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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] The Wyrd is Nine! A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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VENUE:
Metro Studio Theatre
1411 Quadra St.
Victoria, BC

LENGTH: 45 minutes

Not to be confused with other variations (the Canadian band of the same name or Terry Pratchett’s sixth Discworld novel), The Wyrd Sisters by DamnSpot Theatre is an all new take on William Shakespeare’s seminal trio of witches or soothsayers who have appeared in various works. Whatever they are called, these ladies of the mystic arts do more than manipulate the men this playwright is casting as the ‘hero.’ From Caesar to Macbeth, just what tugs at the heart of these soldiers are not their ability to cajole their heart, but rather in how Fate can be cruel.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] Finding Transcendence with the Selkie Tales, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Selkie Tales Graphic Written and Directed by
Voice Box Theatre Company

With Artwork from Roween Suess

Music by Sink

Through the power of myth, a cultural discourse of any country can be found in the stories of yore. Some legends may inspire a transformative change of the self whereas others look deep into a collective experience that many readers can find, if not relate to. In other cases, they serve to explain the power of a greater cosmic force at work. In folklore, traditions are explored, and sometimes what is experienced is more of a sensory exposition.

In Selkie Tales, grief and loss are explored in a whimsical journey of what the seal-folk of Scotland (a type of faerie) have contributed to the richness of this bonnie land’s mystique. These creatures are similar to mermaids/mermen. But they appear as seals when in the ocean and when they shed their skin upon reaching land, will look just like another human.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’14] Shadows are Abound in Vasilisa, A Review

Props have to go to a very stylized theatrical presentation of Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian fairy tale that can easily fit right in a Disney Universe.

Vasilisa the Beautiful Presented by
Ouroboros Shadow Pictures

Props have to go to a very stylized theatrical presentation of Vasilisa the Beautiful, a Russian fairy tale that can easily fit right in a Disney Universe. However, this presentation is very dark and it has the feel of belonging in Fantasia more than as a light-hearted animated stand-alone product.

In this stage-version, shadow puppetry, sombre music and dance is used to tell the tale of a young girl tasked by a wicked step-mother to bring back fire from the witch, Baba Yaga. In her spiritual journey through the woods, she learns about courage as she faces the terror borne from the elements. Baba Yaga is the Russian version of the Wild Man of the Woods from Celtic tradition. The only reason to seek this type of “creature” out is to find wisdom.

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