And its over

Well, now that’s over.

Out of Character closed on Sunday night, to an enthusiastic crowd.  There were very few backstage (or onstage) shenannigans, and the show was probably one of the best: it clipped along, the entire cast was “on”, and there was a great energy from start to finish.

The show, overall, was a good experience.  We had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot (which is always good).

I have done a bit of thinking on the Fringe BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) experience, however.  I love the concept of the BYOV.  I love the idea of creating site specific theatrical productions.  The downside, however, is whether the BYOV is really a part of Fringe.  In most of the “regular” venues, shows rotate on the schedule, never performing at the same time, and often with a day or two in between performances.   Since the shows all spend time in the same theatre, when one show is letting out, another show is getting ready to go in.  The audiences mingle and word of mouth happens.   Also, if a show happens to be sold out, people may hang around and buy tickets for the next show. Actors mingle before and after shows, connections get made, and ideas get shared.

With the BYOV, however, the show exists in a bit of a vacuum. People come to the location specifically for the show that’s performing. Its usually not in a “traditional” theatre space, so people might have trouble finding it.  Audiences don’t mingle with the show letting out or coming in, its rare to meet actors from other shows (unless they come specifically to see the BYOV show).  Being away from the other venues, means that you lose out on some buzz generating things, such as the audiences mingling, vying for the Patron’s Pick, or the Best of the Fringe.

I’m certainly not complaining though.  BYOV shows are always exciting, often experimental, and never quite what you expect.  And this was an incredible experience.  I just think that to get the full Fringe experience, its best to be in one of the “main venues”.

Another great thing that happened over Fringe, was that I got a much needed kick in the pants on the writing front, and gave myself a goal to have two shows written and ready, so that I can submit one of them for next year’s Fringe Lottery.  I’m also starting to wonder about trying to do a Fringe tour, but that’s on the back burner.  Right now, the concentration is on the writing.

3 More

Including tonight, you have only 3 more chances to see Out of Character.  Houses have been really great, and more people are coming each night.  Tickets go on sale at 7pm.  You can get advance tickets at the Fringe tent, but really…the easiest thing is just to show up early.  We open the doors at about 7:30 and start right at 8pm.

Hope we’ll see you there this weekend.

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Out of Character: Review

Heading into a day off from performing, I thought I would point out a review of Out of Character that appears in Plank Magazine.

Reviewer Ryan West, says:

Delving into the mysterious and bizarre world of LARPing (Live Action Roleplaying, for the non-geeks), the play foregoes easy humour at the expense of these social outcasts and delivers a surprisingly poignant love story.

A powerful cast flow in and out of their characterizations, with each player donning the mantle of both their ‘real’ persona and the ‘shadow’ one, a fantasy identity created to exist in an imaginary world of intrigue and deception

Read the full review here.

Remember: although we are dark tonight, there are 5 more chances for you to see Out of Character, starting again on Wednesday July 8th.  Show details can be found here.

5 Down, and Jerk

Tonight is our sixth performance of Out of Character.  After that, we have just five more performances.

I have really been enjoying the run of this show.  The cast is a lot of fun to play with, and we’ve been having some very receptive and appreciative audiences.

Last night, I learned a valuable lesson: even though they serve jerk chicken at the Fringe tent, and even though it is delicious…do not eat jerk chicken before the show.  I did this yesterday, and it was definitely a mistake.  Just remember, jerk chicken is an after show treat.

Dark tomorrow, and then we head into our final five performances.  Hope to see you there.

We opened! And nobody died!

Last night, we opened Out of Character at the Fringe.

I will admit to some nervousness (ok, a lot).  I wasn’t sure how the show would play for an audience.  I wasn’t sure if an audience would get it.  And I wasn’t sure if I would remember the lines for a certain scene (yes, that scene).

In the end, we had a small but engaged audience, who seemed to really enjoy the show.  I remembered my lines.  The audience got it, and all was well with the world.

At the end of the night, I was informed that a reviewer from Eye Weekly had been in attendance.  Here’s hoping that they are kind.  The review official Eye review, plus audience reviews will appear here.

Tonight, we’ll do it again.

Backstage, Kat Leonard watches the onstage action:

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