Happy Opening Fresh Meat!

It’s opening night of Fresh Meat 2: DIY Theatre Fest at the Lunenburg Pub. If you weren’t fortunate enough to catch the first Fresh Meat festival last year, here’s a (brief) rundown: a bunch of Ottawa’s most exciting emerging artists got together to create original, 20-minute theatre pieces. It was so successful last time around, they decided to do it again (lucky us!).

This year they’ve expanded the festival to two weekends (this and next) and added more up-and-coming companies to the mix. This year’s Fresh Meat line-up features a slew of 2013 Fringe companies (May Can Theatre, Backpack Theatre, Dead Unicorn Ink, Here Be Dragons, Fireflood Theatre, Grimprov), as well as (as far as I can tell) a few that will be making their professional debuts at the festival, and who you just might see on Fringe stages in the coming years.

You can find more info about Fresh Meat – including the full line-up and schedule – over on their Facebook page (they don’t have a website. Kids these days…). You can also find them over on Twitter @FreshMeatThtre.

Can’t make the shows but still want to help out these whipper-snappers? They’re running an IndieGogo campaign that you should definitely support.

I’ll be there on Saturday night. But in the meantime, everyone at the Fringe wishes you the brokenest of legs!

2 responses to “Happy Opening Fresh Meat!

  1. Does he really say (at 56s) that there is no point in approaching a new piece of theatre unless you’ve attended a 3 year conservatory programme?
    Do I point out that of the 3 (almost 4) post-secondary theatre programmes in this city, only 1 would qualify, and yet all 4 produce high quality theatre? Do I point out that many of the companies at FreshMeat are not people from a 3 year conservatory programme?
    Looking at history, many of those we consider great for their time in theatre did not attend (their version of) a conservatory program?

    Don’t get me wrong, 3 year intensive conservatory training is great for some people and can produce good artists. But it is ignorant and insulting to suggest that those of us who do not have that training are ill-equiped to or incapable of “approaching a new peice of theatre”, especially in the context of a new-works theatre festival.

  2. Hi Kyle!
    I think you missed the point a little with our video. Chris’ comment at 56 seconds is completely satirical. The aim of this video was to show how when it comes to creating theatre, the game is changing and the once stiff rules of play writing are consistently being broken by artists both young and old. Chris and John are included in the video to offset the rowdy ‘youngsters’ (beginning their creating process by throwing each other at walls) to highlight this point. You’re completely right, many actors in FreshMeat2 have never attended theatre school! Yet here they are, throwing themselves on stage to showcase their new and edgy creations. And that is what the Fresh Meat Theatre Festival is all about. Cheers!

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