BEST OF THE BEST AT POTASHCORP FRINGE THEATRE AND STREET FESTIVAL
The Sisters Fox
Published August 3rd, 2017
If you’re tempted to ask the spirits whether or not to see The Sisters Fox, don’t be alarmed when you hear three loud knocks. That’s ghost-speak for yes. They tend not to communicate in star ratings.
The Sisters Fox are Maggie (Lauren Holfeuer) and Kate (Alex Hartshorn), siblings united in blood and a very unusual occupation: They can communicate with the dead. Set in the 1800s in New York, the play tells the story of their quick rise to fame and the toll it took on their lives.
The eerie play, by Saskatoon’s Thigh High Theatre, has a lot going for it: A fascinating story, a polished and well-written script and two excellent performances by its stars.
Though The Sisters Fox is a largely narrative play, the creators still take some risks. A song and dance number, where the women impersonate “experts” determined to discredit the Fox Sisters, is a big shift in tone but it works, adding some levity to a largely dark play. Holfeuer’s transformation into a stodgy, male sceptic is quite hilarious.
The play’s pace changes often. For every tense séance scene, there’s a moment that feels like a deep breath. Dance is effectively used to relay the romance and heartbreak of Maggie’s one true love.
The Sisters Fox doesn’t force a point of view, allowing the audience members to decide where they sit on the spectrum between belief and dismissal.
— Stephanie McKay, Saskatoon Starphoenix
LIVE FIVE TAKES ON ATWOOD TALE
Unlikely leap to stage for 1969 novel
Stephanie McKay, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The Edible Woman, a stage adaptation of Margaret Atwood's first novel, takes place in many different locations and over a long period of time. It's the kind of play a theatre company with a big budget could go wild with, particularly with its set.
Thigh High Theatre does not have a big budget. But the Saskatoon theatre company is staging the play, as part of the Live Five season, despite its limited resources.
One of the biggest challenges are the play's many locations. There are 12 scene settings in the first act and 18 in the second.
"The challenge for us is doing it with no budget," the play's director, Joshua Beaudry, said. "I kind of feel like it's Monty Python and the Holy Grail where they wanted horses but they couldn't have them so they say 'Let's do coconuts.' So, we're doing coconuts."
But that could turn out to be a good thing, Thigh High co-founder and producer Lauren Holfeuer said.
"The coconuts were my favourite part," she said.
Even though The Edible Woman was published in 1969, it was only adapted into a play in 2000 by writer Dave Carley. That might be because The Edible Woman isn't the most obvious play material, according to the producers.
"I don't think when you read the book you immediately think, 'This would make a great play.' It's over a long period of time and there are quite a lot of characters. That doesn't immediately scream theatre," Thigh High co-founder Cassidy Thomson said.
Despite the challenges in bringing the story to the stage, The Edible Woman also works as a play because it relies on the imagination and is navigated by a strong central character.
Holfeuer stars as Marian, a young woman on the cusp of marriage and struggling with the inevitability of her life.
"I guess you go a bit down the rabbit hole with this character as she discovers who she's going to be. She needs to find out who she is and what she wants and you go down this twisted path as she's like 'I don't know,'" she said.
It's a dark comedy, but not in a biting or crude way.
"It's delicious comedy," Thomson said.
The Edible Woman is Thigh High Theatre's third production. Holfeuer and Thomson previously staged Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (as part of Live Five's seventh season) and Still Life.
Both women agree that this is the company's most ambitious production to date. Just that morning, a clawfoot bathtub was carried by cast and crew into The Refinery as part of the set.
"It's actually going to happen. I thought for a while it wouldn't," Thomson said with a laugh.
With the play's run drawing nearer, though, cast and crew seemed excited and confident about the production
"It's a great opportunity to see one of Canada's greatest female writers on stage, which is really cool," Holfeuer said. "I'd never read Margaret Atwood before we'd chosen this play and now I'm on her sixth novel. I just love her."
The cast and crew will host a discussion of the novel and the stage interpretation immediately following the show on Saturday and March 22.
[email protected]
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2012
CAST OF BRIDESMAIDS DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Stephanie McKay, The StarPhoenix
Published: Monday, May 09, 2011
Wedding season is upon us, but thankfully Live Five is offering an alternative to bad buffets and awkward bouquet tosses. Five Women Wearing the Same Dress has all the tacky gowns you could ask for, but it is also hilarious, doesn't require a gift and highlights some of Saskatoon's most promising theatre talent.
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, written by Alan Ball, is the story of a motley crew of bridesmaids. Each one is completely different, yet they seem pretty much united in their hatred of the bride.
