The 2013 Edmonton Fringe is underway and it has seemed to bring with it an energetic, bigger vibe compared to prior years.  I can't put my finger on what exactly is different: More people?  Happier people?  Bigger shows?  Am I just in a good mood?  I've had a number of people comment on the different feeling they've been getting this year.  They've felt more buzz, more media coverage and more people showing up on grounds and best of all, in theatres.  What I've always loved about the Edmonton Fringe is how the whole city seems to stop and pay attention to the 10 day festival that closes down streets and creates a temporary theatre district in the heart of the city.  I've been to a few other cities during Fringe time, and I can definitely say that we are very lucky to have the festival we do.  

This year, I am helping to produce Candice's one-woman show, "Anatolia Speaks", and I couldn't be more proud to not only be a part of an inspiring Kenneth Brown show, but to see Candice play the role with such honesty and heart... (not to mention all the awesome reviews she's been getting).  I am also a part of Grindstone Theatre's "The 11 O'Clock Number!", a fully improvised musical.  I am in love with this show.  Something about improvisation really gets to me...  and oddly enough, a lot of us feel even more comfortable improvising songs than scenes.  I love the shared passion all of us have, and the growing relationships with all the new friends I have made.  There's a huge sense of trust that is earned over time between actors working together, especially when improv is involved, and you need that trust in order to make big decisions and take risks and know that your peers will catch you... and rhyme with you... and dance with you.

I love Fringe.  And you should, too.  Get out there and take in the food, outdoor shows, and pick a play, a musical, or dance piece to go see.  It only comes once a year.

-B 

This one goes out to all the supporters! Everyone who comes out to watch us perform, shows up to a fundraiser, gives us a word of encouragement – This one's for you.

I’ve been doing a lot of solo performing lately - Candice also, in her one woman show "Anatolia Speaks" (soon to be performed at the Edmonton fringe) - and the both of us have had a similar experience – It gets lonely. When on stage alone, in a city where you know few people, or no people at all, even performing to a sold out crowd, you feel alone when you leave the performance by yourself.

I never realized how much having even just one friend in the audience means more than having hundreds of audience members. To me, having someone in the audience who knows me and cares about me regardless of how my performance was, is very comforting.

On a slight side tangent, this experience goes to affirm that fame will never be the measure or delight of our successes as artists. It is the individuals we meet, connect with, learn from, and maybe even are blessed enough to grow with, that really enriches our lives, brings joy, and instills a deep sense of accomplishment.

How timely that I should be having this experience just around the time that Poiema had it’s fundraiser in Edmonton. To everyone who came out, know that regardless of what $ value you contributed to the evening, what has exponential value to us as a company is your support, your belief in us as young women hoping to create meaningful theatre and bring about a change.  We really are blessed to have you in our lives; it touches our hearts all the time.


-S

       Last weekend, the four Poiema Gals and one Poiema Gal Sister took a road trip to celebrate the upcoming marriage of Melissa Heagy and Mark Blackwood.  Poiema Gals have been known to love a good surprise, and the stagette weekend was no different.  We had the entire weekend away planned and Mel had no idea where we were taking her or what we would be doing.  Our trip took us to Fernie, Lake Kookanusa, and Cranbrook.  Each day we gave Melissa clues in a vintage photo album about what was to come.  A fujifilm instant camera was the perfect accompaniment, allowing her to document the trip and fill the album as we went.  What I loved most about the weekend, was the spontaneous, unplanned fun we had.  Yes, our plans were brilliant (Japanese dinner, dancing all night, lounging by a lake) but it was the random games of grounders, the abrupt stops to go jump in a new lake, the fully-committed improvisation of songs, the impromptu heart to hearts detailing what each of us love most about the rest- these are the things I will remember.  For Monday, we had planned a 2 hour bike ride from Cranbrook to Kimberley on a beautiful trail, but awoke to thunderstorms.  No problem.  We played cards, swam in the pool playing Marco Polo and having jumping competitions, watched a movie, went to a café, and finally played the scariest game of Sardines I've ever experienced.  (Candice, your parents have a terrifyingly dark and eerie yard when the sun goes down.)  The rain didn't make us skip a beat.  "Ah well," we thought, "just an opportunity to do something else exciting."  These trips remind me how lucky I am to have the friends I do.  It makes me pause to appreciate the moments I share with them, and how important these relationships are in my life.  It was brought up on the trip how people, girls included, view women as dramatic, catty, or selfish, and how saddening this is.  Girls are great.  I hope that everyone can be surrounded by women just like the ones I have who they can laugh with, share with, and lean on.  Congratulations, Melissa!  Thank you for letting us be a part of your day!

-B