In Review: FR!NGE
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January 20, 2010 3:22 AM
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This past weekend, the FR!NGE festival treated its audiences to stories of minor-inconvenience-solving superheroes, comical murder plots and World War I soldiers, among many others.
Two of The Cord’s volunteers attended Show A on Jan. 14 and Show B on Jan. 15 to review the eclectic array of plays and short films created and acted out by students.
Show A: Thursday
Heroman (play) Written by: Andrew Posen 2.5/4
A humourous alternative to your everyday superhero tale, the story follows Heroman and Sidekick Boy as they try to save their grungy apartment that they cannot afford.
However, instead of performing heroic acts, the duo gets by on solving minor inconveniences.
The play is entertaining because the cast, most notably Wade Thompson as Vitaman, fully commits to the ironic concept.
We Shall Not Look Upon His Like Again (film) Written by: Ted Steiner 3/4
The artistically innovative short film about the real abduction of Elizabeth Smart is a challenging experience.
Pairing the low, intense voice-over with artistic black and white images, the film captures the psychologically comfort-twisting trauma of such a tragedy.
Public Display of Reflection (play) Written by: Adam Cilevitz 3/4
The best-acted of any play, the small cast pulls off the story of a famous actress reflecting on her past.
Despite the melodramatic finale, the play is full of both hilarious and well-performed dramatic moments.
Vehemence (film) Written by: Ron Butler 1/4
There was not enough talent to save the many awkward moments of this short film.
Director Ron Butler tried evoking a French new wave feel with the over-emotional tale of heartbreak.
Butler’s idea, despite its potential, falls apart with bad acting and cheesy lines.
Fairy Godfather: A Musical (play) Written by: Lisa Sondergaard 2/4
Offering the best writing of all the plays, the plot of a stage manager hiring a hitman to kill his lead so he can hire a more talented actor was completely unique.
The jokes were wholly entertaining.
However, the cast was not strong enough to do the script justice.
Show B: Saturday
Going Up (play) Written by: Carly Lewis 4/4
In this light-hearted comedy about five people trapped in an elevator, each learn from one another that nobody is perfect but that “mistakes are portals of discovery.”
The performers were vivid and colourful and spoke each line with excitement and sincerity; the actors successfully brought these odd roles to life.
The Everwood Massacre (film) Written by: Mike McMurran 3/4
This film centred around the theme of society’s desensitization to the on-screen violence constantly being depicted in present-day media.
A horror film about a preacher who punishes youth for their sins, it was easy to see that director Mike McMurran focused intently on the process of filmmaking.
Death Pursues the Man Who Flees (play) Written by: Travis Herron and Luke Dotto 3/4
This enthusiastically-acted comedy-drama featuring a group of World War I soldiers attempt to convince others to leave the trenches instead of themselves.
The play’s plot would have become monotonous except that the actors were able to delve into their character’s personas so elaborately.
Memorandum (film) Written by: Dave Rodgers 2/4
The storyline of this tragic film was slow due to its non-linear scenes.
It was an attempt at contemporary artistic expression in terms of the actual filming and the plot, which lacked an extensive narrative.
Girls Who Ride Horses (play) Written by: Maeve Strathy and John Kaye 2/4
The play makes many generalizations about women and left the audience with the message that pressures about female appearance will lead to self-destruction.
At the same time, it demonstrated a divide between women and hostility towards girls who enjoy entering into practices of femininity.
This extreme notion was shocking; however, the acting was intriguingly intense and powerful.
At the Bat (film) Written by: Wade Thompson 4/4
This short and sweet narrative is about a guy who is unlucky with women. His conscience comes to life while he is on a date.
The story of the film was absurdly entertaining, as both the actors and their cantor were comical and clever, leaving the audience laughing by the end of the film.
Correction: the piece was based on Elizabeth Smart and not Emma Smart. The Cord apologizes for the error.
Comments
The productions in the fringe festival are given a $50 budget, the scripts are original, the actors are our friends, and the sets are made of whatever we can find backstage or in our homes. The only thing we ask of our audience is that they come to the show and make f it what they will, if they hate it fine, if they love it then thats even better. What we do NOT and have NEVER wanted is the Cord to speak for the student body and RATE our performances. The ONLY reason these festivals exist is to give students an art outlet that stands outside the mainstream, outside the institutions and the establishment, when you RATE us, you are treating us like we are inside those systems we try to distance ourselves from. I have been in 6 productions over 3 years, written and directed two of those, and i do not possibly see how two ill-informed staff writers can surmise the entire experience into a sentence or two for each production. We receive ZERO funding from any clubs, organizations, or funds and the only way we are able to do this year after year is through the ticket sales and the only way we get ticket sales is by word of mouth and the little advertising we can afford. We have worked out arses off for years, i'll be going into my 4th year of Fringe very soon, trying every year to just get a few more and a few more people out every year, this past season saw the largest crowd of the festivals history on the Saturday night (which your writers didnt cover, instead electing to go to the two "lesser" shows) and now, with this atrocious review, we have to work twice as hard just to gain some credibility back. Heroman was a fantastic production, Ron put his heart and soul into his film, the Fairy Gdofather garnered more laughter and applause on Saturday night than any production i have seen in the festival's history. We live on that stage, and we ask for nothing in return but open minds with which to work with. Shame to see this review written by two people who appear to be very close-minded.
