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!
77 Days With Dog 33
Image: Sage Mosurinjohn.
Wild and wonderful, 77 Days With Dog 33 is an immersive experience that brings you into an operating room with Dog 33—or Marjorie (if you’re friendly), while she directs you in her surgery. The participant gets to engage in a real-life game of Operation and, before entering the sterile space, you’re invited to don a lab coat, mask, and gloves for your vital role as the surgeon.
The show was sprinkled with personal questions and interesting facts, and being invited into the room to interact so closely with her was interesting and barrier-breaking in the best way. The patron is asked to get very close and to find a special surprise hidden in scars, which was incredibly intimate despite the cold fluorescent setting. With truly gorgeous costuming and a great performance, this is one you won’t want to miss.
DabKha
Image: Sage Mosurinjohn.
Two drummers, an oud player, a saxophone player, and a vocalist set the stage and bring high energy for this musical performance that blended traditional tones and futuristic vibes in an exciting and engaging way.
DabKha is set to a series of visuals—many of them circular, which gives the audience the impression of being able to see through a portal—with the projections spanning deserts, intergalactic, and beautiful abstract scenes. The words presented in conjunction with the visuals were beautiful, though I was unsure if they were the lyrics being performed in real time. The anonymity of the vocalist—and their ability to rap in English, French and Arabic—brings a lovely level of intrigue and skill and it was an incredibly fun piece to watch. Kha is a very engaging performer and the music had me dancing in my seat!
The Casket Scene
Image: Sage Mosurinjohn.
A peek into the complexities of funeral planning and grief, The Casket Scene gives us a look into a daughter’s experience preparing her mother’s body for her funeral and beyond. Rachel Eugster plays the daughter of the woman who has passed, as we follow her and her best friend, played by Beverly Wolfe, through the various steps of readying the body from death to cremation. Lawrence Evenchick, the very accommodating funeral director, brings a calmness to the chaos as Eugster’s character manages the many faces of grief and the oddities of balancing the expectations of her family members.
This was a well-performed insight into the rituals we use to cope with loss and the challenges of losing someone we couldn’t imagine life without. The cast was fluid and had good chemistry throughout the performance. I would love to see the full-length form of this show!
Messy Structure
Image: Sage Mosurinjohn.
Performing an earnest and silly combination of ballet and improv, Rich Hilborn and Krystal Merrells are a delightful duo. Mixing various skits and dance, the two play off each other very well and are both light on their feet, despite the initial disclaimer that they are both beginners to ballet. They were quite funny as they requested suggestions from the audience (and occasionally took them) and had everyone giggling with their goofy antics. Through dramatic lighting and energy shifts, they did a great job differentiating the skits and the choreographed sections of the show.
This show was fun and honest and explored the importance of trying new things. Simultaneously proud and humble, this duo brought a lot of joy to the stage!
Fresh Meat Festival continues through October 21 at Arts Court Studio (2 Daly Ave). Get tickets and more info from their website. Arts Court is wheelchair accessible via the 67 Nicholas Street entrance.
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