Sunday, August 05, 2007

Well here I sit in my tiny room that I'm sharing with the lovely Alison from a play called The Fugue Code in tiny Toon Town otherwise known as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Now don't get me wrong, if there was anyone in the world easier to share a room with I'd be very surprised. But I haven't shared a room since my sister moved out when I was about ten and I like it that way.

It's like having a boy over to stay but with none of the fringe benefits of the occasional orgasm and a manly chest to lie on.

I'm also staying in a rather devout household with many a picture of Jesus dotted about and much talk of christian ethics and church. As an atheist this is a new environment for me BUT I was dragged up proper and I can be respectful. They have been nothing but entirely generous and lovely and kind with driving me about the place BUT I'm not sure they'll be taking in my show about the sex industry and if they do I confess (not with a priest of course) to be pleased my piss-take of the Lord's prayer which comes complete with the lines: "Give us this day our daily head" and "Ahhhhh lots of men" is not in the international version of my show.

A-hem.

I have only done one show here so far which had a whole 21 people attending. But as it was 4pm on a Thursday on the first day of the Fringe with no one about on the street I was thrilled with that. Is funny how our expectations change from day to day. I am also performing here in a school gym. Oh the dizzy heights of fame where I get changed next to a hockey net and some plastic hockey sticks. (Probably the Canadian equivalent of Kiwi Cricket.)

My tech also didn't turn up til 15 mins before I was supposed to go on on Thursday, so that was exciting too. (Though not as exciting as in Winnipeg where the group before me took off with my CD and I nearly had to cancel my last show as I stupidly had no back-up and was bawling in the theatre calling then cunts when it came running in the door.)

But apart from that Winnipeg rocked the party! I won Best of Fest, got a four and a half star review in the Winnipeg Sun (see below) and made some brilliant friends. That town sure knows how to Fringe with some couples taking in 60 or 70 shows in the course of 10 days! Personally my eyes would start to bleed if I did that I think but I saw around 22 shows.

I also got two of the worst reviews in my life in Winnipeg, well actually the only 2 truly bad reviews in my life ever. And one of these was from the same show as the 4 1/2 star review in the Sun. Proving art is entirely subjective indeed. I could go into some in depth analysis of their reasons for not enjoying my show but I think I'll just call them twats. SO there, twats.

OOOOOhhh I'm so mature.

Anyways I have to go and break bread for lunch and then get my pink ass down to the festival centre to flyer. Wish me luck.

Ahhhhhhhh lots of men.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Penny. I was at your last show in Winnipeg on Sunday night @ 7 pm and I had NO CLUE you were minutes away from cancelling the show (and bawling backstage). Wow!! What a trooper. It was totally not evident. I don't know if you think that last show came off any better or worse than the others through the week but I saw absolutely nothing that would elicit 2 bad reviews (unless they were just overly conservative prigs, lol). Anyway, well done and yes I agree, Winnipeg TOTALLY ROCKS THE PARTY (always has - that's my home town baby).

P.S. How's you're temperature these days, do you need me to take it again ? LOL