One Man virtuoso Charles Ross best known for One Man Star Wars, and since its debut back in 2001, he’s performed worldwide!
One Man virtuoso Charles Ross has more than one show up his sleeve. He’s best known for One Man Star Wars, and since its debut back in 2001, garnering attention worldwide, he’s expanded his repertoire to include Lord of the Rings, Batman and now Stranger Things. Of the latter two, they are not as often performed but if you get a chance to see him perform them at special events, they’re worth the price!
As demand grows for specific shows, he will tour. Netflix’s season three of Stranger Things is the most anticipated television programme to come sometime in 2019 and this act will certainly develop as the series plot thickens.
His energy has never waned throughout the years I have seen him perform. One Man Star Wars is part of the local May the 4th celebrations at Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria in 2019 and One Man Pride and Prejudice is set to go live (dates TBA). When considering his roots with the Fringe Festival, local or otherwise, where he tests new material, I will be in line to see his take of this Jane Austen classic. It was performed at the last Edinburgh and Winnipeg Fringe Festival. I believe my English Lit profs would want me to attend.
In Victoria, British Columbia the Paper Street Theatre Company‘s holiday performances often sell out. This year, they are making sure the zombie epidemic is sure to spread in their improvised show which highlights this garden city in all its haunted glory. Instead of the traditional ghosts to mark the season, they are drawing upon many decades of zombie material to form into a live show, complete with confetti blood!
Technically, the ideas come from the audiences, and they work it into their presentation. Folks in the know will be in stitches about how the Inner Harbour is linked by tunnels. In their first show, the survivors are holed up in a museum, and they are having a frightful night in it — and trying to escape the eventual invasion. This narrative will change at each show and to watch the team recreate the nuances of terror certainly proves to witness the action live all the more engrossing. To see it on celluloid can offer safety, but to have it up close — especially with the set created for this performance, the sound scape heightening the mood, the creative lighting design which feels straight out of X-Files (if not straight out of John Carpenter film). All of them combined adds to the terror. High marks go to the team of Theodore Sherman, Emma Dickerson and Don Godlovitch.
Photo credit: Derek Ford Studios
Because improvised theatre tends to add humour to the situation, audiences are able to laugh along to the absurd elements randomly put in. The team — Christina Patterson, Nicole Olszewski, Brooke Cameron, Dominik Buconjic, Byron Kjeldsen, Chris Gabel, Monica Joan Ogden, Andrew Brimmell, Dave Morris, Scott Thompson and Missie Peters — certainly know their craft and are able to provide a meaningful narrative on the fly. Character driven tales are much more poignant than offering moments for viewers to laugh along. Just who will be on stage or who are the main characters or supporting will vary each day.
While the first show was not heavy on the Christmas theme, at least the day the zombies took over happened to be at Yuletide. Perhaps next time, I’ll have to shout out Santa’s Workshop to provide a more direct setting and wait for the chaos to begin. Although this company does not bring back past shows (I’m still waiting for the team to agree to bring back H.P. Lovecraft), at least I know I’ll be guaranteed to not see the same story twice. A tip must be mentioned though: the more absurd the idea is being pitched, the better the chance it will get considered to be part of the act.
This company has engaged locals since 2011 and have appeared at some events off the island. To keep up with their latest happenings, please visit their Facebook page.
Location:
Intrepid Studio Theatre 1609 Blanshard St
Victoria, British Columbia
Showtimes:
Agatha Christie
Oct 25th – 28th 8pm| $15 (Eventbrite)
Z-Mas | Dec 6th – Dec 9th & Dec 14th – Dec 16th 2017 8pm | $15
Halloween is fast approaching and Victoria, British Columbia based Paper Street Theatre Company is hosting two scary themed events. In the month of October is an A Murder on Paper Street, an Improvised Agatha Christie — with plenty of mayhem to explore — and on December, it will be Zombies! For some folks, both seasons are the best time to tell spooky stories by the ebb of a misty night.
Nobody has to lose their candy or spill their cups of eggnog here, while cackling gleefully at what this team of performers — Dave Morris, Byron Kjeldsen, Missie Peters, Scott Thompson, Chris Gabel, Nicole Malcolm, Christina Patterson, Dominik Buconjic and Brooke Cameron — will offer on stage.
When frequent Fringe theatre attendees can not get enough from one festival, thankfully those living in the Pacific Northwest can hop a ferry over to continue the fun. A few days is definitely needed to rest (thank god for Labour Day) to rest up before going from Victoria to Vancouver, British Columbia, performers included. This mainland side show starts September 7th and lasts for the same amount of days as the capital city.
Now if I can convince a relative to let me crash there for a week, the following are my picks of this show I feel are must see. I’m not repeating those I have seen already. You can click on this link to see my picks from the Victoria show — most of which are appearing in Vancouver.
Please click on the show titles for the show dates and to purchase tickets.
Chandelier-swinging, dastardly schemes and swordfights, swordfights, swordfights await as Sex T-Rex bring their signature cinematic style to the stage, dancing from The Princess Bride, to Final Fantasy, to Game of Thrones and dipping their rapier wit into all things sordid and sworded.
One part Banana Splits, two parts Japanese Folklore and three parts variety show make for a very quirky show called Kiss Around Pass Around. Yanomi Shoshinz (better known as Miss Hiccup back in Victoria Fringe Festival 2010 and 2012) created this act which blends a lot of traditions into a kaleidoscope of fun. But just what is a Kesaran Pasaran? Not many Fringe show attendees will want to research this name prior to or after seeing this production during the Vancouver Fringe Festival. As this event hits mid-way, perhaps its time to demystify this creature.
According to one online source, it’s the name of a spirit of good fortune. It’s essentially a white ball of fluff that’s evolved from a plant. When the material flies around like the white parts of a dandelion after a strong gust of wind, the joy it brings is often a delight to anyone running through a field of them. That’s what this show is like.
Requires Fringe Button ($6) Tickets range from $9 to 11
Available through Ticket Rocket or at the door
I’m fairly certain that there’s more than a few staff members at the Victoria Fringe Festival who are nerds too. I’ve met one person who worked there who is an avid LEGO enthusiast and I’m sure that buried in the closet are a few NERF guns. When nobody is looking, it’ll be time to bust a move.
People not acquainted with what the Fringe is about will quickly discover that the shows are experimental in nature, and the stages used are small to accommodate an intimate performance. Anything can happen, and the idea of a festival is to give new up-and-coming talent a chance to earn their cred. There’s a few groups that have moved on to bigger shows. The Reduced Shakespeare Company got their start at Fringe and Tom Stoppard‘s play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead was performed first at the Edinburgh Fringe. In a tiny way, Evil Dead: The Musical owes its debt somewhat to this method of putting on shows. It opened in a club before making it big. Musicals are just one part of what can be experienced at Fringe Festivals, and that’s what I tend to gravitate to when the Victoria Fringe Festival caps off the Summer.
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