Every September the annual Fringe Festival comes to town to express unique stories through the love and celebration of arts and culture. This festival was created in 1947 by six Scottish and two English companies that staged their own shows in Edinburgh along the top international shows at the time. Ever since then, The Fringe Festival has become the world’s largest arts and media festival in the world. As a fellow lover of arts and theatre, I’ve been attending The Fringe festival every year since the age of 17. Every year there are always new and unique shows that just brings a range of new perspective on certain topics in life.
One thing that I absolutely love about this year’s festival, is that if you’re unable to attend, there is now the option of watching the performance through live streaming. I know what you’re thinking, “is it even the same as watching the show on your phone or laptop?”, and the answer is yes. YES, IT IS! A theatre performance is no different than a Netflix show or an award show such as the Billboard Award, the Grammys, or even the Oscars. If anything, I believe that watching the live streams will be an amazing experience. Not only are you experiencing the show, but you can also listen to the experiences of those attending the live shows.
As expected, there are so many different shows that cater to everyone’s taste. The Fringe festival will be in town from September 8th – 18th, with exactly 10 days to watch all the shows. Which, if you think about it, it’s a great amount of time to enjoy as many if not all the performances being offered. However, since I am a student, time unfortunately is limited to me. But am I going to try to attend as many as I can? You already know the answer to that. After looking at all the shows, I can safely say that’s about a handful that I would be very upset at myself if I didn’t attend.
The first show would be Guys Don’t Journal by Michael Tranmer. Right off the bat as soon as I saw the name of the show, I knew it was something that I must see. Guys Don’t Journal is based on the memoir “satori Ananda” and offers insights into the male perspective following the end of a marriage. I personally find this extremely interesting because we don’t often see things from the male perspective. In addition, there is also a stigma surrounding men and their mental health. In society, just like the name of the performance “men don’t journal”, “men don’t talk about their feelings”, and “men don’t show their feelings”. I believe that Michael Tranmer’s take on this controversial topic will be extremely well done, especially with the storyline of divorce, which a great percentage of the population goes through. I think that the show can bring lots of positivity in terms of helping the viewers understand and view certain situations from different perspectives. As well as bringing happiness by showing what one can overcome after a tough event in their life.
The next show on the list is Discounted Hotpot Center by Anton Kit Chun Lee. Well first off, let me just say that I’m an EXTREMELY huge fan of hotpot. If anything, I go to hot pot at least 3 times a month which makes my stomach very happy but my wallet very sad. Therefore, anything with the word “hot pot” in it, you sure know that I will be reading or eating it. Not only is this show about food but the performer will be making a hot pot right on stage. Wish me luck that they’ll be giving hot pot out after the show. Discounted Hotpot Centre is an immersive culinary experience about a Hong Kong saleswoman struggling to sell her Hotpot package. Another aspect that intrigues me so much is that, as an Asian person who immigrated to Canada. I am a sucker for hearing about other Asian’s experiences in Canada. From the preview of the show, I can tell that it’s going to be a very wholesome and comedic performance that will leave the audience in high spirits and hungry, of course.
One of the last performances on my list is Juliet: A Revenge Comedy. Even since I can remember I’ve always loved Shakespeare; I was that one kid in English class that got excited over the fact that we had to read Shakespeare. And when it came to Bard on The Beach, I was there for every performance that ever came to town. Romeo and Juliet were my favourites out of all the Shakespeare novels. It wasn’t because it was said to be “the greatest, most tragic love story of all time” and “the star-crossed lovers”, by everyone important. The story was my favourite because I was never able to wrap my head around the fact that Juliet committed ‘suicide’ over a boy she had just met. So, the fact that Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, is a show about “What if JULIET doesn’t kill herself?” and follows Juliet on an adventure of recruiting a team of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters to find out why they’ve been forced to die in the stories. Personally, I think the concept of this show is beyond genius, it’s such a simple question that I don’t think people ever really thought about. Because as a Shakespeare lover, I too am quite curious to see how the performance will build up the storyline for that. Also, who doesn’t love women’s empowerment right?
There are always so many events goings on in the city of Vancouver, but The Fringe Festival is one of the best arts and cultures festival on the lower mainland. Every year the shows are always so incredibly creative and well-written. With the addition of each show leaving, you with a glimpse and new insight into certain life situations. And often leaving you will the feeling of joy, laughter, and gratitude.