by Sam Wend

Tonight, a group of us went to see Shit-Faced Shakespeare at C. The performance was 24 minutes late getting started, which was pretty frustrating since we had to queue up outside in the cold night air for the majority of that time, and we knew the only way any show could get away with starting that late was because it was the last one in the space for the night. But despite that, despite having to pay for tickets at a venue where we had passes, and despite going all the way there only to find out it was sold out yesterday – the show was 110% worth it.

The concept of Shit-Faced Shakespeare, a Magnificent Bastard Productions tradition, is that a troupe of professional Shakespearean actors perform a Shakespeare play – this year, it’s Much Ado About Nothing­. The catch is that at each performance, one of the actors is randomly selected to be totally, completely wasted. The same actor cannot be picked two nights in a row, and no one can do it for more than four performances a month, as a way to protect both the livers of the actors and the integrity of the show.

It was absolutely hysterical; the edges of my mouth still ache a bit from smiling so much. The girl who played Hero, the smallest, lightest-weight person in the cast, was selected as the shit-faced Shakespearean of the evening. Highlights of the show, which was excellent even beyond the drunken element, included: Hero bringing her cell phone onstage and making the entire audience sing “Happy Birthday” to her sister over voicemail; Claudio pulling a woman out of the front row to stand in as Hero when she got distracted backstage, and Hero mocking and staring the girl down for the rest of the performance; Hero dying at least three times because she couldn’t remember when in the wedding scene it was supposed to happen; a fantastic soundtrack of modern music given a medieval twist; Margaret being portrayed by a teenage boy pulled from the audience; Hero constantly asking the stage manager to change cues and the rest of the actors wondering who the mysterious Maria in the sky was; and Hero calling Claudio a “dirty man” and apologizing to Maria for her husband (Claudio) cheating on her when Claudio and Hero kissed as part of the show.

If I had unlimited time and money and the show wasn’t selling out every night, I would be more than happy to see this production every single evening. I can’t imagine it ever getting boring, since by nature it becomes a completely different performance every evening. Despite the goofiness and insanity of the idea, the support and passion amongst the actors and Maria was clear, and it was wonderful to see them work together and support each other, somehow getting through the show despite the many (comedic) distractions and deterrents.

by Allison Pitts

            On Sunday the 11th we attended a workshop led by Scottish producer Frodo McDaniel. After he briefly joked with the crowd about having the name “Frodo,” he began the session. Frodo is currently producing five shows at the Fringe and is also here looking for shows to produce in the future. Specifically, Frodo looks for circus and cabaret, but he gave us helpful tips for all types of artists to use when finding a producers.

            Frodo stressed that the most important thing for an artist to have ready is the pitch for their show. It is important to explain what your show is about in two lines. He said producers do not want to hear the entire plot in a pitch; just the general information of what the show is about. As an artist, it is important to always have a flyer, press release and business card on you. This is especially important at the Fringe because you are always meeting new people who could potentially help you.

            At the Fringe, a producer can help an artist with several things. A producer manages your budget, logistics, rehearsal space and anything else that keeps you from focusing on your show. Using a producer while at the Fringe will help the artist to spend more time making their show the best it can be and it is an overall good investment to make. While the price varies by the producer, the average price a producer will charge at the Fringe is 1000 to 2000 pounds for the month. While this does not fit into everyone’s budget, a producer is worth the money if you can afford it. Overall, Frodo’s insight on presenting to producers was very informative. He gave everyone the knowledge they will need if they want to get the attention of a producer.    

by Emily Selke

The Events by David Greig is a play written to represent the horrific mass murders that have taken place around the world. Based on the terrors in Norway by Anders Breivik from 2011, the story focuses around characters The Boy, the killer, and a surviving victim and priest, Claire. The play was held at the Traverse Theatre, and it was our first experience in the space since talking about the place during our Traverse Through Time lectures.

One of the nice things about the show was that I was part of the team responsible for conducting the pre-show research to educate our class on the plot and history of both the show and its producing company. It was also a downside because it led to many assumptions, expectations, and questions about how the performers would act out such intense moments. Though there was a great deal of build up, the show did not disappoint.

The mood of the piece was immediately eerie and a little confusing because there was a full choir filing onstage. Having previously done research, we knew (though it was fairly obvious) that the choir had only been rehearsed for 90 minutes immediately before the performance. Aside from that, they had never seen nor heard the full play. This was slightly unsettling until they started singing and the story began. The two rehearsed characters, Claire and The Boy, emerged onstage, and the crowd was swept into the emotion and details of their story. It was a two hour mind boggling journey through social constructs and mental stability (and lack thereof).

It was one incredible show because of all the unique facets. The story was non-linear, and the male actor played a handful of different characters, and the almost unsuspecting choir were such integral and unusual parts of the program that it was hard not to enjoy at least some aspect of the show. The absolute best part about the show was that it was universal, exploring the emotions of disasters from anywhere in the world.

by Julie Kimelman

The American Gun Show technical load-in was a really cool experience for those of us who are interested in the technical aspects of shows.  It still amazes me how the venues are able to transform seemingly random buildings into spaces suitable for performance. The American Gun Show is in Gryphon Venues, located in the Point Hotel. A room on the bottom floor was transformed into a black box type theater with a thrust stage, and amazing grid of lights considering the situation.  Black curtains covered all four walls, and the stage was center with audience chairs around three of the four sides.  The sound and light technician sat in the back corner along with the stage manager and director who were frantically trying to adapt their light cues to make the best use of the available lights.

The runtime of the show is 60 minutes, and the company was given only 60 minutes to build, load-in, and strike their show. Though most of us have sat through our fair share of load-ins and tech rehearsals, it amazed me how quickly everything needed to come together and I loved watching their stage manager's techniques. Because multiple shows use the same space, none of the companies are allowed to use spike tape. Instead, their stage manager spaced out their set pieces and took a picture of the leg of each chair using her foot to measure the distance. 


Their director ran a cue-to-cue, only performing certain segments in real time.  From a stage manager's perspective, it was so cool to watch this process happen so quickly compared to the 15-hour tech rehearsals I was accustomed to.