Can you laugh during an apocalypse? Can a victim become a victor? We know dad jokes are bad, but what about mom jokes? Does one need a wetsuit to enjoy theatre?
These are just a few of the questions conjured by this year’s lineup for a performing arts festival that runs over two weekends in October and offers a unique opportunity to experience emerging theatrical productions from those self-styled as “fresh meat”—local performers, directors, comedians and others testing their ideas on the stage.
Ottawa’s 12th annual Fresh Meat Festival showcases a diverse group of local artists each year, allowing emerging talent to create and perform new, innovative, short works, which often blur lines between dance, poetry, burlesque, clown, pantomime, performance art, stand-up, sketch comedy, storytelling, and more.
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This year’s festival is one of the largest offerings of performances since the pandemic, showcasing 12 works by locals. The first weekend, October 12-14, features six performances, including All Things Bright and Beautiful, an intimate autobiographical work written and directed by Adelaida Bustamante about “a little girl’s journey from Manila to Canada against the backdrop of extreme climatic conditions and its impact on impoverished families and individuals.”
“All Things Bright and Beautiful is quite/fully autobiographical which I think gives it a very authentic voice and narrative,” states Bustamante. “I was inspired to turn this story into a play because what we all have witnessed and experienced the global environmental, and social and economic impact of climate change and extreme climatic conditions.”
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Comedians also take to the stage: Christina Muehlberger and Doug Wallace deliver mom (yes, that’s a thing) and dad jokes as a comedic duo trying to make sense of parenting (good luck) in the aptly titled Mom Jokes.
And you might get wet—Eau as in au revoir is billed as a “sensory installation piece that explores themes of home, identity and belonging in a landscape of water.” Anne Hamels’ solo show immerses the audience in a production that “invites audiences to experience theater in a whole other way.”
“I wanted to create an artistic project where I could explore the different theatrical possibilities water offers,” Hamel states. “Engaging with water connects me to my own understanding and experiences of identity. As a nonbinary artist navigating a predominantly cisgendered world, I have had to write my own stories and rules to find belonging in the communities around me.”
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And these are just a few of the performances during that first week. The second week, October 19-21, offers six more intriguing performances: Ludmylla Reis’ an_ti_gon_nee allows audiences to vote; Dabkha presents Kha, a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, engineer and multi-skilled creator, born from a Middle-Eastern heritage; and Messy Structure wonders what happens when comedy and ballet intersect?
Visit freshmeatfest.com for the full line-up, ticket prices, dates, and locations.
Fresh Meat aims to ensure that all artists, organizers, volunteers, patrons, and all those associated with the festival are aware that abuse, discrimination, and harassment are unwelcome and unacceptable in any and all of the festival’s spaces.
