This weekend we’re giving thanks because it’s Weekend 1 of Fresh Meat 8!
We’re bringing back some faves like PWYC Thursdays, a few returning artists, Dominion City brews, & Buchipop bubbles. But of course, we wouldn’t be Fresh Meat if we didn’t keep things, well… fresh. Let’s get into what’s new, what’s old, and what’s poppin’ at Fresh Meat 8. (Hint: it’s all pretty poppin’)
Pay-What-You-Choose-Thursdays are Back
Last year we took a new step towards our goal of creating an accessible and inclusive festival: all tickets sold in-person at the door on Thursday nights were Pay-What-You-Choose. We had no idea of if it would work, or tbh if it would sink the festival. But it wasn’t up to us, it was up to our audience: you. And to put it this way: YOU👏 CAME👏THRUUUUUU👏
So this year, PWYC Thursdays are back. And it really is for you to choose. We want you to consciously decide what the ticket value is for you, and more importantly, what works for you. $20 General Admission and $15 Student tickets will still be available for Friday & Saturday nights.
And perhaps most importantly: help us spread the word. The whole point of having a PWYC option is for folks to come, see the shows, and contribute what they choose. So tell a friend!
HOSTS
Thursday, October 10: David Brennan
David Brennan hot off of his physical horror comedy show (say that 5 times fast) David Brennan Exhumed. Photo by: @lblstudio
David Brennan is a comedian from Hamilton now living in Ottawa. Last summer his physical comedy horror show "David Brennan Exhumed" won Best in Venue BYOV at the Hamilton Fringe. His sketch troupe The Imponderables won 5 Canadian Comedy Awards, shot a Just For Laughs gala performance for CBC Television and toured North America.
If you get a taste for David’s comedy at Fresh Meat, and are interested in the main course, next up he will be MC’ing Absolute Comedy in Ottawa Oct 22- 27 or you can follow him in Twitter @BrennanDavidN.
Friday, October 11: THUNK!theatre (Karen Balcome & Geoff McBride)
Karen Balcome & Geoff McBride at what seems like the coolest birthday party in the world. Photo by Andrew Alexander.
THUNK!theatre is an ongoing collaboration between creators Karen Balcome and Geoff McBride. Brought together by a shared devotion to text-based creation and inspired by the challenge of staging impossible ideas, Karen and Geoff have been working together since 2012. They are happy to be visiting with our friends at Fresh Meat! This is where their company premiered their second shows Far & Near & Here and we have returned a number of times with smash. bam. kapow. at Freshmeat 3 and Tolerance at Freshmeat 4. THUNK! has created a number of theatrical productions that explored the boundaries of performance and audience interaction. bread, produced in 2013 at Ottawa’s undercurrents festival, The Lost & Find (subDevision, Magnetic North Theatre Festival, CSArt Ottawa), Far & Near & Here (undercurrents), 30/50 (CSArt Ottawa) and bread 150 in collaboration with the Parkdale Food Centre and the Hintonburg Happening.
Later this fall THUNK!theatre will be part of the subDevision Festival at La Nouvelle Scene from November 14t-16th.
Saturday, October 12: APLOMBUSRHOMBUS
Mitchel Rose (L) and Madeleine Hall (R) in their Fresh Meat creation Folie. Photo by Ming Wu.
Fresh Meat faves, Aplombusrhombus is an award-winning Ottawa-based clown and physical theatre duo founded in 2015 by Mitchel Rose and Madeleine Hall. By using clown as a vehicle for exploration, Aplombusrhombus juxtapose human suffering with moments of joy and levity, resulting in pieces that resonate from their emotional centres as well as their polished exteriors.Their debut play Cardinal – a clown show about Alzheimer’s – won the 2016 Ottawa Fringe Festival’s emerging artist award. 2017’s Ethel was named “Best Show” and “Best New Work” by reviewers and won festival awards for Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Work.
Aplombusrhombus have some very exciting things in the works, but shhhhhh! they’re a secret! Keep up with the lastest from this dynamic duo on their website.
OUR SPONSORS
We are very lucky to have some of the most amazing sponsors in the community. Nay, the dopest sponsors. We’d like to thank them and we encourage you to taste, imbibe, check out & learn more about these dope folks:
We’d also like to thank our supporters: UPROAR, which had its inaugural festival earlier this year; it was dope. A Company of Fools, which regaled audiences this summer with Romeo & Juliet; it was also hella dope. And Apt613, our media partner; they never cease with the dopeness.
THE SHOWS: Weekend 1
From left to right, our opening night performances are:
The Wounded Joker, written & performed by Janna Klostermann
Freda and Me, written & performed by Warde Leppan, directed & dramaturged by Pierre Brault
No More Mr. Rice Guy, created by Caterina Fiorindi, Alli Harris & Franco Pang
Little Orphan Annie, devised & performed by Kyle Cameron, costuming by Patrice-Ann Forbes
Stripped, by Caitlin Oleson (playwright, producer, actor), Kevin Reid (director, co-creator), Letycia Henrique (actor, co-creator) & Elspeth (dancer, co-creator)
As always, information on these shows & all the other happenings at the festival can be found on our website.
Fresh Meat 8 Weekend One runs Thursday October 10 - Saturday October 12, and we'll be back the next weekend, too.
Tickets available online and at the door. Doors at 7, shows at 7:30.
Love,
Fresh Meat