Halfway done, the fourth mighty FRESH MEAT DIY THEATRE FESTIVAL is going along as strong as ever, thanks to some awesome first weekend shows that I hope y’all were wise or lucky enough to see. I’m happy to report that Jesse Buck hit all my geeky clown expectations with his endlessly inventive MR.EFF, Canada voted for love after Norah Paton’s sly STEPHEN & ME, Mike and Joel made their own clowning debut with the delightful TRAIN COMPARTMENT, Resounding Scream brought awkward young role-playing romance to life with JOSEPH AND AMARISE, and Karen Balcome and Kara Nolte brought us all a little closer with the lovely be:see:together.  Plus the delightful living art exhibit from Van Go, and the endlessly flowing suds from Dominion City. But the Meat rolls on!  And it’s almost time for week two, and the wondrous things it will bring.  Starting with…

SLOW BURN from Leslie Cserepy and Chris Hannay

Frequent Experimental Farm Theatre cohorts Chris Hannay and Leslie Cserepy come together for a cool theatrical experiment…a 2-man improvised play that gets rewritten every time it’s performed.  As if you needed any more excuses to come back to Fresh Meat again and again…

PAN-DORA from Filament Theatre.

Elise Gauthier and Filament (responsible for the gorgeous L’ARAIGNEE at Ottawa Fringe) team with Alex Zabloski to bring this tale of the mythical Pandora (or maybe just a bag lady) using words, song and movement.  Elise and Alex are the bomb, and this will be one to remember.

MISE-EN-ABYME from Cart Before the Horse.

The unstoppable Megan Carty is back (she starred in last FM’s ME AND MY MONSTER, and about a dozen things in between), teaming with Martin Dawagne for this piece about the destructive cycles we find ourselves in, with a live musical score!

TOLERANCE or THUNK!theatre Explains why It Is Important to be Kind to Every Fucking Thing on this Planet from Thunk!Theatre.

After the successes of past shows like BREAD at undercurrents and FAR & NEAR & HEAR at Fresh Meat (and then Undercurrents as well), Karen Balcome and Geoff McBride of Thunk! are back (with the great Gabbie Lazarovitz) to tell the story of the creation of the Universe…or maybe make the audience do it for them. Be ready to play for this one, gang. And last but not at all least…

ETHEL from Madeleine Hall.

My own co-star and co-creator from last year’s Fresh Meat show FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF DATING and Ottawa Fringe show HANNAH & GEORGE, Madeleine Hall is making her solo debut and hitting the FM stage with a personal story inspired by her Grandmother and directed by the wunnerful Jodi Morden. I’ve been hearing about this show for over a year now, and cannot wait to see how it has turned out. And hooray, we finally get to hear Madeleine speak in this one! 🙂

That’s it…five more unmissable shows from the most vital new theatre festival around. I’d better see you all there packing the joint…get the meat while it’s fresh!  Peace, love and soul,

Kevin Reid (and Winston)