This is Step One

Created by Jess McAuley — facebook.com/NewTwistCollective | Produced by New Twist Theatre Collective | Origin: London, ON

12
60min
Mature
Comedy, Coming-of-Age, Drama, Storytelling

Jess has it all together… at least that’s what she wants you to think. After an accidental and horrifying blast from the past, Jess begins to recount her less than virtuous teen and young adult life. We are what we remember, and what Jess remembers isn’t the greatest picture. But time heals all things… right?

Unashamed, unabashed, and unapologetic, Jess is ready to take you on a journey of what *really* happened – and it’s gonna be dirty. She’s ready for the first steps of recovery.

NEW WORK

Showtimes

Saturday, June 169:30pm
Sunday, June 175:30pm
Monday, June 186:30pm
Wednesday, June 208:30pm
Friday, June 2210:00pm
Saturday, June 236:00pm

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Venue 6 – La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins - Studio A

Capacity: 165

333 King Edward Ave. La Nouvelle Scène is located on the east side of King Edward Avenue, just south of York Street. Studio A is located on the 1st floor. Front row seating is removable in La Nouvelle Scène Studio A for patrons in wheelchairs upon request. To access front row requires using the elevator, please notify a staff member or Fringe volunteer upon arrival, as venue staff are required to operate it. When possible, please try to arrive a few minutes early in case the elevator is in use upon arrival.

3 Reviews

ireactions (Ibrahim Ng) June 13th, 2018 • 12:19 pm

When performer Jess McAuley steps onstage sharing tales of cheating between two boyfriends and other misadventures, she sets a tone of self-mocking goofiness. But as she delves into stories of prom and her encounters with men go from awkward to invasive, it becomes clear that under every lightweight joke is seething frustration and fury, slowly simmering until it comes to a boil.

McAuley is a master of the single-person confessional format, walking through a child’s life experiences with an adult’s perspective and gradually revealing a common thread of abuse and sexual harassment woven through every troubled experience she shares. She finds exactly the right weight for each anecdote, initially assuring the audience that she’s laughing too only to indicate at the midpoint that the laughter is more a security blanket for herself than for others.

The only shame is that the video clips and image projections often don’t seem as well timed as McAuley’s jokes. But her performance is effective, carefully transitioning from comedy antics of giving up university ambitions to stick with a lover to a two horrific nights with men who abused her trust, and the shift is so gradual it’s unclear when This is Step One shifted from comedy to comic trauma.

There’s an impressive balance in the show where the audience is invited to be amused, and their laughter makes it easier to digest the more disturbing aspects of McAuley’s story. There is a frightening darkness at the core of all these recollections, held at bay in order to allow both performer and audience to function without ignoring injustice, cruelty and worse. And there is a quiet, steady resolve as This is Step One notes that recovering from the bad and the worst is not a large scale event but a series of incremental advancements.

– London Fringe (2018)
ireactions (Ibrahim Ng) June 13th, 2018 • 12:20 pm

When performer Jess McAuley steps onstage sharing tales of cheating between two boyfriends and other misadventures, she sets a tone of self-mocking goofiness. But as she delves into stories of prom and her encounters with men go from awkward to invasive, it becomes clear that under every lightweight joke is seething frustration and fury, slowly simmering until it comes to a boil.

McAuley is a master of the single-person confessional format, walking through a child’s life experiences with an adult’s perspective and gradually revealing a common thread of abuse and sexual harassment woven through every troubled experience she shares. She finds exactly the right weight for each anecdote, initially assuring the audience that she’s laughing too only to indicate at the midpoint that the laughter is more a security blanket for herself than for others.

The only shame is that the video clips and image projections often don’t seem as well timed as McAuley’s jokes. But her performance is effective, carefully transitioning from comedy antics of giving up university ambitions to stick with a lover to a two horrific nights with men who abused her trust, and the shift is so gradual it’s unclear when This is Step One shifted from comedy to comic trauma.

There’s an impressive balance in the show where the audience is invited to be amused, and their laughter makes it easier to digest the more disturbing aspects of McAuley’s story. There is a frightening darkness at the core of all these recollections, held at bay in order to allow both performer and audience to function without ignoring injustice, cruelty and worse. And there is a quiet, steady resolve as This is Step One notes that recovering from the bad and the worst is not a large scale event but a series of incremental advancements.
Ibrahim Ng June 14th, 2018 • 7:28 pm

When performer Jess McAuley steps onstage sharing tales of cheating between two boyfriends and other misadventures, she sets a tone of self-mocking goofiness. But as she delves into stories of prom and her encounters with men go from awkward to invasive, it becomes clear that under every lightweight joke is seething frustration and fury, slowly simmering until it comes to a boil.

McAuley is a master of the single-person confessional format, walking through a child’s life experiences with an adult’s perspective and gradually revealing a common thread of abuse and sexual harassment woven through every troubled experience she shares. She finds exactly the right weight for each anecdote, initially assuring the audience that she’s laughing too only to indicate at the midpoint that the laughter is more a security blanket for herself than for others.

The only shame is that the video clips and image projections often don’t seem as well timed as McAuley’s jokes. But her performance is effective, carefully transitioning from comedy antics of giving up university ambitions to stick with a lover to a two horrific nights with men who abused her trust, and the shift is so gradual it’s unclear when This is Step One shifted from comedy to comic trauma.

There’s an impressive balance in the show where the audience is invited to be amused, and their laughter makes it easier to digest the more disturbing aspects of McAuley’s story. There is a frightening darkness at the core of all these recollections, held at bay in order to allow both performer and audience to function without ignoring injustice, cruelty and worse. And there is a quiet, steady resolve as This is Step One notes that recovering from the bad and the worst is not a large scale event but a series of incremental advancements.

Ottawa Fringe Festival

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This is Step One

Created by Jess McAuley — facebook.com/NewTwistCollective | Produced by New Twist Theatre Collective | Origin: London, ON

Showtimes

Venue 6 – La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins - Studio A

3 Reviews

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