Kudo's to Luke Dotto. You are bang on with your comments. I invited my friends and parents to attend this festival with me and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm surprised at some of the comments made by these two ladies and question their abilities. Obviously they are not journalists nor are they true critics as they totally misjudged alot of these films. The whole purpose is to invoke thought and conversation which is what these productions did. The interesting thing is that Lisa's musical was not only phenomenal but lifted spirits. Ron Butler's film (which by the way, won for best cinematography) received the largest cheer and applause of the evening. The fact that he took several couples through the story line was not only interesting but very charming. Ratings are inconsequential and mean absolutely nothing especially when it comes from those who have absolutely no idea of what great art is about. The best writers, directors and actors are the ones that give their heart and sole against all odds and accomplish their goals regardless. The important thing to remember is what these students accomplished on their own is a triumph of spirit. Your commnts rock Luke!
Kudo's to Luke Dotto. You are bang on with your comments. I invited my friends and parents to attend this festival with me and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm surprised at some of the comments made by these two ladies and question their abilities. Obviously they are not journalists nor are they true critics as they totally misjudged alot of these films. The whole purpose is to invoke thought and conversation which is what these productions did. The interesting thing is that Lisa's musical was not only phenomenal but lifted spirits. Ron Butler's film (which by the way, won for best cinematography) received the largest cheer and applause of the evening. The fact that he took several couples through the story line was not only interesting but very charming. Ratings are inconsequential and mean absolutely nothing especially when it comes from those who have absolutely no idea of what great art is about. The best writers, directors and actors are the ones that give their heart and sole against all odds and accomplish their goals regardless. The important thing to remember is what these students accomplished on their own is a triumph of spirit. Your comments rock Luke!
Fringe Festival was awesome. These gal-critics haven't a clue. Shame on the Cord. Shame on the two who havn't a clue. Emily you Rock! Life is good...be proud of your accomplishment fellow directors! Persevere and believe all will be yours to have....forget about the two without a clue! It will take them forever to figure IT out.
Peace Out
BAD JOURNALISM! YOU WRITE LIKE INFANTS!
Hmm it seems as if you got the plot of the Fairy Godfather wrong. I am fairly confident that it was the male director that hired the Hitman, and not the female stage manager who was in love with the lead. I think it even said that in the program... so I don't see how your notes could be wrong. But who needs facts when you write for the cord huh? Just as long as you get something published right?
I'm shocked that The Cord would cover an event put on by members of the student body. As a student paper, that is none of their business. Fr!nge is a festival that deserves to be completely out of the limelight. Shame on Yusuf Kidwai for taking photos of the event for The Cord, giving unwanted attention to a festival that tries its best to remain hidden. Shame on those two writers - who have clearly never written an article before in their lives, fact - for putting their time into seeing and writing about all of those plays.
How dare two Laurier students offer their opinions on the plays offered. Remember, fact and opinion are the same thing. And how could they possibly summarize a plot within a few sentances? Coverage of this event clearly deserves an entire paper. I'm willing to bet - without any evidence whatsoever - that the writers didn't even see any of the shows. As for their so-called "ratings", I disagree with them, and therefore they are incorrect.
Next year, instead of covering Fr!nge, The Cord should simply put in a free back page full colour ad the week before the festival, praising the event unconditionally.
KABLAH!
If anyone cares to see how a review SHOULD be done, check out The Imprint's very constructive, very substantial review of the festival. What do you know? They use words and not stars. Take a hint.
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2010/jan/22/cover/smaller-pockets-broader-picks/
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2010/jan/22/arts-and-entertainment/
http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2010/jan/22/arts-and-entertainment/death-pursues-stereotypes/
Micheal,
What's sad and pathetic is your feeble attempt to promote your own paper on the Cord website because your reviews don't get enough traffic.
No one even reads the Imprint (which is about 20 pages too long). Your entire Arts section was a Fringe festival that didn't even take place at your school. This is very strange for obvious reasons. At least bring back "Ask Shiniquoa," the only thing people actually read the Imprint for.
I'm glad that all of the Cord staff has more class and professionalism than that.
Maybe you should check your facts before you post reviews about fr!nge. ELIZABETH Smart, not EMMA Smart. Also, I think it is extremely unfair and uncalled for to rate these pieces. They are students' works of art done on little to no budget! I'd like to see you make something anywhere near as good. Extreme fail on the Cord's behalf.