Andrew Paul and Fawnda Mithrush’s kitchen table while reviewing the 2012 Edmonton international Fringe Festival.

The 2018 Edmonton International Fringe Festival is upon us! And that means artists and audiences alike are eagerly awaiting the reviews to come out. On this episode of I Don’t Get It, our ever-silent producer Andrew steps in front of the microphone to chat with Fawnda and Paul about everything you ever wanted to know about Fringe reviews. From the controversial use of star reviews to who has the right to review shows, this episode opens the hood to look at the criticism engine that can make or break an artist’s Fringe run. Happy Fringing everyone!

The 2018/19 theatre season is fast approaching. Do you have a show or season info you’d like us to include in our listings? Email the details to us at [email protected].

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We survived! Paul and Fawnda took an eventful a road trip to the Badlands Amphitheatre to catch Mercury Opera and Opera Classica Nuova’s co-production of CARMEN—complete with roasted street corn, bright prairie skies, and an unmatchable backdrop for Bizet’s masterpiece. It was a wild ride, and we recorded some observations on the trip home.

If you have a show—or even a whole season—to share with us, please send the details to [email protected]. We’ll do our best to include a comprehensive listing of performances in YEG during our next season.

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It’s a crossover episode! Fawnda is joined by APN bud Shane Lawrence of the Ed Podcast to talk dance education with Jodie Vandekerkove and Gerry Morita of Mile Zero Dance on their outreach work in Edmonton schools. There’s no “5, 6, 7, 8…” in these classes, folks.

To learn more about having Mile Zero’s Dance residencies, visit milezerodance.com.

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It may be summer, but YEG stages are never empty. Paul and Fawnda escape the storms to take in Teatro la Quindicina‘s The Importance of Being Earnest, and Tiny Bear Jaws‘ Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable. We also notice that VUE Weekly has pulled the free event listings section from its print edition, and we have some thoughts—possibly even feelings—on that.

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It’s a #SummerStock Opera Special! Fawnda takes Colleen Feehan and Laura Raboud to see the Dora Award-winning burlesque spectacle of Canadian Opera Company’s Orphée+ at the Banff Centre, and we talk with mezzo-soprano Anna Gomá about her eponymous role in Carmen as Mercury Opera preps for its upcoming show in the Badlands Amphitheatre.

On the way, we found a hidden road trip gem at the tasting room of Grey Owl Meadery. Visit them off HWY 22 near Alder Flats for a taste of mead made from all-Albertan honey. Delish!

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Our Summer Stock series continues: We sit down with Sam Jeffery of #YEGTheatreStats to chat about the gender balance of creative teams in Edmonton theatres, and how a display of hard numbers might make a difference for representation for future seasons. Plus, news about upcoming road trips and more—stay dry out there!

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It’s summer stock time! Fawnda is joined by Laura Raboud to chat about this year’s Freewill Shakespeare Festival, which is alternating Hamlet and Comedy of Errors amid the squirrels in Hawrelak Park until July 15. Plus, we re-cap what went down at the Sterling Awards, and highlight a fascinating public spreadsheet that weighs gender-based stats of YEG’s theatre companies.

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It’s a peanut butter and jam-slammed episode of #yegarts news, Sterlings chatter, classical Kathak in KHOJ, and a very special drop-in by Trent Wilkie from The Undad to talk about Concrete Theatre‘s Sprouts Festival and theatre for kidlets. Also Fawnda attempts to describe seeing Angels in America in one measly minute. Listen to her fail!

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The sound booth gets a little snug this week as we’re joined by Karen Unland and Elizabeth Spencer (from That’s a Thing?! podcast) to chat about the Citadel Young Company‘s Bat Boy: The Musical. Then Paul gives us his take on David Byrne‘s visit to the Jubilee Auditorium. Happy listening!

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Terry and the Dog by Collin Doyle. From left to right: Maralyn Ryan, Robert Benz and Cole Humeny. Photo by: Ryan Parker

It’s a full-time week for guest Laura Raboud as we take in Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story at the Citadel Theatre, then hunker in for the befuddling, heart-churning experience of Collin Doyle’s new play, Terry and the Dog. What a time to be alive in #yegarts.

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