Two Ottawa theatre companies produced a lovely queer double bill this past weekend at Arts Court Theatre. The two plays were a nice contrast from each other and made for a great evening of theatre!

Week two of Fresh Meat Festival brought a wild variety to the Arts Court Studio stage and small black box theatre. Music, improv, ballet, and funerals were an excellent programming combination, and the excitement of new theatre coming out of Ottawa continues this weekend!

Julia Bueneman reviews some of the new plays on during the first weekend of Fresh Meat 2023.

RAVEMOMS Created by Kel MacDonald and Hilary Peck Produced by The Precariat (Ottawa, Canada) 60M | Content Notes: Abrupt Loud Noise, Audience Participation, Mature Language, Sexual Content, Mental Health Topics, Flashing Lights Never have I ever left a Fringe show as sweaty as I did for RAVEMOMS. Upon entering the venue, patrons are greeted by […]

Julia Bueneman: We follow our host as he combines psych history, sleight-of-mind, and science (pseudo-science?) to prove that while not all the patrons are psychic, a good few of them may be!

A fantastic example of plays not needing to be long to be excellent theatre, Three Plays for the End of the World is a great compilation of short pieces that hit hard in all the best ways.

Why Worry About Our Futures begins with all our characters on stage and plunges into various themes surrounding loss, queerness, social structures, finding light in grief and forms of impending doom.

Julia Bueneman: “Combining skilled magic, 1930s grit, time travel, standup and audience participation, Dirk Darrow: Future Past Magic is a compelling and energized play that had me giggling, stunned and picking my jaw up off the floor.”

Julia Bueneman: “I can only imagine that this show will get all the more silly and precise as the Fringe goes on and no iteration will ever be exactly the same—it was lovely to witness their first show.”