Best bets for the Calgary Fringe Festival's first four days
In 2007, Randy Ross, at age 48, lost his job of 20 years, so he decided to see the world. His first stop was Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, which he learned was the murder capital of the world. Things didn't get much better as he visited Greece, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and, finally, New Zealand.
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He admits he wasn't prepared physically or psychologically for this four-month trip. When he finally returned to Boston, he decided to write a book, which he called God Bless Cambodia. Unfortunately, this proved just as daunting an experience. His show, complete with slides, tells his harrowing adventures first as a traveller, and then as an author. You can catch Ross's show at the Wood's Home Theatre.
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Calgary artist Rebbekah Ogden was just five years old when she told her mother she wanted to be a painter, only to discover her mother's strong religious and cultural convictions viewed any artistic endeavour as fraught with temptation. Odgen has 11 siblings, and their very practical mother was a powerful influence in all their lives. Ogden says her mother viewed art as somewhere between frivolous and scary.
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In her show, Ogden will choose one audience member, whose portrait she will paint as she recalls the struggles she had with her mother, who died when Ogden was 18. She feels her mother would actually approve of her lifestyle as an artist and actress, and particularly of this show. Ogden performs at the Lantern Church Fellowship Hall.
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When she was a teenager living in Montreal, Calgary musician and actor Ado Nkemka had a near-death experience. It helped Nkemka realize it was time to devote her life to her music and claim her role as an artist. From the time she moved to Canada from Africa, Nkemka was a fan, first of pop music, but then later of rock and jazz. It is these genres that influenced the album she recorded and released last year.
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Her fellow artists at Chromatic and Downstage theatres urged her to adapt her album for the stage. According to Nkemka, this meant adding a music video, some poetry, movement and monologues to complement her songs. She feels the fringe is the ideal place to premiere her deeply personal story.
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Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Best bets at the Fringe
Article content The 19th edition of the Calgary Fringe runs until Aug. 9 in Inglewood. There are 20 shows, and the way they are staggered each day, it is possible to catch four of them without rushing. There is even time to grab a quick snack between the second and third show. Article content Beth & Josie Exposed Article content Last year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis removed all arts funding because he felt there was too much emphasis on sex in current theatre. Beth & Josie Exposed is definitely a protest show, as its two artists have chosen stories about sex and racism. Article content Article content The emcee for the evening is Josie Nixon's alter ego, Juice the Trauma Clown, who calls upon the gods to rain curses upon oppressors. She returns to tell a story about a trans woman's dangerous sexual encounter. It's graphic, brutal, and frightening in its authenticity, yet Nixon never portrays herself as a victim. She's always strong and defiant. The monologue is as intriguing as it is unnerving. Article content Article content The genius in both monologues is how Nixon and Marshall are able to walk an emotional tightrope, eliciting laughter and shudders in equal measure. There is understandably a subject warning on this show, but both cases broach subjects that should be discussed. Article content Article content The early draft of Randy Ross's novel, God Bless Cambodia, was The Loneliest Planet Guide Book. Before he embarked on a four-month world travel expedition, Ross read The Lonely Planet guidebooks of the countries he planned to visit. What he surmised, after going to each of these places, was that the people who wrote those books likely didn't stay in, or see, the places they wrote about, or things had changed drastically from when they did. Article content In the first half of his show, using slides, Ross recalls some of his biggest disappointments and catastrophes, always zeroing in on the unpleasantness he encountered. He does admit a good deal of it was his fault. At 48, he was a bit too old to be staying in youth hostels and trying windsurfing. He was a lonely, middle-aged man alone in foreign countries, and all the guidebooks had been so vehement about not contracting sexually transmitted diseases that he was doomed to feeling even lonelier. Ross is particularly self-deprecating, and he succeeds in getting maximum laughs at his expense.