The whole play is set in the bedroom of Meredith (Alex Hartshorn), the bride's sarcastic, rebellious sister. There, the women avoid the dreadfully dull wedding and discuss topics as diverse as toupees, psycho killers, heartbreak and sexual abuse.
Anyone familiar with the work of Ball, best known for his screenwriting credits on Six Feet Under and True Blood, will recognize his characteristic snappy dialogue and brassy humour. The play is funny and totally relatable.
But it's more than his writing that makes this Thigh High Theatre/Strikes Twice Productions co-production a success. The five strong, female actors that bring the story to life are wonderful. The women, all recent or upcoming University of Saskatchewan drama grads, have amazing chemistry, possibly owing to the fact that most of them have worked together before.
Hartshorn does well with her difficult character. Behind the snarky comments there is real pain and vulnerability, especially later in the play.
Danielle Roy was memorable for her hilarious performance as the groom's klutzy sister Mindy. Sure, she was blessed with a fantastic character, but Roy's comic timing and deadpan delivery were perfect.
Lauren Holfeuer's wounded turn as Georgeanne, the bride's (ugly duckling) sidekick, is instantly sympathetic. Equal parts pitiful and entertaining, Holfeuer makes you root for Georgeanne despite her many flaws. The only problem with her casting is the fact Holfeuer is obviously no ugly duckling.
The bride's religious cousin, Frances (Angela Kemp) is probably the least interesting of Ball's characters. Thankfully, Kemp gives the role just the right ratio of sweet to judgmental.
Rounding out the satin-clad quintet is Cassidy Thomson as Trisha, the bride's former best friend. Thomson may not have the dramatic back story of Meredith or the goofy mannerisms of Mindy to play with, but she adds a much-needed sense of balance to the chaos.
Nathan Howe, who doesn't appear until midway through the second act as Trisha's love interest Tripp, is perfectly charming in his small role. But, let's face it, he's a mere prop compared to the wild, funny women in the play.
Solid direction from fellow U of S drama student Josh Ramsden shows just how exciting Saskatoon's theatre future could be.
The show had a couple of imperfections in blocking, notably in a very funny scene where half the audience can only see the back of Kemp's head. It seems a shame to hide her, assumedly hysterical, reaction to the other characters. The cast's line delivery also felt quite rushed in several spots, but that is easily fixed.
Thanks to the great cast/play combination, audience members will love each and every one of these women by the end, and recognize why being always a bridesmaid could be a blessing.
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress runs from Thursday to Sunday at 8 p.m. at The Refinery.
[email protected]
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2011
THIGH HIGH THEATRE PRESENTS STILL LIFE BY EMILY MANN
posted January 13, 2011
The producers of Still Life won't sit still until theatre in Saskatoon is more lively.
Cassidy Thomson and Lauren Holfeuer were hit by inspiration when they checked out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009.
"We saw a lot of creative energy and independent theatre," Holfeuer said this week.
They decided to do the same and create their own theatre company in their hometown to put on plays that are more challenging than mainstream and to give their peers work. Everyone involved in the current production is a drama grad from the University of Saskatchewan.
They named the company Thigh High Theatre because it sounds kind of provocative and because it evokes a certain standard of height -- imagine the sign at the fair that tells you if you're tall enough to ride the roller-coaster, Holfeuer says.
"We didn't want the name to say too much but we didn't want it to say nothing at all."
The thrill ride chosen for the first play is a gritty monologue drama about a Vietnam war veteran and the Effect his damaged psyche has on himself and the two women in his life, his wife and his mistress. American playwright Emily Mann won six Obie awards for the play, which she based on personal interviews.
"It really grabbed me. It has a lot of social relevance," says Holfeuer.
Thomson and Holfeuer founded the company and are also acting in the play. Holfeuer plays the vet's mistress while Thomson is his wife. Mark, the vet, is played by Chris Hapke. Holfeuer's sister Kristen, her elder by three years, directs. They're both arts-smart Evan Hardy alumns.
"Kristen was always big into drama and I was always into playing as many instruments as I could."
Holfeuer can't say enough about the quality of education at the U of S drama department. But it's another thing to form your own theatre from scratch.
"This has been a big eye-opener for us. We've done everything start to finish. It's a new level of work for us."
They don't qualify for grants yet, but did their own fundraising with garage and bake sales. They also benefited from the close-knit Saskatoon theatre scene. They've received lots of advice and guidance.
"It's been really challenging but the community has been so supportive."
Thigh High already has its second show in the works. It has landed a guest group spot on the Live Five season and will field the play Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball in May, in association with the equally new Strikes Twice Productions.
Says Holfeuer: "I think we just want to provide work for ourselves and our peers and do work that we can be 100 per cent proud of."
