Augustus Williams

Divine Wisdom in a Floral Set By Augustus Williams

You don’t need a church to talk to God - at the Fringe all you need is the Garneau Theatre. The stand up comedy spectacular returns again this year, and God is more ready than ever to critique the world. God is a Scottish Drag Queen (All New) begins with the belief that everything we need to get through life, we learned in kindergarten. God muses on sharing, hygiene, and all the other basics that were being taught in pre-K, and how perhaps we’ve forgotten a little too much of it. Family troubles, political decline, and technological overlords are all victims of the clever act, written by Mike (God) and Chantelle Delamont. The show had the audience roaring with laughter just as often as it had us squirming in our seats out of just how hard God makes us face reality. On a stage like the Garneau, God is faced with a large stage to fill for a one person show, but fill it he certainly does. An element of the show that aided this was the tightly rehearsed projection work, which delivered some huge visual punchlines. The show was stage managed by Chantelle Delamont, and it’s clear these two have been working as a team for a long time, on many different stages. God is a Scottish Drag Queen (All New) is a riotous piece of comedy that will have any theatre-goer laughing so hard they see God; on stage in front of them, delivering the jokes.

Heathers the Musical: Teen Edition By Augustus Williams

It’s always a treat to get to see young performers on stage, and Heathers the Musical: Teen Edition was no different. This show was fun and energetic, and performed entirely by high school aged actors. The opportunities for young artists in Edmonton are incredible, and it’s amazing to get to see so many of them at the Fringe. The ability to put up a production of that scale is very admirable to see from young people, and showcases a commitment to the theatre that is exactly the kind of thing the arts community loves to foster. Heathers was a very fun performance to see, and inspires hope about the future of theatre in Edmonton.

The Pansy Cabaret - A Revolutionary Act of Queer Joy By Augustus Williams

Canadian drag superstar Lilith Fair takes the stage in The Pansy Cabaret again this year - but to anyone who’s seen it before, don’t think it’s the same show. Lilith is an incredible performer; full to the brim with stage presence and armed with an incredible voice, she knows how to command a theatre. Accompanied by the incredible Daniel Belland on keys and occasionally on mic, the two have created a fabulous cabaret alongside writer and director Darrin Hagen. The show explores the rich history of the LGBTQ community’s relationship with the entertainment industry during the prohibition era, roughly a century ago. Broadway and vaudeville were once deeply populated with queer performers, but that time came to an abrupt end with the start of the second world war and the rise of fascism. However, as Lilith says during the performance, this piece which once felt like a celebration of the lives of those who paved the way to the vibrant world we live in, now feels instead like a cruel reflection of just how much our present is mirroring that time, almost one hundred years ago. Lilith Fair’s show-stopping performance is beautiful, sexual, powerful, and heartbreaking. If you are in Edmonton and you are part of the queer community, or even more if you’re a straight ally, I urge you to see this show and to remember - the performance Lilith gives, and any other show involving LGBTQ artists, is not just a performance; it's an act of revolution.

Hot Garbage - A Feat of Teenage Theatre By Augustus Williams

The Theatre Network Summer Academy is back for their fourth year with another amazing show! Hot Garbage is fully created and performed by a group of young theatre artists, under the guidance of Ellen Chorley and the creative team behind the Roxy. The play is an adaptation of The Beggars Opera, but hilariously re-interpreted into modern day Florida, putting a contemporary swing on the old tale. This talented group of young people brought a deeply impressive performance to the stage, with a sense of comedic timing and individual characterization that rivaled that of professional actors. Hot Garbage was one of the funniest pieces I’ve seen at the Fringe this year, and it seemed to me that the TNSA team knew who their target audience was and executed a show wonderfully with that audience in mind. The piece was also designed in part by one of the students, Sophie Eyo, who built elements of the set as well as designing them. The design as a whole was very high quality for what you might expect from a teen production - the costumes were all well-fitting and suited the characters, and the set was clean and effective without being overly complicated. Hot Garbage is a fantastically fun farce, and I think anyone who sees this show will be blown away by the young talent on stage.

Murder, She Improvised - Sherlock Holmes Meets West Edmonton Mall By Augustus Williams

The hit comedy show returns to Edmonton Fringe this year with a rotating lineup of wonderful improvisers and a brand new show, every show. Murder, She Improvised was a funny, chaotic, spur of the moment improv act hosted by Rapid Fire Theatre. As with any improv show, a new plot is guaranteed for every performance. The entire piece was underscored by a live pianist, who excellently picked up on whatever the actors were laying down to help set the mood of the scenes. All seven actors in the show I saw were fantastic improv artists, who created memorable characters and unfolded the murder story over the course of the hour. This show is a wild ride where even the people on stage have no idea what will happen next, and it will most definitely have you crying with laughter by the end.

The Witches - Defiance in the Face of Death By Augustus Williams

Witches are often portrayed as old hags with crooked noses and pointy hats, but this beautifully written show by Nicole Pontikes and Sarah Jackson reminds us of the upsetting truth behind the origins of witches. The Witches is the story of five women who share little in common save their circumstance - they are about to be executed together for the crime of witchcraft. All five actors shared a beautiful sense of ensemble that strengthened everyone's performance as well as the show as a whole. Each character was defined as an individual, and they all contained so much personality that shone beyond just the story of how they got arrested. The dialogue was well written and performed, and made the characters feel all the more real and relatable. The design of the set was subtle but effective, just five wooden boxes and a blanket of straw on the ground, which effectively communicated the literal surroundings of the characters while also providing a perfect device to be reconfigured as each “witch” told their stories. I also personally deeply loved the costuming, which was more period inspired than period accurate. The character designs felt like the outfits you might see at a renaissance fair, with various contemporary elements pulled together to create a more timely look. This juxtaposition of fashion felt to me like a reminder that although this story happened many, many years ago, the abuse and mistreatment that these women faced is still very much a problem today.

In Waking Life - A Lucid Dream of Comedy By Augustus Williams

Get ready to have all your problems solved, or at least addressed - sort of - by the “paranormal versions of Dr. Phill,” The Synsk Sisters! In Waking Life is a clown-adjacent, character driven show created and performed by Lauren Welchner and Monica Bradford-Lea. The execution of this piece relies heavily on audience participation, and the clever format of the show immediately establishes that there is no fourth wall. The comedic duo excellently encouraged audience members into the participatory aspects of the piece, creating an environment that allowed everyone to “yes, and” whatever the players were asking. The characters were well developed, showcasing strong dialect work and a clear longstanding relationship between the actors that allowed for a strong sense of comedic banter between the two. In Waking Life is a principally hilarious play, but the work put into it allows the emotion underneath the comedy to shine through, like light refracted through a crystal ball.

Adam Bailey - A “Gay Stuart McLean” By Augustus Williams

We’ve all thought of what it must be like to die. Now, imagine actually experiencing it. Three times. Adam Bailey leads us through the story of the three death experiences he’s had in this funny, gut-wrenching, and deeply personal story of his life. For a play about death, Bailey knew how and when to place his comedic hits for the absolute most payoff. As he says at the beginning of the show, it’s like stand up comedy with less jokes. “Not no jokes - just fewer.” A specific type of gallows-esque humour that Bailey pulls off perfectly, the macabre puns never left the audience feeling uncomfortable - I would even say it made us feel even more at ease. Don’t misunderstand me though - this show is not a comedy. Bailey bravely explores some dark moments of his life (and death), such as his mother’s homophobic boyfriend, his far-too-close call with COVID, and his grandfather’s jarringly sudden passing. To take punches like that that you’ve lived through and put them on stage for anyone to see is a daunting challenge, but Bailey manages it in a way that still feels intimate and personal. Adam Bailey: My Three Deaths points out the absurd and often hilarious nature of death, while still reminding us how important it is to cherish the people we love while there’s still time.

History Doesn’t Repeat Itself… Right? By Augustus Williams

Throughout the course of human life, we have always found a sense of revolution through music. It gives a voice to those who cannot speak and opens the ears of anyone who’s willing to listen. In How to Pack a Revolution in Your Suitcase, Bremner Fletcher sings us the stories of songwriters and revolutionaries from 1920’s Germany, a time and a place far, far away from where we are now. A time and place that certainly has no relation whatsoever to where we are now… at least that’s what we like to believe. This clever, mildly foreboding, and painfully optimistic cabaret reminds us how quietly history can go about repeating, right under our noses. The songs Fletcher shares with us, all written between 1923 and 1943, sound almost contemporary in their lyricism and humour. The piece is a great reminder of the power held in the hands of artists, and the ability that any ordinary person has to change the world. Although it’s true that the times we live in look disturbingly similar to Germany in the 40s, Fletcher urges us not to focus solely on the frightening parallels and instead remember - the artists won that fight against fascism. We can win it again.

Tick, Tick, Tick By Augustus Williams

What would you do if you had the power to change the past? This is the question Dasha is faced with in Natalia Blok’s powerful contemporary play “Bomb.” In the world we live in, where we are forced to be aware of everything all the time, it can often feel like we’re just standing by helplessly, waiting for everything to blow up around us - but for Dasha, the details of the detonation are in her hands. This play is a resonant piece of theatre about activism, guilt, and the anxiety of living in a world out of your control. With incredible performances from all four actors and a strong sense of direction, the messages of the show cut through the absurdity of it in a way that expresses a clear understanding of the text from the ensemble. “Bomb” also begins with a fascinating projection design, manned by hand by the actors on an old fashioned overhead projector, which is utilized throughout the play in tandem with the sound and lighting. Catch “Bomb” at the Walterdale for only three more shows, and prepare to be asked to what extent does ignorance equal bliss, and where do we draw the line in our sacrifices to help those around us?