim. Then came the cast meetings, the writing, the rehearsing, the re-writing, the rehearsing, the re-re-writing, the rehearsing, the re-re-re-writing, the rehearsing, the re-re-re-re-writing, etc…
Sim brought Caitlin Curtis and Fraz Wiest into this project. Fraz later became a co-writer of the show and lone writer of the killer closing sketch. The one everyone, without exception, listed as one of their favourite moments in the show. Fraz has the ability to make me turn from stoic to crying like a bruised baby from laughing so hard within 2 minutes of being around him. He has all the talent in the world and impeccable timing. I sure hope to work with him again in the future…
Caitlin is definitely destined for great things. She’s equal parts sweet as sugar and tough as steel. Her improvisational skills and valiant work ethic make her the ideal collaborator for pretty much anything. I will not pick favourites, but if I had to it would totally be Dan Huen, with Caitlin as a close second.
Marc Evans is a little guy with a humungous, throbbing heart/penis. It was his bad ass studio in the Exchange District that we met in twice a week to discuss, rehearse, and smoke copious amounts of cigarettes in. He coined many a phrase that’s worked it’s way into my regular lexicon.
And Dan Huen was there too.
In conclusion, this experience was invaluable, exciting and inspiring. Next year I’m hoping to produce at least two shows and one kids fringe show. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy some recreational reading and time passing before season 2 of Week Thus Far kicks off in September.