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix
The Sisters Fox
Published August 3rd, 2017
If you’re tempted to ask the spirits whether or not to see The Sisters Fox, don’t be alarmed when you hear three loud knocks. That’s ghost-speak for yes. They tend not to communicate in star ratings.
The Sisters Fox are Maggie (Lauren Holfeuer) and Kate (Alex Hartshorn), siblings united in blood and a very unusual occupation: They can communicate with the dead. Set in the 1800s in New York, the play tells the story of their quick rise to fame and the toll it took on their lives.
The eerie play, by Saskatoon’s Thigh High Theatre, has a lot going for it: A fascinating story, a polished and well-written script and two excellent performances by its stars.
Though The Sisters Fox is a largely narrative play, the creators still take some risks. A song and dance number, where the women impersonate “experts” determined to discredit the Fox Sisters, is a big shift in tone but it works, adding some levity to a largely dark play. Holfeuer’s transformation into a stodgy, male sceptic is quite hilarious.
The play’s pace changes often. For every tense séance scene, there’s a moment that feels like a deep breath. Dance is effectively used to relay the romance and heartbreak of Maggie’s one true love.
The Sisters Fox doesn’t force a point of view, allowing the audience members to decide where they sit on the spectrum between belief and dismissal.
— Stephanie McKay, Saskatoon Starphoenix
LIVE FIVE TAKES ON ATWOOD TALE
Unlikely leap to stage for 1969 novel
Stephanie McKay, The StarPhoenix
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The Edible Woman, a stage adaptation of Margaret Atwood's first novel, takes place in many different locations and over a long period of time. It's the kind of play a theatre company with a big budget could go wild with, particularly with its set.
Thigh High Theatre does not have a big budget. But the Saskatoon theatre company is staging the play, as part of the Live Five season, despite its limited resources.
One of the biggest challenges are the play's many locations. There are 12 scene settings in the first act and 18 in the second.
"The challenge for us is doing it with no budget," the play's director, Joshua Beaudry, said. "I kind of feel like it's Monty Python and the Holy Grail where they wanted horses but they couldn't have them so they say 'Let's do coconuts.' So, we're doing coconuts."
But that could turn out to be a good thing, Thigh High co-founder and producer Lauren Holfeuer said.
"The coconuts were my favourite part," she said.
Even though The Edible Woman was published in 1969, it was only adapted into a play in 2000 by writer Dave Carley. That might be because The Edible Woman isn't the most obvious play material, according to the producers.
"I don't think when you read the book you immediately think, 'This would make a great play.' It's over a long period of time and there are quite a lot of characters. That doesn't immediately scream theatre," Thigh High co-founder Cassidy Thomson said.
Despite the challenges in bringing the story to the stage, The Edible Woman also works as a play because it relies on the imagination and is navigated by a strong central character.
Holfeuer stars as Marian, a young woman on the cusp of marriage and struggling with the inevitability of her life.
"I guess you go a bit down the rabbit hole with this character as she discovers who she's going to be. She needs to find out who she is and what she wants and you go down this twisted path as she's like 'I don't know,'" she said.
It's a dark comedy, but not in a biting or crude way.
"It's delicious comedy," Thomson said.
The Edible Woman is Thigh High Theatre's third production. Holfeuer and Thomson previously staged Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (as part of Live Five's seventh season) and Still Life.
Both women agree that this is the company's most ambitious production to date. Just that morning, a clawfoot bathtub was carried by cast and crew into The Refinery as part of the set.
"It's actually going to happen. I thought for a while it wouldn't," Thomson said with a laugh.
With the play's run drawing nearer, though, cast and crew seemed excited and confident about the production
"It's a great opportunity to see one of Canada's greatest female writers on stage, which is really cool," Holfeuer said. "I'd never read Margaret Atwood before we'd chosen this play and now I'm on her sixth novel. I just love her."
The cast and crew will host a discussion of the novel and the stage interpretation immediately following the show on Saturday and March 22.
[email protected]
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2012
CAST OF BRIDESMAIDS DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Stephanie McKay, The StarPhoenix
Published: Monday, May 09, 2011
Wedding season is upon us, but thankfully Live Five is offering an alternative to bad buffets and awkward bouquet tosses. Five Women Wearing the Same Dress has all the tacky gowns you could ask for, but it is also hilarious, doesn't require a gift and highlights some of Saskatoon's most promising theatre talent.
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, written by Alan Ball, is the story of a motley crew of bridesmaids. Each one is completely different, yet they seem pretty much united in their hatred of the bride.
