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Calgary Herald

Preview: From dance to death, Calgary Fringe offers something for everyone

Article content From Aug. 1-9, Inglewood hosts the Calgary Fringe Festival as it has done for the past 18 years. Article content This year, there are 20 shows, plus a Kids Fringe and Fringe After Dark, and there is still the option to screen most of the shows with Fringe on Demand. Article content 'On the opening weekend, we film many of the shows and then make them available to screen from Aug. 6 to 9. We started the option during the pandemic, and have found there are still people who prefer to screen the shows in the privacy of their homes. The number has decreased, but it's still large enough that we offer this option,' says Michele Gallant, the festival's producing director. Article content Article content Article content Article content The main venues this year are Festival Hall, the Lantern Church, and Woods Homes, plus two satellite venues. Article content 'There is a pop-rock musical called I'm Not Afraid to Die Anymore in the Arts Commons' Motel Theatre, and the musical SongStruck in the ATCO Performing Arts Centre (in the Alyth-Bonnybrook area).' Article content There are only three performances, Aug. 3, 7 and 8, of I'm Not Afraid, which is the stage version of Calgary-based Ado Nkemka's album, which she released last year. It is a highly personal account of how music transformed her life. SongStruck runs Aug. 1, 2, 8, and 9, and it is a concert by members of the Youth Singers of Calgary. Article content Article content Solo shows are the staple of fringe festivals, and they represent the bulk of this year's offerings. These include Victoria improviser and storyteller Dave Morris' 52 Stories as he tells tales of love, loss and friendship. In My Dad Died and All I Got Was This Show, British Columbia native Rachel Ruecker shares her coming-of-age story where she discovered that life is not as well written as the movies. Article content Article content With Tales of a Reluctant World Traveler, Randy Ross has come from Massachusetts to recall the 16 weeks he spent travelling the world, only to discover he much preferred Boston to the places he visited. In 100 Foreskins for My Hand in Marriage, Rainier Pearl-Styles of Edmonton dissects society's hangups about women, religion and relationships, while in The Cult of the Comfy Wizard, Calgarian Randolph West looks at how, and why, some people want to stand out from the crowd, and how this can be achieved.