villagevibe August 2009 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Fringe Gives Fernwood Starring Role
T
he Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival is set to expand from downtown into Fernwood this year with the addition of a ‘Bring Your Own Venue’ show at Vic High. Local performers Michael Delamont, Wes Borg, Morgan Cranny, Rod Peter, and special guest Pierre Berton will remount one of Fringe history’s best selling shows, The War of 1812. This account of Canada’s role in the burning of the White House is “the funniest 90 minute history lesson of a lifetime,” – Victoria Times Colonist. The Fringe classic made famous by Atomic Improv and Three Trolls and a Dead Baggie hasn’t been performed at a Fringe Festival since 1996. Intrepid Theatre’s Ian Case will direct the production. Victoria Fringe Festival Artistic Producer Janet Munsil says the new venue is a welcome addition to the festival. “Friendly, funky Fernwood is a perfect match for the Fringe, so we’re thrilled that one of the festival’s indie companies has chosen to produce in the neighbourhood where so many of our artists, volunteers, and fringe-goers live,” says Munsil. The Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival runs from August 27 – Sept 6 this year. With more than 350 performances over 12 days in 15 downtown venues, the festival is Vancouver Island’s biggest annual
theatre event. It is also one of Canada’s oldest Fringe festivals and a founding member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals. This year’s Fringe Festival is shaping up to be bigger than ever, with 51 companies performing (three more than last year). The response this year from artists applying has been overwhelming, and only one in three shows that applied got in to the festival due to the sheer volume of applications. The festival has added more ‘Bring Your Own Venue’ shows to allow more local companies to perform. Affectionately known as ‘BYOV’ among Fringe Festival-goers, the tradition of ‘Bring Your Own Venue’ shows in which performers chose nontraditional theatre spaces to perform goes back to the beginnings of the Fringe, when in 1947, eight uninvited theatre groups crashed the Edinburgh
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What a Do!
Paint those Poles! >> by Emily Grav
W
ith summer in full swing, there’s no better time than now to be outside painting, and kids attending The Paint Box summer camps have been doing just that! Their canvases are the telephone poles that line Gladstone Avenue, from the square to Chambers Street. Each group of kids is putting its own unique touch on the poles, with themes such as the ocean, the jungle, African safari and their favorite cartoon characters. The city requires no permit, and BC Hydro is happy for the poles to be painted, so if you’re feeling creative, check out the poles we’ve done on Gladstone and get to work on one outside your house! It’s a great way to brighten the neighborhood, deter tagging and add personality to your block.
>> by Johanna Henderson
A
sunny evening in the Belfry Theatre set the stage for friends, family and local dignitaries to bid adieu to Fernwood NRG Executive Director Roberta Martell on her last day of work with the organization in late June. Guests including Fernwood neighbours, MP Denise Savoie, and the CBC’s Lisa Cordasco (in a sparkly dress and blue wig, no less!) enjoyed gourmet snacks and a truly stunning farewell cake from local baking artisan, Daniel (of Patisserie Daniel). Neighbours Blanche and Bob worked the Belfry Bar. Collages of photos and articles chronicling Roberta’s five and a half years with Fernwood NRG decorated the Belfry’s entranceway, recalling the highlights of Roberta’s time with the organization: the renovation of the Cornerstone, the daycare roof hunger strike, the construction of Park Place.
in this issue Fernwood NRG Board Director Trish Richards delivered a heartfelt speech, thanking Martell for everything she’s done for Fernwood. Trish then presented Roberta with a truly Fernwood farewell gift, a stunning abstract painting by Collective Works member Deryk Houston entitled Crops in the Field. Roberta then took the podium, giving a rousing talk about where she’d like to see Fernwood go in the coming years, touching on topics ranging from alternative sewage treatment to the rehabilitation of other derelict buildings in the city.
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Knitters in Fernwood Page 2 Feature: Little Treasures Discovered Page 4 Village Family Marketplace Page 8
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