The whole play is set in the bedroom of Meredith (Alex Hartshorn), the bride's sarcastic, rebellious sister. There, the women avoid the dreadfully dull wedding and discuss topics as diverse as toupees, psycho killers, heartbreak and sexual abuse.
Anyone familiar with the work of Ball, best known for his screenwriting credits on Six Feet Under and True Blood, will recognize his characteristic snappy dialogue and brassy humour. The play is funny and totally relatable.
But it's more than his writing that makes this Thigh High Theatre/Strikes Twice Productions co-production a success. The five strong, female actors that bring the story to life are wonderful. The women, all recent or upcoming University of Saskatchewan drama grads, have amazing chemistry, possibly owing to the fact that most of them have worked together before.
Hartshorn does well with her difficult character. Behind the snarky comments there is real pain and vulnerability, especially later in the play.
Danielle Roy was memorable for her hilarious performance as the groom's klutzy sister Mindy. Sure, she was blessed with a fantastic character, but Roy's comic timing and deadpan delivery were perfect.
Lauren Holfeuer's wounded turn as Georgeanne, the bride's (ugly duckling) sidekick, is instantly sympathetic. Equal parts pitiful and entertaining, Holfeuer makes you root for Georgeanne despite her many flaws. The only problem with her casting is the fact Holfeuer is obviously no ugly duckling.
The bride's religious cousin, Frances (Angela Kemp) is probably the least interesting of Ball's characters. Thankfully, Kemp gives the role just the right ratio of sweet to judgmental.
Rounding out the satin-clad quintet is Cassidy Thomson as Trisha, the bride's former best friend. Thomson may not have the dramatic back story of Meredith or the goofy mannerisms of Mindy to play with, but she adds a much-needed sense of balance to the chaos.
Nathan Howe, who doesn't appear until midway through the second act as Trisha's love interest Tripp, is perfectly charming in his small role. But, let's face it, he's a mere prop compared to the wild, funny women in the play.
Solid direction from fellow U of S drama student Josh Ramsden shows just how exciting Saskatoon's theatre future could be.
The show had a couple of imperfections in blocking, notably in a very funny scene where half the audience can only see the back of Kemp's head. It seems a shame to hide her, assumedly hysterical, reaction to the other characters. The cast's line delivery also felt quite rushed in several spots, but that is easily fixed.
Thanks to the great cast/play combination, audience members will love each and every one of these women by the end, and recognize why being always a bridesmaid could be a blessing.
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress runs from Thursday to Sunday at 8 p.m. at The Refinery.
[email protected]
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2011
THIGH HIGH THEATRE PRESENTS STILL LIFE BY EMILY MANN
posted January 13, 2011
The producers of Still Life won't sit still until theatre in Saskatoon is more lively.
Cassidy Thomson and Lauren Holfeuer were hit by inspiration when they checked out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009.
"We saw a lot of creative energy and independent theatre," Holfeuer said this week.
They decided to do the same and create their own theatre company in their hometown to put on plays that are more challenging than mainstream and to give their peers work. Everyone involved in the current production is a drama grad from the University of Saskatchewan.
They named the company Thigh High Theatre because it sounds kind of provocative and because it evokes a certain standard of height -- imagine the sign at the fair that tells you if you're tall enough to ride the roller-coaster, Holfeuer says.
"We didn't want the name to say too much but we didn't want it to say nothing at all."
The thrill ride chosen for the first play is a gritty monologue drama about a Vietnam war veteran and the Effect his damaged psyche has on himself and the two women in his life, his wife and his mistress. American playwright Emily Mann won six Obie awards for the play, which she based on personal interviews.
"It really grabbed me. It has a lot of social relevance," says Holfeuer.
Thomson and Holfeuer founded the company and are also acting in the play. Holfeuer plays the vet's mistress while Thomson is his wife. Mark, the vet, is played by Chris Hapke. Holfeuer's sister Kristen, her elder by three years, directs. They're both arts-smart Evan Hardy alumns.
"Kristen was always big into drama and I was always into playing as many instruments as I could."
Holfeuer can't say enough about the quality of education at the U of S drama department. But it's another thing to form your own theatre from scratch.
"This has been a big eye-opener for us. We've done everything start to finish. It's a new level of work for us."
They don't qualify for grants yet, but did their own fundraising with garage and bake sales. They also benefited from the close-knit Saskatoon theatre scene. They've received lots of advice and guidance.
"It's been really challenging but the community has been so supportive."
Thigh High already has its second show in the works. It has landed a guest group spot on the Live Five season and will field the play Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball in May, in association with the equally new Strikes Twice Productions.
Says Holfeuer: "I think we just want to provide work for ourselves and our peers and do work that we can be 100 per cent proud of."
© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix
