The lineup of the eighth edition of the undercurrents festival has been announced by the Ottawa Fringe folks. Next year’s event will take place Feb. 7-17 in the Arts Court Theatre, Arts Court Studio, the NAC and even outdoors in the cold.
Artists from three provinces will present more than 30 performances, the Fringe said in a media release.
“This year’s shows are all deeply personal and political – dealing with contentious debates, feuding families, and finding community. You won’t find these stories on any other Ottawa stages, and I can’t wait to share them with our audience,” said Patrick Gauthier, the festival director.
The festival opens with The Pipeline Project by Vancouver’s Savage Society and ITSAZOO Productions. The production which examines reactions to pipeline plans was co-created and will be performed by the NAC’s first artistic director of Indigenous Theatre, Kevin Loring.
Ottawa playwrights will offer new works that have been incubated by the Fringe’s under development program: Gabrielle Lazarovitz and Brad Long offer Little Boxes about personal tragedy and moral dilemma; David Benedict Brown, Will Somers and Madeleine Boyes-Manseau have Forstner & Fillister Present: Forstner & Fillister In: Forstner & Fillister, a story about Forstner and Fillister and also power tools, sawdust and sibling rivalry.
Wakefield’s STO Union make their undercurrents debut with The Twilight Parade, a film starring puppets handmade in the community, with actors performing voiceover live. The production is directed by Nadia Ross, 2016 winner of the Siminovitch Prize.
Other highlights:
• How to Disappear Completely with creator/performer Itai Erdal talking about his mother’s battle with cancer.
• Adam Lazarus’ Daughter a satire about toxic masculinity, co-presented with the NAC.
The full line-up, with show descriptions and access to tickets is available at undercurrentsfestival.ca.
