My favorite time of year is almost here – FRINGE! I have been an avid Fringer for many years now. This year will be something special as there will be a kitty in a kayak.
Every Fringe I see anywhere from 15-40 shows depending on what my schedule allows. I love seeing the old standbys that you know will put on a good show (like Stewart Lemoine, David Belke, Darrin Hagen, etc) and finding an unexpected gem (like Jake’s Gift, which is back again this year) among the 250 shows available over 10 days.
Once upon a time, I used to participate in Fringe shows. For a good 10+ years I did a show every year. I even branched out into doing my own shows. I produced and acted in “Dance With Me”, I co-wrote, produced and acted in “We’re All Naked Under Our Clothes” and wrote, produced and starred in a one woman musical review “A Closet Diva’s Diary”. It’s been about 10 years since I’ve done a show. As much as I love it, it wasn’t as big a draw now that I get to teach and share with people on a regular basis which fulfills my desire to be on stage.
This year, there will be a Bad Kitty on stage once again. I was asked to participate in a show called “Kayak” (by award winning Canadian playwright Jordan Hall) – so there will
be a kitty in a kayak. I play the lead character Annie who spends the entire show in a kayak. Annie is a mom of Peter who’s girlfriend Julie is a “post third wave eco-feminist” whom she can’t stand. The play is Annie’s memories and hallucinations as she is adrift in a kayak after an environmental collapse.
Kayak is a love “quadrangle” between a mother, her son, his girlfriend and the environment. When mom tries to interfere she ends up adrift in a kayak.
Doing the show has been a wonderful journey. I have done some drama over the years but generally prefer comedy or musicals. This has been a real stretch for me in many ways.
- Since I’m stuck in a kayak for the entire show, I can’t rely on my body to portray my emotions.
- I’m not a mom so I had to draw on emotions from other sources
- I had to draw on a lot of difficult emotions
- Getting back into the groove so many years later has been a challenge and a joy
- Memorizing a huge amount of lines (including several monologues) when my brain doesn’t seem to be as sharp as it once was
The journey has been a wonderful one. I got to work with my director Kim Lang from “Dance with Me” who is so enthusiastic and has keen insights into human interaction. Plus she has two boys so was full of wisdom on the matter for this non-mother. My young co-actors Justin Kautz and Emily McCourt have been so lovely. They are both extremely talented and so easy to work with and bounce off of. They are also a reminder of the joy and love and possibility of life as they are starting on their performing careers. Spending several hours with these wonderful people every week over the last several months has been a tremendous gift.
I’m so looking forward to doing this show. I think it’s a damn good one (and so do the people who came to our invited dress rehearsal). It’s certainly one of the most challenging ones I’ve ever done – internally challenging. I think we’ve all risen to our best during the process.
For you, dear kitties, I hope two things:
- That you find your Kayak. Whatever it is you love, I hope you pursue it. When you are feeling lost or adrift, I hope you have someone or something that holds you up and that you cultivate those things and people so they are always in your life, not just during the tough times.
- That you join us at Fringe and come see Kayak. It will make you think. It will (likely) make you cry. It will inspire you. And it’s in an air conditioned venue, so it will refresh you! Get you tickets online or at the site.
See you at Fringe. This kitty in a kayak is waving at you on the shore.
Hugs,
Christie Mawer (The Bad Kitty)
Christie@TheBadKitty.com