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Best bets for the Calgary Fringe Festival's first four days
Article content In 2007, Randy Ross, at age 48, lost his job of 20 years, so he decided to see the world. His first stop was Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, which he learned was the murder capital of the world. Things didn't get much better as he visited Greece, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and, finally, New Zealand. Article content Article content He admits he wasn't prepared physically or psychologically for this four-month trip. When he finally returned to Boston, he decided to write a book, which he called God Bless Cambodia. Unfortunately, this proved just as daunting an experience. His show, complete with slides, tells his harrowing adventures first as a traveller, and then as an author. You can catch Ross's show at the Wood's Home Theatre. Article content Article content Calgary artist Rebbekah Ogden was just five years old when she told her mother she wanted to be a painter, only to discover her mother's strong religious and cultural convictions viewed any artistic endeavour as fraught with temptation. Odgen has 11 siblings, and their very practical mother was a powerful influence in all their lives. Ogden says her mother viewed art as somewhere between frivolous and scary. Article content Article content In her show, Ogden will choose one audience member, whose portrait she will paint as she recalls the struggles she had with her mother, who died when Ogden was 18. She feels her mother would actually approve of her lifestyle as an artist and actress, and particularly of this show. Ogden performs at the Lantern Church Fellowship Hall. Article content Article content When she was a teenager living in Montreal, Calgary musician and actor Ado Nkemka had a near-death experience. It helped Nkemka realize it was time to devote her life to her music and claim her role as an artist. From the time she moved to Canada from Africa, Nkemka was a fan, first of pop music, but then later of rock and jazz. It is these genres that influenced the album she recorded and released last year. Article content Her fellow artists at Chromatic and Downstage theatres urged her to adapt her album for the stage. According to Nkemka, this meant adding a music video, some poetry, movement and monologues to complement her songs. She feels the fringe is the ideal place to premiere her deeply personal story.
CBC
26-03-2025
- CBC
This ballerina's kiss goodbye to Swan Lake
Behind the scenes with Heather Ogden as she dances ballet classic for last time Principal dancer Heather Ogden, centre, performs in The National Ballet of Canada's Swan Lake with other dancers on March 18. It was one of Ogden's final three performances of the Russian classic at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Lupul/CBC CBC News Mar. 26, 2025 Principal dancer Heather Ogden has performed Swan Lake for the last time in The National Ballet of Canada's production of the Russian classic. The dual role of Odette/Odile was Ogden's first major one with the National Ballet in 2003. She's been with the company since 1998 and danced lead roles in beloved classics, such as Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. But Ogden says she felt it was the right time for her to bid farewell to Swan Lake this month when she danced in three of the sold-out performances. 'One of my coaches told me, 'You have to give it a kiss goodbye,' ' Ogden said. 'And so I kind of thought it was a nice sentiment to just give it a nice farewell.' ADVERTISEMENT Last week, CBC News photographer Alex Lupul was backstage to capture the ballerina's final two performances of Swan Lake at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Go behind the scenes with Ogden and all her swan friends as they performed to sold-out audiences on March 18 and 21. Getting ready Ogden said she likes to give herself plenty of time to get ready before the show. For this 7:30 p.m. performance, she'll start preparing at 5 p.m., giving herself an hour for hair and makeup — then an hour to warm up. Warming up In the rehearsal hall before the show, Ogden practised her standard series of warm-ups. She says she was trying some moves from Act 2, when she comes on stage as the White Swan. 'I usually try my first entrance, my first balances and a couple pirouettes — things like that,' she said. Taking the stage This production of Swan Lake, which was directed and staged by the National Ballet's then-artistic director Karen Kain, premiered in June 2022. The original Swan Lake dates back to the late 1800s and is based on a German fairy tale, which tells the story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess in a faraway kingdom who is turned into a swan after being cursed by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart. "When the kingdom's eligible royal, Prince Siegfried, falls in love with Odette, Rothbart conjures a trick to keep them apart — Odile, a ravishing imitation of Odette,' the National Ballet said on its website. Something to remember During her final performance, Ogden says she felt excited and tried to soak it all in. She thought the audience was 'incredibly warm' and appreciative. 'It just felt very nice,' she said. 'I felt very showered with love … It was something I'll remember.' Layout and editing by photo editor Showwei Chu Related Stories Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 About CBC Corporate Info Sitemap Reuse & Permission Terms of Use Privacy Jobs Our Unions Independent Producers Political Ads Registry AdChoices Services Ombudsman Public Appearances Commercial Services CBC Shop Doing Business with Us Renting Facilities Accessibility It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback © 2025 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved. Visitez
